Soccer Watch

Football season may be over in the U.S., but never fear, it's just heating up in most of the rest of the world. With the Winter Olympics bumping lots of shows off the main NBC networks for the next few weeks, the USA Network picks up a great weekend of English Premier League games, with seven of the top eight teams in the standings playing each other in four games. Sat.: Liverpool-Arsenal, 6:45am; Chelsea-Newcastle, 9am. Sun.: Tottenham-Everton, 7:30am; Man. United-Fulham, 10am... Meanwhile the great Rome derby, Lazio-Roma, is at 8am Sunday on BeIN Sport (which has quietly picked up a lot of the major European leagues). Perhaps someone will also be streaming the action outside the stadium – which last year included an ambush assault carried out on the historic Ponte Milvio, stabbings, and the abandonment of the ambulance sent to tend to the stabbing victims. Ah, my people – very operatic.

While local gridiron fans are celebrating (or second-guessing) all the blue-chip talent heading into Austin next fall, the local futbal community is celebrating all the talent leaving town next fall. The Lonestar Soccer Club held its National Signing Day Ceremony Wednesday night, to "celebrate over 50 of our seniors having committed to college, with more to follow in the coming months." Congrats to the class of 2014, and I hope I get to see you play somewhere down the line... Like maybe with the Austin Aztex, who continue to major in local talent, and will hold their final tryouts for local, college, and non-college players on the weekend of March 15-16. Info at www.austinaztex.com.

Now that pot is legal in Colorado, selling joints along with beer at Colorado Rapids games would be an "awesome suggestion to clearly drive more revenue," said Rapids president Tim Hinchey during a Reddit AMA session this week, before adding: "... however, don't see it ..."