Even the best teams take a night off every now and then, right? Apparently not in Belgium. Oguchi Onyewu's Standard Liege side is still undefeated after 31 league games, including last Sunday's 2-0, championship-clinching win over Anderlecht.

With three games left in the season, Standard has the opportunity to be the first team in 42 years to finish without a mark in the loss column. Let's just hope they didn't celebrate this last victory too hard (see Gooch's interview here).

As the shutout result indicates, a large part (literally) of the team's success is due to the big American's play at center back. He may have faced some adversity in the past, but now Gooch has established himself in Europe as the bulwark US MNT fans always knew he could be, not to mention a hot defensive commodity. Seemed like his name was always popping up during the big clubs' winter transfer window (Chelsea? Lyon?), but he decided to hang tight with the team he started the season with and now has the chance to enjoy a spring at the top of the Jupiler League.

Who knows what will happen this summer, but it's been a remarkable season for Gooch, and he deserves everything that's coming his way.

Power means nothing without accuracy. Anyone can spank the ball into the stands at terminal velocity, but only the very best can consistently make the stanchion clang like it’s been hit with a guided missile. As the design and research teams behind the new Nike T90 Laser II boot can testify, no one guides that missile better than Wayne Rooney.

According to Nike Innovation Lead Brian Baker, ‘Rooney has always been the embodiment of the T90 identity, so we brought him to Nike headquarters very early on for some extensive testing and trialling. And we feel this boot is a great personification of his attitude and personality.’ Inspired by the striker’s ‘tenacity and relentless fighting spirit,’ the newest incarnation of his weapon of choice is the product of two years of painstaking research, exhaustive testing and the input of a world–class athlete. All these elements have helped turn the Laser II from the Nike designers’ original sketches into what it is today: the most accurate soccer boot Nike has ever made.

We’ve all seen Rooney put it where he wants it. In technical terms, the T90’s newly increased sweet spot and V-twin lacing make for consistent ball-to-boot contact. In reality, this translates into one thing: ball distribution that can be measured in blades of grass, not meters.

The T90’s eVent membrane and newly engineered outsole could have been designed specifically for Rooney’s natural habitat – the legendarily damp Mancunian outdoors. Even when sheets of rain are lashing down, the feet inside a pair of Laser IIs are able to breathe whilst staying dry. Bladed studs offer traction and comfort, whatever the elements do to unsettle your game. And yes, soccer hurts – but not as much as it used to. The Laser II’s reinforced outsole helps support and stabilise the standing leg, making sure that planting your feet at extreme angles and speeds doesn’t mean a loss of accuracy.

A Death Adder’s markings tell you exactly what to expect. As Designer Morgan Stauffer explains, the ‘dark, ominous and sinister’ aesthetic of the new T90 Laser II is punctuated by flashes of color, likewise warning potential prey that they should prepare to be bitten. Stauffer confirms that the Laser II design ‘was driven by the idea of creating brass knuckles for your feet.’ Like Rooney himself, Stauffer continues, ‘we wanted them to be tough with true grit.’

Newly tooled-up strikers like Rooney and Fernando Torres might be hitting the net like a fisherman’s catch, but midfield generals Torsten Frings, Gennaro Gattuso and Owen Hargreaves are also kitting up for conflict in the new T90s. While centre backs Carlos Puyol, Rio Ferdinand and Fabio Cannavaro are spreading Laser-guided passes the length of the pitch, even shotstoppers like Paul Robinson are making devastating use of the T90 from their own penalty box.

The guys in the lab have done their bit. Now let’s see what you’ve got.