MLS Fangirl

Change of address

2007-12-18T07:51:00.000-08:00

To anyone who might still be reading:
Hi.
I know it's been awhile, but it's been a crazy year.
I know, I MISSED OUT on Becks. But then, it seems like a lot of people did, too.
And the Earthquakes are coming back!
Houston is Numero Uno again ...
Lots of stuff, I know. I've been watching from the wings, too busy to comment or blog. Not only that, but the Blogspot blog just isn't workin' for me anymore.
So here's the dealy-o: I'm moving over to WordPress: http://mlsfangirl.wordpress.com/. It's easier to deal with, and I might be able to gush enthusiastically about fútbol again on a semi-regular basis.
Chase me down. And thanks for reading.
Happy Holidays, Merry-Xmas, and I'll see you in the New Year!

From the wires

2007-04-12T13:08:00.000-07:00

I go away for a few days and news of international players start hitting the wires. Chivas signs France's Laurent Merlin (man, I do love that name!), the Wizards signed Argentina's Carlos Marinelli, RBNY is trying to get Brazilian striker Edmundo. Just like leagues worldwide and the United States itself, MLS is getting to be a very worldly place to be. How lovely. Does it seem like this is a season where a lot of this is going on? I should really do some research before I post questions like that, huh? But it feels very much to me that MLS is getting to be the international place to be. Like Disneyland, except with slightly better parking. It may not be true, but it feels true, hence, it's jam-packed with truthiness.

Oh wow, I know I'm late on this, but I just listened to the MLS anthem, and I gotta say, whatever they're on, I want some of that. Does fútbol need a theme song? Why not call the people who did the song for Enterprise and have them do something for MLS while they're at it? Yeek.

So I'm goin' out drinking with friends tonight at a bar that you know won't have MLS on for its premiere Thursday night game, but since it's an California game, I may be back in time to watch it from the comfort of my own cozy gamer's chair. I have grand notions to liveblog a game, but I don't think this one is going to be it. My immediate call was for Dallas to win, but then a little gremlin grabbed my ear and whispered that it's LA's day. So the Galaxy by 1.

Getting my goats

2007-04-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

Now who would have guessed that the team to make my day this weekend would be Chivas USA? The LA Goats ended up being my only bright spot this weekend, at a cost to my favorite guy and his team. Chivas whooped up on Alecko Eskandarian and FC Tornoto 2-0, and a goal and an assist by Sacha Kljestan gave me the most points of the day for my fantasy team.

Saturday was an amazingly full day for me, much fuller than a usual Saturday. Most Saturdays involve breakfast at IHOP, followed by five hours of study before 10 hours of work. Now, this past Saturday did begin with breakfast at IHOP (cheers to Amit, our waiter, who was the best and friendliest waiter-guy we've had at the IHOP since Melvin left the pancake world to sell shoes at the mall), but this week it was followed by a couple of hours at the homeless shelter helping make sure that everyone got at least one good meal and some creature comforts this week, followed by 10 hours of work that was punctuated by at least that many hours of futbol. Thankfully, MLSLive.tv is back, and for a small investment of $19.95, which beats the $50 or so for Direct Kick access (which I still can't get because I don't have digital cable) you can catch some games via computer.

I did get to watch my darling DC crash out against the Colorado Arsenal ... I mean Rapids (love the new red kits, guys!) ... on ABC, although it was at work with the sound off. (a note -- Dick's Sporting Goods Arena is still the most unfortunately named sports complext ever. The Dick? C'moooooooooon!) It looked cold, the players looked cold, the game looked cold. And Troy, Troy, Troy? Wha'happened? I didn't see any spark or dazzle out of DC, but I'm clinging to the belief that it was One Bad Game for them and I'll let it go at that. Erpen didn't do anything amazingly silly, but by that note he also didn't do anything amazingly good, either. I'm not sure about DC's new aquisition, Fred, who came on pitch when I actually had to start doing my job, although I did manage to look up to catch the "Famous Freds" montage that included Fred Flintstone. Ugh. Thanks ABC. Good goal from newguy Luciano Emilio with help from Yinka Casal, and I was waiting and waiting for another one of those that could get the draw, but it wasn't to be.

Via MLSLive.tv I was able to catch most of the Fire's victory over the Revs, and as far as I could tell it was a good game, although I tuned in too late to catch Logan Pause's goal. And I MatchTracked the rest of the games -- draws betweem RSL and Dallas and the Crew and RBNY, although it sounds like I missed good games. I have to say, I'm a little worried about RSL (did I say that? I guess I really have accepted Salt Lake into my futbol passions!) and Nick Rimando, and a little pleased with the Crew. And I missed out on the Cup rematch of LA vs. Houston, but oh well.

So. How's it look for the season? Uncertain, from my untrained-but-fangirl-adoring eye. I didn't pick out a sure thing that I'm willing to stake my playoff claim onto yet. But ahhhhhh, it's good to have futbol back, isn't it?

DC vs. Rapids afterthoughts

2007-04-07T14:58:00.000-07:00

Crap!

More later ...

What's your fantasy, baby?

2007-04-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Yay! It's the Return of MLS Fantasy Fútbol! Oh, how I adore fantasy fútbol, if for no other reason than it gives me a chance to boss the players around on the computer screen. You know that scene in SpaceBalls where Dark Helmet is playing with his Princess Vespa action figure? Yes, if only I had my own MLS players' action figures, so I could put on little fantasy plays and saying things like, "And now Princess Landon, I have you in my clutches, to have my wicked way with you, the way I want to. [In high voice] No, no, go away, I hate you! And yet... I find you strangely attractive." Yeah, MLS Fantasy Fútbol is like that except not so silly.

Last year I had a fairly satisfying fantasy season. I was consistenly third in my little grouping, and I had the great luck at the start of the season of acquiring Troy Perkins cheaply, Troy Perkins who at the beginning of last season was merely the back-up guy for DC United and ended up being MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Talk about your fantasy dollar coups. I gave Troy a pass this season, as he's now the top-priced guy. So here's the lineup of The Bouncing Soles (named for The Bouncing Souls, whose song "Olé!!" is the BEST SOCCER SONG EVER!! WHOOOOOOO! Go find it on iTunes):

Goalkeeper: RSL's Nick Rimando. He's always been a favorite keeper of mine, and last season I was torn when he sat out most of the season due to a foot injury, which let Troy rock the house. So even though I'm sad that DC sent him west, I think he's bona fide for RSL and will give them a huge hand to get them out of the rankings gutter. Dare I suspect that this will be a good year for Salt Lake? Yes, yes, I think I dare. I'm officially calling off my dislike for Salt Lake. After all, there are other teams for me to sneer at, and who will remain being sneered at no matter how many former USMNT guys they recruit. Hmph.

Defenders: Frankie Hejduk, Facundo Erpen, Alex Yi and Orlando Pérez. I know, no suprise there with Frankie, who I just adore. I bought him at the beginning of last season and had to, sadly, sell him because of his torn ACL that took him out for the whole season, no to mention the World Cup. So he's back, he's signed on with the Crew for more years, and he's going to be The Guy for Columbus ... if he doesn't get hurt again. And yes, I got Erpen again, even though by the end of last season he was really pissing me off. But like Frankie, he's a defender who scores goals, and I can't argue with that. Yi and Pérez were wild cards for me. I know Yi played only a few times for Dallas last season, but Pérez played quite a bit for Chivas, so I'm hoping some good things will come from them this year. I've decided, also, as you can tell, to call off the fatwa on Dallas. As far as regional teams go, the Wizards are my guys, but Dallas ain't so bad. I'm letting 'em on my team.

Midfielders: Christian Gómez, Sacha Kljestan, Adrian Serioux and Jack Jewsbury. I splashed out on Gómez, just because I think he rocks. In fact, I'm pretty happy with this entire Mid lineup. They're all good players, I'm under the impression that they're getting some time on the pitch this year.

Strikers: Davy Arnaud and Alecko Eskandarian. Again, no suprise that I'd buy Alecko, right? Although I'm a little leery of where he's at. FC Toronto -- untested, unknown, so my favorite guy might end up killing my whole team. Hmmm, I think I'll rethink making him captain just yet. Davy Arnaud is a stalwart player, good to have on a team.

I know, I know, no real superstars on the team yet. I was playing with the idea of trading a few, but contest be darned, most of these guys are the dolls that I want to play with. So this is how we start.

In other news:
AP has actually gone to the trouble of writing some stories here and here about the start of the 2007 MLS season. Highlights: (other than Beckham) all games will be televised this year (yay!) and seven of the 13 teams have soccer-specific stadiums. I guess that means no MLStv this year, which was great for me since I still don't have the digital channels needed on my network to get Fox Sports or EPSN in Español. But oh well, I'll have my Thursday nights on EPSN2.

Does MLS need Beckham to up its hotness factor?

2007-03-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Can Beckham fill fashion void in U.S. sports? asks a Reuters story, which comes with this pic of Beckham in all his natty glory with a Scary ... oops, I mean Posh ... piece of arm candy at his side. Although I'm not an avid sports follower on anything outside of futbol, but stories about US athletes and their off-court/field attire do come up in the general media from time to time. But I have noticed that MLS players, in general tend to look pretty pretty when off field as on field. I've seen the guys in the business-casual attire, or the styled jeans look, what have you. They look good to me. I mean, check out the upper right and look at the fine guys in their Maxim spread from last year. Yes, I know it was a magazine shoot, but still. Sexy.

But then again, what do I know, I'm an American, and no matter how much we try, we're just not very fashion platable as the Continent. I think Reuters is asking the wrong question here. It's not that the Beckhams can teach us a thing or two about fashion (and Victoria, please, Baby Spice called and she wants her dress back); it's that the US can teach the Beckhams how to get down and be US comfortable. Embrace the business dress, enjoy the jeans. Relaja, dude.

And I see that Clint Mathis is going back to New York. Which is OK by me, as I've never been much of a Mathis fan, and as I'm still not an RBNY fan, this move isn't crossing my eyes a whit.

And I see I'm going to have to learn all about Fred. More Brazilians for DC is what Martha calls a good thing. Even though my favorite of favorites Alecko Eskandarian was traded away to Canada (begin rousing chorus of "Blame Canada" from the South Park movie), I'm having some grand hopes for my Black-and-Red team which I love so very very much.

And a bigO shoutout of thanks to Climbing the Ladder for the awesome probably starting lineup post. Which is going to make it easy for me when Fantasy play finally begins again.

The things I'll do ...

2007-03-29T06:07:00.000-07:00

... to avoid writing a paper.

First off -- blog roll!! Let's say hello to Fútbol USA and Soccer Fan News , and sadly I bid farewell to a couple of folks whose blogs have disappeared. I'm super happy to link to MLS blogs, most of which are exceedingly fine. I plan to do more blog trolling as time permits, so watch this space for more updates, and if you'd like to list me and for me to list you, manádame un mensaje!

So I DID get get watch the USMNT/Guatamala game last night, and while I'm pleased that the game at least ended in a draw, and despite some very ugly moments there were some nice moments of guy love abounding on the field -- well, ugh, messy messy messy game, with a lack of scoring opportunities despite some efforts on both sides. About 10 into the second half, I started employing my scoring superstitions -- If I get a glass of water/go to the bathroom/brush my teeth/start reading my book/play with the dog/pick my toenails/fall asleep, they'll get a gol. But apparently my efforts were no match for the game imps.

Anyway, things I did like -- Michael Bradley was a standout for me, and I wish he were an MLSer so I could see more of him. More in Gold Cup and Copa América, maybe? And Landon Donovan!! Somehow, over the past year, he got cuter (OK, so that's not so important. Oh wait, yes it is. And curses to the man in my house who made me change the channel to The Daily Show while the trading-of-the-jerseys was going on) and matured in a way that made him shift in my mind from irritating arrogant showoff to team leader. I loved his effort there in the end.

This I don't know, and if someone could enlighten a poor ignorant fangirl, I'd be grateful -- Bob Bradley is the interim coach why? He's won the first three games, drew one, seems to be doing a bang-up job. So why still interim? Does he have a chance for the job? Does he want the job? I haven't been keeping up, but I'd really like to know where that's going to crumble, cookiewise.

Anyway, the game was pretty much a yawner. The most exciting moment was when the cat caught her claws stuck in the back of the desk chair. She's the kind of cat that comes when you call her, so when we started calling her over, hoping that would help her get her claws unstuck, don't you know it just made it worse and she was dancing around the seat of the chair with one paw up on the back. Tragically funny.

Fangirl hits 100

2007-03-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

No, not in age! This makes 100 posts since I started up this way back in February 2006. Which is pretty sad, considering that I've only done 100 posts so far. Shouldn't I have done more? Don't I have more bitching and kvetching and sobbing and huzzahing to do over MLS and the USMNT and the various related events? Are there not enough moments in the day for me to drool over various futbol gods?

(The answers, in case you're checking, are Yes, One Would Think So, and Apparantly Not!)

In the achingly long six months since the MLS season shut down, a lot has gone on with me. I graduated from college, immediately began grad school that involves a 180-mile commute twice a week, learned yet another dead foreign language and became buried under the realities that encumber the mature student. To be honest, it's crossed my mind more than once to shut down this blog, as I haven't been paying as close attention to the Beautiful Game as I should. (Confessions of a bad fangirl -- I missed Sunday's game where the USMNT whooped up on Ecuador, I simply FORGOT! And I'm so swamped with papers to write that I may have to skip out on the Guatamala rumble tonight, though I'll try very hard not to. And I even missed the Saturn Cup, when Dallas and Chicago came to my city -- yet again -- because of food poisoning from a Nothin' But Noodles franchise. There's some sportswriter daemon trying to keep me away from my beloved futbol, I suspect.) But with just 10 days until the 2007 season begins -- complete with Becks' arrival, the debut of FC Toronto, Freddy Adu probably going bye-bye, the return to play of my darling Frankie Hejduk, and, of course, this being Cobi Jones' last season, I've got too much that I know I want to pay attention to this season, so I'm going to try to hang in there. Plus since ESPN is trying to brand Thursday nights as Soccer Night, and I'm off on Thursday nights and no longer a fan of either ER or Grey's Anatomy, I know I can dedicate a night to MLS.

Not only that, but MLS Fantasy Futbol is about to reappear, and I had so much fun with it last season, I can't wait to get the Vorpal Bunnies team out there in fantasy competition.

So, I'm holding on. Even if I drown doing it.

So, stuff I've noticed:
So ... Portland for the next expansion? Well, why not? Certainly, the West Coast needs another club, it's certainly been lacking since the Earthquakes picked up and moved to Houston. No, it's not a sure deal, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Fun SI column from Jonah Freedman about Beckham taking the Galaxy spotlight off Landon Donavan, but the column isn't nearly as interesting as the big Box O Speculation that's inset in the column. Will Freddy Adu break out this seaon? Will DC's Brazilian exports get my favorite team (DC) on the sports highlight reels? Let's watch!

What time is it?

2007-03-16T21:22:00.000-07:00

If you read Spanish, follow the links here or here to read about DC United's 1-1 draw against Mexican powerhouse FC Guadalajara, and how las Chivas aren't really happy about it. If you read Spanish follow the link here or if you read English follow this link here to read about how the Dynamo whooped FC Pachuca (but how is anyone a futbol fan if they can't at least read Spanish? That's half the reason I learned this beautiful language, so I could follow the Beautiful Game!). Anyway, is it time for Mexico to freakin' start taking futbol in los Estados Unidos seriously? Maybe? Kinda? Sorta? YES, I very much think so.

Non-CONCACAF stuff -- Saturn Cup! I'm spending $56 and three hours Saturday night to watch FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire duke it out at the University of Oklahoma soccer field in exhibition play, and I'm just thrilled to pieces. If I can get it together, there might be pictures posted here soon. Yes, it's not much, but how often does MLS come to Oklahoma? Not bloody often.

Oh hell

2007-02-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Beckham move to US to become reality show

That's it, I'm officially stating my non-fandom of David Beckham. Yes, he's good for MLS and blah blah blah, but the Beckhams have official teamed up with the evil empire that is Reality TV. What's next, Landon on The Surreal Life? Clint Dempsey on Making the Band? Gah.

Although I actually think the behind-the-scenes action of an MLS team for one season would be a fascinating watch, but it'd take something like Bravo to pull that off. "From the producers of Show-Dog Moms and Dads, On the Pitch with FC Toronto."

Yeah, whatever. I'm done with anything on TV that's not sci-fi or fútbol related. Someone wake me when April gets here.

Drive-by thoughts on futbol

2007-02-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

How many more days until the new MLS season starts? Someone make me a countdown ticker. I need to know and I'm too damn lazy to actually look at the calendar and county for myself.Anyway, even though I haven't been blogging about futbol, rest assured I have been thinking about it. And since I've managed to carve out three seconds on which to post ...

Last week's USMNT game against Mexico: The game hit some record TV ratings, and why not? It was, all in all, a pretty good game (although I've now issues with Eric Wynalda, who I'm firmly placing under my dismissal category of "Sports Guys Who Can't Think Without Talking Out Loud." You'd be surprised how long that category is.). I was very pleased with the way the game was played, thought the guys looked very solid against what at first seemed a scary collection of Mexico's talent, and as far as I'm concerned, Bob Bradley's the man. And dig this comment from Chivas USA defender and Mexico national team player Claudio Suarez, that El Tri needs to stop being so damn snotty about playing an MLS-packed USMNT squad, because the boys from the US are on par with the world. Howzabout that?

Colorado Arsenal: oh, wait, it's still the Rapids, apparently (but hat tip to ZigaZoga for IMing me with that news!). Still though, I'm all a-twitter with the potentiality of this deal. I also appreciate the new kits. I know, it's just a marketing deal, but still, relationships always open the way for other relationships, and as there seems to be more attention being paid to the way we play futbol on this side of the Atlantic pond, I am really hopeful for the future for both the Rapids and MLS. Although I'm not a big Arsenal fan. My peeps tend to back Manny U, and I have a great fondness for Crystal Palace. But still. It's all good. Except I still hate the name of Colorado's stadium. Ugh. But that leads right into ...

RSL gets its own stadium: And it's freakin' about time, too. I absolutely cannot stand watching matches at Rice-Eccles. I know it's for one more season, but at least I know there's a light in the stadium tunnel. This may go a long way to taking RSL out of my least-favorite category.

So long, Nicky: And more buckets of tears were shed by me as I saw that yet another DC United favorite has left the team. OK, so Perkins headed my fantasy team all last season, but I've always loved Rimando and I'm going to miss him on the pitch for DC.

But welcome back Frankie: I didn't get much of a chance last year to ooze my adoration of Columbus Crew defender and all-around great Frankie Hejduk, as he got knocked out pretty early in the season from an ACL injury. So no one's happier than me that my futbol pinup just inked a new deal with the Crew!

And apart from all this, go check out the ZigaZoga community page, to get all that you ever need for news and views and support and all sorts of futbol goodness!

What Beckham means to me

2007-01-12T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, I got snowed out of school today, so I had a few minutes to sit down and get a firmer foothold on the latest things to hit US fútbol, namely the pending arrival of superfutbolista David Beckham (and Posh, of course) to our Western shores.

Firstly, there's no surprise here, although the timing intrigues me slightly. Having watched the news out of Madrid for the past several months, noting that the contracting hasn't been going well over there for him, we all knew it was just a matter of time that he'd end up in MLS, and LA was a natch. Swimmin' pools, movie stars (enter banjo solo here). Seriously, with his soccer academy and the glitzy glam that LA offers, was it really a question of which US team he'd land at? I know people were kicking around New York, since it got ramped up in attention last year with both the acquiring of the Red Bull ownership and new coach Bruce Arena. I would have thought that he'd make it another year, which, coming to US in the late summer, he'd more or less make it next season, but at least we'll see him play a bit.

The good -- people who don't know shite about fútbol in the US, which is almost everyone, suddenly sat up and paid a second of attention that the one fútbol player they know in the world is coming to play for US in our league. Never mind that he's not the best in the world -- I say this sitting here wearing my Ronaldinho shirt that I got in Barcelona a few years ago, we know who's really good, don't we fútbol fanaticas? -- even when he was at his best, but he is (so they tell me, I haven't personally seen it anytime I've seen him play) a solid player ... oh wait, I do remember that famous bend in the World Cup last year, which was a pretty ehh game but for that ... but anyway, good player, and he's got those looks still. Yeeeeah, give me some more of those milk ads ... And he's got the glammy wife who used to be someone, I think, Spice something ... man I hated them. Anyway, what Beckham brings to MLS isn't necessarily is stunning talent but his head-turning fame. That's good for MLS, because you know that the Home Depot center's gonna get packed when he shows up, and maybe the people who take advantage of MLS's relatively decent ticket prices will actually enjoy the game enough to keep partaking. Good for us.

Now the bad -- ehhh, even though Becks has shown up will he's still got enough steam -- and is still steamy mcDreamy -- I still can't shake the niggling feeling that he's just a higher profile old stud that's getting put out to the MLS pasture. You know how it goes, nice fat paycheck, easy games for him, blah blah blah, that's what people say when an ex-superstar ends up with us. I know, MLS is still the obnoxious much-younger stepbrother to Europe as far as leagues go, but I sure would like this to be the start of a new trend where players start coming here before they start thinking retirement. That Beckam showed up now instead of closer to real retirement seems like a good thing. If he still has it. And, it would be nice if, now that other stars worldwide see what he's getting here, if they'll start showing up while they're still playahs, too. I keep thinking that DC must have someone in mind to blow their Beckham rule wad on, since they keep trading off players (no, I'm still not over losing Alecko, I still weep buckets at night at the thought of not getting to cheer for Alecko and DC all in the same breath. Yes, I'm a big baby).

Well, that's a pretty wimpy bad point, so I'm going to go with the idea that landing Beckham is a good thing and that his arrival heralds the beginning of a new era in US fútbol. I'm looking forward to him playing in Houston in August. What will the humidity do to that precious do of his? And to Posh, come to think of it! And it'll be rather orgasmic to see Landon and Beckham team up, because when Landon's on, he's on. Maybe I will come around to loving LA after all. Doubtful. But still.

I (still don't) love LAhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

2007-01-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Maaaaan, it FINALLY happens, and I am not in a position to comment intelligently about it, if it is that I ever managed to comment intelligently about MLS. It's finally come. Beckham is coming to LA. And to the Galaxy, as everyone knew he would. Well that should give US fútbol a good kick in the pants. So how much of a scramble will all the other teams go through to try and match that? If that's even possible, he IS the freakin' king and all. So they say.

So. Who's ready for August? Hell, just get me to April ...

You know, it occurs to me ...

2006-12-23T14:16:00.000-08:00

With all the trading away of name talent that DC is doing, it makes me wonder who they're saving their pennies for. Now that the Beckham rule is going into effect, who is it that DC is going to try to lure over to play for the Black-and-Red?

I'm so behind on futbol gossip. If anyone's already mused on this, let me know. It gives me something futbolish to obsess over unti February.

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

2006-12-22T19:12:00.000-08:00

WHAT!! They traded Esky!!! *insert much sobbing here* Maaaaaaaaaaaan, that SUCKS. They get rid of Freddy, now this? Augh. What's DC trying to do, make me hate them? Eskanderian's my favorite favorite favorite MLS player, and I loved him on DC.

*sigh* OK. Breathe. Breathe. There's still Christian. Still Jaime. OK.

That sucks.

Goodbye Peter

2006-12-21T11:36:00.000-08:00

So there it is, Peter Nowak is out as DC's head coach, and Tom Soehn is in. I guess it's not a surprise. I came into the world of fútbol fandom and MSL fanlove in 2004, the last season in which DC swept to the top. I know the past two seasons were't stellar, and I know that coaches take the hit for that. So. Goodbye Coach Nowak, I hope you land somewhere.

Second thoughts

2006-12-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

So my first thought upon seeing the headline "DC bids adieu to Adu" -- OK, my first real thought was ugh, puny -- was "What the hell!!" But then I got to thinkin' about it. He may not be going to Manny U, but he's going. He'd might as well leave from Salt Lake, which seems to be going all out, like all the way to BFE, in order to avoid the bottom of the standings cellar in the 2007 season. So they'll have SuperFreddy for a couple of months before he joins the show on the continent. Weeelll, the Islands. Or whatever. Nothere.

What saddens me most -- DC also traded off Nick Rimando. I love Nick Rimando, and I've been a big fan of his since day one. I admit, last year I totally enjoyed seeing Troy Perkins in the net, and since I had gotten him for my fantasy team and quite the deal, since he'd been a sub the year before and no one really knew he would be a star, but I do love Nick. And even though it means seeing him play, maybe, I still hate to see him go to Salt Lake. I'm just not a fan of that team. They're changing things up so much, they might change my mind. We'll see.

I haven't been around, I know. I couldn't get excited about the MLS Cup, and I haven't been able to get all whoopdedoo excited that there might be a smidgen larger of a possibility that Beckham is crossing over to play for us scrubs. It's winter and it's off season. But, the good news is, I'm done with undergrad school this week, hooray me. I do start grad school in January, but I'll be working a little less once that starts. That brings in all sorts of possibilities for more fútbol watching, especially with Soccer Thursday coming up next season.

We'll keep an eye on more shuffling news, shall we?

Is there enough room in LA ...

2006-11-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

... for the egos of both Beckham and Alexi Lalas?

Will David Beckham come to the US? Most likely he will. But will he play for LA? Of course, the idea has been that yes, since he's got his sports academy there. But then again, in this age of transcontinental and trans-global commuting, it wouldn't be a thing for Becks to live in Cali and jet over to, say, New York, if he wanted. Which team, I wonder, will have the funds in place to nab him? Is it automatically the Galaxy? We'll see.

I'm still recovering from DC's loss on Sunday, a loss, I'm sad to say, didn't really surprise me. Still, I'm fangirl enough to say thank you, DC United, for giving me a solid six months of thrills with a few weeks of chills thrown in at the end there, and you guys are my guys forever. I love you all. I'm looking forward to next season to see you try it again, and this time go all the way. Oh, how we love to go all the way.

I'm rather annoyed with the way the MLS Cup has shaken out because now I've got to root for a Texas team, darn it. Oh well, at least it's Houston and not Dallas. ...

Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY

2006-11-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

Two conference championships hit the fan ... I mean the tube on Sunday, with the DC/Revs matchup on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. CST and the Dynamo/Rapids game on FSC, HDNet and MLSLIVe.tv at 6 p.m. CST. Of course, I'm going to be glued to the TV on Sunday, since my favorite of favorites, DC United, is playing, and I'd like nothing more than to see my darling Alecko Eskandarian get a gol off Matt Reis. Although I have my jitters on DC getting goles, but hey, I have faith.

The sideshow, of course, will be in the booth when Eric "I think I know everything" Wynalda calls the game with ex-USMNT head coach and current RBNY head coach Bruce "I can get snarky when I want to" Arena at his side. Gee, I wonder if they'll actually stick to talking about the game on hand, if nothing more than to avoid having to have a smack down on basic cable. Which I'd dearly like to see, by the way.

I've got two words for you.

2006-10-30T08:47:00.000-08:00

Erpen. D'oh!!

I have to admit, I was a big big fan of Facundo Erpen when he first showed up with DC and I've remained a big fan all throughout. Hell, I'm even sending 10 votes a day to MLS for the Gol of the Year for his stunner of a gol in April that got me all hot. But damn, here lately he's done nothing except make me tired. There's something to be said for a guy who can come out of nowhere and create a miracle, but there's more to be said for a guy who'll play a solid 90 with his head in the game, who does all the little things right that make all the difference. Unless you're truly talented, a miracle-maker just as often as not spends most of his time screwing up royally because he's trying to set up the big play.

So Erpen's slipping off my fangirl list. I'll have to see how he does this weekend when DC plays the Revs, but hells bells, I was left utterly unimpressed with the RBNY game at RFK, so he'll have to work awfully damn hard. I was at work and had to watch the game with the sound off (and it seems like I missed some rather killer comments from Wynalda ... hmmm, considering how much he tends to irritate me maybe that's not a bad thing) but every time I looked up, there was Facundo. Maybe both ESPN2 and Erpen need to keep their eyes on the whole game and not just on him.

Other than that, the game left me anxious all the way through, and good job to Troy Perkins for keeping it together so well in the first half when all the play was directly squarely at him. I really didn't expect the game to be that hard for DC. Is it that New York has steadily improved since Il Bruce took over, that DC has slowly settled into a post-season slump, or both at the same time? I was really impressed with RBNY for the first time all season, and I may shed my dislike of the team by next year. Who knows, stranger things, right? Anyway, by the end of the game I was just happy for the draw so that I didn't have to break out the Xanax for the extra 30. Oy. Must make sure to get a prescription before next weekend ...

In other game stuff, I'm surprised but ever-so-pleased with the Rapids. I certainly didn't expect Dallas to get eliminated and fully thought they would be playing at home for the Cup. And I'm disappointed yet not surprised that the Dynamo knocked out Chivas. Still, not bad for an expansion that ended dead last last year.

I'm going for DC over the Revs, of course, and the Rapids over Houston. I really hope it shakes out that way, but I have a dread that I'll be wrong on all counts ...

Return of the Fangirl part deux

2006-10-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

Gooooats! Gooooats!! Goooooooats!!

Yes, I'm fresh off Sunday's Chivas-Dynamo game, which, as a Goats fan (sorry, Houston, normally I'd be on your side because I love Brian Ching and DDR, but I loves my Guadalajara expansion, yes I do) I'm really happy about. They ended last season with, what, 13 points or something like that, and now they're in the middle of the first round of playoffs. How can I not love that? Thank you, Ante Razov and Paco Palencia (and Brad Guzan for that awesome PK save!) for putting the icing on my Sunday, which took the cake for me when Chicago beat New England in Chicago. Lovely, it was, to go from one game where the fans were bundled up in blankets because it was so frigid to the next where Marcelo and Co. were concerned about the heat on the pitch.

Sorry for the prolonged absence, I've been in the middle of a very busy semester combined with having to work on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, so I haven't had much of a futbol fix lately. Here's one fangirl who's looking forward to Thursday night MLS on ESPN2 next season. Ach, I can't believe the season's almost over!! Sunday's playoff games on ABC/ESPN2 were the first matches I've seen in ages and ages, and what great games they were.

Of course, I really would have loved to see that wonderful Gomez gol from the DC-Red Bulls game on Saturday. Wow!

Anyway, I'm well past the ability to do any picking at this point. I'm putting all my faithful fan energy behind DC all the way and will cheer along the others as they come. Although I've got high high hopes for the Goats!

And hey, congrats to my favorite US-based keeper Troy Perkins for his MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award -- quite aptly deserved in his case -- and to Bobby Boswell getting Defender of the Year. Ah, what a turnaround from last year, huh?

I'm getting less and less interested in Beckham watch as time goes on, but here's yet another new story about Becks considering his options, which include coming to the US. Of course, my question these days is, do we really want him?

Bad calls, or just the way it crumbles, matchwise?

2006-09-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

University of Oklahoma football fans in my state are in a tizzy over the Sooners' 1-point loss to the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Yes, I know, I'd be pretty pissed off if I lost a game to waterfowl as well, but it beats losing to a drink mixer, I suppose. Anyway, practically the whole state is screaming Robbed Robbed Robbed over bad officiating that led to the controversial win. Now some of the officials who made the bad calls are getting one-game suspensions and OU is calling for the game to be stricken from the books for both teams.

As a soccer fan, I'm basically sitting back thinking, "Good luck with that." In my experience, it seems that it's never the team vs. team in any given game, but it's usually the teams and fans vs. the officials. We're always kvetching away at them. Are you blind? we cry, that was/wasn't a red/yellow card offense, that was/wasn't a foul, that was/wasn't worth a PK, and heaven's above, they were/weren't offsides! And yet, if the ref didn't see it, or conversely, if that's the way he thought he saw it, then that's the way it goes down, no matter what the instant replay says. Complain all you want, and that'll get ya booked. I wonder, though, how many suspensions of officials of this type, if any, have been served up in MLS or USMNT history? I recall that there were many complaints after the US/Italy game in July for the sheer number of bookings the US took, with some comment that the official who handed them out might not officiate again. So what's the score with that? And, do you have an opinion on the OU/Ducks results?

And thanks to the anonymous comment on my last post, I'm inspired to begin a Beckham Watch. Just when do we think Becks will grace MLS with his presence? The clock seems to be ticking. I still don't see him here anytime soon, not next season at least.

And I DID get to see the Chicago-DC game on Sunday on ESPN, and don't you love how this game isn't called on account of rain? Manly men, that's what they are. I was surely disappointed with the results on both sides -- didn't seem like anything could get started -- but it was nice to see it on my TV, which I haven't been able to do since June.

I knew it!!

2006-09-05T15:29:00.000-07:00

OK, so it's silly to get all cheerful about this two months after it happened, but I have to say I just KNEW that Materazzi was just talkin' some juvenile trash before he got bonked by the Head-Butt Heard Round the World. My favorite line: "I didn't even know he had a sister." It's all stupid on the pitch crap. Yes, a head-butt is a little bit of an over-reaction to a remark so stupidly normal. No, FIFA didn't under-react by handing down the penalties that it did. When you're on the world stage, for pete's sake, act like the role model you're supposed to be, even if you're not.

So to all the people who over-reacted with the "Ooooh, bad Italian man obviously said something racist to the French Algerian" people -- :P. Stop making trouble and save it for when REAL incidents of racism pop up. And they will.

And hey, congrats to the Crew for wonking the Revs 3-0 on Saturday! Now do that seven more times. :)

The wonderful Wizards of Ahhhs

2006-09-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

I like the Wizards. Well, I like the team, but the team color and the logo need some work. OK, so I admit, I kind of picked them as a regional default since, smack in the middle of the country, I've got my choice of loving either FC Dallas or the KC Wizards. And I hate Dallas. Not the team, just the city/sprawl/metroplex thing with I-635 that I've gotten stuck on too many times. So even though there's a ton of talent in the Dallas club, I just can't see my way clear to be a fan. I suppose that Houston, seeing as it's about the same driving distance as Kansas City, can be inserted in the mix, but it's still too new to enter my fangirl consciousness. So it's Kansas by default. Not only that, but I'm adore a lot of the guys on the team. I love Nick Garcia and Jose Burciaga, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Bo Oshoniyi, Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud. Oh yeah, and that Josh Wolff guy, too. Not to mention Eddie Johnson and that Jimmy Conrad guy.

So I was really pleased to hear that the Wizards are settled in Kansas City for a little while longer, thanks to the sale of the team by owner Lamar Hunt to OnGoal LLC. A sale, which apparantly led to Eddie Johnson staying in-country for a little while longer. Josh Wolff, too, although that doesn't seem to have anything to do with the sale. That's just the kind of thing that demonstrates some futbol love and support, which is exactly what the league needs as it sets out on its road to Expansion. Rumours have flown around Oklahoma for years that KC would be coming to Tulsa -- of all places!! -- when it left Kansas City, as part of some grand MLS strategy to build up support in smaller markets. As you can tell, these were rumours spread around by people who don't know jack about soccer and MLS (*cough* sportswriters! *cough*).

Now I'm waiting with antici ... pation for news about when the soccer-specific stadium will rise in Johnson County. Not only do I hate watching futbol played on a football field, I hate going to a futbol game at a football stadium. Watching the Wizards in their powder-neon-blue play at Arrowhead with its orange-red color scheme was just a little too much to take. And a descent soccer turnout of about 14,000 looks pretty puny in a stadium created to seat almost 80,000. So I'm looking forward to 2009 -- I hope! -- when the Wizards get their own house. I'll make the 6-hour drive up for them.

Quick picks
Crew vs. Revolution -- wow, three months ago this would have been a no-brainer. Now, the Revs need a revolution of their own to build off last week's win. Still, ever hopeful Crew fan that I am, I'm going to bet on Columbus.

Dallas vs. Houson -- man, another intrastate Texas battle. Every time I turn around it looks like they're having one of these. With Houston biting at Dallas' heels for the No. 1 spot in the West, I can see how the Dynamo might bring some energy to the game. My gut tells me Dallas is going to win, but I'm throwing my hopes behind Houston.

RSL vs Colorado -- again, last year there'd be no guesswork here. This year Salt Lake is proving consistently that they don't suck. This is a playoff playoff here between these two. Again, odds are in RSL's favor, but I'll go with underdog Rapids.

Galaxy vs. Wizards -- I'd really really like the Wizards to cap their newsy week by beating Landon and the boys at Home Depot. Go KC!

Chicago vs. New York -- so, I've been looking at graduate schools and have settled on Chicago because -- you know why? yes, it's because the Fire are there. The Chicago school is the only one that has an MLS franchise in house. Ergo, Chicago is now my first choice for grad school. This is the way we pick our academic futures, gang, I fangirl therefore I am. So now I'm trying to stop worrying and learn to love the Fire. Even though New York and Coach Arena have been doing nicely. But go Fire!

Chivas vs. DC -- I feel bad for Chivas, I really do. They're getting to be a good team and they have some hard-fightin' talent. But damn if they're not up against a DC United that has something to prove over last week's thrashing at the hands of the Galaxy. LA's getting some payback, just on the cross-town team. All I ask is that Juan Pablo Garcia get one gol for the fantasy team, and then all my beloved DC boys hammer home the rest.

From the wires

2006-08-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

But before I get started, I just want to say that I've never been as happy to have missed a DC game as I was on Saturday night. 5-2!!! And with an own-gol on each side? Heavens to mergatroid, that's not a glich, that's a brownout.

Anyway.

Man, poor Dominic Mediate, who got injured in said wretched game with a broken right shank and won't be playing for the rest of the season. Which kind of sucks for him because he only played a handful of games so far. Let's light a candle for his return next season, shall we?

And so is Beckham coming to MLS or not? C'mon, folks, make up your minds. Did he sign the contract extention with Real Madrid or is he going to be shopping around? He is still off the English National Team, ain't he? So I wonder, exactly, at what point does he get out to pasture enough to head on over to the US.

Who else is doing fantasy futbol, and how is your team doing? I swear to all things holy, if you had told me at the beginning of the season that some of my most valuable players would be from Chivas, I would have laughed Sierra Mist through my nose. Juan Pablo Garcia is just eating up the points for me, as is Jonathan Bornstein. My most valuable player -- DC keeper Troy Perkins, who, again, I wasn't sure would be the main keeper this season when I bought him. But of course, the top scoring leader is DC's Christian Gomez, as it should be.

Howdy, Becks?

2006-08-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

So superfutbolista David Beckham has been left off the roster for England's national team. It kind of makes me wonder, is his star starting to fade, or is this just a signal of a new era for England. And, exactly when do we start the clock ticking for his imminent arrival on the LA Galaxy?

If life gives you gators, make Gatorade (tm)

2006-08-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

With more than a month behind us since the USMNT's less-than-stellar performance in the Germany Mundial, I'm starting to wonder if maybe US fútbol destiny is less linked to the performance of the USMNT than previously thought and discussed to pieces. Everyone who said before the show -- and I'm including myself in this list, because heavens know I committed mental seppuku over that last game with Ghana -- that the future of fútbol in the US would rise or fall with the USMNT might have missed out on one of the more fundamental features of life, that being, sometimes what seems like a little defeat is really a step toward a larger victory.

I can't help but notice that since the World Cup jets have cooled, fútbol in the US has, actually, been doing fairly well. I mean, we've got the MLS All*Stars beating EPL powerhouse Chelsea, last night DC United drew with Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid, there are more than a dozen Yanks playing with teams in Europe and elsewhere, and they're doing rather well there, as could be evidence with Moenchengladbach naming everyone's favorite keeper Kasey Keller team captain for the season.

OK, so it might not amount to a real hill of beans. Both the MLS All*Stars and DC United were/are diverse teams with players from many different nations as well as the US, but still, they're representational of the state of soccer in the US. Of course, we have to throw down with the whole MLS teams=fit vs. European teams=unfit because they haven't started their season yet, but I can really recall when that wouldn't have been an issue. Maybe our players abroad are getting some notice because we're just coming off the World Cup where we as a nation -- and our sportswriters -- were forced to realize that we had talent overseas and at home as well.

Still, though, I think the dire prediction I and others made about the fútbol's future in the US is proving out to be dead wrong. What's happening is what always happens, that give a meme some legs and it'll run as soon as it learns to walk. US fútbol is slowly but surely toddling ahead, and I think it's proving out that the choking defeat by the USMNT in Germany isn't taking the air out of this beautiful US game.

On to quick picks

Dynamo vs. Dallas: Oooh, ouch, I guess I'm going to start loving Santino for the Galaxy, his trade certainly paid off for them in their defeat against Houston. Houston goes into the intrastate rivalry with that behind them. I'm thinking that against Western champs Dallas, Houston is going to continue to wilt. I'm going to have to go with Dallas on this game.

Wizards vs. Crew: I'm going to go absolutely nuts here and say the Crew is going to get it together and pull off a surprise win over KC. It can happen. And pigs can fly out of my ... well, it can happen. Why not.

Fire vs. Chivas: What's this, Midwestern Day? All the games are in the middle of the country, which means they're all in my time zone and they're all about at the same time. Man, I miss those midnight games on the West Coast, there is something cozy about watching a game in bed just before you go to sleep. Anyway, I want to say Chivas is going to win this one, but I'm learning more toward a draw. Scoreless.

Colorado vs. LA: *sigh* So Santino Quaranta is with the Galaxy, along with Landon and Cobi and Cornell and all the other guys who do so well when you put them all together. Yeah, it'll probably be LA on this game.

Roll call

2006-08-08T15:15:00.000-07:00

I've made some additions to the blogroll over there on stage right. Say a hearty hello, how are ya, to Are You Loyal? (An RSL blog, but I won't let that get in the way), Footcer Socblog (which gets an award for most interesting name), Goal Posts, It's a Simple Game, Poplar Point Perspective and Ziga Zoga (which I'm allowing on there even though the name is bringing back some Spice Girls flashbacks).

My daily dose of heartbreak comes from dcsundevil -- Oh My God, They've Killed ... no, wait ... They've Traded Santino! Man, I really liked Quaranta! I've been missing him for most of the season, seeing as he's been out nursing that injury and walking his dog. Oh well, I guess I'll have to learn to love him in LA, if such a thing is possible for me.

Later add: AP finally moved a story on the trade, which says Santino was traded for "partial rights to a future player and a conditional 2008 draft pick." How's that gotta feel, I wonder. "Yeah, Tino, we traded you for, well, no one at the moment." Upon later thought, I can't really feel too bad for him leaving. With Alecko back and in black, along with all the other starting talent, a young gun like Quaranta wouldn't see much play, I suppose. Lord knows the Galaxy needs all the help it can get.

And what's this? Thanks to It's a Simple Game we have news from the NY Times about the pending return of ex-DCer Dema Kovalenko to the US, to play for RBNY. I have to say, New York's really really trying to make me get over this inexplicable dislike I have for them, what with Coach Arena and now Dema going over there.

And look, there's games on tomorrow!! Wouldn't you know that there'd be games on my night off, except I've already got a date with Ricky Bobby and a large popcorn. I really have to get over this recording delay/archive allergy I've got.

Quick picks:

Revs vs. Wizards: I'd really really like the Wizards to pick it up this game, because I actually think they're due to recapture the good run they had at the beginning of the season. Of course, the same can be said about the Revs. I'm going against all logic to root for the Wizards to win.

Dynamo vs. Galaxy: Again, I've got to go with my regional favorites here, even though I think there's a better chance of a Galaxy victory. The Galaxy has been pulling its head out of its collective butt since it got its World Cup guys back, whereas the Dynamo's been ticking along like a good piece of machinery. I'm all about Houston for this game, and really wishing I had time and a heatstroke death wish to sit through eight hours of futbol in order to watch this game and the FC Barca/Club America game.

Colorado vs. Salt Lake: RSL has als been working on making me dislike them less, and even though they recently put the kabosh on my darling DCU, I'll give them my favor for this game over Colorado, for no reason other than just because.

Another later add: Oh, man, I forgot about DC playing against Real Madrid. Um, I hate to say it, but let's keep that Chelsea victory in mind, it might dull the pending sting ...

If 40 is the new 30, then Thursday can be the new Saturday

2006-08-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

I'm jumping on the Thursday Nights at the Pitch topic a litte late, but I figure that's OK, since my local newspaper just put that article in the paper yesterday, at what I imagine was the expense of the MLS All*Star game results. Better late than never, I suppose, especially since I'm not exactly running with the general opinion.

I, for one, am pretty damn happy about the change, and I foresee a lot of beer, pizza and watch parties on my future Thursday nights. Why? Because, like a goodly portion of the world, I work the weekends, and I work nights. I haven't had a day job since 1996, and while I do get Sundays off now, it took me seven years to get that. This isn't a 9-to-5, Monday through Friday kind of world, and it's been tough for me to watch my futbol on ESPN2 every Saturday. Even with the MLSLive.tv subscription, I had a hard time juggling game watching and my Saturday work, and many times the game had to go by the wayside while I actually earned my paycheck. I know I can watch the archived game later, but I just can't get into that. I've got this little mental block that says if I don't see it live, just catch the highlight reel.

Most of the criticism of the Thursday night deal has had to do with expectations that stadium attendance will be lower on a weeknight than on a Saturday afternoon. That criticism has been answered right back with some pointing out that this is an actual TV deal, which means money, money, money, so promotion, promotion, promotion.

Here's my thinking -- obviously MLS and ESPN are trying to turn Thursday night into what it already is for almost every college student in the country -- party night No. 1. You know how it is. You're in college and you either go home on the weekends or your friends go home on the weekends. You've go to party, got to hang out. So what do you do? You head over to the bar on a Thursday night and live it up until the wee hours of the morning, then show up for class on Friday morning hung over, if you show up at all. If you stay in town, you party it up on Friday/Saturday and recover on Sunday. That, friends, is how I spent my sophomore year and why I nearly failed Algebra. In any case, putting MLS on Thursday nights starts gives futbol its own night to live it up, and people who are fans of other sports, too -- I've heard such creatures exist, who love other sports than futbol, but have never actually met one in person -- don't have to choose between which ball they want to follow on Saturday or Sunday. MLS on Thursday night just gets your weekend started early. Bring on the pizza and beer and ThunderStix.

If you already live in an area that's got its own MLS team -- you lucky bastards, you -- will it be such a hardship to go over and watch your favorite equipo on the pitch, and maybe get on TV, too? And for schmoes like me who have to travel 180 to 300 miles to see a game live and who have Thursday nights off, this deal makes it more likely that I'll get down to Dallas or Houston or up to KC.

I'm lovin' the idea and I'm going to do what I can as a fanatica to get it goin'. And no more TV drought in August and September, that's what I'm lookin' forward to. And I can get into the futbol frame of mind two days earlier than normal and still enjoy the pleasures of the Saturday and Sunday games, too, just stretches out the futbol goodness to most of the week. I'm all for it, man. Can't wait for it to start.

All*Star thoughts

2006-08-05T16:34:00.000-07:00

6:30 CDT: Who's earing his paycheck this game so far? Yeeah, boy, Troy Perkins, that's who.

And you know what kills me? That a goodly portion of the spectators who are at the stadium are there to watch Chelsea. I'm quite very pleased with the game so far. Oooh, better not say that too loudly, lest the soccer gods hear me and make things all fall apart.

7:30 CDT: Huh, what? You replace just about everyone but you leave in Facundo? OK, I love Facundo and his eyebrows, and some of the stellar stars came in, like everyone's favorite adolecent Freddy and my favorite of the favorites Alecko Eskandarian, but what the hell, you take out Troy, who's doing so well? Troy, who, by the way, is my pick for MVP. God, this Internet connection is slow. Nice gol by DDR, though.

Afterward: OK, so Joe Cannon does a nice job, too. Yay for the All*Stars! That's two in a row against an EPL team, which, I know, doesn't seem to mean anything in the way of respect on the world futbol stage, but to me it's something. I liked the red kits that the All*Stars were wearing, too, much better than the blue Sierra Mist threads from last year. Red is the US color, and MLS, with it's little Embrace the Colors campaign, should just go with it. Keep the red. All in all, a good game.

Much later: Gah, don't you just hate how no one can just lose gracefully to a US team? Yes, Coach Mourinho, we get that Chelsea hasn't started up its season yet, but to just write it off as a "training session" is just a little snotty, don't you think? It reminds me of when the USMNT beat Mexico last September to qualify for the World Cup, how Coach Ricardo LaVolpe snarked off that the only reason the US won was because no one in the US cared about soccer and therefore they were under no pressure. OK, so yes, it's also a little true that it doesn't mean anything to Chelsea to lose to the MLS All*Stars. But you know what, it means a heckuvalot to MLS to win in a staunch game against an EPL great.

Only shooting stars break the mold

2006-08-04T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hey, look, it's my favorite defender who thinks he's a striker, plonked down on the All*Star list to gave EPL great Chelsea a hard time -- DC's Facundo Erpen is replacing Eddie Pope on the roster. That's yet another USMNT player, including Landon Donovan and Pablo Mastroeni, who won't be on the Bridgeview pitch. It kind of looks like my plan to keep USMNT players off the All*Star team is inadvertently working out. Yeah, Chris Albright, Jimmy Conrad and Brian Ching will play, but since I only saw Conrad play for about a second and didn't see the others at all, I'll let them slide.

Well, I can't complain, as the All*Star roster is just overloaded with DC United deliciousness, although at this point I'm wondering if we can really call it an All*Star team and just call it DC vs. Chelsea, to put it with all "world futbol comes to the US" action that's happening this season. I have to say, I'm not much of an EPL fan and would actually prefer to see FC Barcelona play in any one of their spots this month. And if I had the money and could stand the 100+ heat, I'd definately had made it to Houston to watch.

But, here we are on the waning side of the season, all hail the All*Star game to give MLS that little extra bit on oomph to gets us into the fall. I have to work tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure I can comandeer the office TV to watch the game. After our rather lackluster World Cup appearance and all the blame slinging people threw at MLS, I'd like the the team to do well and show the US and the world that MLS isn't a training ground or a retirement home. We did pretty nicely against Fulham last year -- yeah, I know, big difference between Chelsea and Fulham -- but still. We're with ya, DC ... er, I mean, All*Stars!

Less taste, more filling

2006-07-18T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was sort of kidding when I speculated last week about ex-USMNT coach Bruce Arena moving over to Red Bull New York! Yet here it is just five days after his USMNT dismissal: Arena is now the New York's main squeeze.

But it makes a lot of sense -- RBNY just lost its second coach of the season so it had an opening, and I get the sense of a grand rebuilding plan in place, despite the rather yicky season record of more draws than just about anyone but not a whole lot of wins. I'm also guessing that the makers of that PixieStix-flavored fizzy brew are throwing a lot of cash into their team and into MLS with an aim to bring it up and take it out into the great wide futbol-lovin' world. All the rumours about various Euro-stars who will be running out their years toward retirement in the Big Apple are probably going to be turning to truth in the next few years. Now all we have to do is wait. So congrats, Il Bruce, and welcome to New York. And throw back a few Jaegers and RBs on me.

Looking forward to the All-Star game? I sure as heck am, especially since it's packed with Red-and-Black goodness. Seven of my beloved DC United guys will go up against EPL hard-hitters Chelsea on Aug. 5 -- my man Alecko Eskandarian, Freddy Adu, Brian Boswell, GK extraordinare Troy Perkins, Jaime Moreno and my fantasy team gol-scorer Christian Gomez join up with the rest of the crew that includes USMNT members Landon Donovan, Pablo Mastroeni, Brian Ching, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Pope and Chris Albright.

Arrivederci, Il Bruce

2006-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'll take "News that's not really surprising to anyone who's been paying attention for $300," Alex. The answer: "A poor performance by the US Men's National Team led to his dismissal as head coach."

Yes, yes, we all know by know that Il Bruce's been sacked. You can find more about it here or here or here or here or even here and every place where good futbol is served up daily. There's much much speculation going on about who will fill his cleats, such as the newly freed-up Jurgen Klinsmann of Germany-by-way-of-California, but as I'm attempting to wean myself from the onslaught of World Cupness that has plagued this blog for the past five weeks, I'm going to head a different direction. Let's wonder, shall we, about where ol'Arena might be drawing his next paycheck. I do recall some months back that there was some speculation that Arena might be leaving as head honcho of the national team anyway, regardless of performance, and that he might return to coach in MLS. It seems like there's been a lot of coaching musical chairs this season, between New York and LA and such, so would it be out of the frame of possibility for Arena to end up back in the Majors? Shall I add him to the "I hear (insert name of renowned world futbol star approaching retirement here) is going to play for RBNY soon" rumour mill? And if he did come back to MLS, would he be welcomed?

Well, whatever happens, thanks for taking the team up a notch, Coach Arena, and good luck to you in whatever you do.

Man, it's been so long since I've been able to dedicate myself to the joy that is an MLS match that I'm going to dispense with the picks for this week, other than the sure-fire thing that DC will triumph over the Crew.

From the wires

2006-07-12T12:55:00.000-07:00

I know I said I was getting back to MLS now that the World Cup has past, but since the whole damn world decided to take an interest in soccer thanks to the Head-Butt Heard Around the World I can't let it go quite yet. Zidane finally came out and gave the world a little hint at what happened between him and Marco Materazzi and it wasn't something racist, it wasn't something that rhymes with terrorwhist, so all you emptyheaded PC reactionaries who've never watched a gawddamn game of fútbol until you saw the incident replayed on SportsCenter, shut the hell up before I card you. It seems to be exactly what I thought it was when I saw it happen, essentially along the lines of "I woke up with your mom this morning, tell her that her coffee sucks." Quite honestly I would have preferred something along the lines of Materazzi asking Zizou, "Care for a shag after the game?" but oh well, that's that. I think it'd be utterly stupid for FIFA to take back Zidane's Golden Ball award, because the only thing that really separates the head-butt from any other stupid example of testosteroniness is that one-sixth of the world saw it. This is fútbol, it's a contact sport, and sometimes there's a little more uncalled-for contact than is necessary. It's part of the game. Go ahead, fine him if you have to, but fine Materazzi, too, for being a pottymouth, because he definately deserves it. Zizou's being as good as he can about the whole thing, and I admire him for admitting that he'd done something wrong, taking the consequences and saying that in hindsight he'd still do it again and take the consequences that come with it. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and take what comes. Taking away the Golden Ball shouldn't be part of it. So let that drop.

So let's move on to rankings: SI.com reports today that the new FIFA rankings are out. Brazil is still at the top, and world champs Italy are behind them. The US fell to 16, which quite honestly is a little closer to where I think we should have been ranked all along. But here's what puzzles me: Mexico, who started out 4th, has dropped to 18. Mexico who at least won one game and garnered more than one gol and at least moved on to the Round of 16, got plopped behind the US. Which makes no frikkin sense to me at all.

OK, so finally back to MLS. And hey, the All-Star whoopin' is coming up in a few weeks. DC United Coach Peter Nowak, who's doing coaching duties for this go-round in Chicago, released his First XI, and they include five guys from the USMNT -- Donovan, Conrad, Pope, Dempsey and Albright, three of them who actually put their feet on the German pitch! My policy on voting for the All-Star game was pretty simple -- if you went to Germany, you got your slice of the limelight for the summer, so you don't get my vote. But oh well, I've also been silly enough to continue voting for my beloved Frankie Hejduk, and I've heard he's not coming back until next season. The other six are Shalrie Joseph, Dewayne DeRosario, Ante Razov and my beautiful DC United boys Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno and Tory Perkins, who's been rockin' the net this season. I never ever thought I'd come to love someone more than I loved Nick Rimando. More names Monday.

NY goalkeeper Tony "the Tank" Meola is out of play for a few weeks to nurse a foot infection. Ouch. And it makes me wonder if anyone's really going to notice. But hey, speaking of NY and Zidane all in one blog, what's this I hear about Zidane maybe coming to play for Red Bull NY? And what is it that I hear about nearly every Europe from legend coming to play for NY? Because they kinda sorta suck this seaason, so why, if you're going to while away your retirement years in the MLS, would you want to go play there? Money? Yeah, it's all rumour, but it makes me wonder.

But the best of the best -- AP has a story about DC's 12-game winning streak that's pretty well gone unnoticed thanks to Mundial drama, and I'm just saying, congrats to my favorite Black-and-Red-clad players. They're doing a good job of stomping last season into the dirt and grounding it out like a finished cigarette. I also saw a Freddy Adu milk add on the back of this week's Ultimate Fantastic Four, so there's all sorts of DC goodness out in the world at the moment.

Games on Friday this week! Back to basics ...

Return to MLS

2006-07-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

This futbol blog's been relatively silent during the month that celebrated the biggest futbol fest in the world, the World Cup. And that was partly due to the World Cup itself. Between working full time, going to school every day and watching as much futbol as time and cable channels would allow, there simply was no time left over to throw out my thoughts on this beautiful tournament, even once the matches dwindled to a couple a week after the first round ended.

I watched so much futbol that by week 3 I was almost thoroughly sick of futbol. But how wonderful it is to get to that point, of having TOO MUCH futbol to watch. This isn't a problem I normally have, and now that the World Cup has ended, I'm back to at least one chosen MLS match a week -- if the streaming on MLSLive.tv doesn't poop out like it's been doing lately -- and whatever matches I can scrounge up time to watch outside of that. Back to scouring the MLS rosters to fill out my fantasy teams, and back to feeding my Frankie Hejduk obsession. So even as I go through withdrawl, it'll be kinda nice to get back to simplicity that is MLS again.

But before I do that, here's my two pffenigs worth on the World Cup:

My beloved USMNT -- and yes, they're still my beloved US Men's National Team. OK, so they didn't do nearly as well as the know-nothing pundits and the FIFA rankings expected, but those of us who have been really watching these guys since the qualification period began weren't surprised. Yes, they can play on a world level, just not consistently. Once they figure that out -- and they will -- then they won't need a Nike sales pitch to do their bragging for them. I'm satisfied that they had one beautiful game against world champs Italia. I walked around for half a year fretting over the USMNT's performance in the World Cup, believing that a disastrous run would kill the development of futbol in the US. It's only now, after the World Cup is over, that I realize what a foolish idea that is. Soccer and an appreciation of soccer is growing in the US, and it's only a matter of time before it racks up enough love to become a marketable sport. All that's really keeping it down are stupid sportswriters like Frank DeFord, old guys who grew up equating futbol with communism and limp-wristed pantywaists. Sooner or later, they'll shut up and the generation of sportswriters behind them that grew up playing soccer will start writing about it fairly and freely, giving futbol the attention that it's due. From watching the World Cup, it was clear that the only thing keeping the US from playing consistenly at the world level is the lack of soccer culture in the US, and that's coming. Just give it time.

MLS -- yes, there is an MLS side to the World Cup. After the US shambled out of Germany, I heard people complaining that the team's poor performance was due to the many MLS players on the squad. But how dumb is that? Last time I looked, the bulk of the players on the pitch every game were based in Europe, and the one gol we garnered for ourselves was by New England's own Clint Dempsey. People should be on their knees thanking the sporting gods that we have a major league training ground from which we can pick a pool of players. MLS creates US soccer. Stop knocking it. Love it, support it and watch it grow.

Bruce Arena -- I can't say that I'm a fan of using the media as a tool for bitching out your players, and if Il Bruce uses public shame to chastize his players, then I'm not such a fan anymore. I've only known US soccer while he's been at the helm, and while I wouldn't be opposed to seeing how he bounces back from the team's performance, I also wouldn't be upset if the US ushered in a new era of soccer sans Arena.

Thrill of victory, agony of defeats, and draws ain't bad either -- I can honestly say that two of the best games of the whole tournament was Trinadad & Tobago vs. Sweden and US vs. Italia. There's just something wonderful about watching an underdog rally against odds to match itself to a team that's supposed to be superior.

The love -- Yeah, it sounds cheesy in a whole high school diversity training montage sort of way, but it really does my heart good to see players from all cultures and all countries being buddies on the pitch, what with the helping each other up after fouls, the hugs, the guy-pats on the butt. I rarely see that in other sports, and this is one of the reasons why I love this sport so much. It makes up for thugish ugliness such as Wayne Rooney's groin stomp and Zinedine Zindane's headbutt.

New favorite players -- I utterly fell in love with Portugal's Ricardo. I love it how the commentators kept saying that "he guessed right on that penalty." Idiot guys, if he's guessing right, then he's not guessing. That was some sheer expertise on the PKs, and it makes me wish I could watch Portuguese soccer. Also, Abbondanzieri, Sorin, Messi, Crespo, Saviola and the rest of the Argentinian squad. They were awesome throughout and I really expected them to go farther than they did. They were a pleasure to watch, for many many reasons.

Things I hated -- Curse you Dan O'Brien and Marcelo Balboa, you guys ruined almost every game I watched. Remember when I begged Marcelo to speak up more? I take it back. Stop with the hindsight "he should have done this/that/whatever" comments, because that's not helping. And Alexi Lalas, what a media whore, even showing up on Colbert to teach US non-soccer lovers how to ridicule our opponents. Who's bright idea was it to put his ass on the TV? There's a reason why so many people in the US watched the Cup on Univision, and it's called ESPN's staff.

All in all, it was a wonderful month, and like all good things it's come to an end. Watch this space as I get back to my MLS goodness.

That's fútbol ...

2006-07-09T14:15:00.000-07:00

What my husband said, upon seeing Zinedine Zidane head-butt Materazzi: "I would have expected him to throw a punch, but that's soccer for you, no hands."

The management regrets to inform you ...

2006-06-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

... that I'm forced to take about a week or so off. I've been caught up in soccer goodness and was about to get back to blogging on MLS, but I've hurt my hand and can barely type. Which is a shame because I had all sorts of things to say about Arena and MLS. But I'll get back to it when I'm healed up. Wizards and my beloved DC tomorrow, go, DC, go!

Tarnished silver lining

2006-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

Reasons not to be completely bummed out by the US foundering out of the World Cup:

1. We actually got a gol of our own in World Cup play in Europe.

2. Since fútbol in the US still is an unpopular sport, not too many people are actually aware of what happened.

3. That game on Saturday against the Italians, one of the best games of the whole World Cup.

4. No more little profiles about Landon Donovan.

5. There's still two more weeks of great fútbol.

So this is it. I'm sorry to have to do this to you, USMNT, but I think it's time we started seeing other people. I love you, guys, but I think it would be better this way, just for a bit. I know you've got to take a breather, get your act together. We both know that you're capable of so much more than you're demonstrating right now, and I need that in my life. I know you'll understand, because you're such a nice guy. And you might want to think about that, because you know how the girls dig the bad boys. You could stand to be a little badder. But that's OK. You're always going to be No. 1 in my heart. So if you don't mind, you'll be seeing me around with Mexico for a few days. But don't worry, I'll be dropping them for Argentina pretty soon. A girl's got to keep her options open and all. I'll be seeing you in a year or so, whenever you start getting it together to start qualifying for the next round. I just know that you're going to be incredible, and I'll be waiting. Call me, kay?

US vs. Italy

2006-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

I did not know it was possible to lose God and find God all in one day. Yeah, it was a draw, but it was a good draw, and the US played like they knew what they were doing, down two men who were taken out by crap officiating. This is the team I'm always thinking of when I say, "It's possible for the US to have a good run in the World Cup." Thanks for showing up, boys. And thanks, ABC cameraman, for the clear shot of a shirtless Brian McBride at the end of the game. Thanks to that shot, a friend of mine has become a fan of futbol.

I reject your reality and substitute my own

2006-06-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a class this month that runs from 10:30 to 12:30 CDT, so as I'm an annoying dedicated student, I didn't get so see the US take on the Czech Republic. Having not actually seen the game for myself, I'm going to go with my own blind, frantic belief that the US did fanTAStically and is well on its way to winning Group E. Feh, who need reality? Who needs things like actual statistics. I'm an American, by jimminy, and I don't let pesky things like facts get in my way.

In reality, though, 3-0?

Ugh.

On any other given day, I would have been dejected by Japan's 3-1 fall to Austrailia, because hell, they were winning when I left the house!! But I've got so much emotionally invested in the United States, and when they lose, I feel it in my heart and they're getting primacy. I feel like I just got broken-up with by a guy who I thought was the perfect guy but it turned out he lied to me on every point. It's funny how apt that is to describe how broken-hearted I am by this loss. Part of me wants to put my head down on the table and cry a little bit and then get up and swear off men ... er, I mean US futbol ... forever, throw my support toward England or Mexico like all my friends are doing, the ones who are die-hard Premiership fans and speak in disparaging terms of US futbol.

But this is the thing about being a true fan, you don't love them just because they win. You may break up with the guy for being an asshole, but you never turn your back on your friends just because they screw up.

Go US!

While watching the Mexico-Iran game ...

2006-06-11T10:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Marcelo Balboa -- feel free to just jump in there at any time. It's OK, you can do it. Just enter in the conversation and get it back to the game at hand ... or fútbol in general, if that's what it takes. Because I quite honestly don't want to know any more about the politics of Iran or its size in square miles. I would consider it a personal favor if you could keep the inane chatter of your compatriot up there in the ABC booth guided toward the actual SPORT. Thanks much.

World Cup intermission

2006-06-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know this is an MLS- and USMNT-focused blog, but it's the World Cup, it's a month of holidays for the futbol fan, and I've just spent two days in a state of mild-to-critcal frenzy. For reasons in addition to the World Cup, I've had little sleep, terrible food and other stress, to the point where I'm barely able to form cognizant sentences, but I'm going to throw some stuff out there anyway.

First off -- and I know this is piddly but it's been bugging me -- Puma makes the worst kits. All the uniforms made by Puma that I've seen so far look exactly the same and only vary by color. They're ugly. Thank heaven that the USMNT has Nike, because ugh.

I've been watching a good portion of the World Cup on Univision as opposed to ESPN2, not just because I'm taking a Spanish conversation class this month and I'm trying to practice my comprehension, but also because the trappings are better. There's no annoying ticker at the bottom of the screen telling me about sports I don't care about, Univision has nothing but futbol-themed commercials during the half instead of little updates on other sports that I don't care about and, most importantly, from what I can tell, the talking heads on Univision spend the full 90 talking about futbol. Unlike the guy during the Argentina-Ivory Coast match that started using examples from other sports to explain what was going on or chatting about the upcoming NBA Finals. Unlike that same guy who started talking about the FIFA rankings as if they meant something truly significant. Even if the guys on Univision do go off on stupidity like that, I wouldn't really know it, because my Spanish still ain't that good.

Most bizarre moment today -- Alexi Lalas and Co. chatting about the Sweden-T&T game from the Belmont Stakes. And geez, Lalas is a tall guy, I had no idea!

So far all of the matches have been pretty good, from the first amazing gol by Germany to the 2-1, surprisingly hard fought win by Argentina over an Ivory Coast that came back after halftime and started to play some serious soccer. Nothing's gone quite as I've been expecting, with teams that I was sure would be routed ending up playing fairly well, such as Paraguay, which, yes, lost to England but still came back after the single gol for England to just hold it to 1. Great bending assist by Beckham for that own gol from Paraguay (in those awful Puma kits!), by the way. Best game, though for me, surprisingly, has been the Sweden-T&T draw, which I saw noted as a "shocker" by some news outlets. Down by 1 and with a surprise keeper, Trinidad & Tobago really did deserve that 1 point.

And I still love that Addidas commercial with the little kids in Barcelona playing the pickup game with the big stars. Although the great Bud commercial with the fans in the stadium is a good one, too.

Tomorrow my big game would be Mexico-Iran, and I'm trying to decide if I should go to church or skip church and watch the game. Quite honestly I have to wonder where one would be most likely to find a sense of the divine, and I generally find it more consistently on the pitch than anywhere else. And after that it's back to MLS, yay!

Picks for Saturday
Crew vs. Wizards: The battle for second place in the East wages in Columbus tonight, and before last week I would have just gone with KC, despite its wretched performace as of late. Hopefully the Crew is still riding a wave of confidence after beating the Hoops last week, so I'm going to throw my hopes behind Columbus. Go Crew!

New York vs. Houson: New York is hunting for a second win, and they're not going to find it at home against the Dynamo tonight. That's one thing you can say about New York, they're consistent no matter where they play, which ain't saying much. The Dynamo have it tonight.

Picks for Sunday:
FC Dallas vs. Chivas -- Awww, and Chivas was going with such a nice little record there, piling up a couple of wins. Dallas surely isn't going to allow a repeat of last week with a loss to a lower-ranked team at home. My great hope is just that Chivas doesn't let the Hoops romp all over them, so let's say Dallas by 1.

Fire vs. Revs -- You know, I just can't get used to the fact that the Revs have gone to being all that and a bag of chips to less than that and a bag of the generic chips that your mom buys at the dollar store when she's trying to save up for a facial. Of course, the Fire haven't been doing so well lately, either, but I'm actually pulling for them, but I'm thinking this will end in a draw.

Galaxy vs. DC -- A new coach and new coaching staff isn't going to do anything for LA against a team that knows where it's at this season. The Galaxy is playing tired and embarassed at being routed by Chivas on Thursday, so I don't think it'll be much of a trick for DC to pull off a win. The question really will be, how many points will the Black-and-Red rack up?

Casting call

2006-06-08T06:32:00.000-07:00

Having just listened to NPR's Frank Deford grudgingly comment on the World Cup and the US Men's Team's chances therein, which were both incredibly naive and somewhat astute all at the same time, which is pretty much his style, I began to play the ultimate fútbol What-If game, as in, what if a miracle happened and the US won the World Cup?

Other than being hated for yet one more thing on the global stage (and Deford hit that one on the nose) a win at the World Cup for the US means one great thing -- one of those patriotic, propagandistic, dripping-with-cheeseyness-but-makes-you-stand-up-and-cheer Disney sports movies. Yes, like that movie Miracle that came out in 2004 about the U.S. Hockey team's win over the big-bad Soviets in the 1980 Olympics, US fútbol would be immortalized on celluloid eventually. It would, of course, have to be a real tear-jerker, complete with all the little dramas real -- such as Frankie Hejduk getting sidelined by an injury and having to bow out of the National Team the day after he's named -- and imagined -- let's say, one of our GKs breaking every finger in both hands and yet still managing to shutout the Brazillians in the final match of the tournament. Oooh, heartbreaking, yet lifting, one of those "human-spirit" things. Ugh, yeah, but you get the idea.

And then there's a matter of casting the movie. I think Kurt Russell could do a decent Bruce Arena, he does that "I'm a stern but respected father-figure" thing so well. But for players? I'm just not as into movie stars are well as I used to be, so I can't think of other appropriate actors. I have a tendency to like seasoned guys, like Viggo Mortensen and Hugh Jackman, who are all a bit too long in the tooth to play the young guys of the US team. Well ... maybe if Hugh Jackman shaved his head he could be Kasey Keller.

So -- who would you cast for the movie of the USMNT's victory and the World Cup, and what little bits of drama would you include in the script? Now granted, it would take a miracle for the US team to win. And having said that, as is my track record, I've just ensure that it'll happen. Viva Estados Unidos!

Sh*t on the wires

2006-06-07T20:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone probably knows it already that former San Jose Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop has been tapped to replace Steve Sampson as the head coach of the LA Galaxy. There's been much hootin' and hollerin' about it (check out the Soccer Blogs feed site, just wade through it to find reactions on Sampson from all the other fine bloggers and for all your other delicious futbol goodness, all you want and much much more!). From the overall look of things, Sampson's departure overall was greeted with a "Don't let the screen door hit you in the ass on your way out," although D at The DCenters blog has some strong words to say about LA general manager Alexi Lalas. I haven't been in the futbol-fan game long enough to form a cognizant opinion about Lalas, but I gotta say, wow, you go D.

That lack of general knowledge also prevents me from getting too excited about Yallop. Was he the coach of the Canadian National Team when the USMNT drew with them in the friendly in January? Anyway, I look forward to the Galaxy's game tomorrow with Chivas, although I still expect Chivas to garner a win here, coaching change notwithstanding.

The other item of interest, and this almost makes me want to travel out to Salt Lake to see this royal spanking -- Real Madrid and Real Salt Lake playing in an exhibition game in August.

Oh, and check out the nifty little ticker on the right there, under the US Soccer links. Counting down to Tuesday ...

Sampson relieved of duties

2006-06-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

So the Galaxy's dismal record this season has caught up to head coach Steve Sampson, according to a news release on MLSnet.com. The man who lead the Galaxy to the 2005 MLS Cup Championship was relieved of his duties as head coach.

And it really has been a terrible season for the Galaxy, which currently is sitting at the very very bottom of the Western standings, three points below Chivas. And with the way things have been going lately, I don't foresee the Galaxy winning against their cross-town rival on Thursday night.

No word on MLSnet.com on who is replacing Sampson at LA's helm. I've noticed some talk here and there in the futbol blogsphere calling for Sampson's dismisal, just about as often as I've heard calls for RSL head coach John Ellinger's dismisal for Salt Lake's bad season, before they started winning. It will be interesting to see what kind of turnaround, if any, the Galaxy will have with this change. The Galaxy is facing the same problem that some other MLS teams have, namely losses of key players to the national team, though the Galaxy hadn't been playing nearly up to past form from the beginning of the season even before the players left for their respective training camps.

Well, it should make for an interesting game on Thursday night, watch it on ESPN. And Thursday starts what's going to be an orgy of futbol for the month of June. I'm so distracted by all things footie I can't concentrate. I've spent most of today figuring out time zone differences for various games, and between MLSLive.tv and all the futbol coverage on ABC/ESPNs/Univision, there's actually going to be moments where I can have two live games running at once. Gah, I need help. I am not just a fangirl, I am a futbol-a-holic ...

Crew's in

2006-06-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

How is it that every time I say things like, "It'll take a miracle for the Crew to win this game," they actually pull one out and win the game? You could have knocked me over with a feather when I checked up on the scoreboard and saw that the Crew had beaten FC Dallas 2-1. After suffering one of the team's worst defeats at the hands of DC United just a few days before, Columbus, I guess, decided that it had enough and got out its game. Either that, or Dallas had come down with a clear case of the "Eh, we can beat these guys in our sleep, let's go take a nap." I only watched the first half on the MLSLive.tv archive so far, but that first half showed Columbus clearly in charge of the game, so I'm really looking forward to the second half -- hell the last 15 minutes, it looks like -- to see how they pulled this one off.

Anyone know, by the way, how my darling Frankie Hejduk is faring with this ACL injury? Any reports or ideas on when he'll be returning to the pitch?

I'm quite happy for the Crew with this win. Dallas can handle the loss, as they're still sitting pretty four points on top of Houston in the West, and the victory sets Columbus in a tie for second in the East. Could you ever believe it?

I also got to watch DC United take on the Revolution, and I don't know about ya'll but my eyes were on Alecko the whole time. There was a very strong sense of payback hanging in the air every time he headed toward the goal and Matt Reis, which didn't come off, and I was sad to see him come off the pitch without having scored. Still, there was, I thought, lots of be happy with in this game, such as Freddy Adu getting some nice set-ups and Jaime Moreno's 101st gol. And a word to Facundo Erpen -- dude, we know you can score from a distance, so cut it out already.

And man, how about Chivas squashing the Rapids 4-1? Who knew, huh? That's a game that'll be coming up on the computer this week, that's for damn sure. It may be looking like the expansion teams of Chivas and RSL are no longer the league whipping boys. Still, I'll be interested in seeing how things shake out once the superstars come back from Germany. Fútbol being a team sport and all, it shouldn't make that much of a difference, but you know it always does, just look at KC.

Four days and counting until the the World Cup. Anyone excited yet?

Welcome to the blogroll

2006-06-02T18:22:00.000-07:00

A big'ol hidey hi to a couple of new additions to my blogroll, DCSundevil's An American's View on Futbol/Football/Soccer and Passion Thy Name is Soccer from fellow Oklahoman Wallydrag. We simply must have a watch party.

Return of the Fangirl

2006-06-02T14:44:00.000-07:00

All six of you might have noticed that I haven't been around lately, and for that, I sincerely apologize. I've been up to my eyeballs in schoolwork, and while futbol hasn't completely gone unnoticed in my narrow little life, I've had to let it go for a bit without commentary, since for three weeks it was marginally more important to memorize Spanish phrases like "Para evitar el riesgo de envenenamiento, nunca tome medicina en la obscuridad," which is fine advice and may save your life someday. Or not.

In all the myriad business, I did figure out how to incorporate a little more futbol into my daily life by making it one of my carrots for working out, that is, whenever I lift weights, I put on one of the games I missed over the week/weekend on the MLSLive.com archive, and there you go. Way to make that $20 investment continue to pay off, don't ya think? It was in that capacity that I was able to watch the DC's stunner of a win over Columbus on Wednesday night (where, thanks to the folks at DirectKick, we were treated to a prolonged shot of DC keeper Troy Perkins adjusting everything, from the wall to himself, as he prepared for a free kick from the Crew). Lovely to see an own-gol that wasn't Boswell-produced (I promise that's the last time I mention that, he's certainly recovered from the unfortunate three he garnered last year). I was happy to see Alecko get another gol, but quite honestly, that was a pretty bad lapse on the part of the Crew to let him get that far out and that open. And Lucio Filomeno needs more goles, if only so I can see him whip his shirt off again, because wow.

Couple of things off the wires: Yes, the rumors might be true, Brazilian and Real Madrid superstar Ronaldo really is thinking about coming to MLS at the end of his career. Which is all fine and good for MLS to get guys like him and Beckham, but wouldn't it be nice to get guys like this in their prime rather than just before they're put out to stud? I suppose that's wishful-MLS thinking on my end, but it's something to hope for that someday MLS becomes a place where you want to play at the height of your career, not as a training ground or a retirement home.

And DC fanatics, go check out the story by AP on the Black-and-Red having its best season (so far!! don't jinx it!!) in years. It's still a long way until November, but I have a good feeling. Let's hope that lasts.

And now ... quick picks:
DC vs. New England
Man, not for the first time I wish I lived anywhere near DC. Two home games in one week, wow. OK, so this might mean DC might be playing a bit tired, but it also might mean they can just ride the momentum of their nice 5-1 roadkill of a victory. I'm betting that's going to be the case, and DC will continue their solid streak of not-losing at home.

Dallas vs. Columbus
Yeesh, and yet another away game for the Crew so soon after the aforementioned spanking is not going to improve things for them, especially against Dallas, which has been running hard and fast like a dooley on I-635. Short of a miracle, the Crew has no chance. Watching this game might be the futbol equivalent of an episode of Frasier, where you know that eventually, someone is going to do something fatally embarassing. Sorry Crew, I'll be rootin' for ya though.

Dynamo vs. Galaxy
It's pretty much a no-brainer that Galaxy is out for the count until mid-July, when it gets half its team back from Germany. Never mind that Houston seems to be doing as well if not slightly better sans Brian Ching. This could be the week that LA turns it around, but I don't think it'll happen in Houston.

KC vs. NY
The Wizards have really been off their game lately, and I'm not so sure that they'll be able to turn it around against NY, which has at least been consistent. New York certainly is out to pick up another win, but seeing as I have remembered that futbol teams do draw sometimes, I'm going to go with yet another patented Red Bull draw on this game. KC will get a point, but it won't be enough to keep from eating the dust from DC as it keeps pulling ahead in the standings.

Salt Lake vs. Chicago
Real Salt Lake has got a gem there with Jeff Cunningham, and I'm sure they're hoping that good things do actually come in threes. However, I have a hunch that Chicago will realize that they lost to Chivas last week and are in danger of actually becoming the Chivas of the 2006 season. The Fire will bounce back on this game.

Chivas vs. Rapids
The Rapids won against a California team on Wednesday night, but will that carry over into the Home Depot Center? Chivas claimed its second victory of the season last week against Chicago, and it's probably only my utter hopes that this team will finally, finally pull itself up out of the standings dungeon by making a two-in-a-row this week. My gut actually tells me that Colorado probably will prevail, but I'm ever hopeful. Go goats!

Have fun storming the gol!

2006-05-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Those wacky posters over on the BigSoccer forum have started the mutha of all silly threads (access it through Triangle Soccer Fanatics!) -- altering lines from The Princess Bride and putting them in the mouths of the US Men's Team. It's freaking hilarious.

I didn't feel like signing up for BigSoccer to add my two cents -- or rather, my beloved Husband's two cents, since he came up with these gems -- so I'll just post them here for amused posterity.

USA: Futbol?
Fledgling fan base: That's right. When soccer was started in another country, it was called futbol. And this is a special "foot-ball." It's the futbol that should have been taught by my father, and I should have taught to your father. But today I'm gonna watch it with you.
USA: Has it got anything exciting in it?
Fan base: Are you kidding?! Fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles, genuine athleticism ...
USA: Doesn't sound too bad. I'll try to stay awake.
Fan base: Oh, well thank you very much. Very nice of you. Your vote of confidence is overwhelming.

Later in the television of the World Cup, a brief explanation:

Knowledgeable fans: We don't lose the tournament at this time.
USA: What?
Fans: The first round doesn't get us. I'm explaining this to you because you look nervous.
USA: I wasn't nervous. Maybe I was a little bit "concerned," but that's not the same thing

This is how Vegas makes money

2006-05-19T13:30:00.000-07:00

To all you people who are betting at the US is going to win the World Cup (hat tip to World Cup Blog): I'll be happy to take your money. Just send it to me in a plain envelope marked, "Cash from Suckers Who Know Nothing About Futbol." If you really want to part with your money so darn badly, give it to me. I'm going to grad school next year, so I need the additional funding. Giving money to me is just as insane as betting on the US to win. That's what you get for taking the FIFA rankings so seriously (Do you learn nothing from the BCS?).

Speaking of La Copa de Mundial stuff, get ready for next week's Send-Off series as the USMNT tackles Morocco, Venezuela and Latvia, and they will be televised.

Quick MLS picks for Saturday:

Dynamo vs. Fire:
Jeez, the Dynamo on EPSN2 again?? The orange jerseys aren't that great, guys, pick another team. I normally would have automatically gone with Houson on this, but with Ching gone and some good players possibly sidelined from injuries, I think the Fire might actually rack up its second win. I'm going with Chicago, just because I'm sick of seeing Houston on TV.

New York vs. Chivas:
Awwww, I don't even want to make a pick here. I'd like Chivas to get a win here. They're due. But something tells me that New York is gonna show that Red Bull goes great with toasted goat.

Crew vs. DC:
Another away game against a team that they should be able to beat. I think DC should easily be able to keep it together to keep that first-place standing, but they've got that choking reflex to overcome. Still, my money's on DC, and that's probably a pretty safe bet. As my darling Frankie Hejduk is out with an injury that will take time to heal -- my husband had the same injury and he was on crutches for two months -- I actually *sob* sold him off my fantasy team. I'll get him back when he's back.

Dallas vs. New England:
Oh, Dallas, easily. Even with Golden Boy Twelleman looking to make Bruce Arena regret his exclusion from the national team, Dallas has been playing some serious soccer this year.

Real vs. Wizards:
Oooh, this could be rather exciting. Real Salt Lake needs to prove that last week's win over LA isn't just a flash in the pan, and the Wizards need to prove that they can get alone without Conrad, Johnson and Wolff. Who wants it more? Actually, I'm gonna take a chance and go with RSL on this one again.

Galaxy vs. Rapids:
Hee hee, oh yes, Rapids, no question.

Let's send Jon Stewart to the World Cup

2006-05-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sportswriters. Blech. We hate the way they hate our beloved sport. They don't understand the rules, they snigger into their sleeves over its importance in the world, they think it's a peewee game played by limp-wristed, commie lovers. "You know what's wrong with soccer?" the sports editor whose desk was, unfortunately for me, right across from mine. "Not enough stats. All you have is goals made and goals attempted. And then what? No wonder those crazy fans in Europe riot, they don't have enough stats to preoccupy them."

Well, I wanted to fire back, there's also cards and corners, just to name a few of the multitude of other minutia that I could calculate. (A quick plug, for all your statistics needs, visit Climbing the Ladder, where you can get all sorts of statisical goodness in one easy stop.) But instead I turned to the one other soccer fan in the room and asked her what the hell was wrong with all those other sports that they need stats to make them interesting? They weren't really listening to me anyway, as they were sitting there speculating on when this year David Beckham will be gracing an MLS team with his overrated self, and confidently pontificating that MLS's salvation would be to move all its teams to minor markets.

They're pretty representative of sportswriters in the mainstream, excluding the few fine souls who are out there really covering soccer, who know it and love it and want to pet it and squeeze it and call it George. But with the World Cup just mere weeks away from gracing the consciousness of the US sportsfan, I'm shuddering to think of what the coverage will be like. Three minutes of commentary on the games, followed up by 10 minutes of ranting about why everyone hates soccer? Or talking heads discussing how great the US is, since according to FIFA we're fourth in the world?

We need a guy in our corner, someone who knows the game, the lingo, knows the ins and outs.

And then it hit me: Jon Stewart. I was watching The Daily Show last night, and for one reason or another -- I can't even recall why -- they showed a clip of soccer hooligans rioting. In referring to the clip, Stewart said the proper words, "fans on the pitch." Because he's a fan, he's been a player. He played in college, and he's been keeping up. He not only understands what it's like to be a soccer fan in the US, he articulated it in the best quote in the world.

Soccer is crystal meth. It's very addictive, but really messes up your teeth. I guess I've never viewed soccer as some sort of controlled substance. To me, it's probably more like Nutella. The rest of the world clearly loves it and puts it on almost everything, but here in America we're like, "I don't know, man, it tastes like almonds."

C'mon, if Dennis Miller can do Monday Night Football, can't Jon Stewart do the World Cup? Let's send Jon Stewart to Germany to do ESPN coverage over the World Cup.

Stars align for Grabavoy, but not for the Galaxy

2006-05-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

It looks like it's been quite a weekend for Ned Grabavoy. Not only did he and Joseph Ngwenya get traded from the Galaxy to the Crew, but he got the game-winning gol for Columbus on Saturday to beat the Colorado Rapids 1-0. And on top of that, he managed to jump the sinking ship that is the LA Galaxy just before they committed the utter ignominy of getting whooped by Real Salt Lake at the HDC.

I can only imagine if Kyle Martino and John Wolyniec were wondering if there's any way to get back to Ohio. Still, in the end they swapped a tied-for-third team with a now tied-for-third team, with the Crew even with New England at 10 points in the East and LA even with Colorado in the West with 7. Despite the triumph of using last year's MLS Cup Champs to snap an 18-game non-winning streak, all RSL managed to do on Sunday points-wise is once again tie with Chivas for last place in the West.

What kills me is I owned Grabavoy, he was on my fantasy team for about a day before I decided to trade him in for I don't even remember who. Maybe I should look at getting him again, since I like getting to put members from my favorite teams on my fantasy teams. And I cannot believe that my prediction that RSL would win actually came out this time. Good for you RSL. Now let's see how well ya do at home now that you've gotten a victory appetizer in LA.

And speaking of favorite teams, the DC/KC game pretty much game off as I expected, although I wasn't expecting the points to rack up quite that fast. 3 points in like 20 minutes of play? Crazy, but crazy in a good way, especially Alecko's punt over Bo Oshoniyi's head in the 16th. Too sweet.

Easy listening

2006-05-13T14:15:00.000-07:00

National Public Radio's All Things Considered on Friday had a quick three-minute interview with Wall Street Journal sportswriter Stefan Fatis (whom I would not describe with yesterday's coyote ugly metaphor) over the USMNT's chance in the World Cup. The site also lists a nice group of stories they've done about soccer in the US over the past two years.

Fatis neatly brushed aside anchor Robert Siegel's comment that there's just no excitement building up for the World Cup in the U.S., and gave what I thought is a very good estimate of the USMNT's true position in the world at the moment, and what its chances are in the Group of Death.

Currently watching the Houston/Dallas game on ESPN2, and once the ankle injury knocked out DeRosario, I lost all hope for that cannon going to Houston. Ouch.

Why is it called football when you can use your hands?

2006-05-12T11:36:00.000-07:00

I'm in the middle of a rather asinine debate on a message board over the use of the word soccer for the game that the rest of the world calls football. Never mind that the main voice in this debate is a kid from Finland who thinks that the US is going to become a huge football powerhouse and start dominating the world game, simply because he thinks we have a ton of money and interest in the game over here. I'd like to introduce him to the cadre of sportswriters in the next room who, if they woke up in bed after a one-night stand with soccer, would chew their own arms off to get away from it. Yes, in the US, soccer is the coyote ugly of the sportswriters' world.

Anyhoo, it still boggles my mind that the game referred to around the world as American football has the football moniker. Why? Yes, I know the history and all, but why still call it that, and is there a good substitute that we, as fans of real football, could call it? I personally have been calling it JohnMaddenBall, but no one listens to me.

I am mad at either MLSLive.tv or my DSL provider, because the DC United game against Colorado kept freezing on me. It's probably a good thing for me, from what I hear DC thought it was last year and played accordingly. And what with last week being finals week for me, I didn't catch more futbol than that. I did, however, manage to vote for the guys I'd like to see get pantsed by Chelsea at the MLS All-Star game. My simple rule -- if you went to the World Cup, I'm not voting for ya. Yes, that rule would have been suspended if Frankie Hejduk had gone, but still. Those guys are getting a lot of face time anyway, and besides, they're going to be out of MLS for months, so they're not exactly representational, was my flawed thinking. Regardless, if my darling Alecko Eskandarian does not make this team, there's something wrong with the world in general. I also threw in a vote for Troy Perkins, who has turned out to be my most profitable fantasy pick. As much as I really like Nick Rimando, I'm sticking with Troy, he's a keeper keeper.

And hey, look, a new team name that seems to be unremarkable and yet classic. I'm all for Toronto FC although isn't it time we let an AC come in? Or SC -- Soccer Club -- since that's what we call it here. Ick, no, I don't like that. And did I miss something, or does this skew the team numbers into an odd 13? Or is 2007 the year when the Philly-NJ startup also takes off?

I completely missed last week on every game except the obvious ones -- like the Crew beating RSL and New England beating the Galaxy, but I was terribly surprised by the spread on that one. But I'll try again, here we go:

Houston vs. Dallas
Dammit, it turns out that I am interested in this game after all. Not so much for the whole unnamed cannon thing, but just because it's looking kinda juicy, what with Houston's win last week over Dallas. This week it's in Frisco, and Brian Ching is gone to USMNT training camp. There are a lot of Brian Ching naysayers out there, but I think he's fantastic, although I'm not sure he's the thing that keeps Houston on top ... er, almost on top. I'm thinking that Dallas will win this one, simply just because they're somewhat better than Houston on any given Saturday. But I'd like it better if Houston won again.

New England vs. Chivas
It's a crazy world if New England beats Chivas with fewer gols than they beat Cup Champs the LA Galaxy, and it's even crazier if Chivas actually beats New England. I think Taylor Twelleman is still sufficiently pissed about being in the USMNT reserves to score up a big game, so New England will probably have this one. But I'm betting on crazy and a huge Revs injury list and say it'll only be by 1 with at least one Chivas gol.

New York vs. Chicago
This is my "I don't care" game this week, so I don't have much to say about this one, other than I think it'd be nice if the game ended in a draw to keep up both teams' records.

Crew vs. Rapids
I know that the Crew are starting to pull it together, but really, so are the Rapids, and Colorado'll probably bounce off last weeks win to get another this week. The Crew's injury roster reads like a novel, and the Rapids really aren't going to be stung by Pablo Mastroeni being gone to play for his country, since he really hasn't done so much this year.

Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake
Just for funsies, I'm going to go out on a wild limb. Maybe this is the week that RSL decides to stop being everyone's biotech (yeah, when my brain reads this word it always scrambles it to another word) and break thatn 18-game losing streak. It would be the jewel in the shame crown for LA to lose to Salt Lake, especially if they lost badly, and a supercoup for Real to win. Normally I don't care for RSL, but they've officially hit under-underdog status, so I feel for em. Go RSL.

DC vs. KC
Ooooh, and this is, for me, the game of the week. It's the battle for first in the East between my two favorite teams, and I'm all a twitter about it. Easily, I want DC to win, and while KC has been thumpingly good this season, they've just lost a heavy trio of players -- Conrad, Wolff and Johnson -- to training camp. Even though they've been hot-potatoing around the gols, in that just about all of them have been scored by a different player, three good, solid players is still a hit. DC, on the other hand, is at home, they're needing a win to get over last week's Colorado debacle. If they don't choke, DC will win. I'd prefer it be a 1-0 win, however, since my fantasy team is packed with players from both teams, and that's about as good a victory as I can wish for, fantasywise.

Tapping the Rockies

2006-05-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be great if Coors beer owned the Rapids so that when Alecko Eskandarian gets a gol on Saturday, he'd pop down a Silver Bullet? Which, by the way, tastes about as bad as a RedBull. Yes, the young men of DC United are going West to face the Colorado Rapids, and I'm going to be tardy to an end-of-semester party to catch this one on MLSLive.tv.

Yes, INVESCO Field is high and yes, Colorado is cold and yes, the Rapids have cheerleaders -- providing the eye-candy for that segment of the population who aren't finding it on the pitch (hey, I respect and admire the players for their masterful skills, but good golly, these are beautiful men to watch, I cannot tell a lie) -- but it shouldn't be much of a contest between the Rapids and DC. DC comes into Week 6 still unbeaten, albeit with one draw against FC Dallas last week, whereas Colorado hasn't managed to quite find its form yet, especially after falling to the Dynamo again last week. While it'd be nice to see the Rapids bring it together on their home field, I don't think that DC is the team it'll happen with. It's DC, easily, with at least one gol from Esky and perhaps one from USMNT guy Ben Olsen.

I have the weekend off from work, in preparation for Finals Week, and instead of studying like a good girl, I imagine I'll be staked in front of the TV watching futbol for most of the day. Other predictions:

Revolution v. Galaxy
Last year I would have been tremendously excited about this matchup, but this year it's just bringing out a big 'ol yawn. These are two teams that obviously have a wealth of talent that have for one reason or another failed to ignite this season. What would be interesting to see would be for both teams to take off after their USMNT players go on haitus from their club teams. This is what happened to me with my indoor team, they consistenly won every time I was absent. Would that mean I was actually the Clint Dempsey of my team? Nnnaaaaah. Seriously, it would be nice to see these teams wake up and play the electrifying game that we know they can play. That said, I think despite the 1-2-1 record the Revs have been challenged a little more than the Galaxy, who recovered from a loss to the Crew by beating Real Salt Lake, whee. I'm going with the New England on this ESPN2 game.

Wizards v. Fire
Ooooh, KC is doing it to me again. I want this team to win, and yet with them being a point ahead of DC, a win will keep them on top, and I so love for the Black-and-Red to maintain that exalted position. At any rate, the Wizards have one loss on their record, and I imagine that they won't garner another on this weekend before Conrad, Wolff and Johnsonn toddle off to training camp. Easily, the Wiz wins, but I don't get to see it because it's on HDNet.

Dynamo v. FC Dallas
This is the game I'm not caring much about. Yeah, I know, there's a big 'ol cannon up for grabs on this, but geez, it's a Texas intrastate thing, and sorry, I live in Oklahoma and now that we've got the lottery and are about to legalize tattooing, outside of the porn and the 6-point Coors, we just don't have a whole lot of use for Texas up here. That said, I do think that while Houston is proving to be a solid team, the Hoops are on fire this season, and they're gonna stay that way. That as-of-yet unnamed canon is headed for Big D.

Real Salt Lake v. Columbus
I have to say I'm still, still majorly bummed that my darling Frankie Hejduk got bumped from the World Cup team. Still, I see that he's not on the injured list for the Crew's game Saturday against Salt Lake, so I don't know if we'll be seeing him. Normally I'd call this a bottom-feeder battle, what with Real Salt Lake having gone, what, 17 games or something since they last won a game, and the Crew still foundering at the bottom of the rankings well. But the Crew has been showing some improvement, and Salt Lake hasn't. It's just tough all over for them, and I don't think it's going to get easier for them this week. Yeah, the Crew got a good-luck win from the Galaxy a few weeks ago, but heck, they kept the Wizards at 1 last week. It's a new team, but they're growing up fast. Crew gets that three points in what might be the game of the night.

Awww, Frankie, say it ain't so

2006-05-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

One day after he got named to the World Cup roster, my beloved Frankie Hejduk got replaced by Christ Albright due to injuries. It seems Frankie tore a knee ligament in the Crew's game against KC on Saturday, so the two-time Cup veteran won't be making a three-peat.

And it looks like I'll still be cutting him from the fantasy team, at least for a bit. Awwww, I'm so disappointed. I mean, really, I'm quite bummed, because he is my favorite player.

Oh well.

Good soccer things: Thanks to the magic that is the Internet, I at least got to see a clip of Bruce Arena on SportsCenter on Tuesday night. Also on the SocccerNet site is a clip of USMNT's biggest starfan, Drew Carey, trying to explain to an inept sportscaster his love for fútbol. And the idiot SportsCenter guy then totally blew it by asking Drew what he thought about all the other sports in Cleveland. Because we can't just talk about fútbol, oh no.

Other good stuff -- I saw a Gatorade commercial featuring the US Men's team, and it was lovely.

MLS on the MNT

2006-05-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

I hate that I was at work when USMNT Coach Bruce Arena was on SportsCenter -- can you believe it?? They're treating soccer like it's a real sport! It pays when the network owns all the broadcast rights, I guess -- announced the roster for this summer's US World Cup team. But now, the wait's over, and here they all are (MLS players in bold):

Keepers: The phenomenal Kasey Keller, who gets to play in his castle's backyard, Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann, with Tony Meola (RBNY)and Matt Reis (NE) on reserve.

Defenders: Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad (KC), Cory Gibbs, my beloved Frankie Hejduk(CLB), Eddie Lewis, Oguchi Onyewu, and Eddie Pope(RSL), with Chris Albright (LA), Gregg Berhalter and Todd Dunivant (LA)in the reserves.

Midfielders: DaMarcus Beasley, Bobby Convey, Clint Dempsey (NE), Landon Donovan (LA), Pablo Mastroeni (COL), John O'Brien (CHV), Ben Olsen (DC) and Claudio Reyna with Chris Armas (CHI), Chris Klein (RSL), Pat Noonan (NE), Steve Ralston (NE) and Kerry Zavagnin (KC) in the reserves.

Strikers: Eddie Johnson (KC), Brian McBride, Brian Ching (HOU) and Josh Wolff (KC) with Conor Casey, Chris Rolfe (CHI) and Taylor Twellman (NE) in reserve.

So, any surprises? Not really, this is pretty much the list that everyone and their dog has been trotting out for the past year, other than everyone and their pup was expecting Twelleman to make the squad. I admit, that surprises me somewhat. But I'd be more surprised if this list had been made four months ago. As late, I haven't seen much from NE's Golden Boy, whereas I believe that Olsen always has been very consistent. Also it's somewhat of a surprise that Brian Ching made it, but I think he's a good player as well. Yeah, he doesn't shine out there like Landon, but he walks that fine line between being consistent and dependable. It works.

What is surprising is that out of the 36 players on the list, 22 of them are MLS players, and 11 of those MLS players are on the squad, with 11 in reserve. That, I think, is a really respectable showing for MLS, and it shows that America's slice of the sport doesn't suck like a Hoover the way all the naysayers think. They run with the big dogs. Of course, this means I gotta cut Frankie from the fantasy team, darn it.

What is this lineup saying to the rest of the world? Well, it does say that we're coming with our best of the best, that's for sure, because that's what it is. Is this a team that's going to take over in Germany? Weeeeeelll ... probably not, barring some sort of Cinderella story miracle that would look really good in a movie with the Kurt Russell playing Bruce Arena. But it does say that the team is showing up for a full 90 every time, and I think with this team if they keep it together, they won't fall apart like they did in Germany two months back.

Ammended and expanded later by MLS Fangirl, to make up for a hurried, deadline crunched early version.

Weekend off

2006-05-01T14:00:00.000-07:00

For those who are watching and keeping score, I took the weekend off. It's not that I particularly wanted to stay away from futbol this weekend, it's just that things came up, games were missed, recaps weren't read. As in all things in life, the game went on without me, beautifully I'm sure. Hopefully I'll be getting around to viewing some highlights sometime this week before the next round hits.

Right now I'm waiting for Tuesday to see who's going to make the USMNT. US Soccer.com has an interesting chart showing the opinions of various voices on who they think will make it. As it stacks up there:

With the nine predictions below, 15 players have been chosen on every 'ballot,' including Beasley, Cherundolo, Convey, Donovan, Howard, Johnson, Keller, Lewis, Mastroeni, McBride, O'Brien, Onyewu, Pope, Reyna and Wolff.

And it's really hard to argue with that lineup, although I'm not too sure about including O'Brien in there. As for the rest, yeah, my crush Frankie will go, too, because Arena likes him, and about a month ago I would have said Taylor Twelleman had a really good shot, although I'd be more inclined to go with Olsen. Anyway, we'll see tomorrow afternoon, and then the only question will be, how fast can I cut these guys from my fantasy team?

Next time, Jaeger shot sans the RedBull

2006-04-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

MLS fined Alecko Eskandarian $250 for "inappropriate conduct" with the RedBull after his first goal in Saturday's game against RedBull NewYork (hat tip to The DCenters). So was the inappropriate conduct that he spat out the drink, or that he put that crap in his mouth in the first place? Yick.

Yeah, it's all silly, heaven knows Alecko can afford $250. Hell, even I can afford $250. We all know why the fine was issued, you can't, if you're a governing body, let folks just do anything questionable without a reaction. This is what they do. It's a minimum, I'm good with it. What's cool is, Esky did it anyway.

News of the day

2006-04-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Eskandarian wins award but may face a fine for unsportsmanlike conduct over his celebratory swill. Yeah, well, it's a small price to pay for the perfect in-yer-face knock. Sometimes the crime is totally worth the time.

Iran to let women attend soccer games -- Someone alert Franklin Foer ...

Canetti resigns as RedBull assistant GM -- because New York hasn't had enough changes this fortnight.

It's karma, is what it is

2006-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Ya spend your time doing a little something to help the environment and what happens? You beat last year's Cup champs. Yeah, that must be it. I glanced over at Soccer365 and saw this little tidbit of info about how the Columbus Crew is getting honored for its recycling efforts, and the little environmental shoulderangel in me is just gleeful. But

moreso, as I raptured all over this blog on Saturday night, I'm thrilled that the Crew got a win, thanks to Kyle Martino's gol at the last second in stoppage time, and that the team has climbed out of the standings well. It would be nice (yeah, I'm talking to you, MLS) to be able to see game highlights, and to see how on earth this happened. Hopefully this is more of a sign that the Crew is starting to pull it together rather than that the Galaxy is falling apart. That said, Paulo Nagamura has been axed from the fantasy team for just not doing anything in particular lately.

This was the game I didn't get to see, because it was on HDNet, so the MLSLive.tv isn't exactly a cure-all for my soccer addiction, but it's good enough. It felt a little bit like a cheat to plunk down my $24.90 (that's $19.95 for the streaming video and $4.95 for the audio), but it was rather nice to see two games on the telly instead. It'll pay off next week with four whole games, including one on Sunday.

No need to go over the DC-Red Bull game, and don't you wish we could vote for Cheeky-Move-Of-The-Week honors? I had fun watching the Houston-Salt Lake game, which actually came down to be a bit of a nail-biter, because for juuuuuust a second there, I thought Salt Lake might break it's losing streak and get a win. I'm almost at the point where I want this team to win something, anything, for pity's sake!

And wow, I was really surprised by the outcome of the Dallas-Wizards came. Not at the score, because quite honestly, I feel these teams are very evenly matched, especially now that Carlos Ruiz is back, but with the Wizards' weak play in the first half. They came back in the second, which I don't think was due to Dallas playing a man down. If not for that stoppage goal by Pitchkolan, I'm sure the game would have held at a draw. Oh well. The game was truly a sophie's choice of a moment, as I like the Wizards and wanted them to win, except that if they lost then DC would take the top spot in Eastern Standings, which of course I want because they're my absolute favorite team. Oooh, choices.

It really does give you wings

2006-04-22T21:55:00.000-07:00

You'd really think that this moment would be the highlight of my day, 41 minutes into DC United's game against Red Bull New York. My favorite player in the whole world not only makes a nifty goal, but he follows it up with the coup de grace, a CarbonatedPixieStix chaser that he spits out all over the astroturf. Oh yeah, that's some huevos grandes right there, boyo, and that's one of the reasons I just looooove this guy. My favorite quote of the day --- MLS.net has a piece on his return to his old stomping grounds, and when asked whether the Red Bull moment was planned, Alecko said, "I have a history of concussions, so I really can't remember." And then he follows it up with another pop into the net past Tony Meola, and there you go, the kid is back.

And then, then when you didn't think it could get any better, Argentinian defender Facundo Erpen knocks in this colloso of a gol from 40 yards out, clearing out the cobwebs from the upper deck of the net, ensuring his place for the GOTW. Oh man, marry me, Facundo. This is one of those little pieces of heaven that make futbol what it is. Follow that up by a gol in the 88th by Jamil Walker and that's what I call a good day of play, ending at 4-1.

It's a good thing I didn't buy a lottery ticket ...

2006-04-22T21:39:00.000-07:00

... because the Crew beat the Galaxy 1-0 in stoppage!!! Hoo-boy, so much for betting that I'd have a better chance of winning the lottery than of the Crew beating the Galaxy.

Colosso!!!

2006-04-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH, Erpen!!! Facundo, you stud! Gol from 40 yards out, huzzah!

Ooh, there's this thing called 'soccer' in the US

2006-04-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

AP has broken out a story about the soccer-specific stadium building boomlet that MLS is undergoing at the moment. The nut graf: essentially that MLS can't ever be taken seriously in sports until it gets its own houses.

Which is true, to a certain point. Nothin bugs me more than watching a futbol game on a football field, complete with NFL team logo in the center. Also, the narrower boundaries of football mess me up. It's not a thing now, but come August, ugh, there we go again. But there's no way that MLS can even think about being an athletic equal with other sports without their own turf. Very much reminds me of high school PE, where the girls get to use the equipment only after the boys are through with it.

Of course, note that the story wasn't written by a sportswriter, but by an AP national writer. This was a feature, not a sports story. And that's still part of the problem there, with soccer still being considered by some not as a professional adult sport. Part of the problem with getting soccer and MLS accepted in the US is getting very anti-soccer sports departments of various news outlets to stop with the futbol discrimination and start sacrificing more than a half-inch of space to coverage.

Quick picks

2006-04-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

Thank heavens it's a lite weekend for futbol this week, is all I have to say. I've got too much to do this weekend to spend it glued to the TV. Of course, it occurs to me that maybe listening to one of the games en espanol will inspire me for my Spanish class project that's due Tuesday.

Speaking of that, I just put my money down for the MLSLive.TV and for the audio streams. Yay, now not only can I be assured of getting all the futbol I want this season, but I can complain about the crappy screen reception or inaudible audio. Hah hah, MLS, you've been warned, part me from my money and I do become a demanding consumer.

Looking at the weekend's four games, I'll go out on a limb and predict:

NY vs. DC
Of course I go with DC on this one, but y'know, New York seems to have some tenacity that I wasn't expecting. Draw, draw, draw is what they do. Still, I think DC has gotten its grove, whereas New York has yet to find it.

Houston vs. Salt Lake
Let me just say that the whole brouhaha Salt Lake flamed up over DC Coach Peter Nowak's "hospital" comment just injures the credibility it has for making other cries of racism again. It's a whole crying "wolf" thing, and at the moment it would be pretty easy for me to snark off at Real and tell them that the best way to get on the board is to win a game, which they've failed to do so far this season. But racism is never something that should be brushed aside lightly, especially in this beautiful game. So let the investigation go, and let it be thorough, and please, heavens, MLS should actually be clear in the response. That said, I doubt that this is the weekend Salt Lake makes news on the pitch. Houston's looking to bounce back from the drubbing they got from DC, and I think they'll do it.

LA vs. Columbus
Awwwwww, I don't even think I can watch this one. I think the odds of longshots for the day are I can either win the lottery or see Colombus win, and I'm rather leaning toward buying that Powerball ticket.

FC Dallas vs. Wizards
Ooooooh, this is the game I get to watch, at home, with beer and chips, in front of my very own TV. I'm muy excited, can you tell? Will the Wizards keep their streak, or will FC Dallas take its third win? It's dependent somewhat on whether the Amazing Carlos Ruiz returns, but I'm not sure it'll matter that much. KC is king at the moment, and I don't think they'll fall here. I think a draw is possible, but I'm really hoping for a KC win.

And oh yes, so the MLS All-Stars are taking on Chelsea? A month after the World Cup? Ooookay, whatever. I recall being rather bored watching the All-Stars against Fulham last year, and I'm not so much of a Premiership fan that I'm slobbering to see the Blues kick some MLS butt.

In Bizarro World, a loss is a win

2006-04-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

The US is fourth in FIFA rankings??? Don't get me wrong, I love my boys, but how in the holy heck is that possible that they moved up? A butt-whooping and a tie make for a boost in rank? I'd really like to know what they know. Good gravy, we don't even know yet for a few weeks who's on the team!

MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Co are making an annoucement Thursday at the Chicago Fire's stadium. About what, I don't know, although there seems to be a rumour floating about that it's about the MLS All-Star team playing Chelsea this summer. To which I agree with post, I should care, why?

I like this story at MLS.net about how my adored Frankie Hejduk is the faring as team leader of the Crew this season, and how the team's relying on him as their man of experience. Which, of course, means they're totally screwed if/when he goes off to Alemania this summer. Oh well, wouldn't it be a rip if they actually did fantastically without him? This is what happened with my indoor team when I went off to Barcelona, they started winning in my absence. Of course, I suck at actually playing the beautiful game.

Weekend wrapup

2006-04-17T10:12:00.000-07:00

First off, a big "Wha-hoo, you rock!" to Climbing the Ladder for the wonderful goal compliation. That beats the snot out of just watching them on MLS.net, and it's a great way to wake up on a Sunday morning.

Another great weekend in fútbol, and thanks to MLSTV and ESPN2 I got to watch or listen to five of the six games that were on this weekend. This was the drawingest weekend, and the one draw that I predicted almost came to pass before getting shattered within the 10 minutes of stoppage time. Yep, I'm talkin' 'bout the Súper Clásico between Chivas and the Galaxy, and whattagame that was. The Galaxy looked like they remembered how to play the beautiful game, and once Landon got a toe on the ball and passed them to Cornell Glen, it was all over. I was rooting for Chivas on this one, but I'm not displeased with the way they played the game. They did well against a team that remembered that, oh yeah, we're the Cup Champs, and Chivas really doesn't have anything to be ashamed of. Keep watching the Goats this season.

DC's win over Houston also was a good game, with the Black-and-Red putting the smack down on Brian Ching and his boys in orange. DC's South American investments are still proving that they were a wise choice. Still not seeing as much ooompff out of Freddy Adu as all the hype leads us to believe. Believe me, I want to see him get the goals and the assists, but I also wonder if he's not the soccer version of LeAnn Rimes, the cute lil 13-year-old country music star that everyone thought was fantastic until she grew up, because they realized that singing like an adult at 13 is something, but singing like an adult as an adult is nothing special. Wow, and if that's not a strange comparison, I don't know what is. Anyway, Freddy still plays solidly, and he looked good most of the time on the pitch, so I hope next week -- the first away game! -- he brings it all together and gets on the board. I thought Troy Perkins did well, so well in fact that I wonder what will happen when Nick Rimando returns.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Chicago-Colombus results, but I don't know that it says much for the Crew. That is a very young, very inexperienced team there, and it shows. If not for the PK, they wouldn't have gotten on the board, and I think it was a minor miracle that they held the Fire to 1. I fear that we're looking at the Chivas of 2006. Still, I have much affection for the Crew, and so I'm hopeful for signs of improvement. As for the Fire, it looked to me that they were giving as good as they were getting, which wasn't much all around. I wonder if they're the kind of team that mirrors their opponent, so that they play better against a great team and not so great against a mediocre team. Well, if that's true we'll see on the 30th how well they do against the Revs.

And speaking of the Revs -- actually, let's speak of the Wizards, who are at the top of the standings with three wins. None of this "well, they haven't lost yet" like you can say for New York or Dallas. Nope, they're winning, and they look great doing it. This is a great team -- Wolff, Johnson, Conrad, Garcia, Zavagnin, Victorine, Arnaud, Oshoniyi, a cat ... no, wait the cat wasn't playing for KC. But anyway, if they keep this up, it'll be the year of the Wizards, which just might help them get that stadium and keep them in KC. I wonder what the Revs will do soon, as there's a good chance it'll lose some of its top members to the USMNT. The Wizards stand to lose as well, but there's still enough talent there that won't be going to keep it in form.

New York and Real was the game that I didn't watch, and I can't really say much for the game. I did just notice an update at MLS.net about New York General Manager Alexi Lalas is heading out to LA to take over that position for the Galaxy. Wow, for New York this is a year of change. And I caught the tail-end of the Dallas-Colorado game, and it was already after the goals had been scored, so I can't say much for this game either, other than Dallas is a sure-fire team, but I suspect that Colorado is up-and-coming.

Finally!! MLSTV details

2006-04-15T12:30:00.000-07:00

Thank you, MLS.net for finally posting the How-To-Get-Yer-Fix instructions for watching MLS via computer this season. Get it here. Yep, it is $19.95 for all games not on the ABC Networks and ESPNs, or exclusively on HDNet. And -- the best part -- it's free for another week. They must've known that I don't get paid for another week.

Pregame musings

2006-04-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

Get ready to rumble in Week 3, and those of us not in the West need to be prepared to stay up late tonight, because the big game's a late one. Who needs to be awake for Easter Mass anyway? Yep, I'm talkin' 'bout the Súper Clásico in la Ciudad de Los Angeles, and now one's more surprised than me that this is the big game of the day. A year ago, I would have passed this game by just to avoid that sense of embarassment you get when you're going to witness someone going down in a hail of shame. You know, that same feeling you'd get about 20 minutes into an episode of Fraiser, whenever you realized that Fraiser and Niles had just taken a left turn into utter you-deserve-it-because-you're-pompous ineptness. But this year, well, if there's a walk of shame, it'll be well-deserved, no matter which team takes it.

In Week 3, Chivas is tied for second in the West with Houston and Colorado, whereas last year's Cup Champions the Galaxy is standing in fifth. For Chivas, this isn't saying so very much yet. Chivas whaled on Real Salt Lake in a 3-0 victory, then lost to DC last week 2-0. Admittedly, some attribute that loss last week to some bad luck and bad calls for Chivas, but that aside, they played well. For the Galaxy, however, their standing speaks volumes. They lost against the Revs 1-0 and then tied 1-1 last week with the Fire, who also is sitting in fifth in the East. The Galaxy have not played well, their opponents have cut through their defenses and kept superstar Landon Donovan a marked man. This kind of play has frustrated Donovan to the point of public venting.

I'm about to repeat what I said about a month ago about the USMNT, all I've got to do is replace USMNT with Chivas -- and isn't that an interesting exchange ... Anyway, Chivas doesn't necessarily have to win, all it has to do is play well and come up with a decent score. If it draws with the Galaxy, it's a win. If it beats the Galaxy, it's a conquest. It's quite possible that Chivas will completely self-destruct, like the USMNT did against Germany, and get snuffed and thrown to the bottom of the standings well, where they will either spend the rest of the season either crawling out or wallowing in. All Chivas has to do is fight hard and play like they belong in the big leagues. The same applies to the Galaxy, only the theme of that win won't be Underdog Prevails, but rather The King Isn't Yet Dethroned. Sure, if they play well but draw, they'll salvage their honor some, but a true win, without technicalities, is needed to restore their glory.

So there's a lot riding for both teams, which means a lot of pressure. In this case, I think the drive for respectability is going to be a better motivator than the instinct for survival. However, that will bring the teams dead equal. In the game of Chivas vs. Galaxy, it's a draw.

Colombus vs. Chicago -- Oh, how I wish that I could go for the Crew on this game. No one will be happier than I will be if Colombus pulls it out and gets a win. But Chicago has been a scrappy bunch, fighting each game like a pack of dogs over an thrown out BigMac. Barring a miracle, I think it's Chicago.

DC vs. Houston -- This is going to be a good game. DC is tied for second with New England in the East and is coming off a 2-0 victory against the Goats. Houston is coming off a squeaker of a loss to the Wizards. The Dynamo, the Earthquakes in Orange and Humidity, will give a hard fight, but I think DC has found its footing and will prove it. DC will be the winner.

Wizards vs. Revs -- Oooh, I don't know. I just don't know! Quite honestly, the Revs should have killed the Galaxy in Week 1 and snuffed the CarbonatedPixieStix in Week 2. So they're not doing nearly as well as I would have thought. The Wizards narrowly beat Houston last week and killed the Crew in Week 1, so they're sitting pretty at the top of the Eastern standings. But have they really been tested? Today's the day for both teams. I'm going to go with sentiment on this, since the Wizards are my regional favorite. The neon baby blue hat on the hatrack over there says Wizards win.

Rapids vs. FC Dallas -- Yeah the Rapids beat the Crew last week. Ho hum. FC Dallas, however, opened the season with a good give-and-take game against the Fire and then knocked Real. The Rapids are up-and-coming, but Dallas is already there. It's Dallas.

Salt Lake vs. New York -- This is an easy one, two ties by New York trumps two losses. New York wins, easy.

Bending my mind around Beckham

2006-04-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

David Beckham in MLS? I can't quite decide if this means that Beckham has officially lost his mind, or if MLS has become a professional league respected in the rest of the futbol world and I just wasn't paying attention. Of course, that's not to say that both can't be true at the same time. As they say, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they ain't out ta get ya.

"I want to be part of a country that is passionate about sport," he noted. Note, Becks, that this country is passionate about every sport other than futbol. Not that I'd mind seeing Beckham play for MLS, even in the capacity of "Rather than be put out to European pasture, I'll come play for an American league and be the top dawg." Having both Beckham and Ronaldo playing in the US certainly would be a draw. Still, I can't imagine it. The salary that they'd be paid in the US is chump change compared with what they get in Europe. But it'd be something, wouldn't it?

So if Becks came to MLS, which team would he end up on? I'd think LA, and then which one? Beckham on the Galaxy seems like the natural fit, but wouldn't it be a thing if he ended up playing for Chivas?

It's an honor to be spanked by you, sirs!

2006-04-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

Holy crap, HOLY CRAP -- MLS.net has announced that FC Barcelona is coming to the US in August to do a little tour. The team of Ronaldinho is coming to beat the living tar out New York and some TBA Mexican teams.

For your money's worth, with your ticket you also get to see Chivas duke it out with the Revs in LA on Aug. 6. Then it's off to Houston to play a Mexican club on the 9th, then to New York on the 12th.

I'm so excited about this that I'm willing to go to Houston in the middle of August in my Ronaldinho jersey that I bought in Barcelona in 2004. Eek, Houston, the city if smog, eagle-sized mosquitos and humidity. Yeah, but the Barca are worth it. You can put down a $25 deposit for tickets, but I wonder how much the tickets will be.

I did not get to see the MLS sorta-all-stars take on Jamaica last night, but that's OK, other than missing out on Tony "I'm the size of a Hummer" Meola's 100th cap and a newly shorn Ben Olsen -- and doesn't he look all cute when you can see his whole face, much better than the "I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK" look he was sporting last outing, maybe the beard wasn't a good-luck charm after all, eh? I would like to see Olsen make the US team, simply because I think he's a really dependable player with a lot of heart and skill. We're just a few weeks away until Bruce Arena names the final 23-man roster, so here's to hoping for ya, Ben.

So's I'm hunting high and low for info on the live streaming for MLS games through MLS.net. Anyone know where I can put my money down for that?

Weekend hindsight

2006-04-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

I love love love getting to watch my MLS games on the viewer at MLS.net. Love it love it love it. I watched FOUR games this weekend, can you even believe it? I can't even remember the last time I got to watch that much soccer. And the video in three out of the four games were crystal clear, much better than the grainy view I got last year using Windows Media Viewer for Mac. My only complaint -- the sound cut out on me for the Rapds-Crew game. But considering that I was rooting for the Crew on that one, I wasn't too upset by not getting to hear the sound of utter defeat. But that's OK, where oh where do I sign up to get this every week?

DC 2, Chivas 0
My Black-and-Red came out and played a good game against my favorite West Coast expansion team Chivas USA. Jaime Moreno's two goals were nice, especially the one he stalked into the goal. The only thing that would have made it a great game for me is if one of the goals had belonged to comeback kid Alecko Eskandarian. He has some nice shots on goal, but no connections. Oh well, he'll get 'em next week. Can't say I was surprised that wunderkind Freddy Adu didn't start. And yay, welcome back Christian Gomez! I was a little irked at John O'Brien didn't come off the bench for Chivas, since I just bought the guy for my fantasy team. I swear I'm trading him for Ante Razov.
Later edit: I'd completely forgotten about that Chivas free kick. Quite honestly, it looked in to me then, and after reviewing the highlight reel, it looks in to me now. Oh well, don't mean a thing today.

Kansas City 2, Houston 1
Sometime USMNT player Brian Ching garnered the first goal for the new Houston Dynamo, but that effort was completely wiped clean by scores from the Wizards' Sasha Victorine and Jose Burciaga. I'm pleased by this result but I have to admit I'm surprised. I thought Houston played a stronger game and still believe, despite the Wizards' 2-0 record so far, that Houston has a stronger team. Still, we'll see if the luck that drew the goals for KC will translate into a lion's share of skill.

Rapids 3, Crew 1
I only caught the tail-end of this game, and that last 30 was a true heartbreaker for me. I'm thinking that my soccer crush Frankie Hejduk needs a new team. I hate saying that, because I became a fan of the Crew last summer, yes, last summer when the team ended in the tank. But they played with a lot of heart, and I just haven't seen them do that yet. I hope they find it soon. On the plus side, Frankie looked awfully damn cute.

Chicago 1, LA 1
Ha. And let me say that again. Ha. Yes, Landon Donovan is arguably one of the best players in the league, but hell, everyone knows it, and everyone knows to keep the ball off his feet. Admittedly, LA has other stars -- Herculez Gomez and Cobi Jones, just to name a few -- but Landon's Da Man. Well, it sucks to be the one everyone's out to get.

Dallas 2, Salt Lake 1
I didn't watch this game and I could hardly care less about the results, as these are my two least favorite teams in the league. But I can't say this surprises me. Whatever momentum Salt Lake had in the off-season, they've completely lost now. Dallas, however, is playing well and if they continue they'll be a huge force to reckon with this season.

New England 0, New York 0
Another game I did not watch, and I have to say I'm surprised as hell at this result. I expected a win from New England. Oh well.

Eagles vs. Goats

2006-04-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Four hours until the DC vs. Chivas match, and I have to say I'm pretty pumped about my fútbol day. And I can't believe -- in a good way and a bad way -- that this is a game I'm getting anxious about.

Let me tell ya, I love Chivas. I've loved Chivas since they first hit the ground, that same ground into which they ran their entire initial season. They were patently awful, and I felt really bad about that, because this was an experiment that I wanted to work. As much as I cuss out the Mexican National Team when they play los EE.UU in World Cup qualifiers, I enjoy the snot out of Mexican club play, and Guadalajara's my favorite team. Yeah, I know, it's an easy team to love, much like it's easy to be an Arsenal fan. So when I heard that the new expansion was going to be a Guadalajara expansion, I was all up for it. And I cringed at every tanker of a loss, except that you could tell that they were really really trying, they were working on finding their footing and figuring out how to come together as a team. By the end of the season, they had just about found it.

I was really glad to see that they were doing decently in the off-season, and last week's 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake, which is easily my least favorite team (even more so after the Ellinger fiasco) made me a very happy gal.

Which brings us up to today, up with two teams that are both trying to find their rhythm after a bad previous year. Although the Red-and-Black didn't win its season opener, the team showed that it can get it together and keep the rally going forward. I think that it's going to continue, and this will be the game to do it. Likewise, one can write off the Goats' win with a dismissive "Well, it was just Salt Lake." Except Salt Lake also seemed to do pretty decently in the off-season, so I wouldn't say that it was completely a toss off. Chivas has also found its way, and that's going to continue in their second year.

So predictions -- unless I'm proven wrong today, I think DC still has the better team, especially when the players remember that they are a better team. So it's DC to win, but I think it won't be by more than 1.

New York vs. New England -- Sheeya, no contest, New England easily. This is a good solid team that knows how to play like a good solid team, whereas New York exploded out and then fizzled.
Dynamo vs. Wizards -- the Wizards are my regional team, and it's a team I love, but I think I'm gonna have to go with the Dynamo on this one, by 2.
Dallas vs. Real -- oh please, Dallas.
Colorado vs. Crew -- A scoreless draw, but I think I'm speaking more out of hope than anything.
Galaxy vs. Fire -- you know, before last week I would have said that LA would win this easily, but after witnessing the smackdown that the Revs handed out, I'm uncertain. One of the problems of having the one shining star is that everyone knows that you need to keep him and the ball separated, and the Revs did that. Chicago played a good tough game with Dallas in its season opener, so I think that unless LA has come up with a new strategy, it's the Fire by 1.

On a final note
To all the people who are arriving at this blog by Googling the words "Soca Bonito," which I included in my early February musings on the USMNT game against Guatemala -- the funky lettering and the oddness of the intial commercial made me misread the first word. It's Joga Bonito, and it's a Nike campaign that asks players to "Play Beautiful." Go check it out at Nike Football, the commercials are great.

How soccer is nothing like Barbies (tm)

2006-04-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I admit it, I played with Barbie dolls when I was a little girl. It was hard not to, because she was the status symbol of all the girltoys. If you didn't have a harem of Barbies lounging in the DreamHouse, you were the shame of your classroom. I wasn't much on dressing the Barbies up -- my family didn't have a lot of money, and the clothes were bloody expensive, so my mom, bless her, made Barbie clothes. Like me, my Barbies wore homemade clothes. I took my Barbies on little "when I grow up, I'm going to do this" adventures, all over the house. Remember the age when the couch could stand in for Paris?

But the point really isn't to play with Barbies, it's just to have the Barbies. You just want to have the Model Barbie, the Malibu Barbie, the My Perm Barbie.

I realized that with my fantasy MLS team, I had approached the issue with the same outlook. I just wanted to have the guys I wanted to have, and while that didn't fare to badly as a strategy -- I have a lot of good guys that I wanted to have -- it's definately hurt me competive-wise. I realized that you really shouldn't have three strikers from a single team that only ever plays two men up front.

OK, I decided, I need to find strikers from other teams. But dammit, I want those guys in my little soccer harem.

It's becoming quite the Sophie's Choice for me, to pick between actually competing and just enjoying.

Eskandarian's back, baby!

2006-04-02T17:42:00.000-07:00

OK, so it was a draw. But what a beautiful draw it was.

After about 15 minutes of play where it seemed like DC United had their eye on the ball, they spent the next 30 collectively acting like flock of headless chickens after a goal by New York's (notice the omission of the product name) Youri Djorkaeff in the 18th minute and followed a couple of minutes later by Edson Buddle. The Black-and-Red came charging back in minute 56 with a hell of a goal that almost made me dump the computer off my lap. That's my guy whom I love so very very much. Follow that up with a out-of-a-gun shot by Facundo Erpen, whom I've enjoyed for lots of reasons since the moment he joined up last year, in the 65th, and suddenly we have a really nice draw.

Yeeeeeah, I'll take it.

I can't say that I was particularly impressed by any of the New York guys, except for maybe Tony Meola, that man's a tank, holy merde! And I can't say that I care for their away uniforms, either. But DC had a good showing! Lucio Filomeno made a nice showing in the first half, as did Ben Olsen and Josh Gros.

So now let's talk about Freddy Adu. So Freddy played his first full 90 as a starter. And so far I'm wondering if maybe his main talent at the moment still is that he comes in at the 2nd half to provide a burst of speed from his fresh adolescent legs. I've said it before, Freddy is great when he turns it on. It's turning it on that's the problem, and I really didn't see that today.

So nearly ends Weekend No. 1 of the 2006 MLS season, and it's been a fútbol-heavy weekend, thanks to ABC, EPSN2 and the MLS.net video that's showing the games live. What's with this "watch it free until April 14th" thing? Not that I mind, anything that gives me nonstop fútbol without having to go to digital and Direct Kick -- hey, I'm a poor student, I can't afford that sort of thing -- I'll take it if it's not too dear. Yeah, it's a little grainy, but what're'y'gonnado?

It turns out that I suck at predictions, I came out wrong on almost every game. Dallas beat the Fire 3-2, KC beat the Crew 3-1 and DC tied with New York. What I did get right: the Revs over the Galaxy 1-0 (a game I stayed up to watch, which made this first Daylight Saving Time morning reeeeaally hard to wake up to) and Chivas beat Real 3-0. Still waiting on the outcome of the Dynamo and Rapids game, but at the moment it looks like the Dynamo are winning, and if so it goes in the first column of "wrong guesses."

Ahhhhh, soccer. I'm so glad you're back.

First Kick

2006-04-01T18:48:00.000-08:00

Huzzah, finally, MLS has opened its season, and I actually got to watch FC Dallas take on the Chicago Fire, and dammit, they won. The game, from what I saw of it, seemed fairly evenly matched throughout the first half and most of the second half, right up until that goal by Dallas' Kenny Cooper in the 70th put his team on top to win 3-2. In the first 20, especially after a tidy goal for Chicago by Chad Barrett and his "got a little captain in ya" pose afterward, I thought the Fire were living up to their name. All in all, though, it was a good game and I'm glad I got to watch it, even if it was from my desk at work.

The Embrace the Colors ad looked better on TV than it did on the computer, too. The real sucky thing about this game was, we're having some foul weather in Oklahoma today, and the top right third of the screen was blocked by this large map of the state telling us where the bad weather was. And, the meteorologists broke into the game in the last 15 minutes to update us on storms, so I really didn't get to see much of the game. One reason why I prefer games on basic cable. If there's a real problem, the Emergency Broadcasting System will come over the audio and tell you to git yer goodies and git out. Which I actually heard them say once.

Right now I'm match tracking the Wizards-Crew matchup off MLS.net, getting my first taste of fantasy futbol. KS's Nick Garcia and Kerry Zavagnin, as well as my crush Frankie Hejduk of the Crew, are on my team. Frankie's not playing today -- hamstring injury recovery still -- but Nick and Kerry are, so I'm enjoying that. And in about an hour I'll start match tracking LA vs Revs in their championship rematch.

So yeah, I'm in MLS heaven, and you can find me here every Saturday for the next eight months.

But first, this brief announcement

2006-04-01T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yay, six hours to go until First Kick!

But before that, I just have to say, Happy Sixth Anniversary to my wonderful hubby, who puts up with me in this fútbol obsession of mine. I love you more than I can say. And you know me, I can actually say a lot.

Fashonista stuff

2006-03-31T12:42:00.000-08:00

Just caught sight of the new Houston Dynamo's new kit, and y'know, it's not bad to look at. I'm an Oklahoma State University alumna and, as a current University of Oklahoma student, an antagonist of the University of Texas, so I know about orange uniforms. This doesn't suck, photowise, anyway. We'll see how they look in action.

Kickoff eve

2006-03-31T08:31:00.000-08:00

Gol Time tomorrow! What sucks: I have to work tomorrow afternoon, so I either need to find a way to wrestle the TV away from the cops reporters, or see how stealthily I can watch a game via MLS.net on my computer. Seeing as most of the time ESPN2/ABC shows the games I'm the least interested in, I get a lot of mileage out of MLS.net.

What's great: Fútbol AND fantasy fútbol. I imagine that I'll be just as bad at playing fantasy fútbol as I am at playing en corpus. Although it looks like my goalkeeper pick of Troy Perkins was a serendipitous one, what with Nick Rimando still out on a foot injury. But get well soon, Nick!

Also, it seems that Freddy Adu is getting a chance to be a starter this season. Gee, with the way he's always been hyped, you'd think he'd always been a starter. "It's Freddy Adu-And-D.C.-United!" like it's his whole name. Don't get me wrong, I think Freddy's a great player, but he ain't that great. Yet. When he's on, he's on. When he's not ... eh. Now that he's at the ripe old age of 16, it'll be interesting to see if he can turn it on at will and keep it on for a full 90.

Just watched the Embrace the Colors ad at MLS.net. Um. Hmmm. OK. I may try to distract any fútbol initiates that I entice to watching a game when that ad comes on ...

Let's see, do I have any predictions about this season: Not really predictions. I still don't know what I'm talking about half the time, so prediction is too strong a word. But here's what I hope:

I hope Chivas does better this season than last. I think they were just starting to come together at the end of their first season, and I hope they carried that bit of momentum into the 2006 season.

I hope that DC United recaptures their 2004 glory and finishes the season on top. It's biased of me, but I'm a fangirl, and they're just too good a team not to be on top.

On that note, I hope Alecko Eskandarian has a great season.

I hope that any interest, if any, in fútbol from June's World Cup will carry over into interest in MLS.

At least I bought the tickets. That's something, right?

2006-03-26T06:55:00.000-08:00

The Saturn Challenge Cup between FC Dallas and the Kansas City Wizards was in town last night.

I wasn't there. I got sick on Friday and was still too ill Saturday night to go.

And I'm pretty bummed about that.

Is there such a thing as Monday-morning quarterbacking in soccer?

2006-03-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

So's I asks myself today, "Is it really fair of me to be disappointed in the US Men Team's spanking in Germany yesterday? After all, it was not, as they say, the first string, and they were playing what very likely is going to be Germany's World Cup contingent. Most of these guys here aren't gonna be the team, so should I have expected anything out of them at all?"

Except here's the rub: inexperienced players or no, they're still wearing the team colors, and no matter who they are, they're the team. One can focus on the team that is made up of individual players, or the Team that is One Whole Unit. And that's what we're talking about here, the Team. All I ever ask is that the team plays as well as it can. Considering the fairly solid first half, I really expected more of the team in the second. Inexperienced or not, World Cup drafts or not, I think they really could have done better.

I appreciated this quote by Bruce Arena from U.S. Soccer.com:

“In all honesty, in a game like tonight, we were pretty undermanned, obviously, not having our full compliment of players. The game served the purpose of evaluating players. I’d never come again to Germany to play the host country in their last tune-up before the World Cup with a second team, but this team is wearing USA. We got beat, and we deserved to get beat.”

Although I'd really like to point out to the writer that it's complement -- with an e -- not compliment ...

Quickie recap

2006-03-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

So, like many futbol fans, I have to work today, so I didn't actually get to watch the whole USMNT vs. Germany game. I did get to watch the first 20 minutes, was 15 minutes late to work and MatchTracked the rest. My thoughts as the game progressed:

First 20 minutes: So far, so good, although there seems to be a lot of bad luck on both sides. I really hope Josh Wolff is OK. ...

Halftime: OK, scoreless. That's not a bad sign.

47th minute: Dammit. That's OK, it's just one goal from Germany. They can recover.

74th minute: Dammit!! Another goal. OK, that's all right, there's still time, they can get one goal or even tie.

77th minute: Dammit!!!! What the hell!

80th minute: DAMMIT! How is this possible, I turn my head from the damn computer for one second and there's another goal!

85th minute: Huh, a Steve Cherundalo goal with an assist by Kasey Keller. I love it when that happens ... but ...

OK ... so 4-1 isn't ... well, I'm still disappointed. Having not seen the game, I'm not really sure what happened, so I'm looking forward to game reports. I may stay up to watch the delay on Telemundo just to see for myself how exactly the team gave up three goals in six minutes. Just tell me they played as well as they could ...

Later ...
After reading the game reports, all I can say is, ouch.

A few weeks back, before the game with Poland, I wrote little sumpthin' here about the possibility that the greatest opponent the US Men's team was facing wasn't European teams, but sheer overconfidance coming off a great run of friendlies. After the win against Poland, I was thinking that maybe I was wrong, that the team had its ego well in hand.

Eh ... maybe not. The AP story linked above quotes USMNT veteran and keeper god Kasey Keller as saying, "Maybe some guys were looking at that ranking a little bit too seriously. It's a reality check for a few guys and that's a good thing, this time, that it doesn't happen June 12."

Ouch.

A little worried, Germany? Maybe you should be

2006-03-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

I love love love! this story from AP about Germany's anxieties about playing the US Men's National Team on Wednesday at Signal Iduna Park. Coming off a 4-1 loss to Italy earlier in the month, Germany would really face a beatin' to their rep if lil' 'ol US beat their britches.

And yet, it could honestly happen. But best of all, even if the US team loses the game, as long as the guys turn in a decent showing, they've really won the war. After all, this is an understrength team, playing without its usual heavies -- even its top MLS players will be absent. Germany is turning out the best of its best. Unless the US totally screws the pooch, it's no contest, they'll prove their mettle. It gives light to something that most of the world has started to already notice. We're not fifth in the world for nothin'.

But is that really fair for Germany? They're facing a crapload of pressure, to not only win, but to avoid losing to what should be a freshman beating. The US really doesn't have that, so the guys walk in anxiety-free. I remember when Mexico lost to the US in the September qualifier, Mexico's coach Ricardo Lavolpe snarking off that it was easy for the US to win when they face no pressure. "The U.S. is a small team. They play like my sister, my aunt and my grandmother," he said. Yeah, that's a grandmother who kicked your team's butt 2-0. But I wonder if there's something to that? Do our guys have it easier because the spotlight on them is so dim? Or is it tougher for them to go into every match with a chip on their shoulder, knowing that if they lose they're brushed off with the "Well, it's the US, what do you expect" treatment, and if they win that they're only inching the US forward in terms of general audience acceptance?

Even Coach Arena commented that, "After watching how everyone is treating my friend Juergen, I'm not sure I'd want to have this kind of pressure in the United States."

But I dunno. I don't know that this kind of pressure is necessarily a bad thing. It certainly shows the kind of honor, dreams and glory that a national team can carry on its shoulders. To have that, instead of expectations and dismissals, might make a good trade.

Ooooh, MLS musings ...
The story also indicates that Bruce Arena said that if he leaves the US team, he'd consider coaching in MLS. What team, I wonder ...

And just because I love soccer for the players as well as the game ...
Looking at the lineup, with my beloved Frankie Hejduk out nursing his hamstring injury, I hereby designate my crush of the game to be Pablo Mastroeni ...

A bit less MLS

2006-03-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

SportsTicker reports that in addition to being without his usual US Men's National Team players, Coach Bruce Arena will be missing a few more. In addition to Landon Donovan missing the game because of a strained calf and Clint Dempsey staying home for bad-boy behaviour, my adored Frankie Hejduk won't be there either, due to a hamstring strain. He's been replaced by Hamburg SV midfielder Benny Feilhaber. So that brings down to 10 the MLS presence on the 19-man roster.

Now let me see ...

2006-03-20T07:40:00.000-08:00

... if I can get this straight:

1. There once was an MLS team that represented New Jersey and New York, the Metrostars.

2. A really nasty, PixieStix-tasting drink company bought said team and changed its name to Red Bull New York, dissing the Garden State, except the team still plays in Jersey, thus proving that you can take Jersey out of the team, but you can't take the team out of Jersey.

3. And yet -- now MLS is annoucing an expansion in 2009 for the Philadelphia/Jersey area.

So was this what they had in mind all along when they dumped New Jersey out of the name for the former Metrostars? I'm guessing yes.

This seems like a wierd deal, location-wise, to me, but then again, I don't live on the East Coast and have never had the good fortune to visit, so I dunno, maybe that's the kinda thing that would work out there. More fútbol is more fútbol, so I'll take it.

In other news:
Less than two weeks until the MLS season starts. Yay! Except I'm working on Saturdays now, boo.
48 hours until the USMNT meets Germany for what I'm sure will be a good tough game.

When you actually need a lawyer ...

2006-03-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

Bruce's Belly has a link to a Washington Post article stating that DC United coach Peter Nowak is considering possible legal action against Real Salt Lake coach John Ellinger over the recent brouhaha. And good for him if he does, because this is one of those cases where I can really see the need for a lawsuit.

Race is a tricky issue. In heated and sometimes unexpected moments, you can hear things that weren't said because you're expecting them to be said, or you can be the only one to hear things that were said that no one else heard because they're not expecting it to be said. As a biracial woman, I've experienced both situations. When it's the first case and I'm uncertain, I rely on the views of those around me. I can admit it when I made a mistake. When it's the second case, well, it's just a horrible place to be, and all you can do is use reason and logic to try and figure out where the truth lies, and when you're right and you know it, you stick by your guns and keep calling for what's right.

This is where I'm standing in the middle of this case. I want to believe that Peter Nowak's an OK guy. From everything I've read, it's not in Nowak's character to say something that flagrantly terrible. Couple that with an accent that everyone, even he, admits is difficult to understand, and that's just a misunderstanding waiting to happen. He has repeatedly denied the accusation and even admitted to saying something that's unsportsmanlike, which may have led to the fine (but hey, thanks to MLS's say-nothing statement, we'll never know exactly why he got fined).

So let's look at the other side. An accusation was made by Real's Ellinger. It was backed up by some players and coaching staff. And since then, they've been more or less silent on the issue. That side isn't even mentioned in the Washington Post article. So I have to wonder -- if those folks really and truly believe that Nowak made a racist statement, shouldn't they be protesting the fact that Nowak was only fined? If DC United was really harboring a racist in a position of power, isn't it their duty to do something about that because they know it to be true? Except that they haven't, and in that the silence speaks volumes to me.

You can answer that in a number of ways, that MLS is keeping a lid on the Real opinion, that MLS is protecting Nowak, that the press just isn't covering their side, etc. and anon. Except that if Nowak were a racist and Real's folks were letting him slide, then they would be as culpable as he. So the ball is in Real's court. Or on their end of the pitch, as the case may be.

Just for the sake of argument, let's go Mythbusters style on this and go extreme -- if Nowak didn't say it, if Real's folks didn't actually hear Nowak say it, would they have any reason to manufacture drama? Perhaps to get attention for their team? They won the scrimmage 3-1, so I can't imagine why they'd do it on purpose, and the team seems to be doing well in preseason, so again, can't imagine why they'd invent it. If you've read this blog, you know that I'm no lover of Real Salt Lake, but even I wouldn't honestly go off into accusations of race-baiting. Until and unless there's more evidence brought to light, I'm going to file this under "unfortunate misunderstanding" and enjoy my season.

In other news:
The Bruce has announced his team for next week's friendly between the US Men's National Team and Germany's team, and 12 MLS players made the cut. As this isn't an international fixture date, not every team in Europe has released players for the game. However, players for German clubs, my favorite MNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundalo and Gregg Berhalter, are on board, as are Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey from English club teams, as well as Cory Gibbs, who's playing in Holland, and Heath Pearce, playing in Denmark, who;s making his second appearance this year with the USMNT.

MLS players are Houston's Brian Ching, Wizards Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff and Kerry Zavagnin, Landon Donovan from the Galaxy (Later addendum: OK, so Landon's not going, taken out by a calf strain. I could say this makes things interesting, but quite honestly, Landon hasn't really done much lately, USMNT-wise. Could be that we won't even miss him.), Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni, Real's Eddie Pope and Chris Klein, DC's Ben Olsen (does he still have the beard?), Revs golden boy Taylor Twelleman, and my crush Frankie Hejduk of Columbus. I guess this probably means I won't be seeing Wolff, Johnson and Zavagnin at the Saturn Challenge Cup in Moore that following Saturday, but oh well.

Germany picked its team and it looks like it'll be nearly at full strength, so this should be a really killer match. Can we take them? I'm going out on a limb here and say yes, yes, gawdalmighty yes, we can take them. These are all good players, and I think they'll do well. Is it too much to ask for another blizzard bowl like the game against Poland? And I wonder exactly how late to work I can be so I can watch this game ...

So what exactly ...

2006-03-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

... does this mean, that DC coach Peter Nowak made "improper remarks?" That he made a racist statement in reference to Real's Atiba Harris, or that he was unnecessarily harsh in his comments about him? The little blurb a is typical PR/news conference sorta thing, in which the incident is expected to be put behind us and let's all move on. Except that I'd really like to know if I'm supposed to be OK with the fine because of the statement to send Harris "back to hospital", annoyed that he got fined for making another statement that was taken out of context or misunderstood, or annoyed that he only got fined for making a racist statement.

I'd really like it to be the former rather than the latter. Hopefully more will come.

Obsessed? Nah ...

2006-03-14T19:19:00.000-08:00

Is it a bad thing that I'm postponing the celebration of my wedding anniversary by one day because it's the same day as MLS Opening Day?

And what does it mean that I decided not to take a summer class because it will interfere with my ability to watch the World Cup?

Fantasy redux

2006-03-13T13:36:00.000-08:00

OK, the actual real MLS fantasy league has kicked off, and this time I picked a team for real. It's quite a DC-heavy team, but I'm OK with that, since, as they're my favorite team, I'll be following them the most. Six out of my 11 players are DC -- all three strikers, 1 midfielder, 1 defender and the keeper. I'll let you guess who I picked out of that lineup. Anyone who reads this blog at all knows exactly the DC striker that I just love to pieces, and the hint for most of the rest is that I adore the South American contingent, they're a hoot and a holler.

Yeah, that'd be Alecko, Lucio, Facundo and Christian, Santino, plus Troy on goal.

Rounding out the group, I've got Paulo Nagamura of LA, Kerry Zavagnin of KC and Colorado's Pablo Mastroeni in the mid, and Nick Garcia of KC and my futbol crush Frankie Hejduk in the back. I've got some La Copa de Mundial worries for Zavagnin and Mastoreni, and very slight stirrings of wonder for Frankie and Santino, but I'm fairly certain this is a group that'll be mostly playing domestically throughout the summer. I have no idea if this is good, and they were costly, but I know I like them all, so that should boost my pleasure in the whole thing.

I am breathlessly awaiting my tickets for the Saturn Challenge Cup match between KC and Dallas on March 25, and it occurred to me to wonder who all will be showing up in tiny lil' Moore, OK, for this game. I could swear that I heard that the US Men's National Team for the March 22 international friendly against Germany in Germany will be staffed mostly by US-based players, since the European clubs won't be releasing players for it. Well, as much as I'd like to see Zavagnin and Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff and such, it'll be a fun night even if they're not there.

And hey, look, the USMNT is doing a send-off series before they head to Germany for the World Cup -- vs. Morocco in Nashville on May 23, vs. Venezuela in Cleveland on May 26 and vs. Latvia in East Hartford on May 28. (In my horrific ignorance, I actually sat there for a second and thought, "Latvia? Isn't that the country of which Dr. Doom is the dictator? Sad, I prove I'm a product of public education). Now, how far is it to Nashville ...

At least I think it's good news ...

2006-03-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

AP is reporting that my favorite forward, Alecko Eskandarian, has had hernia surgery, but he should recover and be ready by the time the season opens for DC on April 2.

I am very much looking forward to Alecko's return to the pitch, so I'm taking this as a good sign that things are proceeding apace and we'll be seeing him on the field soon.

Well, it beats Wal-Mart New York

2006-03-09T14:23:00.000-08:00

It isn't so much the self-centered audacity of corporate owners naming teams after themselves that bug me so much as the lack of creativity that such practices show. It's not that I mind naming rights, it's just that the right to name should come with a mandate of creativity. I get the idea behind branding a team. I protested the concept of the FedEx Orange Bowl for years before I finally got the idea that hey, it's money to keep the tradition going, you gotta get that advertising in there one way or another. But shit like the GMAC Bowl or the Insight.com Bowl just irritate me. Slapping on the corporate brand instead of coming up with a name that supposedly sums up the team's essence is just plain boring. It kind of takes me back to my Little League days when I played on such teams as Stanley Farm Equipment and Tractors and Lair Rock and Gravel. But I suppose as soccer in the US grows out of the youth movement, that kind of corporate naming is at least familiar to soccer players and soccer moms.

Red Bull New York doesn't sound too bad, really -- at least Red Bull is a team sort of moniker, so it's in a very blurry spot -- something that I don't care for but don't really hate. But lordy, what happens when a corporate owner with a clunker of a name decides to do the same thing? Could such a thing as Sierra Mist United as D on the DCenters blog joked be far off? And it's not even an original US thing, since they already did it with Red Bull Salzburg.

Oh well. Corporate branding is here and it's always been here and it will always be here. May as well accept it and move on. But y'know, I may have actually been prompted to try a Sierra Mist because they support MLS, but I keep drinking it because, darn it, it's actually very tasty and Sierra Mist Free is about the best caffeine-free diet drink out there. But sorry Red Bull, your product sucks, so that and your uncreative naming will never get me to quaff a Red Bull, despite the MLS team ownership.

And don't even get me started on Budweiser. Oooh, I hate Bud.

Lil' help here ...

2006-03-08T17:03:00.000-08:00

OK, Wizards faithful, give a gal a little assistance. Yeah, I know the spectre of the RedMetroBullStars is hovering about, but I have some local curiosity, so I'm throwing the question out there to see if I can get an answer: Wizards fans, how's your city treating your team? I'm curious, because the rumor mill is just flying on whispers that the Wizards will be leaving KC to make its home in Tulsa next season. I, myself, have been doubtful, of that possibility. Tulsa's a small metro, and although it did once host the North American Soccer League's Tulsa Roughnecks , I've stated before that I'm uncertain whether a small market like Tulsa -- hell, Oklahoma itself -- is big enough to handle a major league team, especially MLS. But maybe I'm wrong -- maybe a small market is exactly the way MLS is looking, so a move by the Wizards south to Tulsa might be the start of the Next Big Thing.

Is KC doing right by its team and working to get that soccer-specific stadium as promised? Or shall I start prepping for weekends of round-trips down the turnpike?

So out of 10 years of MLS ...

2006-03-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

... the best goal of the decade comes at the end, I guess. MLS.net announced the results of the Sierra Mist Goal of the Decade vote, and it ended up being Carlos Ruiz's 2005 bicycle kick stunner. And I have to say I'm good with it, even if it did come at the expense of my beloved DC United.

Admittedly, I earlier voted for Dewayne De Rosario's bending free kick, but I regretted the vote the second I hit the button. Yeah, it was pretty, but it doesn't say "great soccer" to me, it just said, "great kick." The difference is subtle -- well, no it's not. So sue me, I got blinded by the pretty.

Ruiz's kick met all my criteria -- teamwork, good execution and -- most important -- flair. Poor Nick Rimando barely even had a chance to move, and the after-gol celebration by FC Dallas was lovely. So yeah, it's sweet. I'll take it. I wish I'd been paying attention to all 30 nominees, because I'm really not personally satisfied until I weigh in on everything -- just like I'm not going to be really happy with the Oscar best-picture results until I see Crash and Munich. But that's a whole other deal ...

Other notes:
Three and a half more weeks until the beginning of the MLS season.
Still about two and a half months until World Cup.
Red Bull buying MetroStars? Eh, I'm not much of a MetroStars fan, so I'll reserve comment until things shake out. Except to say that I'm also not much of a RedBull fan, it tastes like carbonated PixieStix to me.

From 1836 to Dynamo

2006-03-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

So the Houston team has finally changed its name from the 1836 to the ... get ready for it ... the Houston Dynamo. I quite unfairly groaned out loud when I read that, because the name just sounds so ... ugh, what's the word ... I guess it just clangs in my mind's ear. It kinda sounds like a name you'd give for a Little League soccer team. It also puts me in mind of Dynamutt, from the old Hanna-Barbera cartoons, but that's me just being childish.

I've always had a thing about names, they just have to sound right. I once had a rule that stated if a guy had a name that sounded strange when it was being called out in a fit of passion, it just wasn't going to work out. Well, wouldn't you know I got over such things, so I'm trying to let the name Dyanmo (see, I can't even spell it. And when I try to say it I say Dymano. Dynamo. Say it with me, Dy-na-mo. Sheesh) grow on me. After all, I didn't like Fire, I didn't like Burn -- but hey, they changed that for me -- but after awhile I got used to Fire and now it seems like the right name for the team. I still loathe Real Salt Lake, but I suppose it could be considered appropriate, and at least that city takes care of its team.

The article on MLS.net does a fair job explaining the roots of that particular name and its links to Houston. Houston is an energy town -- most of the energy-related jobs from Oklahoma have migrated south to Houston -- and it has a skewed link to the former Houston Dynamos. So as much as the name just goes over for me like a lead balloon, I expect I'll get used to it. It at least has a cheer-friendlier feel than 1836 did.

MLS in OK?!!!

2006-03-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

Holy merde, but this makes my entire weekend, nay, make that my entire MONTH! Muchos besos to MLS News and Views for posting this link to an article from the Sapulpa Herald newspaper that the Kansas City Wizards and FC Dallas will play an exhbition in Moore, and some are hoping that the game, the Saturn Challenge Cup of Oklahoma City, will become an annual thing.

This isn't the first time that MLS teams have played exhibitions in Oklahoma. The Wizards played FC Dallas back when they were the Burn in 2004 and the Crew in 2003. Both had sell-out performances and prompted some efforts to land an MLS expansion team in Oklahoma. This all was just before I became a rabid fan of this sport that I now adore beyond belief. I was playing indoor soccer (very very very badly, mind you; passion for the game doesn't seem to automatically confer skill upon you) in 2004 and remember thinking that I should attend the Burn-Wiz game, but tickets sold out before I could even think about getting them.

This kind of excitement about soccer has always belied the Oklahoma sports media's belief that this is a sport that only kids play. Obviously there are soccer fans in Oklahoma, and yet coverage is generally minimal. I checked the archives of one of the state's newspapers and only found a handful of stories about MLS over the past 18 months, two of them features about wunderkind Freddy Adu. I do remember that the qualification by the US Men's Team for the 2006 World Cup was relegated to a mere three-inch brief on the inside of the sports section. After all, there was American football going on that weekend.

This being a World Cup year, with interest sparking thanks to national media investment in the upcoming brouhaha in June, soccer's stock is starting to rise, not just in Oklahoma but everywhere in the US. If the US Men's Team does well, it may translate into some real enthusiasm that could give MLS a nice boost. I remember in 2002 there was a blip of interest by the US team's nice performance in South Korea/Japan, but it faded pretty quickly and the "no one is interested in soccer" attitude returned full force. But things are changing, and it looks like interest in both soccer in general and MLS in particular really is starting to gain a foothold.

Can that translate into an MLS team for Oklahoma? Either an expansion or, if the rumors hold true, a disgruntled team leaving its original base? I dunno. I honestly don't think Oklahoma has the population density to support a professional league sport yet. But playing host to the New Orleans Hornets while their city is getting back on its feet has shown that we can do it, at least in a temporary capacity, and it might lead to greater things. But soccer? The regular attendance for a soccer game -- about, what, 15,000? 18,000? -- is the size of a regular-sized town in Oklahoma. Outside of the holy duo of college football and basketball (and lately the Hornets), I'm not sure that any other sport gets that kind of attendance. There just aren't enough people in this state of 3.5 million people -- which is smaller than most metropolitan cities -- to have the kind of diversity needed to cultivate a soccer fanbase.

I'd really like to be wrong about this, because I would give my right foot to have a team of my own. Oooh, except then would I have to give up my passion for DC? When my home team and DC played, who would I go for? Oh, what a Sophie's Choice of a deal that would be. ...

Well, it's all quite unlikely, unless the Kansas City fails the Wizards miserably and they do come to Tulsa, as the rumor mill says. State officials have pretty much said that landing an MLS expansion is years and years away, and by then I'll be outta here.

But at 7:30 on March 25, I'll be ponying up my $25 for a seat up front to do my part to support professional soccer in Oklahoma. Every little bit helps, right?

Yay!

2006-03-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

How, I wondered, would I be able to tie into MLS for a US Men's National team mostly made up with Europe-based players? Sure, I'm all wrapped up in the national team as well as my MLS, but I still like to focus on the home players, since they're the ones I get to watch for six months out of the year.

It turned out to be pretty easy. Not only did the Revs' Clint Dempsey put home the header that won the game in the 48th minute, aided by fellow Rev Taylor Twellman, but in the second half the only way I was able to keep track of the second half of the game at all was through MLS.net.

If a game is on during work hours -- and I work some pretty crappy hours, so I have to do this more often than not -- I MatchTrack the game at US Soccer.com. It ain't great, but it's better than a kick in the eye. I was able to watch most of the first half before I came to work, and it looked like a hard-fought match for both sides. Finally the US men had an opponent who was really making them work at it and earn that goal.

Then I came to work, tried to sign on to the US Soccer Web site ... and nothing. I got repeated error messages. When it finally did bring up the MatchTracker, it would work for three minutes and crash the computer. So I missed out on Dempsey's goal, his nice little patriotic salute, the blizzard battle, the yellow ball, everything. I got an update from MLS.net, thankfully, so -- oh well. Thank you, MLS for the information and for the player who garnered the win. This game put paid to my last lingering fears and doubts that the earlier wins were too easy. Huzzah! On to face the Germans!

And while watching the game -- and I noticed that "The American" Brian McBride sat out, what's up with that? (later edit: ah, groin injury, I see, thanks AP) -- I was wondering how an entire team of MLS stars would fare against a European team. Perhaps their playing style is different enough to shake things up? It would be interesting to see.

Pregame musings

2006-03-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

Two hours and change until the US Men's Team meets Poland in Germany. ...

MatchNight has an interesting article about the hubris the of-late successes the men's team has been garnering might lead to a nasty downfall. Yes, the team is at its most successful in its entire history, but a comment posted with the story sums it up: "That's not saying much."

OK, so that's pretty cynical, but as a cynic and a realist, I'm inclined to agree. I'd love to shake off this attitude, but as I haven't yet seen the team face an opponent of any real mettle, I'm reserving my bragging rights. I don't know what it says that the team stomped two teams and tied with one that failed to qualify. I've seen Japan play much better than they did in San Francisco last month, and I wondered if they didn't let their belief in the US as a weak player override their game, although I dunno, it also seems that they're not nearly the team that they were and are having some troubles. I know that every team is supposed to look at a game -- any game, even a friendly -- in the spirit of true competition, but we all know how going up against a team with a less-than-stellar reputation can bring out laziness. The US has something to prove in every game and the players go out all-balls every time. That's definately an advantage and has been the deciding factor in the recent wins. That's the kind of attitude that I'd like the team to continue to cultivate. I'd hate for them to do the opposite of what their opponents have been doing, that is, let a taste of recent victory infect them with the kind of overconfidence that leads to a long, hard fall off a pedestal of overhyped expectations. Confidence is only as good as the results that back it up, and they've still got a ways to go yet before they can run on that kind of attitude alone. Their performance against Poland today and Germany later this month will go a long way toward either confirming the US reputation as an easy win or busting the chops of all naysayers who think that the US only plays good football with an oblong ball.

Me, I'd like my chops to be busted so I can finally shake off that pessimistic attitude. I harbor a little flame of hope that we're as good as we'd like to think we are, and I'd like that flame to go on to a full-on blaze. I think this is a team that can surprise some people out there, including me, and as long as they can keep going out to prove that yes, we DO play football in the United States, they can do it.

Two hours and counting ...

"Have you seen the vermin? I will kill him."

2006-02-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

And this is officially my favorite quote of the day, coming from the esteemed Kasey Keller in U.S. Soccer.com's All-Access tour of his 1,000-year-old castle near Dusseldorf. I knew he lived in a castle, but it's really cool to see a little tour of it. And this, my friends, is why I love this game, because how many catchers do we have that live in a castle that over its millenium of existence has lost its original gargoyles?

U.S. Soccer.com also has some video of the team meeting injured soliders recovering at Ramstein Air Base. This is really one of those boundary-crossing, national-to-world things that really sum up the game for me. ESPN Soccernet has a really nice story about the team's visit, meeting the soldiers and their families and getting some luv from their fans there, and about how they're expecting a good fan turnout, about 15,000. Of course, with the stadium being so close to Ramstein, it's a cinch that the military personnel will attend to show their national pride.

I'm all psyched about the friendly with Poland tomorrow, as you can tell. I'm trying to figure out how to get to watch this game at work. There's a TV in my office, and it's usually tuned to either CNN/MSNBC or ESPN/EPSN2. There's an off-chance that it might be tuned to the game, probably by accident if it's there at all. The sports fans in my office are generally rabidly anti-soccer. You know that Nike commercial from a few months back where there's the voice-over of the guy talking about how much he hates soccer? Yeah, these are the guys I work with. It's like Franklin Foer wrote the last chapter of How Soccer Explains the World just about them.

But I'm noticing that there's an undercurrent of soccer interest that's starting to build up. I figured there would be, seeing as ABC has invested some money in World Cup coverage this summer that its networks are starting to actually act a little like there's an audience out there for world-stage soccer. They might be starting to draw in some in-general sports fans, to get them in the frame of mind to jump in on the summer's In Thing. Of course, there's also a rumor floating about that if the Wizards jump ship at KC after the 2006 season, they might come to Tulsa, and nothing fires up attention like having a local team to root for.

I personally think that's a load of bunk, because it's not like Oklahoma's really known for having a soccer fanbase. But then again, I hope I'm wrong, because it'd be great to have an MLS team in easy driving distance.

Little slices of heaven

2006-02-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to checking out the nominees for the MLS goal of the decade. Checking out the great goals and game highlights is something I do weekly whenever the season is in swing. After all, I live hundreds of miles from an MLS site and Fox Sports World and Direct Kick are only available in my area on satellite or digital cable, neither of which I can afford. It's EPSN2 or nothing for MLS. Thankfully, MLS.net shows some games live online and by delay, and they always do a nice wrap-up of game highlights, which are great, because I really can't spend the whole day watching fútbol on my computer. The last time I tried to do that the computer got so hot it warped the casing on the laptop and now I've got a little bumpy ridge on the edge of my computer.

Anyway -- goal of the decade. Oh man, what a choice. I admit, I'm a sucker for a bicycle kick. The first time I saw one, I realize that there actually is a God, and that God is a fútbol fan. The contest serves up a nice tasty selection of bicycle kicks from the 10-year buffet, and out of them all I think I liked Marcelo Balboa's from 2000 best. Then again, there's Carlos Ruiz's three entries. I liked his 2003 bicycle kick goal not so much for the goal but for the utterly joyful celebration that followed. That was really sweet.

But then I checked out Dwayne De Rosario's bending shot from 2005 and holy merde, I love it when that happens, especially on a free kick like that. That's not only a sign of divinity, it's a sign of destiny.

So, decisions, decisions. I think I've got to go with DDR for this round, simply because it floored me. But is that really the definition of a good goal? Is it all about the style of the one guy, like this one, or is it about the culmination of skills from an entire team that sets up the shot so the one guy can deliver, like all the rest? The thing I love the most about fútbol is, it's a team sport. Maybe I should have gone with Marcelo's or Carlos' shots after all.

Well, another day. I'll go with the bend for now. Single effort or not, it's still an amazing shot.

MLS Fangirl

Change of address

From the wires

Getting my goats

DC vs. Rapids afterthoughts

What's your fantasy, baby?

Does MLS need Beckham to up its hotness factor?

The things I'll do ...

Fangirl hits 100

What time is it?

Oh hell

Drive-by thoughts on futbol

What Beckham means to me

I (still don't) love LAhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

You know, it occurs to me ...

Nooooooooooooooooooo!

Goodbye Peter

Second thoughts

Is there enough room in LA ...

Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY

I've got two words for you.

Return of the Fangirl part deux

Bad calls, or just the way it crumbles, matchwise?

I *knew* it!!

The wonderful Wizards of Ahhhs

From the wires

Howdy, Becks?

If life gives you gators, make Gatorade (tm)

Roll call

If 40 is the new 30, then Thursday can be the new Saturday

All*Star thoughts

Only shooting stars break the mold

Less taste, more filling

Arrivederci, Il Bruce

From the wires

Return to MLS

That's fútbol ...

The management regrets to inform you ...

Tarnished silver lining

US vs. Italy

I reject your reality and substitute my own

While watching the Mexico-Iran game ...

World Cup intermission

Casting call

Sh*t on the wires

Sampson relieved of duties

Crew's in

Welcome to the blogroll

Return of the Fangirl

Have fun storming the gol!

This is how Vegas makes money

Let's send Jon Stewart to the World Cup

Stars align for Grabavoy, but not for the Galaxy

Easy listening

Why is it called football when you can use your hands?

Tapping the Rockies

Awww, Frankie, say it ain't so

MLS on the MNT

Weekend off

Next time, Jaeger shot sans the RedBull

News of the day

It's karma, is what it is

It really does give you wings

It's a good thing I didn't buy a lottery ticket ...

Colosso!!!

Ooh, there's this thing called 'soccer' in the US

Quick picks

In Bizarro World, a loss is a win

Weekend wrapup

Finally!! MLSTV details

Pregame musings

Bending my mind around Beckham

It's an honor to be spanked by you, sirs!

Weekend hindsight

Eagles vs. Goats

How soccer is nothing like Barbies (tm)

Eskandarian's back, baby!

First Kick

But first, this brief announcement

Fashonista stuff

I knew it!!