(Get) A Sporting Life

Things continue to look up on my soccer front : After several days of negotiations, the MLS club announced Wednesday that it has acquired the former U.S. national team starter from French club Sochaux on a one-year loan. United will also have the option to purchase his contract at the end of the season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources close to the situation said United agreed to pay Davies about $300,000 [UPDATE: I'm now told it's around $180,000] and include several incentives. To claim him, United exercised its position at the top of the MLS allocation order, which is utilized when prominent U.S. players decide to play in the league. United will formally introduce the 24-year-old forward at a 2 p.m. news conference at RFK Stadium (live video on the team's Web site). Davies, who has been practicing with the club for the past two weeks, will then fly to Oxnard, Calif., for the third stage of training camp. He will wear uniform No. 9, his national team desi...

Well, Santino Quaranta has put the second stage of his comeback journey behind him; he has made the team : Forward-midfielder Santino Quaranta signed a multiyear contract with D.C. United yesterday, completing his return to the club with which he started his MLS career seven years ago. Quaranta, 23, began a tryout with United last week and appeared in two exhibitions Wednesday against Chivas USA at a tournament near San Antonio. Terms were not disclosed, but Quaranta said his base salary is lower than the $105,000 he earned with Los Angeles and New York last season. Several bonus incentives were included, he said. Quaranta, a Baltimore native, is expected to travel with the team to Jamaica for Wednesday's first leg of the Champions' Cup quarterfinal series against Harbour View. With Ben Olsen recuperating from ankle injuries, Quaranta might see considerable playing time on the right side of midfield this spring. Evidently, he must have impressed because United wasted no time in...

The prospect of a truly dedicated Santino Quaranta playing for DC United has me excited. What kind of dolt am I? Hopefully, not the completely gullible kind: Quaranta's Second Chance The nameplate above Santino Quaranta's locker in the basement of RFK Stadium provides a stark reminder of his status with D.C. United. "GUEST PLAYER." For the most part, he is no different than the other nameless candidates competing for a contract and a roster spot, just another hopeful young player trying to make an impression on the coaching staff in the waning days of MLS training camp. But with Quaranta, there is a history unmatched not only by the other contenders, but also some established players. After never fulfilling the promise he displayed as a 16-year-old rookie midfielder-forward with United seven years ago, after being sidelined by countless injuries, traded twice and waived this winter, the Baltimore native has resurfaced on a trial basis with his original club. "Th...