Well, Experiment #2 was certainly more successful than Experiment #1 down in T&T. Then again, it's generally a bit easier to carry out said experiments when the laboratory is sterile and littered with Guatemalan corpses. What a putrid effort by a team supposedly fighting for their World Cup lives! In any case, the US runs out easy 2-0 winners with goals by Kenny Cooper (let the Click to continue reading...

David Winner's Brilliant Orange is half cultural guide, half nostalgic reminiscence for a faded beauty, and half the history of Dutch soccer, with all its attendant wonderful personalities and stories. Yes, your math is correct--three halves. But then such is the neurotic genius (note the book's subtitle) and strange perception of space that belongs not just to the Dutch, but to this book as Click to continue reading...

In case you missed them this weekend, go check out my reactions to the Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals first. All done? Excellent. It's fitting, isn't it, that in a season that featured the Eastern Conference as the dominant force for much of the year, that we should end up with two teams from the East in the final. Click to continue reading...

So, here's the potential members of the B-team that Bob will be running out against Guatemala on Wednesday: GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan, Troy Perkins, Matt Pickens DEFENDERS: Jonathan Bornstein, Sean Franklin, Cory Gibbs, Clarence Goodson, Drew Moor, Michael Parkhurst MIDFIELDERS: Freddy Adu, Davy Arnaud, Ricardo Clark, Sacha Kljestan, Pablo Mastroeni, John Thorrington FORWARDS: Jozy Altidore, Conor Click to continue reading...

Another mildly horrifying MLS Cup promo video, this time starring a couple of our own. Is this why United missed out on the playoffs--too busy shooting crappy ads? Click to continue reading...

It's a funny old game isn't it? The first time the Red Bulls had their playoff lives in their hands, they got absolutely slaughtered by Chicago and had to meekly back their way into the playoffs courtesy of DC United's inability to hit anything but woodwork in their season finale. But since giving up five to the Fire, the Bulls have conceded just one goal in their last three matches, depending Click to continue reading...

Hey, anybody remember when United drafted this dude? Between the #2 keeper for a team currently sitting second in Bundesliga 2, a big (6'2") bench-warming midfielder for an equipe de Ligue Une, and a guy that became a fixture (and captain towards the end of the season) in central defense for a newly promoted side that managed to keep itself in the Norwegian top flight, United might have had a Click to continue reading...

Well, I just spent a lovely rainy morning watching the Crew-Fire match, which turned out to be a pretty good advertisement for the league. Momentum shifted, veteran internationals and young Americans were on display, the pace and excitement of the game were high, and there were chances at both ends. Click to continue reading...

Wow! I'm pretty sure the East went about as everybody expected, and I was part of the sizable camp that favored RSL over Chivas, but who saw the Dynamo not only getting ousted in the first round, but getting clotheslined by a low Red Bulls hurdle--at home to boot? MLS Cup 2008 is going to feature either RSL or the Red Bulls. Click to continue reading...

It's been a while since I've done one of these, so let's have at it . . . Alessandro Del Piero has been absolutely on fire lately, his goals belying his advanced years (34 on Sunday--Jeebus the dude's almost as old as moi!). If you didn't get to see the two that he scored against Real Madrid, in Madrid, last night, dig up the highlights. Click to continue reading...

With the MLS off-season coming in just a few short weeks, it's only fitting that we should be casting about for something to fill the long, cold, and dark hours until the SuperDraft gets the blood boiling for 2009. Fortunately, the good folks at Sports Interactive have heard our cries and timed the release of Football Manger / Worldwide Soccer Manager 2009 pretty much perfectly. Click to continue reading...

The first set of playoff results are in the book, and a tight lot of games they were--three draws and a one-goal victory. No tie was blown wide open, which means that we should see another tight state of affairs next week. What we're really seeing here is the Power of Parity. It doesn't matter if you stomped the league (Columbus) or just came back from the dead in the last month (KC). Click to continue reading...

Alright, let's get ready for the post-season with a quick walk through the first round matchups and make a few predictions, shall we . . . ? Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution The playoffs kick off tonight with the Fire paying a visit to the Revs in the battle of 2 vs. 3 in the East. On the basis of table position, playoff experience (and success), and mental toughness, you would have been Click to continue reading...

Via Goff: The search for new players is underway. An agent with Central American connections stopped by the ballpark this evening. No names to share, but rest assured, DCU will scan dozens of portfolios the next few months.Because adding a boatload of foreign "talent" worked so well for us this year, right? Click to continue reading...

So at last we've come to the end of the 30-game regular season, and it's time to review the stats and dish the statues celebrating achievement or lack thereof in MLS 2008. Without further ado . . . The Wilt Chamberlain Award for Promiscuity goes to . . . The Los Angeles Galaxy! Let's face it, when they weren't scoring, they were being scored upon. Click to continue reading...