Thanks for 101 Great Goals for the find.

This network has really stepped it up in terms of footy coverage, and is soon reinventing itself as ESPN3, an offset of the 4 letter network that will emphasizie world soccer coverage. (It’s worth nothing that my cable provider predicted this move months ago when it placed ESPN Classics just above Fox Soccer Channel.)

I’ve always wanted to try out the liveblog thang, so here is my first, and slightly modified attempt at one - a Messi-specific chronicle of this international friendly.

Got started a little late, but I am sure Messi has plently of tricks remaining up those Adidas sleeves of his.

‘17 - great service from Messi to Heinze’s head in the box, where the ketchup master player directs it just above the bar.

‘24 - two men in Messi down the sider outside the box, still manages to earn a corner.

‘27 - Amazing through ball from Messi to Santa Cruz, the even younger Aregentine can’t put it past Hopward though.

‘38 - How has Argentina not socred yet? The US is holding up alright, and have had a few good chances, but the White and Sky Blue have been m,voing with way more purpose.

‘45+0 - Messi ankle-breaks a US defender as he forces it into the box, but the shot dosn’t come

halftime - Well, before I could get to an analysis, I saw that Nike advert…first-person, and directed by Guy Ritchie…and pretty amazing if you ask me. The training, the taunting from superstars, the ladies…done in great style from the british director of Lock Stock, and Snatch.

back to Messi though…he seemed to drive a lot of the action from the Argentine side, not always with the solo strike, but through so creative and far-sighted passing.

but that ends my night, as Messi is substituted. It looks like a brutally warm New Jersey eve, and Leo needs to pace himself. Olympic qualifying on top of normal futbol duties sounds like a heavy schedule.

Meanwhile is Messipotamia…

Joe Cole is in love with him, so much as to say he’s the “world’s best”. And why shouldn’t he be. I guess acting as a pimp for Chelski must be included in that sweet, sweet paycheck of his.

Messi and Sergio Aguero were two strikers on the 21-man roster for upcoming Argentina friendlies against the U.S. and Mexico. The young players are sure to make an impact in international play, with both acting as vital offensive talents on their Spanish-league sides.

I’ll leave you with a great Messi interview from South Africa’s The Star.

When deep-pocket teams like Inter and Chelsea come sniffing around your homegrown phenom, it’s time to start thinking about breaking open that brightly colored Catalan checkbook and stepping up to the table. A “quickest to 99″ status in FIFA 08 is a hard stat to ignore (because I just assume millionaire owners rely on the good people at EA Sports for their scouting)

That is just what Barca has done, when last week, they announced their intention to tie the wunderkid down with a 6-year, £80 million deal. Messi already has a deal with the club through 2011, this extension would see the gifted playmaker calling the Nou Camp home until 2014.

For a little perspective on the enormity of this potential payday, Messi’s £80 mill offer works out to a little under $400,000 a week over six years. Or roughly 88,888 elastic headbands a week.

This sliiiight pay raise would also catapult Messi firmly into the #5 spot on this year’s list of highest paid ‘ballers, nestled comfortably between a couple of Ronaldo’s.

With Barca in a mild silverware dry spell (no titles in two years, although the Argentine has won both the UCL and the league title with the club before the age of 20), might the ever-improving Messi test the transfer waters? Or will he accept this generous offer from the club nearest and dearest to his heart?

“omg, did you see who Drogba is flirting with?”

“C-Ron is soooo dreamy” (okay, not a rumor…just an observation)

Amidst all the speculation, it’s good to know that the Messi to Chelski rumor can be squashed. It was widely reported early this week that Blues owner Roman Abramovich had approved a record-shattering £80 million offer for the services of el jugador minúsculo, and when this Russian billionaire opens his checkbook, people listen

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However, when Chelsea started making their summer transfer shopping list, Messi failed to appear next to names like Franck Ribery and Sergio Ramos. The Telegraph reports that “Chelsea do not believe he would leave Barcelona”

Who knows what Messi’s attachment to the Catalan giants stems from, it could be his youthful pride in his club, or the prestige of being the best player (sorry ‘dinho, Daryl said it first) on one of Europe’s best teams.

No matter what the reason, Barca should recognize that they dodged a bullet here. Player-unrest at the Nou Camp has made headlines all season, but the younge Argentine’s commitment to the clubs is admirable. El Mundo Deportivo says Barca management know that envious glances from the likes of Chelsea and AC Milan are being cast over Messi and they’re eager to tie him up for the long-term.

“Leo has much room for improvement and is hungry to win titles with both Barcelona as with Argentina,” said Barca sports chief Txiki Begiristain.

So for now, The Messiah is safe poster-izing the defenders of La Liga, and won’t have to deal with this kind of coverage.

Why hello TheOffside - nice to finally be on you.

Welcome to the brand-new, fresh-out-the-box, player blog for everyone’s favorite Argentine playmaker, Lionel Messi!

Unfortunately, the birth of this blog comes at a terribly time (as many births do), and I cannot dedicated myself to espousing the virtues of the “Hair-adonna” until i struggle through a few final exams.

I will get down to the nasty Messi-to-Chelski rumors (please God no) as soon as I get a chance.

For right now, I’ll leave you with a question: Could Messi be a legitimate threat to dominate the EPL? At age 20, I doubt we have even seen the tip of the iceberg (ice cube maybe? hes a small guy), but too often we see a player thrive in one league, and become a victim to the pressure, expectations, and distinct playing style of another.