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Soccer is getting more popular Stateside but the New York Daily News don’t know which clubs Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo play for.

David Beckham’s mission to show America the charms of soccer is slowly but surely working. The MLS, while still a ways behind the big four –American Football, Basketball, Baseball, Ice Hockey – now has a dedicated following.

Meanwhile the Euros were broadcast on ESPN and regular season Premier League games are now being shown on basic cable channels. The march of soccer is unrelenting.

But it seems like some elements of the US press is still learning about this new sport. We could forgive the New York Daily News for not knowing where Greg Cunningham is playing next season or even the ins and outs of Andy Carroll’s future but we thought the two biggest names in the sport would be on their radar.

In a report announcing a friendly between Real Madrid and AC Milan at Yankee Stadium on August 8, the paper’s ‘Beautiful Blog’ says: “Lionel Messi headlines the Real Madrid roster while Cristiano Ronaldo, who starred for Portugal in Euro 2012, counters for A.C. Milan.”

It is hard to imagine that somebody who works in the paper’s sports department doesn’t know which clubs the two biggest names in soccer play for. Yet, over 24 hours after the piece went live, the error is still there.

At least they got the picture right...