Germany vs. ???

It’s Thursday, and we’re not even going to pretend that the big game of the day is going to be broadcast from Texas. It’s on right now, actually, and it features Spain and Russia for the right to play Germany in the Euro 2008 final on Sunday. As for tonight’s MLS showdown between Dallas and the Dynamo, we’ll simply note that they are both in the Western Conference, so the best result for Quakes fans is a draw. (We’ll also pass along our favorite Texas joke: Do you know how to tell a man is from Texas? Oh, don’t worry — he’ll tell you.)

But if American eyes are on Europe today, it’s worth noting that at least one pair of European eyes is on America — in this case, Thierry Henry’s. The French forward, having completed the first year at Barcelona after a legendary run at Arsenal, was in New York for a benefit match and said sure, he could see himself playing in MLS someday. We don’t think it’s likely to happen before mid-2009, but we’re pretty sure that Don Garber and company would love to see that signing happen, and we think his presence would be good for the league, too.

Speaking of new signings, Soccer America’s Ridge Mahoney takes a look at the upcoming transfer window today, and mentions the possibility of players such as Luis Figo, Darren Huckerby, or Paul Dickov joining an MLS side. Mahoney also offers up some details on how Designated Player signings affect the salary cap.

Looking forward to Saturday’s match against Chicago, the Quakes have posted the fact sheet for the game.

Finally, the USA Today has published a relatively useless story under the headline, “Return to San Jose has been frustrating for Earthquakes.” This year, frustrating? Nah. Not nearly as frustrating as ‘06 and ‘07.