Euro 2008

Wow. 4pm on Thursday and AUT v POL is in progress now at 0-1. I'm 50% Polish, so "yay!" I'm also 25% Austrian, so "boo!" I'm also 25% French, with last name Montcalm, so "go France!"

And I'm the proud new owner of an Olympique Lyonnais jersey after my wife's trip to Paris. "Why no PSG jersey?" you might ask? Not sure, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

So what's the point? Not sure. But DC United plays on Saturday night, and by then I should be almost ravenous to see our team attempt the quality that I've been seeing from Austria and Switzerland in the past few days.

Tonight: MLS Cup 2007 redux take 2. Although the Revs lost to the Dynamo last year 2-1 for the league championship at RFK, they handily beat the 1836 in their first game of the season by a count of 3 to nil. Should be a good one. Set your Tivos and then meet me at Kitty O'Sheas.

UPDATE (4:41pm): Oh. My. God. How do you give a penalty in stoppage time for that infraction? Horrible decision.

MLS Cup Weekend Redux

Is it possible to have enjoyed the weekend that just passed? Perhaps. Houston defeats New England to join United as the MLS Reps in the CONCACAF Champions Cup yet again, but at least the game was somewhat entertaining throughout all 90 minutes, as opposed to last year's tedium in slow motion. Houston, as they were last year, are worthy champions. But the emotions of the game? Well, I think Brian Garrison at An American's View summed it up quite nicely:

I commented to Sara as we walked up to the stadium this morning, "I feel like I am going to cheat on my girlfriend."

Still, as awful as it felt to watch another team win the MLS Cup, I can't imagine the feeling of having lost a fourth. If I were not who I am, I might admit to some small amount of sympathy for those Revolution fans that made the trip. Kids, that's gotta be tough, but I swear if you all turn into the taciturn morose Red Sox fans of pre-2004 days, I may have to smack you around some.

As for the USA-South Africa friendly, that was pretty much a dull tedious game to endure. Maybe I'm naive, but the USA seemed to have more flair and creativity when Bradley took over, and it has slowly disappeared. Still, the match was a win, and I met Bruce and Ives and commenter Jeffrey and others, and that's always good (and the part I enjoy the most.)

So now we're officially in the off season, and shockingly there is still work to be done. Drafts (expansion, super, and supplemental), player transactions, tense stadium negotiations... all of this will occupy our time. Oh, and self promotion as well (and there may be a bit of that this week.) Welcome to the offseason: I have a feeling it may not be as dull as it seems. Because, here's the thing. If United doesn't win the MLS cup next year, it will match the longest streak of time we've gone without adding a star. And that, my friends, is a bit worrisome.

A District Gentleman's Primer for Etiquette through the MLS Cup

With D.C. United eliminated, the uncomfortable specter of seeing an MLS Cup played in RFK without our team present is now an inevitability. While such situations may be socially awkward, it is not a scenario that people of good breeding should find insurmountable. Indeed, with tact and aplomb, we can still represent the finest traditions of D.C. United fandom even without D.C. United being around. First, some simple guidelines.

To Thine Own-self Be True: A gentleman will not find some sad, pale proxy of devotion for the remainder of these events. There is no call to adopt from phantom necessity another team to support. Your colors, as befits a gentleman, remain black. Eschew orange, sky blue, navy and red, or red and white. Black is a testament not only to your devotion to United, but also serve as a sober expression of mourning. Such things are appropriate. To root for any other team is to fling oneself at a brightly colored trollop, and is unbecoming for a true United fan. If one has family or close friends from Kansas City, Houston, Boston, or Chicago, then simple and reserved expressions of support are sufficient. However, as we are assuming a certain degree of class and taste, I find it unlikely that any of you have such poor associates.

The Play's The Thing: We shall not allow ourselves to be blinded by our own petty prejudices. While Matt Reis is still a gutter class thug, and Mr. White too frequently takes to the pitch suffering from the vapors, gentlemen of taste and discretion can still appreciate the moments of ingenuity these men can produce. As Petrarch once noted in De Vita Solitaria, "anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side." We will offer polite appreciation for the rare moments of class that we see displayed in future events.

The Cat Will Mew, the Dog Will Have His Day: If, after reading this most sage advice, the reader still finds the need the harbor fortune for one of the remaining teams, then I submit to you that your choices belong to either Kansas City or New England. In such cases, one can choose a higher motivation than simply "liking" (what a coarse word!) one of the other teams. Indeed, if it were simple on such a basis then I would no doubt clothe myself in a ten gallon hat and fake red mustache with a Holland jersey. However, Houston is not to be wished for, as it would be unfaithful to United's legacy as only repeating champions. No, if one must adopt a team, then Kansas City may be safely chosen, as your support for Kansas City can be represented as a statement of political convenience, a way of renouncing the silly rules that sent the worst seed to play in an easier conference. Given that Kansas City is likely to be playing the role of Carlos Ruiz's head to the Ricardo Clarks of the world, then one may also support New England. Their consistent appearances in the Eastern Conference final without fully realizing their ambitions have become tedious, and such gluttony can not be abided for long. Let them win the cup this year, and then cry "Enough!"

First Impressions - Chicago Fire 1 : 0 D.C. United

In the middle of the country, where I am, it is a cold and dreary looking night. I felt alone in the bar where I sat. Around me people played Buzztime trivia and gazed half-heartedly at the Red Sox-Rockies game. They were kind enough to put the game on the TV closest to my table, and for a moment I was glad. Until I saw that we had no Emilio, and no Moreno. Kpene can not be held responsible for 40 minutes of few chances... our midfield simply didn't know how to play the ball in. A cross? A play up the middle? Denied the comfortable views of Moreno and Emilio, they were confounded. It wasn't that Chicago stopped the United attack, but that the United attack never found a way to coalesce. We needed them in the game just to have a way to figure out what to do.

As for the goal, I believe a certain blog pointed out that one thing we get from Bobby Boswell is a good defensive presence in the air. Tonight feels like we payed for not having that presence, as Vanney was flat out beat on the header that put Rolfe in alone on goal. If this game is frustrating, it is because we saw all of the things that we've seen all season in one game. Vanney slow and out-played in the middle. Burch getting the ball taken from him while hesitating over the ball. McTavish a shade too loose in his marking. Gomez vanishing at the start (although he did find a way to assert himself later). Carroll meandering around the field. All the things that annoyed us at one point or another were there tonight, but the real problem was that I never felt like we were trying to come out with a lead. Maybe Tom Soehn had a good tactical plan he felt he could execute, but when you bench the best attacker in the league this season, and the all-time greatest goal scorer, you have to wonder if that doesn't send some sort of message. To me, it certainly spelled doom, but I knew I was tending toward the overly dramatic. Still, when the rain came, it seemed like a test of mojo. We win in the rain, but we lose to Chicago, which mojo is stronger? Sadly, we know now.

The Joy and Sorrow of Thursday Night Soccer

So, for various reasons, I'm on business travel this week and next week, which means I will not be at RFK for the second leg of our series against Chicago. There's an outside chance I may make it to the first leg, which would be nice, provided I can make the trip to Chicago in time from my hotel. This annoys me, but c'est la vie. The schedule makers chose to put United on National television, where I don't think they've fared particularly well since the 2004 home opener (does someone have stats on ESPN games and records?). Whatever. At least, out here in the middle of the country, I can at least see this game without the use of MLSLive.TV. That's something. I can see the game. And I packed a jersey in my bag. These things matter.

The middle part of the country is much different than the East Coast. You may think Boston, DC, and New York are different, and you're right, but there's a fundamental city/suburb/rural balance that is similar in all cities along I-95. No such situation. From Dallas to Houston to Detroit to Tulsa, there are small pockets of urban city and vast, gridded expanses of suburb. It's different. It's like MD-355, but instead on one line of strip malls, it extends outward into two dimensions. After a while, the sameness starts to get to you, and you feel like just kicking someone for fun. This may explain the choice of defensive tactics for the Fire.

But I am glad DC is facing Chicago tonight. If you must have disturbing issues from your past, immersion therapy is a legitimate option for getting over them, and that's what I hope to see. BDR is content with a grinding game tonight, and so am I, provided that we grind out a goal. Coming back to DC at nil-nil might be a bit too much of a 2005 parallel for me. If anyone must spit on CJ Brown, please do it tonight. Just do it after we've got one in the net.

RFK to host MLS Cup 2007

Everything is under the radar these days. Breaking with the recent past of only holding MLS Cup Finals at Soccer Specific Stadiums, The Washington Post is reporting that MLS will announce that the 2007 MLS Cup Final will be at RFK.

Now, for all the conspiracy minded out there who think that MLS was somehow instrumental in the Adu trade, this might feed that fire, since it offers DC a nice little bit of free publicity right after the Adu trade. For the moment, I will imagine that these are seperate stories... but man, the timing is interesting, no?

Addendum: Commenter Ray W says there ain't no quid for the quo here. I believe him. Also, there's something good about knowing that even if DC doesn't win the 2007 Championship, we'll still be closer to the Cup next year than the LA Galaxy ever will.