Soccer Doubleheader?

Wow, a soccer doubleheader on ABC! Can you believe it? Due to the lack of sports this weekend, ABC decided to show two soccer matches yesterday afternoon. They went head-to-head against PBA Bowling on ESPN...I wonder who had better rankings?

In the opening contest, DC United defeated David Beckham 4-1. After their recently announced sponsorship with VW, DC United has decided to play its home games at a VW dealership. Goodbye, RFK.

In game 2, Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in the finals of Euro 2008. The match was a terrific culmination to a month of soccer in Switzerland and Austria especially considering it was Spain's first big tournament win in 40+ years.

Cookin in Phoenix

I'm in Phoenix today for some meetings with Arizona Youth Soccer Assn. and boy is it hot! It was 108 yesterday and it looks to be on its way to 100+ again today.

How do these people stand the heat? Good air conditioning!

Euro 2008 Semifinals!

Only 3 games remain in Euro 2008! Heavy favorite Germany takes on Turkey this afternoon while Russia and Spain do battle tomorrow. I am still surprised to see Russia in the mix....who knew they were in Europe?

I Finally Watched A Euro 2008 Game

We've reached the knockout stage of Euro 2008 and I finally got the chance to take in a game. The third quarterfinal between Russia and Holland was quite the game. After tying the game in the final 5 minutes, the Dutch had renewed hope heading into overtime.

It was not to be, however, as Russia scored twice in the final moments to escape 3-1. The commies now move forward to a semifinal rematch with Spain. Spain killed Russia earlier in the group stage, so we'll see if anything changes the second time.

Both Germany and Spain are poised for the final, but I will surely be cheering for more upsets from the commies!

Ben Olsen Does Dick's!

While watching last night's MLS game on ESPN, I noticed a funny commercial during halftime. DC United's own Ben Olsen and former United member Christian Gomez.

In the commercial, Olsen is the star, heading into Dick's with his family. He gets distracted by some MLS players and the commercial ends with his "son" buying a Beckham jersey instead of an Olsen one.

The video above has some behind the scenes footage of the shoot from earlier this year. I guess Ben had some extra time to devote to acting with his injury this year.

Euro 2008 Fields Women's Division?

I'll admit, I haven't watched as much of Euro 2008 as I anticipated. Games in the early afternoon haven't worked well with my schedule.

Anyway, aside from a strong performance from the Russians and the Dutch, the tournament has proceeded according to plan for the most part. The quarterfinals open today with Poland facing Germany.

The game last Sunday might have been the most intriguing one of the month. In anticipation of the Germany-Austria game, a 6v6 Women's game was held. However, the women were only wearing thongs and body paint. The stunt attracted worldwide press, even in the US. Please see the family-friendly picture above.

While Austria "won" the game, 10-5, it was the Germans who got the last laugh...their team advanced to the semifinals of Euro 2008 with a 1-0 win over Austria.

CONCACAF Champions League Announces Groups

CONCACAF announced the groups for the inaugural Champions League yesterday. Once again, the representatives from MLS are DC United and Houston Dynamo.

At this point, even as a DC United fan, isn't it time to potentially look at some other MLS teams for CONCACAF events? I know results are based on previous season results, but why not the New England Revolution, Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, or LA Galaxy?

A substitution would allow DC fans like myself the inevitable letdown of a road loss and subsequent elimination. It also might get some other US markets further interested in international competition.

I'm not clamoring for another tournament to determine who gets in, but I believe past history should weigh in, to some degree, in determining which league teams get to participate in these international club competitions.

8-0????

There has to be an explanation for yesterday's 8-0 National Team drubbing of Barbados at Home Depot Center. Seriously.

Did Barbados send their B squad for the match? It is tough to imagine the US is that good.

"It's going to be tough when we go to Barbados," said US Goalkeeper Brad Guzan. Is he crazy? If the US even remotely puts itself in position to lose the series, the team should be disbanded. The game is next Sunday.

Euro 2008 In Full Swing

The world's second most prestigious tournament, Euro 2008 enters its fifth day of opening round games today in Switzerland and Austria. The most surprising result came Monday as Holland blanked Italy, 3-0.

Group play continues until the 19th when the Quarterfinals open. Still a ways to go until the Final in Vienna on the 29th. Thankfully the game is late enough such that those fans in the US will be able to tune in.

Right now, both Holland and Spain have three points with a +3 differential...will they carry strong opening game performances through the rest of the group stage?

Heat Wave!

Today marks the 4th straight day of temperatures in the 90's in the Washington, DC area. For early June, it's quite hot!

Thankfully the head seems to be helping struggling DC United. After having two players sent off, United managed a road win on Saturday against the Chicago Fire. With the win, United moves out of the Eastern Conference basement and ahead of Toronto FC by one point. They still trail conference-leading New England by 10.

Two straight home matches now follow against the Red Bulls and Earthquakes. Can United keep the heat on?

3 Games, No Goalshttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

The third of three Men's National Team tuneups took place yesterday at Giants Stadium with the US drawing Argentina, 0-0. The game comes on the heels of two losses in Europe in the past 10 days, first 2-0 to England and then 1-0 to Spain.

On the bright side, Landon Donovan got his 100th cap and the US was able to compete against 3 top-tier teams. Unfortunately, they finished the 3 game stretch with no goals to show for their performance. Outmatched in each game, the team now knows what it will take to compete at the highest levels.

World Cup qualifying opens June 22 against Barbados...let's hope they use their goal-scoring boots that day!

End of a Long Week

Whew! Finally the end of a very busy week (and a half) of travel. Please find a nice picture of Carol demonstrating some great Demosphere services.

We have already had an opportunity to follow up with some groups we originally met at the Grass Roots Football Expo in Birmingham, UK. Just yesterday, I spoke with a gentleman who directs a field hockey league, so the Expo had wide appeal in the UK.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be gearing up for Summer Soccer Tour '08, a series of week long tours in Las Vegas, Arizona, Florida, and New York. Stay tuned to the website for more information, but the first tour kicks off in less than 3 weeks!

The Travelin' Continues!

The whirlwind travel has subsided for the next few weeks. Yesterday saw an early rise and a late evening as Jay, Ben, Miles, and I all trekked to Chicago and the US Soccer offices. We met for most of the day in US Soccer House at 18th and Prairie in downtown. The house was part of the piano-famous Kimball family for many years and is now the home of US Soccer's organizing body.

For a newbie, it was exciting to set foot in the building and explore the many trophies captured by our National Teams. There was even a commemorative trophy from Disney World.

Anyway, we all got back to the DC area around midnight and came back to the office with some good stories from our trip.

I still owe some additional stories from the Grass Roots Expo plus some pictures -- hopefully they'll be on tap for tomorrow!

Grass Roots Expo Wraps Up

Our 3 day tour of Birmingham is fast coming to a close. The Grass Roots Football Expo wrapped up earlier this afternoon after a third full day at the NEC.

Today, we saw some old friend with the Cranfield Colts, a community club that uses a Demosphere system. We originally met the Colts at last year's show in Coventry.

Additionally, Jim Risher from Eurotech stopped by to give us his take on the show after meeting with a number of vendors and clubs.

We also met with many other community clubs and some folks with the Umbro Tournament series. All in all, a successful day.

After a full day traveling Monday, we'll be back with more Grass Roots items!

Grass Roots Day 2 Report

Day 2 of the Grass Roots Football Expo is in the books and it was another busy day in Birmingham, UK.

As you can hopefully see from the picture, the show is quite large and this is only part of the exhibitor area. There is a complete exhibitor area plus two large play areas. One area features individual skills and the other focuses on team play. Numerous sessions have taken place across the Expo geared toward youth players and coaches.

Additionally, Demosphere VP Carol Baker had an opportunity to meet with a representative of the FA. She also spoke at length with Nick Gates from Coaches Across Continents about some of his many international youth soccer experiences.

After two successful days, the final day is set to begin. Check back later for full coverage of the end of the Grass Roots Football Expo '08!