Not exactly deep, but certainly worth noting (and I'm not sure I have time to write up a full post); US Soccer has confirmed the rumored friendly with Slovakia on November 14th. The first-ever visit to Bratislava comes four days before the Americans take on Denmark in Aarhus. The two game trip represents a nice little European tour for a team in desperate need of action, as Bob Bradley has to start the search for front and back line replacements immediately.

• Real Salt Lake made the MLS playoffs in a bit of a surprise, and one Deseret News writer hopes it can steer more young people towards the game. Amy Donaldson muses over all of the same issues that are discussed among the faithful on a regular basis, including the most common refrain; why do Americans who play the sport as youths move away from it in adulthood? There aren't any answers here (I'm not sure there is an easy answer, though I attempted to reason one out way back in January) just a general hope that RSL's playoff run captures the imagination of the community. Unlikely as that may be, it's a nice thought.

• Soccer Fan Pro has some questions about that lack of news surrounding the accident that seriously injured Charlie Davies. Taking Davies specific situation out of it, the post has a good point; there are not enough interested parties doing the digging when it comes to soccer in the United States. It's a function of the level of interest, of course, not to mention the fact that jobs reporting on soccer are few and far between. The legitimate reporters covering the game here will generally follow the lead of the organizations in control because everything is tightly managed. Whether or not you believe US Soccer, MLS, and other soccer bodies should be more transparent, the lack of committed effort to get to the bottom of things is the more glaring issue. I suppose it all comes down to how much you believe we should know, and whether it's our right to know it.