Open BLECH for DCU v LAG

CSN is letting me down. My wife and I are on a reduced entertainment budget, so we can't necessarily afford the trip to RFK and the inevitable beers cotton candy. And we have Comcast basic cable... I guess we are grandfathered in on that; is that even offered to new subscribers anymore?

Subsequently I don't get Fox Soccer Channel. Not like I'd want it; f**k Fox, in any formation or configuration.

I want Dave Johnson. I want Garth Lagerway.

Actually, I prefer listening to Tony Limarzi.

Anyway, it sounds like Emilio played his ass off and didn't get any satisfaction, so everyone tell me whether I'm right or I'm wrong in the comments.

And pass along free tickets and other stuff to me when you have it, since my wife will be in school for 16 months and we'll be on only one income. Thanks in advance.

First Impressions - DC United 1 : 0 LA Galaxy

Okay, so let's say that of the 45,000 people that went to see the game, 20,000 were there for Beckham. I think it's safe to assume that at least 25,000 were casual United fans to begin with who also came out for this one. Fair? Good. Let's talk about those 20,000 fans that came first and foremost for Sir Becks-a-lot.

They saw a pretty good game, even in the rain. More importantly, they saw a good United game. I missed most of the first half because of work related obligations, but it was there on the TiVo, and United had a good first half. They had a good second half. They created some great chances (and if Fred and Moreno hadn't decided to reenact the forward styling of Chris Albright and kept the shots lower, they would have had more goals.) But the moment that convinced me we minted some new fans was around the 55th minute when Fred took the ball at midfield and neatly spun around two markers to get free. There was a roar. The entire stadium saw a bit of midfield play, saw some real skill, and it went right to the limbic system. I'd say that moment alone might have minted a hundred or so new fans to United. That's a good thing.

And while the Beckham circus can be a tedious thing, let's remember that he did bring those people to this game, and in a few years they could well be die hard supporters who feel only mildly embarrassed about why they came to their first game. That's a good thing. United came out, won the game, won with some nice flair, and earned some respect. And you may not like to say it, but Beckham helped.

I should also point out a few things about ESPN. Kudos to Tommy Smythe for acknowledging the longtime support of the fans we've had when Eric and DOB were insisting that the place was raucous only for Beckham. And Kudos to David Beckham for saying more nice things about United in his post-game interview than Eric and DOB managed the entire telecast.

And most of all, kudos to United. Sure, I am mildly annoyed at the missed chances, but two clean sheets in a row is nothing to sneeze at. The defense, especially in the first half, deserves a lot of credit. Boswell marked Donovan the way we'd been hoping Boswell would play all year. Namoff and Burch looked good, and Josh Gros was just as much of a menace as Fred, and I mean that in a good way. For me, the Man of the Match is Troy Perkins, who stood tall when he had to, and slid in clean when he had to. I also liked seeing him get angry during one of the few defensive lapses (and while he may look like an 8 year old complaining about his sister tagging along to the neighborhood sand lot game, I wouldn't have wanted to be the one he was yelling at.)

Now just tell me that Ben Olsen is okay after what looked like a hamstring strain, and tell me will finish more of those nice chances, and I will be a truly happy man.

God I love this team some days.

Ye Olde Coffee Links

Let's add a little of merry old England to today's links roundup to help you down this morning's preferred caffeine delivery system.

• Will Beck's play this Thursday? Once he does, Galaxy coach Frank Yallop wouldn't say one way or the other if his star midfielder will play. Beckham himself thinks he's a week to 10 days away from playing.
  
• Norman Chad has Beck's personal diary.
  
• An AP Sotry looks at the trend of foreign owned clubs in the Premier League.
• A roundup of Sunday's results in MLS.
• Lobbying to host the World Cup Finals in 2018 is already starting up.
  

The Family

Anyone else catch the Beckham presser, and listen to the coded transmissions from Alexi Lalas regarding the LA Galaxy locker room and his relationship with Frank Yallop? Very interesting. One recurring trope was the idea of the LA Galaxy "family." They're a happy family, they're a happy family, they're a happy family, them, mom, and daddy*.


*Not their best song, which remains Bonzo Goes to Bitburg where a political sentiment was actually expressed with nuance, humanity, and poignancy. Something the more political acts of today could learn from. Just saying.

Tuesday Morning Espresso Shots

Would you like something with that Espresso shot, sir? Maybe a Danish or Scone? How about some links?

Adderley Wins Player of the Week: I have to spell it out or I think of something completely different. Good for Jamacian Nick. Made the most of an opportunity and punished the Rapids, exactly what United needs up front. He played physical against Colorado spinning their defenders like quarters, something we didn't see the last time he suited up. I think United will have loads of depth up front once they get Moreno back from the Copa America and Kpene back from his injury.

Beckham ZOMG!!!: Individual tickets for the LA Galaxy game featuring Beckham went on sale yesterday. According to the report DC United had already sold about 30,000 before yesterday and is holding around 2,500 back for the bigger plans. So tell your friends to order quick because this one will probably sell out. Also, if you are bringing a big group of friends please tell them to at least wear black and boo the other team.

United and the Copa America: Looks like Boswell is the 4 central defender on the Copa America team as Califf came in for an injured Demerit. I believe this puts Boswell 7th on the full US depth chart. Olsen however is starting, playing well. I don't think that he a legitimate option for 2010, but he has shown through talent, leadership and heart that bringin him in for this tournament was a great move. I didn't catch Bolivia's second game, I am sure Oscar can tell us how Moreno did.

ESPN Hates Hockey???: Lifton over at the SE Podcast has a link and some soccer views on a good little piece about how ESPN is ignoring hockey. Not really DCU related, or even soccer related, but it is good to remember that we aren't the only ones. By the way, the Bill Simmons diary the piece references is hilarous and you should definately read it if you have the time.

Steve Nash offers the best take on the Beckham signing.

I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, but did anyone hear Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash on Pardon the Interruption yesterday? While he didn't say anything new, he did offer a coherent, MLS friendly take on the David Beckham signing:

KORNHEISER: ...Do you seriously think that David Beckham is going to make an impact in soccer in the United States?

NASH: He will make an impact because he's a huge star regardless of the sport, and he'll put soccer in every magazine and every newspaper and TV Show. You guys will be dying to have him on PTI. He'll make an impact because a lot of people will be exposed to the sport. But I really think this sport is on its way in this country regardless. I think the talent is growing, I think they've always had the grassroots, and the professional league is building soccer-only stadiums. There's a lot of money going into it, so I think soccer is here to stay. It may never be as big as the big four, but it's definitely growing, and maybe it'll be the fifth sport. Obviously, I'm a fan and a bit biased, but I think it's really on its way.

Considering the sheer number of idiotic articles we all read from non-soccer familiar individuals in the wake of the Beckham signing, Nash came out and gave a great endorsement to MLS on a pretty large sports related stage.

Washington Post Odds and Ends

Goff had an online chat today. Good stuff as always.

Also, he has more information on the Emilio signing. Luciano is making about $200,000 a year, for four years. Notice how Goff reports the Beckham contract correctly, unlike a majority of other sports writers across the world.

The sports Bog had this great story on draft day, and though it was in our comments section thanks to one of our readers we never linked to it until now. Good stuff about United's G'town draft pick, Ricky Schramm.

Leonard Shapiro has an intersting article on Beckham's signing, which is one of the better articles I have read on the matter. But most interesting to United fans when he parapharases Kevin Payne.

In Washington, he [PAYNE] pointed out, cable ratings for D.C. United games on Comcast were about equal to ratings for Wizards regular season games and about 2 1/2 times greater than numbers for the Capitals.

First off, everyone knows that both the Wizards and the Capitals have a lot more games than D.C. United. So they obviously make more money because of that, just like they do in attendance. Some people knew that United had better ratings that the Caps. But, I had no idea that United was basically even with the Wizards in ratings. That is very interesting, and these numbers are a good sign for D.C. United's future.

OK, Becks to LA

I know I should write something about Beckham going to LA. It makes LA a better team, even though we all saw how well Beckham dealt with the heat of summer. It'll probably bump attendence at Galaxy road games. Yet the thing is... I just don't feel much at all. It's sort of like Dice-K signing with the Red Sox. It's a big deal for some, especially Boston fans, but I don't feel like it significantly impacts the team I support. I'm sure AEG will make its money back on this. I think Beckham makes them better. I'm sure this brings all sorts of attention to MLS... and yet I just don't care. What's wrong with me?

UPDATES: Here's your DCU angle: Kevin Payne comments. As for me, I think the problem is that I'm somewhat emotionally numb right now. The ownership, the stadium... I've been all worked up over those so there's little left for this.