Right now the Premier League has three uber-rich teams - Manchester United, Chelsea, and Manchester City - and four merely very rich teams, in Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool, and Tottenham. In some ways, the latter four are all trying to make the same leap that Manchester United made (oil wealth, the basis for Chelsea and Manchester City’s riches, being less replicable). Soccer Insider this week looks at how United got where they are, and how the other four are trying to make it happen for themselves too.

Every year, summer in the soccer world is proof that the world’s gone mad, thanks to ridiculous transfer fees. This has been happening every summer for as long as I can remember; I recognize that writing a column complaining about the soccer market is veering towards hackiness.

BUT. I still can’t believe what’s happening this year, highlighted by what’s going on at AS Monaco. This is a club with a very rich owner, that made the Champions League semifinals and won the Ligue 1 title, that is seeing most of its squad depart this summer for even richer clubs. How can this be good for the game? How can this be sustainable?

Liga MX, the most-watched soccer league in America, kicks off its season this weekend. At Soccer Insider, I tried to explain the league, as it tries to make inroads in the English-speaking American market as well.

Soccer insider today tries to connect the dots between Florent Malouda and French Guiana, goofy soccer rules, and the oddity that some commentators call the “no hands in soccer” rule “un-American.”

May 13 - FIFA is terrible, but won’t change - not unless it somehow stops making money.

May 20 - Nobody talks about the downsides of the pro/rel system - the punishments are unlimited.

May 27 - Maybe the manager carousel isn’t such a terrible thing after all.

June 3 - A look at the Champions League final.

June 17 - Please don’t expand the World Cup to 48 teams, FIFA - it’ll kill all the fun.

June 24 - Every transfer saga ever, in one post.

July 1 - Why does the Gold Cup even exist any more?

July 8 - The Gold Cup night in 1998 when the USA, for the only time, beat Brazil.

Why the scarves, anyway? Soccer Insider tries to explain - and defend.

This week at Soccer Insider: the back three is all the rage in soccer, thanks to Chelsea’s continued success (and others’ continued experimentation) with the setup.

Soccer Insider this week is a quick look at Tottenham Hotspur, which is in the thick of the title race again this year - but hasn’t won the league since 1961. In some ways, Spurs are the most Minnesotan of all the Premier League teams.

First, here’s my NWSL preview for 2017, which should be a big, big year for the league.

Second, Hamburg SV is flirting with relegation this year. It’s a sign that time marches on, with or without any club.

It doesn’t get any better than the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, the perfect balance of quality and quantity for the soccer nut. This year’s quarters start next week, so Soccer Insider is a short preview of what I’m watching for.