Black Friday Football: the Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge.

You know the bloom is off the Beckham rose when his Galaxy replica jersey is on sale at a deep discount this holiday season.

I notice these things because I’d guess more than half of my casual wear – clothes I don’t wear to work – is soccer-related. (For the record, I do not own a Beckham shirt, although my wife does). That includes free T-shirts the Galaxy and Chivas USA give away at games, promotional items that show up unannounced in my mailbox at work and the like.

i-b5c7b6858263353ed59d406a48e718e0-smallHDC_NAG.JPGIn October for my birthday my geeky GIS-infatuated wife thought it appropriate to present me with a massive 3 1/2 foot X 2 1/2 foot satellite shot of all 125-acres of Home Depot Center. It’s a pretty stadium to be sure, but who knew I would have a massive photo of suburban Carson on our living room wall.

So I know a thing or two about soccer-related gifts and merchandise.

I thought I’d offer a little 100 Percent Soccer Holiday gift guide on an irregular basis (read: whenever I find time) through Dec. 24 if only to give me motivation to actually look at the stack of review copies of soccer DVDs and books that have accumulated on my coffee table throughout the year.

First up, aptly enough for the Thanksgiving weekend, are tickets for a second annual charity event at Home Depot Center Jan. 17: the Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra Celebrity Soccer Challenge.

Attendees for the event have yet to be announced, but last year the charity soccer game included the likes of Landon Donovan, Chris Albright, Brad Guzan, Alexi Lalas, Cobi Jones, Kyle Martino, Kristine Lilly, Abby Wambach, Julie Foudy, and Brandi Chastain.

Tickets, priced at $20, went on sale last week.

More about the charitable cause that will benefit from the game is here.

Check out the highlights of last year’s event:

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About Nick Green

South Bay-based Los Angeles News Group soccer columnist and blogger Nick Green writes at the 100 Percent Soccer blog at www.insidesocal.com/soccer and craft beer at the Beer Goggles blog at www.insidesocal.com/beer. Cheers!