Steven Gerrard didn’t know that America had mountains, humidity or turf

Steven Gerrard had a solid first half-season with the LA Galaxy, even if it ended in disappointing fashion. But this whole MLS business seems to be quite a bit harder than he thought it would be, so he’s probably going to bounce after next season.

“Playing on turf, playing at altitude, playing in humidity, those are the hurdles that I’ve had to face over the last three months that I wasn’t aware of,” said Gerrard.

Buddy, your agent didn’t tell you about any of this stuff? You might want to find a new one.

Is ... is Mike Dean a Tottenham supporter? (Cartilage Free Captain)

NYCFC have fired Jason Kreis. (MLS)

Authorities have searched the German FA and the homes of officials in connection with bribery charges. (BBC)

Cesc Fabregas denies he’s the one leading the revolt at Chelsea. (Facebook)

John Terry says he’ll take criticism from all-time greats, but not Robbie Savage. (Guardian)

Cristiano Ronaldo says that his knee hurts every day. (Sports Mediaset)

And a knee injury should keep Lionel Messi out of El Clasico. (Mirror)

UEFA was mad at Barcelona for pro-Catalan independence displays in May, so they’re ramping it up significantly on Tuesday. (AS)

Sampdoria’s president thinks it’s totally fine for the Italian FA president to say awful things about Jews and homosexuals. (Football Italia)

Gabriele Marcotti on Jose Mourinho failing to find a solution to Chelsea’s problems. (ESPN FC)

Dustin Ward on the stats behind the biggest stories in the Champions League. (Stats Bomb)

Swiss Rambler on Southampton’s finances. (Swiss Ramble)

Spurs won again, this time against Aston Villa. (Cartilage Free Captain)

Champions League: Eight games (from 10 a.m.) -- Yep, morning soccer thanks to Astana. The other games start at 2:45 p.m., with Madrid-PSG the biggest game of the day.