Stupid, Stupid, Stupid

Time for some head shaking: Defending champ United top FC Dallas in Open Cup

Fred and Brandon Barklage scored Wednesday night as defending champion D.C. United beat FC Dallas 2-0 in a play-in game in the U.S. Open Cup.

Fred scored in the 21st minute, and 2009 third-round draft pick Barklage got his first career goal in the 66th as United coach Tom Soehn went with a younger lineup to keep his veterans fresh for this weekend's MLS game against New York.

Another rookie, second-round draft choice Milos Kocic, made four saves to get the shutout in his United debut.

Although United won the Cup a year ago, they were forced to play preliminary matches in this year's tournament because of their poor MLS record in 2008.

Why should MLS teams take this tournament seriously if winning it doesn't even guarantee you are participating in it the next year?

And if it isn't something they should take seriously, then why are they playing in the damn thing at all?

My Wife's Not Perfect

...but she's pretty damn good.

So, this morning I'm really impatient with just about everything. I'm bugged by the amount of time it takes me to make sandwiches, the amount of time my wife takes to drink her coffee, the fact there isn't a parking spot right in front of the building, the wait for the elevator...I mean every freakin' thing. Well, I work in the same building and on the same floor as my wife so she is witness to all of this, and it dawns on me that she is looking pained and expectant because she can't figure out what the hell is wrong with me.

"Oh, by the way," I say as she begins to head for her office, "I'm being such a dick because I'm nervous about the Blues game tonight."

"You're kidding?" she says.

"No. That's really it."

She rolls her eyes, but doesn't say another word.

I'll take it.

Yes, I Realize It

I know I've not posted anything about it, but I am well aware that the Blues clinched a play-off spot last night (with an assist from the Minnesota Wild, who finally discovered the point of the game is to put the puck in their opponents net.)

I'll admit it, I'm a happy man. This team has been a lot of fun to watch, and this run from 15th and dead last to 7th or 8th in the conference has been one for the ages. What is especially rewarding about following this Blues team is you are not only seeing a team "come together" in the sense of developing chemistry, but you are also seeing home grown talent grow into impact players. I know that is normal for followers of other franchises, but it is a novelty if you have been following the Blues your entire life. When I hear seasoned fans saying things like "This is my favorite Blues team!" I know where they are coming from, although my favorite team will always be the Monday Night Miracle squad of 1986. It is gratifying to follow a player from the time they are drafted, and have them amount to something.

So, what will the future bring? Well, in the immediate future I've no clear idea, but I'm glad these young players will be getting a taste of the playoffs. It will only help them in the slightly more distant future.

However, I think I know what we will see in the next 5 years or so: A Stanley Cup.

Can't you feel it building?

First Impression Of Rio Tinto Stadium

I'm watching DC play Real Salt Lake in their new stadium. It looks nice, but I think they need to let the grass grow a little. It is playing like "field turf" (aka shitty astroturf.) Right now the pitch in Salt Lake is perfect if your favorite part of soccer is a bad first touch.

So far, 25 minutes in, DC is holding their own but not looking very dangerous.

Who Needs To Sign A Closer?

What's the worst thing that could happen?



Oh, yeah.

That's More Like It

I guess the US likes home cooking. Here is Steve Goff on the win over T&T:

Three goals for Jozy Altidore. Three assists for Landon Donovan. And for the U.S. men's national soccer team, three more points in its continuing pursuit of a 2010 World Cup berth.

Altidore, 19, became the youngest player in U.S. history to record a hat trick as the Americans responded from a sub-par performance over the weekend and defeated Trinidad and Tobago, 3-0, Wednesday night before 27,959 at LP Field.

He staked the United States to a 13th-minute lead with a one-timer from six yards, blended power, precision and a clever touch in the 71st, and capped just his ninth international appearance with a shot from distance that slipped under a beleaguered goalkeeper in the 89th.

Four days after scoring during a second-half comeback that resulted in a 2-2 tie at El Salvador, Altidore kept the Americans (2-0-1) atop the six-nation standings and on pace to earn one of three automatic berths in next summer's 32-team tournament.

"Jozy is a player who obviously can hold the ball, but he also moves well," U.S. Coach Bob Bradley said. "He drifts from the side, he comes from different spots, and most of all, he is someone when he gets chances around the goal has an ability to finish."

Finishing? What a nice concept. Actually, Jozy's hat-trick, while nice, wasn't entirely deserved. The third goal resulted from a pretty weak effort by the T&T goalie. On the other hand, there was nothing weak about the second goal.



In general the US played well. Even Ching had a good moment or two. There still seems to be too much mis-communication out there, but Bradley was playing people in slightly unfamiliar spots (Beasley at left back, Donovan in left midfield, Bradley as attacking midfielder) and that might have had something to do with it.

It is still early days yet with this team, but we seem to be on the way for an easier World Cup qualification process. Still, I'd like to see this team become much stronger. I'm just not sure I'm seeing the right players on the field to become that stronger team.

We shall see.

Players Kicked Off Scotland Side For "Being Too Scottish"

Sad times indeed:

Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor have been dropped for Scotland's World Cup qualifier tonight for being "too Scottish", the Scottish Football Association have confirmed.

It is understood the Rangers duo were displaying their "blatant Scottishness" in a drinking session at Scotland's Loch Lomond base after they returned from Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Holland in Amsterdam.

"It was shocking!" shrieked SFA spokesman I. Fellate Youngboys to the media on Wednesday. "We had no idea this sort of thing could happen. First these two borrowed 90 pounds from the head coach, and then they bought a bottle of that horrid 'Scotch'. And then, to make matters worse, they drank it!" Mr. Youngboys then preceded to squeal and stamp his feet. "It gives me the silly willies just thinking about it."

It is alleged that Ferguson, 31, and McGregor, 27, carried on drinking and reciting Robert Burns' poetry in front of guests at the Cameron House Hotel hours after their team-mates had drifted off to their rooms, much to manager George Burley's anger.

"I had no idea when I took this job," said a visibly shaken Burley, "that the term 'Scotland' would mean I could have players who would be or act Scottish. I thought the term was meant to be ironic like 'Greenland' or something."

Ferguson and McGregor could not be reached for comment as they were busy stuffing a sheep stomach for a late night "snack." Authorities have been warned of the possibility of further acts of Scottishness being perpetrated by these two scoundrels.

Tonight the United Kingdom rests uneasy.

I Miss The Baseball Cliché Translation Project

Don't you?

My favorite:

Manager: "He's 'sneaky-quick'."

Translation: There is no objective measure by which this guy can be said to have a fastball, yet sadly he still isn't the rag arm of our staff.

I'm Expecting Better Things

World Cup qualifying continues for the USMNT tonight when they take on T&T in that well known soccer hotbed Nashville, Tennessee. All I can say is I hope we look better then we did over the weekend against El Salvador ("The Fighting Floppers").

Nothing is more frustrating then watching the national team struggle because they do not have the right players out there. For example, how many sub-par performances do we need to sit through before Bradley realizes that Brian Ching is not up to the standard of the international game? I know, in general, you can get away with starting Ching in games against CONCACAF competition, but shouldn't we be building towards a higher level of play? I'm sorry, but Ching is not "the poor man's Brian McBride." Ching is Ching, and that simply isn't good enough.

Also, Bradley's decision to start Guzan last time out was a poor one. This is nothing against Guzan really, but he hasn't been playing for his club side and the lack of match play was glaringly obvious. The team would have been better served by playing a goalie starting in MLS even if they are just getting started back up. Needless to say, I'm happy that Howard is back from suspension tonight.

If there is one thing I don't need in my life, it is uncertainty about this World Cup Qualifying campaign. Let's get the three points so we can work to ending this competition quickly.