Messi = ?

This is just really awesome.

A Few Questions After Thursday Night

- Is Beckham watching his team get off with one point in their first two matches? If they keep this up will he request a trade to that OTHER Los Angeles team who's actually going to win some games?

- Where is Landon Donovan?

- Are Carlos Ruiz and Kenny Cooper going to be the most lethal combination this year? If Cooper keeps scoring goals, how long can Bob Bradley keep pretending he's not on the bench for the national team?

A Reflection on Web 2.0

Just thought I'd plug the website that one of my professors and some of my classmates have been working on this semester - it's a collection of quasi essays all relating to the emergence of new electronic media and inspired by the Youtube hit, The Machine is Us/ing Us. Here's the link to "Just Like a Machine" and I've included the video below.

Goodbye, Mr. Vonnegut

I suppose I can't eulogize in as effective a manner as most others, but I think I ought to bid Kurt Vonnegut farewell. One of the few authors whose catalog I've read extensively, he is probably the reason I turned towards writing at Ithaca College. I remember reading Slaughterhouse Five for the first time, and then mowing through it over and again. Cat's Cradle, Welcome to the Monkeyhouse and Player Piano - Vonnegut made me want to read, and then made me want to make a difference by writing.

I love reading this article, published when Vonnegut was 82, knowing that he was just as critical and incisive well into old age. While he can't, his work deserves to live on and on.

~ I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can't see from the center. ~

DC - Colorado Wrap Up

Just a couple general thoughts at the start of the game. The pitch is enormous but it looks like the stadium is a little empty - they're showing the weather hovering at right around 30 so I'm sure that's keeping some of the crowd away. I love the introduction, the music and walking out of the locker rooms together is definitely a step towards improving the professionalism in MLS.

The game started slow - probably a combination of the chilly weather and both teams feeling out the enormous field. A couple nice touches at the top of the box but nothing pans out on either side. I'm interested to see how the surprise starters on the wings - DeRoux and Moose. Olsen gets into the game with a dirty sliding tackle and Perkins makes a nice touch over the bar in the 11th minute.

The opposite keeper, 25-year-old Bouna Coundoul, from Senegal looks athletic and confident, making a save off a well worked shot from Moreno that was destined for the top corner. Terry Cooke looks threatening for the Rapids and he is the one that whips in a corner kick that Herculez Gomez nods home. Just when I was going to compliment DeRoux on a nice start he lost his man badly on the corner, and United goes down a goal in the 19th minute.

Foudy just made a nice point about Colorado's use of the wide areas - something DC isn't doing at all. Moose and DeRoux keep drifting inside, further crowding an already busy central midfield.

In the 35th minute Colorado goes up 2-0 on a well worked play that Brown flicks through to Beckerman and ends up with the ball bak at his feet, taking a calm touch and slotting it home on the far post. The defense has really been in shambles twice, once on a dead ball and now again during the run of play. I think both announcers are being a little harsh on Perkins, harping on how he's on a bad streak after his flapper at Guadalajara.

The second half improved slightly, but as the game moved on there were chippy fouls on both sides, and I think the referee lost a little bit of control, especially when he pulled out a card but DC went on with the play and he never awarded the card. DC's movement of the ball improved when the two wide players were changed - Fred in for Moose and Casal in for DeRoux. While I wasn't particularly impressed with Fred, but Casal showed a willingness to drive at the defense and eventually earned Emilio a free header to draw DC closer. 2-1 in the 80th minute.

The only thing that stood out to me the rest of the game was how Moreno again disappeared in the late stages and how much of a whiner Jacob Peterson is. Not a particularly impressive start for DCU and it's highly touted offense, especially after some good showings in the Champion's Cup. Hopefully Soehn can trick Erpen into sealing up that side and the home opener against Kansas City will be a better performance.

DC Player of the Game: I guess if anyone, Emilio for his hold up play and another smart run and strong finish for DC's goal.

Man of the Match: Terry Cooke looks like he's going to be a real threat from the wing, especially at home on the field that's 80 meters wide. He could rack up a huge number of assists.

Opening Day for MLS - United at Rapids

Several nice storylines for this game. Obviously being the season opener for the entire league is an exciting backdrop - on top of that is the first match being played at brand spankin' new Dick's Sporting Goods Park.



The stadium is a beauty - imagine something similar in DC and what a difference it would make in the gameday atmosphere. A little bit of jealousy is setting in seeing other MLS cities and their soccer specific homes. So today should be a beautiful spring day for the opening kick off - a high in the low 30's with snow flurries. Oh the Brazilians must be loving life.

Just about an hour before gametime and I'm watching the end of the Man U/Portsmouth match as an appetizer. With a few minutes left it looks like Chelsea could be giving a hearty thank you to Portsmouth in a couple weeks. Oops - now they'll be thanking Rio Ferdinand who just made a fine pass past Van der Sar into his own net.

For those interested, here is a link to a nice summation of what happened in the offseason and what to look for this season from Soccer America.

More on the DCU match when its time. My predictions for today's games:

DC 2 Colo 1
Dallas 2 Salt Lake 2
Red Bull 0 Crew 0
Chicago 1 New England 0
Toronto 1 Chivas 3
Galaxy 2 Houston 0

Quick Note on Champions Cup

Unfortunately I was only able to watch the first half of both the DCU/Chivas and Dynamo/Pachucha matches. Especially upset about missing the second, not so upset about sparing myself the emotional distress of watching the ball slip through Troy Perkins hands. Anyways, one thing that seemed to stand out is how the Mexican squads had very complete teams, while the difference for both MLS teams might have been just one or two weak spots on the field that consistently failed to produce.

For DC, it was Clyde Simms who really disappointed, although he was playing out of position. The ball was given away time after time, and from what I hear they eventually just stopped playing him out wide. That wide position may continue to be a thorn in the side of United depending on the damage done to Gros.

In Houston's case it was the severe lack of pace at right back. Craig Waibel was just not at the level needed for intense international competition against much more skilled and swift attackers. Clumsy challenges were abound - the other man badly missed was obviously Ricardo Clark due to injury.

The level of play between Mexican and MLS teams is obviously drawing closer. The DCU match proved to be a balanced affair, and Houston showed an immeasurable amount of toughness going down two goals before fighting back ahead of the tie several times. It's too bad neither team could produce the moment needed for victory, but if these matches are any indicator, Mexican regional dominance on the club level is waning.

DC United - Chivas 2nd Leg

There's a couple things I'd like to address about tonight's game, which is airing live on Fox Soccer Channel at 9:30 EST. The first thing nagging me is the incessant reminders of DC's heavy loss to Pumas two years ago; this is not the same team. That's all I will say on that subject.

One of the most important things for United over the course of this year will be staying healthy, especially in the back. Tonight we should expect the same starting lineup, I think, as the first leg, barring the introduction of Fred. Washington Post writer Steve Goff, who knows more of the nitty gritty than most of us, suggests that Fred may be used as a sub option.

If he is spot on then this is what DC should look like:

Perkins
Erpen Boswell Namoff
Simms (Fred?) B. Carroll Olsen Gros
Gomez
Emilio Moreno

I think one of the keys to this game will be limiting errors in the back. Any errant passes in the first leg were met with howls from the sizable Chivas crowd and I can only imagine shaky nerves being compounded by a disruptive crowd tonight. Estadio Jalisco is a capacity of just under 60,000 and I wonder how many will be on hand this evening. If it's anything close to that, it must be one of the largest crowds in front of which United has ever played.

As Sideline Views noted the other day, Chivas is not invincible, even to a lesser opponent. Tonight I don't think United will be at a lower level after the opening leg where they at least proved capable of competing without resorting to bunker tactics.

Another interesting question, especially after all this talk of Jaime Moreno being called back into the Bolivian squad for Copa America this summer: Will he show more energy, or any at all, tonight than he did in the first leg where he was a ghost except for one threatening shot?

I think that if United could strike early Chivas might be apt to fall apart in front of a pressure inducing crowd, hungry for victory after losses in 2 of their last 3 league games. I would think their faithful are expecting a strong victory over an MLS squad. One the flip side I think going down early would be disastrous for United. An important factor in avoiding that fate is Omar Bravo's absence due to yellow card accumulation (2). While I don't agree with the restrictive rule, I'm not arguing at this point; Bravo was the one consistent threat in DC utilizing his speed against a particularly medium paced backline.

The collection by tonight's winner is substantial. It assures a spot in Copa Sudamerica and the chance to play into the World Club Championship, not to mention whatever prize money is alloted to the winner. MLS would earn considerable respect with the presence of at least one, and maybe two, in the finals of the regional tournament. Lastly, a win here would add more fuel to the Sperliga this summer. I'll certainly be rooting for Houston tomorrow night as well.

Can Christian Gomez find a way to get more involved while the Chivas midfield hounds him? Will Emilio's goal streak continue? Who is Fred? We'll see tonight; what an evening it would be if United could pull out a win in Guadalajara.

New Twist in Iran Seizure of British Sailors

This article from the Independent in London certainly seems to complicate the ongoing hostage situation in Iran. I wonder what relevance this actually has in the grand scheme of the incident?

Thought this deserved at least a mention before I moved on to important matters of the day... Like DC United's Concacaf Champion's Cup game against Chivas tonight.

Cuauhtemoc Blanco to Join Chicago Fire

This move by the Fire marks the third player to occupy the league's newly created Designated Player slots; Blanco's contract is expected to be around $2 million a year. I'm hearing lots and lots of bad reviews on this move. I personally am not a big fan of it either, but there are several directions it could go.

If nothing, Blanco will certainly bring attitude to the team and the league. Whether its the right kind of attitude only time will tell. He is an immensely skilled player that comes with a gorialla of an attitude. That balance of goalscoring and playmaking potential versus the potential headache he could cause the club will be what ultimately determines if he is worth the money, especially at age 34. Some of the highlights below show both the beauty of his goals and the boneheadedness of his celebrations that, should they continue in MLS will certainly cause controversy.



I would say that so far Blanco brings the least to his team of the players acquired through the league's new rule. Reyna and Beckham are both proven leaders who will undoubtedly boost morale before they undo their team. Reyna is still capable of being an engine in the midfield, I think, even if his legs might be wearing down a little. Beckham has those magical moemnts especially from crosses and free kicks, not to mention his enormous drawing power for the league. Will Blanco be able to fulfill these established expectations?

Some questions to consider over this move:

Will this be another tired, aging star transferring to MLS to cash in on his name when his skills might no longer bring home the same paycheck? For the sake of the league I hope this won't be true and that he can produce at least a few of the special moments of which he is capable.

Can Blanco service the Fire in a positive manner that overwhelms his history of having a bad attitude? As a DC fan, I don't mind this aspect so much. If they want to spend money on a guy who is going to bring down the clubhouse then so be it. Maybe they should take a better look at who DC is bringing into their club.

How much drawing power does Blanco still have for Mexican-American communities at MLS stops? In Chicago there is no doubt they can boost attendance if the club promotes Blanco in a positive way. He won't arrive until after his contract expires with Club America at the end of June, but there is certainly the opportunity for a marketing campaign that will help attendance during the summer months.

I guess we'll wait and see if all of Blanco's magic is used up or, if for a year or two, which I hope is all the Fire are planning, he showcases his world class ability.