No Title Necessary!

Just pure entertainment today.

WNT Hits China!

The Women's National Team has arrived in China! After getting adjusted to the time difference, the team has begun training for matches that will get underway next week. Our very own Carli Lloyd posted a blog update from Qinhuangdao and it's pretty interesting.

As we know, the task will be a tough one for the ladies as they are without top forward Abby Wambach who broke her leg in an exhibition match against Brazil recently. The team is also without Brianna Scurry which means Hope Solo is back in the net!

Many storylines to follow as the team opens August 6th against Norway.

America's Got Talent!

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal on Friday. It focused on European soccer clubs, notably West Ham United, and their efforts to discover players in the US to bring to Europe.

We've been aware of such efforts for the past few years and have seen more European clubs partner with both youth and professional clubs with hopes of finding a diamond in the rough. West Ham has also partnered with USL to identify some players league-wide that might have what it takes to compete in England.

"It would be wrong of us to dismiss this country," said Tony Carr, a West Ham scout.

Freddy's Rich!

Freddy's going to Monaco! After his first season with Benfica in the Portuguese league, Freddy Adu was loaned yesterday to Monaco of the French league.

After a year, Monaco can purchase his rights or return him to Benfica. It was rumored that he was offered back to MLS but no teams wanted to take him on as a "designated player".

The good news for Adu is his destination. He will have no problem finding a Mercedes dealer (or much else) in Monaco. Thankfully he didn't end up with a smaller, lesser known French team like Guingamp or Sedan. Yikes.

Brawlin!

In their preparations for the MLS All Star Game, West Ham set up a seemingly innocent exhibition with the Columbus Crew. Violence erupted, however, between Crew supporters and West Ham hooligans, leading to more passion than normal at an MLS game.

30 ambitious hooligans took on over 100 Crew supporters, but no arrests inside the stadium were reported. No word on an official winner in the stands, but West Ham won the game convincingly, 3-1.

Big # 100

Roughly 6 months in the making...we've finally made it to post #100! My goal was to reach this milestone late last week, but some cross country travel derailed my plans.

On Saturday, I was in LA for the US Soccer Development Academy meetings. The event marked the conclusion of the 2007-2008 season and the opening of the 2008-2009 season.

2007-2008 was the inaugural year for the Development Academy. It brings together over 60 elite travel clubs with the hope of developing elite talent for our National Team. For 2008-2009, Demosphere will be the official IT supplier and the Academy will expand to 74 teams.

In the final match of 07-08, Carmel United's U-16 team won the National Championship 1-0 over PDA. Who knows...maybe a Demosphere powered club will be champions next year?

P.S. I know you were deeply concerned, but DC United lost their final SuperLiga match 3-1 to Houston. Their final slate...0-3 with all games at home, 7 goals allowed and only 4 scored.

"I Think They Were A Little Overconfident"

The quote above, said by Atlante coach Jose Cruz, tells the story. DC United had yet another chance to win a semi-meaningful international match last night and came up short against the party boys from Cancun, 3-2.

As before, the game was at home at RFK Stadium. The odds were even more stacked in United's favor, though. Atlante was coming off a 4-0 thrashing from Houston, was on the road for more than a week, and was still in preseason. Yet despite seemingly long odds, Atlante held on for a 3-2 win, assuring DC it will not advance to the next stage. Atlante Forward Gabriel Pereyra commented, "Out of all the U.S. teams we've faced, it's the one I like the best." I wonder why?

In other news, it appears currently that DC will have no representation at the annual All Star game in Toronto. How can the Washington Nationals have an All Star while United does not? Simple...Major League Baseball requires at least one per team.

Amen!

An interesting story hit ESPN today...the story of New England Revolution defender Chase Hilgenbrinck. He recently decided to walk away from his team and MLS to....enter priesthood.

After 6 years of studies, he will become a Roman Catholic Priest in his native Illinois. Wow!

SuperLiga....no surprises

SuperLiga 2008 kicked off this weekend with 4 games hosted in the US, and to no one's surprise, DC United lost to Chivas, 2-1.

Sadly, this game was played at RFK Stadium and was a good chance to catch Chivas during their preseason training. Despite all the advantages, including a PK opportunity, DC still found a way to lose again in a semi-prestigious international tournament.

My favorite part of this game was owner Will Chang betting a buzzcut with Chivas owner Jorge Vegara. Chang lost last game...and he lost again. What would prompt him to want to lose again?

Thankfully, more home games remain, but just when will the lights go on for DC United in these international matches? We all know they have zero chance of winning outside the states.

You Drunk!

News hit the US this morning of a report of a drunk referee in Belarus over the weekend. Our friend, seen below, complained of a back injury and had to be helped off during a match. It looks like a youth match as well! After further investigation....he was drunk. Not kidding. Make sure to watch the very end as he salutes the crowd on his exit.

DC Advances!

Against all odds, DC United advanced to the US Open Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire last night. The team magically erased a 1-0 deficit and came on to win in extra time with a Bryan Namoff header.

The game, played in Germantown, MD at the Maryland SoccerPlex, attracted a healthy 4,000+ person crowd.

Unfortunately, they were the only people to see the game...it was not on TV....anywhere.

The semifinals will be played in August against the New England Revolution who defeated USL Second Division Crystal Palace Baltimore on penalty kicks.

Our American Pastime?

July 4th weekend. The time of year when everyone feels a little more American. What better way to celebrate July 4th than a BBQ and some sports on TV. What better sport than.....tennis?

That's right, the story that captured everyone's attention this weekend was the Federer/Nadal rematch on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Let's also not forget that a close 2nd was the Williams sister act in the Women's Final.

How is it that on the most American of holiday weekends that a very European sport like tennis can capture the headlines?

If tennis can do it, why not soccer? Yes, the Nadal/Federer match yesterday was one for the ages and the recordbooks...can't the same be said for the Euro 2008 Final between Germany and Spain?

Reserves Reward Soehn's Faith

The title says it all. A day after DC United defeated the Rochester Rhinos 2-0 in US Open Cup action, DCUnited.com posts a more in-depth recap talking about the match lineup.

The article dressed up the topic discussed yesterday about MLS teams taking it easy in the competition. Despite a few days off, much of the squad was "dinged and drained" after the Galaxy match. If the match was a league game, I'm sure they would have recovered. Thankfully, this time the team was able to inflict some pain as Francis Doe did (above).

However, coach Soehn was comfortable "taking a measured gamble" and then team won 2-0 on two late strikes from Marc Burch. The team moves on to the semifinals against the Chicago Fire. Will that look more like a league game or a reserve game? I guess we'll see...

MLS Dislikes Open Cup

Let's be clear: MLS doesn't like the US Open Cup. The Open Cup, a US Soccer tradition, pairs teams from up and down the professional and amateur ladder to crown the top club team in the States.

The third round, played last night, invites MLS teams into the fray and three of them lost. The NY Red Bulls lost to 2nd Division Crystal Palace USA, Houston Dynamo lost to 1st Division Charleston Battery, and Chivas USA was beat by the Seattle Sounders.

DC United played last night as well, beating the Rochester Rhinos 2-0. The game, played at the Maryland SoccerPlex, drew 2,000+ spectators.

Yes, the other MLS teams won. Hooray. By looking at DC's lineup, though, you can see how much energy they put forth in these matches. Only 4 of their 11 normal starters began the game last night, and the 2 goals came on set pieces from a good part-time player, Marc Burch.

In a few weeks, the Cup will end like past years...2 MLS teams bleeding their way to the final to play what amounts to a regular season game that doesn't count for much.

Why don't we eliminate the MLS teams or force them to play their better players? What would make this mean something for them?