Photo by ISIphotos.com

By JOEY SAMUEL

Last night, the Los Angeles Galaxy continued their climb up the Western Conference standings with a win over Vancouver. And as they push to qualify for the playoffs, they could be ready to add yet another veteran to the fold.

Head coach Bruce Arena confirmed after Saturday's win that veteran Swedish midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson is currently on trial with the club. Wilhelmsson had been seen in training on Friday morning, but Arena had originally denied that it was in fact the Swede.

Wilhelmsson is currently a free agent, which allows the Galaxy to potentially sign him even though the transfer deadline has passed. The Swede played for his country in the 2006 World Cup, and also appeared in all three of Sweden's matches at this year's European Championship.

Before playing for his most recent club Al-Sahil of Saudi Arabia, Wilhelmsson has also played for AS Roma, Bolton, Deportivo La Coruna, Nantes, and Anderlecht throughout his career.

Here are some other stories from around the globe this weekend:

2014 WORLD CUP BALL GIVEN NAME

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is still a little under two years away, but that doesn't mean it's too early to give a name to the official tournament ball.

For the first time, fans were directly involved in the naming of the official ball, and the name given to the 2014 edition is "Brazuca." The word is a term used often in Brazil to express national pride. According to FIFA, the name "symbolizes emotion, pride and goodwill to all," and represents Brazil's "approach to football."

The ball is still being developed and tested by Adidas, who have been the official World Cup ball supplier since 1970. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the official ball was named "Jabulani."

SWANSEA DEFENDER OUT FOR SEASON

If Swansea City are to make a splash in this year's English Premier League, they'll have to do it without Welsh defender Neil Taylor.

Taylor fractured his ankle in Swansea's 2-2 draw with Sunderland on Saturday, and he is now expected to miss the entire EPL season. He had started all three of Swansea's games to start the season.

The injury also means that the Welsh national team will have to play a large part of the upcoming 2014 World Cup qualifying process without Taylor, who was expected to have a starting role for his country. Taylor started four games for Team Great Britain at this year's Summer Olympics and impressed at center back.

—————-

What do you think of these developments? Should the Galaxy sign Wilhelmsson to a deal? Are you starting to get excited about the 2014 World Cup? How will Taylor's injury affect Swansea City?

Share your thoughts below.