Ronaldinho isn’t likely to come to U.S.

The prospect of Ronaldinho coming to the U.S. this summer appears to be slowly fading, at least if reports out of Spain are to be taken seriously.

Long rumored to be on the outs with the movers and shakers at Barcelona, the notion that the Brazilian star could be traded away before the Catalan club heads to these shores has picked up steam in recent days.

Matters have reached the point, in fact, where Ronaldinho’s Barcelona teammate, Samuel Eto’o, felt it necessary to tell all and sundry to leave the player alone. Meanwhile, former Brazilian World Cup star Rivaldo on Thursday said the club was trying to force the former FIFA World Player of the Year into moving on.

“I think it’s sad that a club can do this to one of their players,” Rivaldo said. “They’re turning people against him and this suggests to me that they want to sell him and they’re looking for excuses to do so.

“Sometimes they don’t treat their stars well at Barca. You can’t make one player responsible for everything. The other players get paid, too, and very well.”

Wise words for any club to heed.

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So where does Ronaldinho go if he does go?

Chelsea seems as good a bet as any. It’s difficult to imagine him heading for Real Madrid. One of the Milan clubs is possible.

But Chelsea could send Andriy Shevchenko back to AC Milan and dip once again into owner Roman Abramovich’s apparently bottomless pockets to get Ronaldinho to London.

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Now that it’s official that West Ham United will provide the opposition at the MLS All-Star game in Toronto on July 24, the league – or at least the media that covers it – needs to acknowledge certain things.

For instance, if it’s OK to bemoan the fact that MLS teams have to play CONCACAF Champions Cup games against in-season clubs from Mexico and Costa Rica when their own season has hardly even begun, then it should be pointed out that late July will be very deep into West Ham’s offseason.

So, yes, MLS has a 5-0 record against foreign clubs at the All-Star festivities over the past half-decade, but it does not necessarily translate into MLS superiority as so many would like to believe.

One thing is certain, the game will be a sellout. Toronto FC might be hapless on the field but it is a hot ticket. The club sold out all its home games last year and has done so again this season.

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Just how seriously are early MLS results to be taken?

If New England was three goals better than the defending champion Houston Dynamo on Saturday and the Chicago Fire was four goals better than New England on Thursday night, then is Real Salt Lake, which tied the Fire Saturday, a contender in 2008?

Of course not. Coach Jason Kreis’ team will likely prove the point when it comes to Carson on Saturday to play Chivas USA, whose latest gimmick to lure fans to the Home Depot Center is to have its players toss their game-worn shirts into the crowd after each match.

All of which conjures up the famous line delivered by Hall of Fame coach Ron Newman when he was coaching the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers three decades or so ago.

Newman yanked George Best from a game, only to have the temperamental Irishman hurl his shirt at him in anger.

“I’ve always wanted one of these,” said the unflappable Newman.

Chivas hopes to make Sacha Kljestan’s shirt, and others, just as desirable.

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There is always more than a little argument when the subject of the world’s all-time top goalkeeper comes up for debate, but there is unanimous agreement on the all-time top save.

It was made by England’s Gordon Banks at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico, where he denied Pele with a phenomenal effort.

Now the two will be reunited when a statue of Banks, who played 73 games for England and won the World Cup in 1966, is unveiled at his old club, Stoke, on July 12.

Pele has agreed to lead a Pele XI against a Gordon Banks XI on that day in a charity match.

grahame.jones@latimes.com