It’s been a good week for Fiorentina striker Giuseppe Rossi. He played in yesterday’s 2-0 away win against AC Milan. And, while his team lost midweek, he scored from the penalty spot Wednesday, giving his side its only goal in a 2-1 home loss to league leaders Napoli. The goal was Rossi’s ninth of the season and the New Jersey born striker is currently Serie A’s leading scorer, sitting atop a list that includes names like Carlos Tevez, Gonzalo Higuain and Mario Balotelli.

Eleven match days in and Rossi is on the cusp of a breakout season with the Viola in Italy. The anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered at Villarreal in Spain now seems to be behind him and has more than justified the 10 million euros the Italian outfit splashed for him in the transfer market last January.

His recent hat trick against Juventus led a brilliant comeback against the reigning Serie A champions, inspiring his side to come from 2-0 down to win 4-2.

Of course as inspiring as his performances have been this season, the subject of Giuseppe Rossi will always remain a sore one for American soccer fans. In a nation where the at times still-struggling Jozy Altidore competes with a relative unknown quantity like Aron Johannsson to lead the line; watching a player whose Twitter bio reads, “Been around the world… Hometown is always NJ,” but still opted to play for Italy not the U.S., blossom into one of the deadliest strikers in Europe leaves a bittersweet taste in one’s mouth.

In 2006, Rossi was courted by then-USA coach Bruce Arena ahead of the World Cup. But by then the striker had made the decision to play for Italy.

While it remains a difficult pill for U.S. fans to swallow, it’s not impossible to see the player’s side of things. After all, Rossi was in his teens at the time, on the books at Manchester United and playing on loan at Newcastle United. By then he’d already represented Italy at just about every level from U16 to U21.

Most teenage players at that stage in their careers, if offered a chance to play for a team that had a pretty good chance of qualifying for the World Cup or a team that had a pretty good chance of winning it could hardly be blamed for choosing the latter.

Yet despite his 20 goals for Italy, Rossi has yet to feature for the Azzurri in a major tournament, apart from the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2009 Confederations Cup (where he scored against the United States).

Although with the Fiorentina man on his current form and Balotelli floundering, it would seem that Rossi would have to be in the conversation for selection when it comes to Italy’s squad for Brazil next summer.

Still, with his club career in full flight again and with the country of his birth fielding a dynamic, capable, vastly-improved team that’s nonetheless, still crying out for a world class striker, one can only wonder if Rossi too from time to time allows himself to ponder what might have been.

Edinson Cavani’s move to from Napoli to Paris St. Germain was one of the surprise moves of last summer’s transfer window. The Parisians, after all, already had a world-class striker in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Having the two of them in the same side seemed almost like trying to cram two lead guitarists into the same group. After all, you can’t have a band with both Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page can you?

But as it turns out, competition from Cavani seems to have inspired Ibrahimovic to discover what’s arguably been the best form of his career.

The two goals that everyone was talking about recently were both scored by PSG in their Ligue 1 outing against Bastia. The first came in the 10th minute in the form of an acrobatic scorpion kick by Ibra, who backheeled the ball in over his head from inside the box. The Swede would go on to score again three minutes later. But his second goal was not the other one people were talking about.

That goal came just pass the hour mark, after Cavani had come on as a sub for the former Milan striker. The Uruguayan burst through a pack of defenders, danced down the touchline around Bastia’s keeper and fired a ball through two other defenders into the back of the net from an angle that was audacious to say the least.

Ibrahimovic rose to his feet to applaud it at the time. Although later, when Cavani scored a second to equal the Swede’s tally for the day, Ibra’s face betrayed something that whatever it was, was definitely not good-natured, brotherly support for one’s teammate.

Ibra again staked his claim to maintain his starting spot on Wednesday with an inspired four-goal performance against Anderlecht in the UEFA Champions League. Three out of his four goals were in the classic striker mode. Artful yes, but closed from inside the box, the product of well-timed runs and well-placed balls from teammates like Gregory van Der Wiel. But with his third goal, Ibrahimovic outdid himself yet again.

Pouncing on a loose clearance about 35 yards out, the PSG man fired an unstoppable, curling rocket of a shot to the near corner that was apparently clocked at 70 mph. ESPN commentator and former Liverpool player Steve Nicol called it “the goal of the decade.”

Cavani, introduced at the 52nd minute went on to score himself. But it seemed rather pedestrian by comparison. It was Ibra who put in the day’s true command performance. His four-goal tally has elevated him to a rarified bracket of only ten other players to have scored four in a single UCL encounter.

Ibrahimovic’s form of late has made it difficult not to compare him to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Indeed, on current form, it’d be hard to argue against him being the best player in the world at the moment. If the Sweden striker can keep it up throughout the season and take it into next summer’s World Cup (at the expense of Ronaldo) this may be his best chance to thrust himself into contention for the Ballon d’Or.

A deep run into this season’s Champions League would certainly be a good place to start. The question is, can an Ibrahimovic vs. Cavani rivalry fire PSG all the way to a Champions League final? Maybe. Although many feel it’s still a bit early in terms of the French club actually winning the competition at this point.

But with Ibrahimovic having just re-upped his contract, it’s entirely feasible that PSG may indeed prove to he the club where the serial Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, and Eredivisie Cup Winner finally gets his hands on the one trophy that’s managed to elude him.

Programming note: For viewers in the United States, Ligue Un games are shown exclusively on beIN SPORT, beIN SPORT Espanol and DishWorld. Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORT, you can access those channels via online streaming service DishWorld for $10/month. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.. Visit our Ligue Un TV schedule and Ligue Un page.

Last week, when queried about Romelu Lukaku’s success on loan to Everton this season, Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho replied, “It is one thing to play for Everton, another to play for Chelsea.”

But surely a goal against Manchester City is a goal against Manchester City, regardless of the team it’s scored from. Especially a brilliant solo effort that involves beating three defenders and the keeper, such as the one Lukaku registered over the weekend.

It’s true that Everton went on to rescind the early lead provided by the Belgian and lose the match. While Chelsea registered another win on the road at Norwich.

Indeed Chelsea looked in command for most of the match, doing what you’d expect them to do against a side like Norwich, that’s still struggling to find Premier League stability. But the fact is that yet again, Chelsea’s strike force came up short in front of goal. Lukaku, meanwhile, continued his one-man master class on how to score in the Premier League.

So far this season, none of Chelsea’s trio of strikers – Samuel Eto’o, Demba Ba, and Fernando Torres – has yet found the back of the net in League play. Only Torres has managed to score at all this season – once in Europe and once in a Capital One Cup outing.

Romelu Lukaku, meanwhile, has thus far notched four goals in seven matches for Everton.

The Belgian striker, who first signed for Chelsea in 2011 from Anderlecht and spent last season on loan with West Bromwich Albion, had previously indicated that it was he who requested to be sent out on loan again. But this week in an interview with the Belgian newspaper Het Niewsblad, he seemed to suggest that it was Mourinho’s decision, and that he was out to prove the Portuguese manager wrong.

“The coach decides and as a player you have to respect that,” said Lukaku. “I chose to leave and it’s up to me to prove the coach wrong.”

“The only thing I can do is play well and score a lot. And then I think people will say that I’m a good player. I want to score more goals than the strikers of Chelsea. We will see at the end of the season who made the best choice.”

Despite the apparent inability of Chelsea’s strike force to close the deal, the London club currently sits third in the table, two points behind joint leaders Liverpool and Arsenal and just ahead of fourth place Southampton on goals.

Everton are sitting in seventh place, two points behind Chelsea, in a tightly wound table with a mere six points separating Arsenal in first place from Aston Villa in tenth.

Chelsea owe much of their attacking success this season to their midfield, which bristles with goal threat in the likes of Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian, and Frank Lampard. And while they’ve for the most part been able to conjure the goals necessary to achieve results, Chelsea fans must surely be casting their eyes north to Merseyside and thinking “if only” when comparing the prolific output of the Belgian to their current trio of misfiring superstars.

It’s now seven rounds into the new Premier League season, and with the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson from his longstanding position as manager, Manchester United are currently experiencing their worse start to a campaign since 1989.

United lost again last weekend, unexpectedly falling to West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Old Trafford. Manager David Moyes at last admitted there were “concerns” after the shock home loss, with last year’s Premier League winners now sitting on a mere seven points from six games.

But from a broader viewpoint, Sir Alex’s departure seems to have destabilized the Premier League in a way that surely must delight everyone, except perhaps fans of Manchester United.

After all, United are not the only powerhouse Manchester club whose season is not sticking exactly to script thus far.

Manchester City, tipped by many pundits as title favorites, missed a chance to go top of the table last weekend, when they suffered a surprise 3-2 defeat away to Aston Villa. Meanwhile down in London, last Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham could perhaps provide fodder for the argument that Spurs have successfully closed the gap between themselves and the various teams generally regarded as title contenders.

Elsewhere in North London, Arsenal, a team many thought needed a complete rebuild to keep the pace with the aforementioned clubs, registered their eighth straight road win to open up a lead at the top of the table.

Liverpool have restored Luis Suarez to the lineup and continued their good early season form with a decisive 3-1 win away to Sunderland last Sunday. Liverpool must surely be included in any conversation regarding title contenders, especially now that the Uruguayan is back on the pitch scoring goals.

Meanwhile Aston Villa have been busy slaying giants, with wins over City and Arsenal. Along with Everton and Swansea, they could perhaps be regarded as potential dark horse contenders for the European spots.

With Moyes inheriting essentially the same side that won the title last season, now presumably enhanced by the addition of Marouane Fellaini, it’s hard not to feel that United’s 20th Premier League crown was as much down to the force of Alex Ferguson’s will as it was to the quality of the current squad. Sir Alex was renowned for his ability to squeeze the best out of players and sides. He had a knack for galvanizing teams and making them better than they actually were. The apparent averageness of the side currently being fielded by Moyes is a clear demonstration of this.

It’s still early days and we’re a few weeks shy of the ten-game mark; where many feel the true shape of the Premier League table begins to reveal itself. And obviously any table in which a newly promoted side like Southampton sits higher than both Manchester clubs probably still has some settling to do.

David Moyes is a very good football manager and will most likely turn out to be a great success at Manchester United. But for now, as Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini struggle to acclimate to the rigors of managing English football’s biggest clubs, and Jose Mourinho is only perhaps beginning to emerge from the worst start to a season in the Abramovich era, the rest of us can sit back and relish the spectacle of a Premier League race that’s started off looking like the most open in at least a decade.

It’s been relatively easy for many to discount Arsenal’s excellent start to their Premier League campaign. After all, they lost their first game, the table they currently sit atop is still somewhat topsy-turvy, and consider the relative quality of their opposition thus far. Yet with Tuesday’s authoritative 2-0 win over Napoli in Champions League group play, the Gunners are making the case that they may indeed be the real deal.

The opening day chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” directed at Arsene Wenger during a disastrous 3-1 home loss to Aston Villa suddenly seem a long way off. Since then, the Gunners have put together an unbeaten streak that includes overcoming Fenerbahce in two legs to reach the Champions League group stages, six Premier League wins, a League Cup third round win on penalty kicks, and wins in both of their group stage encounters in the Champions League.

Currently, in addition to sitting two points clear atop the Premier League table, they top their Champions League group, having taken all six points available to them. Perhaps it may be time to start taking this team seriously?

Thus far at least, they’ve managed to pass every test that’s been put before them.

In seasons past, an opening day loss like the one suffered against Villa could’ve sent the Gunners into a downward spiral that would’ve taken until February to put behind them. Yet they seemed to overcome it immediately and it now indeed looks like Wenger was correct when he said it was a mere blip.

In the North London derby at the beginning of September, Arsenal faced a Tottenham who’d spent lavishly, bringing in some of the best young attacking talent on the market. Arsenal, at the time, had only brought in Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini on free transfers. Yet they managed out a tidy 1-0 victory without much trouble.

Then there was the trip to Istanbul in August to face Fenerbahce for Champions League qualification. Reports in the press indicated that home fans would transform the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium into a teaming “cauldron of hell” for the visiting Gunners. Yet they brushed the Turkish club aside almost casually, to the point where the second leg at the Emirates was little more than a formality.

Next in the Champions League came Ligue 1 runner-ups Marseille, a team many felt would test the mettle of this still rather rag-tag Arsenal side. Again, the Gunners dispensed with their opposition with authority and despite giving up a late penalty, emerged with a 2-1 win on the road.

Tuesday’s clash against Serie A runner-ups Napoli had a bit more bluster about it. After all, this was a side that beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in their previous Champions League outing. Perhaps the Gunners got a lucky break with Gonzalo Higuain having to withdraw due to injury prior to kickoff. But again, Arsenal put in a master class of possession football, took their chances, and neatly dispensed with the Italians 2-0.

Thus far, despite having made only one signing of note and being beset by injuries to key players, Arsene Wenger’s side has passed every test set before them.

Certainly they’re paper thin at the moment and an injury to the in-form French striker Olivier Giroud would be practically unthinkable. But as October marches on, Arsenal fans will be able to breath easier as key players like Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Santi Cazorla, and Lukas Podolski start to find their way back into the lineup.

Still, many feel the real test of the Gunners mettle awaits them on November 10, when they travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. But on current form, one has to ponder the question of which of the two sides will have more to answer for four weeks from now? If both continue their current trajectories, it will certainly be Arsenal who head into the encounter with momentum on their side.

AFC Ajax and FC Barcelona — has there ever been a pair of clubs, not from the same country, whose legacies and histories are so intertwined?

Ajax, the Dutch masters of the 1970s, the team that invented Total Football and whose players catapulted the Netherlands to two straight World Cup Finals (and two straight losses) in 1974 and 1978.

Barcelona, the modern game’s most dominant, if not always its most exciting team.

Even in Wednesday’s Champions League group stage encounter at the Camp Nou, there were reminders of the two clubs’ shared legacies. Ajax coach Frank De Boer enjoyed celebrated stints at both clubs during his playing career. Ajax forward Bojan Krkic meanwhile was a product of Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy.

But these shared bits of legacy aside; Wednesday’s clash starkly illustrated just how far the fortunes of the two clubs have diverged. Ajax, now regarded as a “selling club,” had just had their best players cherry-picked by the likes of Tottenham and Atletico Madrid. Barcelona, meanwhile, has just signed the most heralded Brazilian attacker of this generation.

And while it’s difficult for those of us of a certain vintage to fully accept the idea of Ajax Amsterdam as a Champions League minnow, that’s largely what they’ve become. Apart from a rather surprising upset over Manchester City last season, in the past few years, whenever the Amsterdam side has come up against one of European soccer’s big boys, they’ve been taken apart.

Last night’s 4-0 win for Barcelona saw the trend continued. Victor Valdez’s penalty save against Kolbeinn Sigthorson even robbed Ajax of the valuable away goal that may have offered the chance of a lifeline.

Yet one really only need to look back to the middle 1990s to see a time when Ajax and Barcelona were on equal footing. And then, as at almost any time since the early ‘70s, the clubs fortunes were equally intertwined.

It was the era of the Barcelona “dream team” coached by the great Johan Cruyff, who as a player, brought the Dutch total football style to the Catalan capital along with his former Ajax coach, Rinus Michels. At Barca in the ‘70s the two implemented the passing and possession style of Dutch total football, delivering a string of La Liga titles and Spanish Cups.

Twenty years later, in 1994, Cruyff coached Barcelona to their very first Champions League title, fielding a side that contained a young playmaker called Pep Guardiola.

But just one year later, it would be Louis Van Gaal’s Ajax lifting “the cup with the big ears” as the club celebrated its first European Cup triumph since it had won three in a row in the early ‘70s. The following year, Ajax reached the final yet again, only to lose.

And while it would be another decade before Barcelona celebrated its second Champions League final, that same decade cemented the perception of Ajax as the world’s “football factory.”

Indeed, many of the greatest players in the modern game came through the ranks at Ajax; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wesley Sneijder, Thomas Vermaelen, Luis Suarez and most recently, Christian Eriksen, all made their names at Ajax before going on to bigger clubs.

Now in a group that also includes AC Milan (a team that was once one of Ajax’s direct rivals) and Celtic, the odds of the Amsterdam side making it out of the group seem rather slim. Barca meanwhile, should steamroll their way through the group and despite most pundits tipping Real Madrid and Bayern Munich as favorites to win this year, will likely still be in the conversation when it comes to the business end of the competition.

The idea of Ajax reversing its fortunes and reestablishing itself as a European power seems as distant as ever. The current state of Dutch football, taxes and salary caps makes it difficult for the club to recruit and maintain top talent.

A couple of years ago, a committee whose membership included Johan Cruyff, Louis Van Gaal, among others, was assembled and tasked with plotting a course back to the top for the Amsterdam club. In typical Dutch fashion, they set about arguing and hating one another and the whole project collapsed.

And so for the time being Ajax are likely to remain what they’ve been for the past decade or more; a selling club, the world’s football factory.

Following the departure of David Beckham at the close of last season’s successful MLS Cup run-in, speculation was rife in the U.S. soccer world about who would take the former England captain’s place at the LA Galaxy. Beckham, along with U.S. international Landon Donovan and all-time leading Irish national team goal-scorer Robbie Keane, occupied one of the Galaxy’s coveted designated player, or “DP” slots.

Despite such lofty names as Frank Lampard, Kaka, Andrei Arshavin, and Ronaldinho being bandied about, the reigning MLS champs elected to promote from within, naming homegrown defender Omar Gonzalez as their third DP. And while Galaxy fans on the one hand took comfort in the idea that such an appointment means they’ll be more likely to hold onto the breakout USMNT starlet for another season or two, there were also rumblings about what could be perceived as a lateral move.

After all, the Galaxy’s season has not exactly been smooth sailing. And up to the north, the Seattle Sounders has just pulled off the coup of the season in signing Clint Dempsey from Tottenham Hotspur of the Premier League.

Meanwhile it could be argued that the Galaxy have essentially just re-signed a player they already had, and gave up a chance to recruit a big-name reinforcement in the process.

So despite a packed crowd and a confident outward face, there were certainly some misgiving beneath the surface going into last week’s home fixture against Real Salt Lake; a team that in the past few seasons, has proved to be the Galaxy’s kryptonite on numerous occasions.

Omar’s newfound DP status seems to have injected the 6 ft. 5 defender with a renewed sense of confidence for while he has been somewhat inconsistent of late, against RSL, he was commanding and decisive.

Ultimately from the perspective of a US fan, it would be great to someday soon see Omar plying his trade in the Premier League, Bundesliga, or perhaps Serie A.

However for the time being, US soccer and LA Galaxy fans can rejoice that the most talented player to have emerged from these shores in recent years will be staying put for the time being. His towering presence in defense and aerial danger on set pieces will be vital as LA ratchets up its efforts to land a playoff spot on the march towards a potential three-peat of MLS Cup wins.