Getting the Full 90

Good morning all. It is February 6, and pointy-ball is officially off the radar here. Which means we're gearing up for April now. Speaking of gear...

CYBORG ESKANDARIAN TAKES PITCH Saturday, John Haydon gets a good article on Aleck Eskandarian. As Comcast has been showing in the Brunch With DC United series, Alecko was pure gold during the 2004 playoff run, so if putting him in protective headgear gets him on the pitch, then do it. In a good note, maybe the concussions caused amnesia of the way he was snakebitten during the playing time he did have in 2005. And while I am thrilled with the possibility that he might come back, I have to remind myself to temper my enthusiasm. It's probably going to take a few games at full speed for him to find his touch again. But at least he'll have the opportunity.

FREDDY ADU - "BRUCE WANTS ME TO BE A REGULAR STARTER" Is anyone other than me nervous about the entire Freddy Adu / Bruce Arena / Piotr Nowak situation that could be brewing? Grant Wahl at CNN/SI scores an interview with Freddy Adu. What worries me are passages like this:

Adu: I had a meeting with Coach [Bruce] Arena, and he gave me the choice of whether I wanted to stay with the national team or join D.C. United for the start of preseason in order to compete for a starting spot on the team. It's my third season, and he feels I should be playing more and that a player gets better by playing games. He wants me to be a 90-minute player, so he suggested that and gave me the choice. I decided to follow that advice. The best thing for me to do is join D.C. United from the start because I want to be a regular starter for the team.

Now, Freddy is still behind Christian Gomez on the depth charts. You can slide him over to the wing only if you think his defense is good enough to support it. Up-top, he's fighting for time with Moreno, Eskandarian, Walker, and Filomeno. I don't see a regular full ninety minutes in the cards for him at the start of the season. And if that doesn't happen, will he lash out again? Bruce has just complicated Piotr's life. It would have been better if Bruce had said "You know what Freddy? I don't see you going to Germany, but with some good effort for your club and a strong workrate in future camps, I can definately see you getting more caps in the upcoming Gold Cups." It is worrisome.

HOW TO BE IN THE FRONT OFFICE FOR DC UNITED, NOT USING WORLDWIDE SOCCER MANAGER 2006 Quick little article in the Post on how some people break into Sports Management. If you're interested. It sounds like while the jobs are more open than before, it is still a tough road to take.

Okay folks, more thoughts later, but that's the weekend news. Oh, and there is all this stuff here, for those of you who are interested and still occasionally put fries on top of your salads. Or your sandwiches. Or anything. With a fried egg.