Story Eating Room, Dollar Budweisers and the MLS All Star Game

Given that the game was last Saturday I really missed the boat on writing up a report on the travesty that were the last 40 minutes against Dallas. Disappointing really sums it up, although while watching the game from right behind La Norte, Dallas' goals weren't all that surprising. I had a perfect view of Brian Carroll being outworked by Toja on his first goal. On his second I was forced to watch Mr. Hyde come errently out of the goal and be outjumped.

I wrote up a report of the game on the Metro the other morning and I think it disappeared in the depths of my room. Unfortunately no dog to blame for eating it. I think it found its way into my shiny new trash can.

So with game report gone missing I went to meet up with Brian (one of my roommates) to catch the All Star game and some beers down at Union Jacks in Bethesda. Nice bar they have down there, lots of pool tables, and Thursday the Budweisers are $1 starting at 7.

Given the lack of information (the All Star game started at 9:30 I think) and the amount of time to drink dollar Budweisers between 7 and kickoff, I consequently missed a good bit of the game.

I did see Beckhams blond head. I did see Gomez score before looking at the linesman in dismay. I saw the Colombians score. I saw EJ miss his penalty because he neglected to notice that the goalkeeper was pretty much already standing on the side where he was shooting. That's all that happened right? Two and a half hours = many $1 Budweisers.

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

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.

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.