Deja Vous All Over Again?

I just won €1 million for betting I'd be the lone goalscorer in Champions League!!!

Heading into the second legs of the Champions League semifinals next week it appears there could be a rematch of the 2008 final. John Terry is not happy about this.

Chelsea kicked things off on Tuesday by shutting out Barcelona, a feat no team has done since the American masses thought Sarah Palin was a legit politician. It wasn’t from a lack of trying for Barça as they out shot the Blues 19-3, and it seemed that Peter Cech would wind up conceding one at some point. The surprise of the night was how well Jose Bosingwa, playing on the left instead of his normal right, was able to contain Lionel Messi. Sure the Argentine drew some dangerous fouls, but in the end was shutout, much to the chagrin of my CL fantasy team. Going forward Chelsea looked like a Jose Mourinho team again, content to head home to Stamford Bridge and win 1-0 there to head to Rome.

Wednesday Manchester United did their part to set up the rematch with their 1-0 win over Arsenal. It seemed appropriate that Irish national teamer John O’Shea scored in the 17th minute. The shot I’ll remember, though, was Cristiano Ronaldo banging -- and I mean banging -- a shot off the crossbar from about 30 yards out. I think the posts are still vibrating. It will be interesting how defensive Sir Alex sends his boys out next Tuesday at the Emirates knowing they should be leading by more than one. Conversely, as long as Emmanuel Adebayor gets some support in the attack instead of being on an island by himself, this one has a good shot at going to extra time.

Some other thoughts left over from two days of action: Is it just me, or does Manuel Almunia look like Ryan from The Office? Speaking of Almunia, how quickly is Fabio Capello working on getting Almunia naturalized so he can play in England’s nets? With Rafa Marquez set to be out of action for up to ten weeks, new Mexico boss Javier Aguirre’s job just got a lot tougher, but four points from a trip to El Salvador and hosting T&T -- assuming they have crowds in Mexico City at that point -- will put them back on the right track. As much as it’s enjoyable watching CRon cracking shots from 30 yards, his petulant behavior on the pitch nearly negates all the positives in his game and makes me think if he played basketball he’d surely play for Duke.

Other thoughts:

- Jair Marrufo, what the hell are you doing? If you haven’t heard, one of the full time referees in MLS, and a FIFA official who worked the Olympics and is set to head to the 2010 World Cup, was seen accepting a jersey from Cuauhtémoc Blanco after the Fire’s 2-2 draw in Columbus. That game changed when Maruffo sent off Gino Padula when the defender massaged Blanco’s groin with his studs. This has done nothing but add more fuel to the fire of problems with refereeing in MLS. In my mind it was a matter of bad timing and getting caught and I would find it hard to believe it influenced his decisions in the game, but it looks horrible to the outside world.

Of course a lot of this controversy could have been avoided if Columbus played all 90 minutes and not 85. Maybe Juan Carlos Osorio will be replacing Robert Warzycha when they’re both out of a job by the All Star Break?

- After the swine flu has dominated the news recently and forced Mexican league matches to be played in empty stadiums and the U-17 World Cup qualification was cancelled, a conspiracy thought popped into my head. South Africa still has plenty of hurdles to clear before their ready for the World Cup in roughly 400 days. I’ve long thought things would fall through and the tournament would come to the United States. FIFA, especially Sepp Blatter who has wanted Africa to host a World Cup, can’t afford that much egg on their face if they are forced to move for either security or infrastructure reasons. So, supposing a new disease is found somewhere in the country this fall, much like SARS in China prior to the ’03 Women’s World Cup which was, coincidentally, moved here to the States. Would that be the way for FIFA to buy more time -- at least eight years as Brazil is set to host the Cup in 2014 -- for South Africa to be more prepared? Again, this has a much of a chance of me getting hit by lightning while I win the lottery, but remember this if things go badly during the Confederations Cup in June.

Plus, that would negate any media ethics questions going around. Which is much different than business ethics.

- With Scott set to preview the Caps and Team Iron City Light tomorrow, here are the weekend MLS predictions a day early.

Toronto v. Columbus: Top of the table Toronto, with a new interim coach, look to keep down the Crew. Padula’s suspended and if Hejduk can’t go it’ll be another long week in Columbus. Toronto 2-1

D.C. United v. FC Dallas: The first game of the season I’ll see in person likely means United will find a way to lose. But Dallas is bad. Really bad. United 2-0

Chicago v. Seattle: Game of the week. Seattle takes on the second best attack in MLS as Chicago tries to be the first to score on Kasey Keller. They will, but won’t get the win. 1-1 tie

Colorado v. RSL: The Rocky Mountain derby shouldn’t be as one sided as expected at the start of the year. To be a legit team Real need to start winning away from home and they don’t start this week. 1-1 tie

San Jose v. Chivas: Another quality game as it’s in San Jose and the best chance at a scoreless draw. However, Preki -- who I want to start calling GOB for all of his illusions -- finds a way to another three points. Chivas 1-0

Los Angeles v. New York: Probably the most entertaining game of the week as neither team has a defense. Unfortunately neither has a midfield to get the ball to their attackers. And it pains me to say this, but Jorge Rojas is the key to this game. 3-3 tie

New England v. Houston: MLS Cup rivals meet in the regular season where the Revs own the Dynamo. After a 6-0 thrashing Steve Nicol will have his guys ready. New England 2-0

- Pat Walsh

That Magic Feeling...

(courtesy of the Washington Post)

Going to take a break from talking about soccer today to talk about sports in general. Pat Walsh will give us his take on Tuesday and Wednesday's Champions League action on Thursday, as well as his usual tidbits of information.

My wife asked me last night why I was so excited about the Washington Capitals 2-1 series win over the Rangers last night. She knows I'm a hockey fan but not nearly as devoted or as knowledgeable as some of my friends (in particular, our My 2 Cents' own hockey expert, Scott Morath). I also get excited when the Washington Wizards win a big game (albeit it was sometime during the Carter Administration), the Redskins (the 1st Bush Administration), or any of the other 3 or 4 teams I follow, some obviously more closely than others.


It's kind of hard to explain to someone who doesn't care for, or "get," sports in general. There are fans, and then there are FANS. Ones who travel all around the country, sometimes without having tickets, to cheer and support their team. Others spend all day tailgating at the stadium, eating and drinking and getting psyched for the game, even though most of them have to get up at the crack of dawn to go to work the next day. The ones who scour the Internet for hours at a time, looking for something, anything, that will give them information on their beloved side. Finally, the ones who celebrate wins like it's New Year's Eve, or agonize over defeat like someone has run over their pet.


Last night, it was a win for the "good guys" (i.e. Caps fans). Anyone who has followed the history of the Caps knows the sudden empty and sinking feeling as their team was repeatedly beaten in a game 7 overtime, whether it was Philadelphia last year, or those many years of frustration at the hands of the New York Islanders.


Ah, but last night was different, wasn't it? Coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series wasn't familiar, was it? Usually, it's been the Caps holding a 3-1 lead and faltering when it mattered most. But as anxious and nervous as Caps fans were last night, this team was different; you have unquestionably the best player in the world on your team; you've found lightning in a bottle in a 21 year old rookie goaltender who speaks no English; you've got an ageless veteran who somehow finds a way to beat the evil Rangers' empire with a stunning strike from nowhere, and finally, you have a coach who's still fairly inexperienced, but showed the fortitude to make the right decisions and keep his team focused even when it looked like you were ready to plan your tee times on the golf course.


Capitals fans are as faithful as any in hockey, and can rival almost any sports team as well. I think that's one of the reasons why it's so easy to cheer for them. All those years of blue-collar hockey has transformed into a team that plays so wide open it resembles some of the Edmonton and Calgary teams from the 80's. The fans have endured repeated heartbreaks, letdowns, disappointments, and losing for multiple seasons at a time. But they have stayed faithful, and now it's paying off.


Watching on tv last night, I could hear the roar of the crowd with every shot, every hit, every call. Federov's goal with 5 minutes left might be one of the most overwhelming things I've witnessed as a sports fan (and I can assure you I've seen plenty of them in numerous sports). You couldn't hear the announcers. I couldn't hear Kim telling me to calm down. My cats scurried away as if this "madman" was coming to get them. I couldn't get to sleep until midnight, still having to get up a 4 AM. And let me tell you: it was worth every minute of it.


Again, I wish I could explain to my wife and others who don't quite understand why we get so emotionally involved in a game when there's so much going on in the world. Perhaps that's WHY we do it? For a few hours, every few days, we can forget about all of the bad things going on in our lives and put our minds on something fun, even though sometimes that might not always be the case (take New Jersey fans, for example, who watched their team give up 2 goals in less than a minute to lose game 7 AT HOME).


So, Capitals fans, exult in the win. I know there are a number of bleary-eyed folks at work today, but I don't think you care. Because, for the next 48 hours, nobody, let me repeat, NOBODY, can take this feeling away from you! Well done!

Weekend Review

Interesting weekend in the soccer world. Lots to discuss. No picture today because I couldn't find a good one...

1. EPL - So Liverpool thinks they can finally get a grip on first place after they defeat Hull City 3-1, and the first half of the Man U/Tottenham game was 2-0 in favor of 'Spurs. Then United decided to play, and the rest is history. Five goals in the span of 22 minutes put them back on top with a game in hand. Their offense is as good as any I've ever seen, as they just have too many weapons to be contained for long periods of time. Granted, Tottenham's defense resembled the French Maginot line in WW2, but 5 goals in such a short time is a rare feat for any professional team. Only a complete disaster will stop United from winning yet another EPL Title. As my friend Brian Straus said after the game "Liverpool fans must be masochists for what they have to deal with on an annual basis."

2. MLS - Speaking of impressive offenses, did RSL really score 6 goals in the 2nd half against New England? Not sure what to make of that, other than RSL's home-field advantage is becoming a big factor in matches now. It's still early, obviously, but the Revolutions' -4 in goal differential through 5 games might be a concern for Steve Nicol...in other action:

A. NY vs. DC - Another late-game collapse by the Red Bulls against United. Can't even count how many times that's happened since the league began. If you're a United fan, though, you've got to be excited that the team can play on the road without Gomez and Moreno and still come up with 3 points, putting them 2 points out of first. Pontius and Wallace are making huge contributions, and if you listen to the players, Brian Namoff has quietly become one of the leaders on that team. Also looks like Emilio is going to come close to 20 goals for the season at the pace he's on.

B. Other Action - Defending champs Columbus are still winless in 6 games. No reason to panic, yet, crew fans, but you might want to have that flare gun handy. Chicago is still unbeaten, but has 4 draws. McBride scores another, giving him 5 on the year...sure you don't have it in you to play in 1 more World Cup, pal? L.A. is still winless, but at least only has 1 loss, while Dallas has already given up 12 goals with their Swiss Cheese defense. Also looks like my colleague Mr. Walsh's prediction that Seattle wasn't in trouble is true after they get back on track with another shutout win.

3. WPS - Washington gets 2 goals and an assist from Abby Wambach in a nail biting 4-3 win over FC Gold Pride. Freedom Coach Jim Gabarra said that once she gets her first, look out. Sunday was a good start. In other action, Chicago's Brittany Klein gets a goal and 2 assists as the Red Stars thump Boston 4-0. L.A. and St. Louis battled to a 0-0 draw.

4. USL1 - Carolina stays unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Minnesota, while Austin gets their 1st-ever win with a 3-0 thrashing of Cleveland. Rochester becomes the 1st road team to win in USL1 this year with a 2-1 win in Miami.

5. USL2 - Richmond draws at home for the 2nd straight week with a 1-1 tie with Pittsburgh. The Riverhounds have to be feeling good after 2 straight road draws. In a matchup of 2 possible title contenders, Charlotte and Wilmington fought to a 2-2 draw, with reigning USL2 MVP Dustin Swineheart getting the brace for the Eagles. As expected, Bermuda struggles in a pair of losses over the weekend to Crystal Palace and Real Maryland.

Non-Soccer News

6. Caps-Rangers - Looks like Ovechkin and rookie 'keeper Varlamov are in peak form right now. I think Mr. Morath will have a preview of game 7 here tomorrow, but I just wanted to comment that regardless of tomorrow's outcome, Washington looks to be built like a contender for the next several years.

7. NFL Draft - Sure, it's over hyped, and everyone wants to make immediate grades, even though it'll be 2-3 years to figure out who panned out and who didn't, but I'll briefly look at how my 2 teams did.

A. Colts - Getting the RB Donald Brown from UConn was interesting. I know the Colts tend to draft the best available player, but picking him might show that there is concern about the health and durability of Joseph Addai, who struggled with injuries last year. Fili Moala, the big 300 pound DT from USC, gives them some much-need bulk up front.

B. Redskins - After throwing Jason Campbell under the bus for the 2nd time in a month, the team actually made a decent pick in DE Brian Orakpo, who won just about every defensive award in college. Hopefully he's the pass rusher they haven't had since the 1st Bush administration (the father, not the son). No 2nd round pick, but the word on CB Kevin Barnes from Maryland is pretty good, provided he can be healthy. He's (hopefully) got a few good mentors on the team with DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rodgers...

That's all folks. Check back later in the week for pieces from Walsh and myself, and I'll work on getting Morath to get us something tomorrow for the Caps game...

Friday...

"Get off your knees, you're blowing the game!"


One of my former editors once told me no one ever wants to read a story about referees. Yet, around the interwebs, that’s the topic in a lot of stories. And this one as well.

The large majority of these articles has to do with Tim Weyland, who presided over the L.A. derby two weeks ago. For me (as I summon my inner John Harkes) Weyland’s game wasn’t that bad. In fact, the only card I disagreed with was Paolo Nagamura’s second one when Landon Donovan made a meal of a light touch. Other than that, Weyland was maybe strict, disrupting the flow, but a card is a card whether it’s in the first or the 90th minute. Would these same pundits rather have a bloodbath like we’ve seen in this series in the past?

This past weekend John Carver was fined for criticizing Weyland, specifically for his penalty kick call on Marvell Wynne. In the play, Wynne’s hand was well away from his body and knocked the ball down when David Ferreira cut it back. As Carver said, “tell me how a guy who's running flat out can change direction having to have his arms down by his side. It’s impossible.” True, Senor Carver, very true. However, it’s still a handball in the box and is going to be a penalty 100% of the time. Granted, if Wynne hadn’t been beaten down the side and caught out of position it wouldn’t have been an issue, but it’s easier to yell at the official than your own player, I suppose.

Michael Kennedy made his presence known last night by issuing the earliest red card in MLS history to Carlos Johnson. For those keeping score at home that’s two reds in 108 minutes. Even Dema Kovalenko is saying, “that kid needs to calm down.” His hideous first touch needlessly put Johnson in a position where he had to foul Herculez Gomez and Kennedy had no choice. Some pundits surely will opine that the diminutive man in the middle ruined the game with the red, but he’s doing his job correctly. The time of the game where these fouls occur shouldn’t matter and, last night, it didn’t to Kennedy. Of course the game was somewhat ruined, only because Kansas City were content to take the three points from a 1-0 win.

Other thoughts

- Speaking of that scenario, John Harkes made no sense in the latter stages of the game. Which isn’t a huge shock. Sure, Kansas City should have controlled, and arguably dominated, the game as they were up a man for 88 minutes. However, up 1-0 late, why shouldn’t Jimmy Conrad be telling Lance “mini-Dirk Diggler” Watson to hold back to preserve the lead? If Harkes was a hockey announcer, I feel like he’d be criticizing a team for not pulling their goalie while on a five-minute penalty up a goal in the third period.

- Another popular theme going around is that Seattle has come back to Earth with consecutive losses. Let me get this straight: SFC was beaten at home after Kasey Keller is sent off and Davy Arnaud hits a cracker, and then they head to LaLa land with Keller suspended and lose to the best team in the league on an own goal and a late tally when they were pushing forward for the equalizer. Where, pray tell, did the glass slipper fall off? Now, should the Earthquakes extend Seattle’s losing streak to three, then there’s a story. However, since the Smurfs miss more chances to score than I did in college, wait for the knee-jerk reaction next week to laud Sigi Schmid for getting the team back on track and how everything is just peachy keen in the Emerald City. Then that will be followed by a 180, turning back to a “the sky is falling” stance thanks to a loss in Chicago. Methinks only the weather around D.C. changes more quickly than the fickle media.

- Avery John is officially D.C. United’s new left back. If only the U.S. national team could upgrade that easily. My boy Kevin -- who is on pace to earn 10% of my non-existent check from Bushman -- texted “way to trade for two red cards a year.” John was sent off in his first ever World Cup final game, but surprisingly was only sent off once in sixty-four league appearances for New England. I was shocked it just the one. Overall the T&T defender upgrades United’s back line, especially as Soehn seems intent on returning to the 3-5-2 used in the hey day under Peter Nowak. The other options at left back, University of Maryland products Marc Burch and Rodney Wallace, are too offensive minded for the defensive nature of a three-man backline.

- Saving the big news for last, MLS will reportedly make $10 million for extending David Beckham’s loan. If that’s true I have two reactions. First, kudos to MLS for getting that amount of money and showing themselves to not cower under the demands of one of the biggest clubs and stars in the sport. Second, how much is coming from David Beckham? And does that negate the “rep,” for lack of a better term, that I just mentioned? If Golden Balls really paid $5 million or more to not return to L.A. for a little under four months, that may hurt the league in the eyes of foreigners. Becks can make that money back with a single endorsement, so it’s not a matter of money to him, it’s a matter of not playing in MLS.

- Weekend games are here once again, so that means it’s time for more predictions. You know you love them.

Saturday
Columbus v. Chicago: With Hesmer and Marshall out the Fire’s offense will score a couple. The question is whether their defense can hold off GBS and Crew (pun intended) for 90 minutes. 2-2 tie

Real Salt Lake v. New England: The Revolution’s odyssey continues and RSL loves playing at home. Is this the breakout week for Morales? Real wins 3-1

Colorado v. Los Angeles: The Pids continue their early season surprising success thanks to the hapless Galaxy. How quickly is Arena aging in L.A.? Rapids win 2-0

Chivas v. Dallas: Coast to coast trip can’t help Dallas who lost mid-week to United in Open Cup play. They won’t double their league win total against the table topping Goats. Chivas wins 2-1

Seattle v. San Jose: See above. Seattle wins 2-0

Sunday
New York v. D.C. United: The first edition of the ’09 Atlantic Cup goes to the visitors. But at least Carlos Johnson won’t get sent off in this one. United 2-1

Toronto v. Kansas City: Both coming off 1-0 midweek wins. Both were not at their best. Don’t watch this one if you don’t have to. Tie 0-0

- Pat Walsh

Finally, My USL2 Preview

Look For This Kind Of Intensity All Year In USL2

(photo credit to Suz Kitsteiner)

Bet you thought I've been lying these past 2 weeks, huh? Well, after continuous delays (i.e. my REAL job) over the past several days, here it is; my (hopefully) in-depth preview of the USL2 season for 2009.

I was able speak with several coaches and players associated with the league (thanks, guys!), and most all of them used the word "parity." They think this will be the most competitive season ever. After the demise of the MLS Developmental system, numerous MLS (albeit mostly fringe players) found themselves looking for work. Subsequently, a majority of them have been snagged by USL1 or USL2 squads.

"I think with the players USL2 has brought in this year, I think our level of play will be even closer to that of USL1," said Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. "There are several MLS players who will bring their experience and skills to our league, which will definitely make it more competitive."

He's right. When you take a look at some of the players in the league this year, there's a good deal of MLS experience. Real Maryland, for example, has signed 4 players who at one time plied their trade with DC United. Rusty Pierce is in Wilmington, Kenny Cutler and Joey Worthen are with Richmond, and the list goes on. Plus, players are still coming into camp and being signed, so don't be surprised to see a few more familiar names join the ranks before all is said and done. How often can you say that a league has actually gotten BETTER even though the year's previous champion (Cleveland) left and moved up a notch?

With that, let's take a look at each team (alphabetically), and then I'll try to make an educated (tough for me, I know) stab at the projected order of finish and eventual champion.

1. Bermuda Hogges - There's no easy way to put this; they're probably going to struggle this season. For all the talk about the new players coming into the league, none of them have gone to the Caribbean. Plus, their best player, Bermudan International John Barry Nusum, signed with league rival Crystal Palace. They're aren't a lot of young players either, as a chunk of the roster is over 30 or close to it.

Quote - "I think they're going to have a hard time this year. They lost Nusum and there's no proven goal-scorer for them. It'll be tough."

2. Charlotte Eagles - Last year's regular-season champion fell just short of the title in losing to Cleveland. The bad news is that they lost 5 starters from last year's team. The good news is the 2008 USL2 MVP, Dustin Swineheart , wasn't one of them. He enters his 12th year and brings a good deal of support with him. Steve Shak, the former 1st pick in MLS, returns to provide leadership. The team has also signed 2 promising Brazilians Diego Martins and Amaury Nunes. Kevin Trapp, last year's backup, will start in the nets.

Quote - "They're a team that never rebuilds. They just reload."

3. Crystal Palace Baltimore - This team seems to get better each season, as they made the playoffs as the 4th seed in 2008 in only their 2nd year of existence. The addition of the aforementioned Nusum will be counted on to lead the offense, while the savvy veteran Val Teixeira returns after an offseason stint training in England. Former J-League midfielder Shintaro Harada is also a mainstay, and there rumors that some MLS clubs were looking at him as well. Head Coach Pete Med recently told The Baltimore Sun that "we expect to win the championship and get to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup." Lofty expectations, but the club has the talent to do it.

Quote - They're always strong in the back, and with their offensive acquisitions, they'll be a contender for sure."

4. Harrisburg City Islanders - If their first game Saturday against Richmond is any indication, this team will also be in the hunt for the title as well. Mo Oduor scored a fantastic goal against the Kickers and was a problem for them all night. He's big, strong, athletic, and has a nice touch. If he plays that way all year, he'll be an MVP candidate. The team just signed Kai Kasiguran, who played in the MLS for Chicago last year. Former Portland Timbers goalkeeper Chase Harrison will also ply his trade for the club in 2009, and the team also returns veteran defenders Dustin Bixler and Anthony Calvano.

Quote - Trust me, [Head Coach Bill] Becher will have this team in the playoffs. He's one of the best coaches around."

5. Pittsburgh Riverhounds - A veteran team, they won't dazzle you with fancy play and tremendous speed. However, with players like former MLS'er Tenywa "T-bone" Bonseu, Nathan Salsi, and Jason Kutney as defenders, expect a lot of 1-0 games. They won't give up many goals. If Justin Evans and Sean Cameron (both former USL1 players) can orchestrate the midfield, and Jeff Hughes (who was injured most of last year) can get 10 or more goals, this team could be scary. Head Coach Gene Klein always seems to have his team ready to play.

Quote - "They work as hard or harder than any team in the league. They scratch, claw, and fight for 90 minutes. You have to be willing to do the same to beat them."

6. Real Maryland Monarchs - Can we call them the DC United reserve team? They've signed Jeff and Pat Carroll, Ryan Cordeiro, and Sergio Salas. They're younger players and should bring a ton of energy to this 2nd-year club. Cuban defectors Yendry Diaz and Loanny Cartaya, who both played for the U-23 Cuban team, will also bring a spark to the organization. It appears that former Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Justin Hughes will be counted on heavily this year. This is a real interesting team. There's a lot of youth, but several of them bring a degree of professionalism with them. If they can gel early, Head Coach Anthony Hudson (the subject of a recent article by The Examiner's Craig Stouffer) could get these guys into the playoffs. (yes, I learned to do a hyperlink...up yours, Walsh!)

Quote - "They're probably the most improved team in the league. The coaching staff understands American players and the mentality they have.

7. Richmond Kickers - see last week's article (2 hyperlinks in 1 post... I rule!)

8. Western Mass Pioneers - To be honest, I know very little about this team. I asked around and nobody else seems to know much either. They have tentatively signed Chris Brown, a central defender who was a star at Amhearst. Their roster is neither on their website or USL2's. Based on that, there isn't much of a way to predict anything other than base it on last year's performance, which wasn't great.

Quote - "Without a doubt one of the most difficult places to play. The field is small, the fans are on top of you, and they're loud and boisterous."

9. Wilmington Hammerheads - This is the team apparently no one wants to play this year. They're one of the teams who have greatly increased their skill with the additions of former MLS players Rusty Pierce, Steven Curfmann, and Jamie Watson. All 3 should step into the starting lineup immediately and make a tremendous impact. Kyle Polak steps into the nets this year, replacing the departed John O'Hara. He doesn't have a lot of experience, but Wilmington's veteran backline might ensure that he doesn't get tested too early in the season. The team has also signed several players with experience in England, Ireland, and New Zealand.

Quote - "They might have the best backline I've ever seen in USL2. They certainly matchup with any USL1 team. They're going to be really good!"

Okay, there you have it. Now let's see how much I can embarrass myself by making predictions for the season:

Regular Season:

1. Richmond

2. Wilmington

3. Crystal Palace Baltimore

4. Charlotte

5. Harrisburg

6. Real Maryland
7. Pittsburgh

8. Western Mass

9. Bermuda

Playoffs:

Richmond over Charlotte

Wilmington over Crystal Palace

Championship:

Wilmington over Richmond

Bonus Prediction:

A USL2 team will make the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

Laugh away, folks, and we'll check back at the end of August to see how I did.

From Russia, With Love

"Aw, Poor Liverpool...Did I Ruin Your Chances Of Winning The EPL?"

I mean who didn’t use that saying after Andrey Arshavin lit up Anfield yesterday? And since my creativity matches the size of the check Mark sends me every month, I’m jumping on the bandwagon.

If you didn’t see the game -- and since it was on Setanta, I’m guessing you didn’t -- the second half was a thriller. Arshavin’s second goal was dynamite, a perfectly hit ball on the run with the outside of his foot. You won’t see many better than that. Almost even more amazing is that Arsenal had just four shots on goal. Talk about taking advantage of your chances!

By the way, highlights are here. But even better, watch the FanZone video after for reactions to all eight goals.

Liverpool, if my David Beckham-esque math is correct, have seen 39 goals scored in their last eight games, including back-to-back 4-4 draws and three straight games in which the Reds have scored four goals. That 1-0 win at Craven Cottage was a snoozer in hindsight.

How Liverpool has done this without their talisman, Steven Gerrard, is beyond me. The captain is generally their offense’s key cog, but I wonder if this showing knocks his importance down a peg or two. It’s the opposite of how Steve Nash showed how valuable he was to the Suns’ “seven seconds or less” when he missed a handful of games and Phoenix struggled. Of course this is a bit of hyperbole, because you know if Stevie G was on the pitch he would have hit soccer’s equivalent of buzzer beaters to knock Chelsea out of Champions League last Tuesday and given Liverpool the full three points yesterday.

Back to Arshavin, the star of the day. The diminutive Russian -- who I always thought looked like one of the small Russian nested dolls with his rosy cheeks -- hasn’t taken long to adapt to the more physical Premier League. It makes you wonder how he would have flourished in the more stylistic La Liga. Can you imagine if Barcelona had somehow signed him? Not that they need more attacking prowess with their embarrassment of offensive options, but add him to the mix of Messi, Eto’o, Henry, Xavi, Iniesta, and Krkic and even training would be worth paying for.

One last note: remember that the CEO of Arsenal, who surely had a hand in the final phases of bringing in Arshavin, is Ivan Gazidis, former right hand man to MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

Other stuff

- Staying in the EPL, Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed is calling for a salary cap from the English FA after his expenses rose 17% last year. The Egyptian, who also owns Harrods and is worth an estimated £900 Million, also claimed “the FA are run by donkeys.” He definitely has a point -- about the salary cap, I won’t comment on the lot that hired Steve McClaren -- but there’s no way it will ever happen. Even if it would make Clint Dempsey feel more at home.

I think my favorite quote from Al Fayed, and the one that makes me think of Chevy Chase in “Funny Farm,” was: “In fact, [the other clubs’ chairmen] can come and have lunch with me at Harrods, where I can serve them stags’ testicles from my Scottish estate, Balnagown. We all need big balls in this business.”

- Over in La Liga, ginormous Real Madrid defender Pepe completely went off the deep end. He deserved the red for first knocking the guy down as the last defender. But then to kick him twice while he’s down is going to put him on the shelf for a while. It did make me laugh that he tried to help up the fallen forward when the red mist cleared. I wonder if Dema Kovalenko lists Pepe as a hero?

- D.C. United kinda sorta begins their defense of the Dewar Cup. Of course they aren’t in the U.S. Open Cup proper, instead they’re in the pigtails for MLS teams that weren’t in the top six from last season. Not only does it not make sense that the defending champs aren’t in the tournament proper, I still don’t understand why all MLS teams aren’t in. I know most teams don’t care as much about the tournament -- though this might be as close to reserve games as they get these days -- so maybe that has something to do with it. Though that’s just pure speculation.

Our buddy Craig Stouffer has quotes from the team and a look at tonight’s game on his blog, The Pitch. (Hey Craig, where’s the picture of you that doesn’t really look like you that every other big blog has?)

- Couple of midweek games in MLS league action. After last week the confidence is growing, though it seems like I’m in the “go big or go home” mode of either being exactly right or completely wrong. But, hey, it’s my two cents, so what do you expect?

Toronto FC v. Chivas USA: TFC without De Ro against a better-than-expected Chivas side who stay undefeated even though Preki has his players turn around to remember what their names are. Chivas 1-0

Kansas City v. New York: It’s Jimmy Conrad Bobblehead night! Plus, I hear The Cauldron has some good stuff prepared for Jon Conway. How can the ‘Zards not win at home? Kansas City 2-1


- By the way, if you have time to kill, it’s always enjoyable perusing the MLS bios for personal info. This used to kill time during lulls in D.C. United games for my boy Kevin and I. It gives you insight on guys like finding out Mac Kandji (which brought this back to light while talking to Mark the other day) enjoys Will Smith and playing mini golf. Not so Earth shattering.

But seeing that Khano Smith’s favorite movie is “Dancing With Wolves”? What would the Vegas odds have been on that movie: 1,000,000 to 1? I don’t even know that I would have put money on it.

Or that Kansas City reserve keeper Eric Kronberg “enjoys playing dodgeball, shuffleboard, watching movies, looking for new music to download and shopping at Costco.” I just imagine him playing dodgeball in Costco with 5 gallon jugs of mayonnaise.

One last one from the Wizards comes from midfielder Kevin Souter. My favorite bit: he has never seen the Loch Ness Monster, he does not play the bagpipes, but he does own a kilt and he enjoys one of Scotland's fine delicacies: Haggis.

You just can’t make that stuff up.

I’ll be back on Friday, possibly after checking in with Jimmy Conrad about his big night on Thursday. But, again, that’s a prediction from me so take it with a grain of salt. Look for Mark’s USL2 preview tomorrow. Let’s see what kinda predictions he can make!

- Pat Walsh

Monday Morning Roundup (For Tuesday)

Anybody Have a Clue? We Sure Don't...

Nice job yesterday, Scott! You said what the Caps needed to do to get back in the series and it looks like they followed it almost to a tee. A 4-0 mugging over the Rangers in New york has got to give the boys some renewed confidence in themselves and Simon Varlamov has only given up 1 goal in 2 games...looks like this is a series again!

Now, back to the weekend roundup of everything soccer:

1. USL2 - Ugly game Friday between Crystal Palace and Pittsburgh. Someone in attendance said there were literally ZERO chances created by either team. On the other hand, Richmond and Harrisburg played to a thrilling 2-2 draw. The Kickers dominated large portions of the game, but were down 2-1 due to some self-inflicted errors which the Islanders capitalized on. In this league, especially with the improved level of play, those mistakes will kill you. Richmond tied it up in the 2nd half on an interesting penalty call (WAY too long to try and explain it here, and I don't even think I could describe it accurately). Regardless, a great way to start the season and I think both teams will be in the running for the title when all is said and done. One other thing; the game was played in front of 3,000 people at U of R Stadium. With soccer now the only professional sport in the city of Richmond, looks like people might be coming out to support the team. It's well-deserved for an organization that has done more to associate itself with the city and surrounding areas than most teams do in any sport.

2. USL1 - Nicholas Addlery scores 2 goals for Puerto Rico as they avenge last year's Championship loss to Vancouver with a 2-1 win. I'll say it again (sarcastically); Addlery wasn't good enough for DC United or anybody else in MLS... I wonder if that's what he uses for motivation as he lights it up against solid competition? Elsewhere, Carolina is 2-0 after beating Rochester, and former MLS star Diego Serna got a goal and 2 assists to lead Miami over Cleveland. Don't worry, I won't be trumpeting for Serna in MLS. The guy's a bit of a loose cannon, but if he's on his game, don't be surprised if he leads the league in scoring this year.

3. MLS - Kenny Cooper scores 2 more for Dallas in a 3-2 win over Toronto. 4 goals already for Cooper...Any chance Bradley brings him into camp for the Honduras/Costa Rica games? Yeah, me neither. At least Brian Ching seems to have regained his scoring touch, which justifies his callups...for now. In what I'm calling the "Time-Warp Game," Josh Wolff scores twice for Kansas City while Brian McBride also gets the brace in a 2-2 draw. The last time these guys were on the same field was...2002 against Mexico? Have the Red Bulls found a strike partner for Juan Pablo Angel? Macoumba Kandji gets his 2nd of the season in New York's win. The former Atlanta Silverbacks player seems to be making his mark early in the season. Finally, Chivas has the best record in the league at 4-0-1 after a 2-0 win over Seattle. Preki's doing something right. Any chance he could give Bruce Arena some pointers?

4. F.A. Cup Semis - Chelsea beats Arsenal on some terribly bad goalkeeping from Lukasz Fabianski. Saturday marked his 24th birthday, and apparently he was in a giving mood after conceding 2 lousy goals. He'll still be in the nets today as they try to take down Liverpool. Good luck with that. In the other semi, a fairly lackluster game between Man U. and Everton ended scoreless after 120 minutes, but U.S. goalie Tim Howard makes 2 huge saves in the penalty kick shootout to give Everton the win and the meeting with Chelsea at the end of May. There goes the chance for those 5 titles for Man U. this year. Guess they'll just have to settle for 4...

Non-Soccer News

5. Washington Redskins Draft - Looks like they're going to try and blow this one as well, as the rumors are hot and heavy they want to trade up to get QB Mark "Dirty" Sanchez from USC. And they throw Campbell under the bus once again. Of course, it's all Jason's fault, especially when his o-line's average age is 32 and needs walkers to get around after game 8. But if we know Danny and Vinny (see above picture), they'd rather make a big splash and mortgage the franchise than by building from the inside out (meaning the o and d-lines)... Hopefully my Colts won't screw their pick up either, but at least they have a good organization in place.

The Caps Are Feeling The Sting Down 0-2 In The Series

For Capitals, the Onus Is On Boudreau Now

by Scott Morath

After all of the talk about goaltending in the aftermath of Wednesday’s series opener, it remains to be seen whether Bruce Boudreau can make the necessary adjustments to get the Washington Capitals back on track. The coach’s surprising decision to start rookie netminder Simeon Varlamov in Game 2 went well, for the most part, but despite outshooting the New York Rangers 70-45 through two games, the Caps have squandered home ice advantage, and have dug themselves a 2-0 hole in their first round playoff series.

Though the goalie switch didn’t backfire, as some feared it might, Boudreau has still been outmaneuvered thus far by his counterpart, John Tortorella. The Rangers have executed Tortorella’s system to perfection—conceding perimeter shots to Washington’s snipers, but clogging up shooting lanes and blocking an inordinate amount of pucks before they ever get to Henrik Lundqvist.

Meanwhile, after displaying a penchant for juggling his forward line combinations all season, it was rather shocking when Boudreau did little to shake things up as his team was being blanked at home on Saturday, falling to the Rangers 1-0.

Yes, Lundqvist was rock solid in net (as advertised), but his saves weren’t of the highway robbery variety. The stellar ones were few and far between, largely because the attack coming at him became so predictable.

All is not lost, however. With the proper tinkering, Boudreau can still salvage this series, beginning with tonight’s game at Madison Square Garden in New York. He must start by realizing that his superb center, Nicklas Backstrom, though only 21 years of age, doesn’t need to play with Alex Ovechkin in order to create offense. Hell, towards the end of the regular season Boudreau experimented with struggling Viktor Kozlov and Tomas Fleischmann as Backstrom’s wingers, and immediately both players came to life.

It is also important to keep in mind that Ovechkin plays the game at a frantic pace, favoring explosive forays down the wing, while Backstrom is very much the opposite… slowing things down… weaving through traffic and exhibiting tremendous patience with the puck as he looks for the open man. Perhaps the difference in approach is why the two young stars have seemed so out of synch in the playoffs—when opposing teams buckle down on defense, and the checking gets considerably tighter?

Granted, the Ovechkin-Backstrom-Kozlov line has had its moments over the last two seasons, but Caps’ faithful will recall that the team didn’t really find their mojo in the playoffs last year against the Flyers until Boudreau swapped Sergei Fedorov and Backstrom—moving the wily veteran Fedorov into the spot centering Ovechkin, and using Backstrom between Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich.

Look, it’s a given that Ovechkin is going to draw New York’s top defenders regardless of who he plays with (because he’s Ovie)—but he’s accustomed to it, and he’s still going to get his 6 or 7 shots on goal (again… because he’s Ovie!). By flip-flopping centers, the ‘second line’ would feature a pair of world class talents in Semin and Backstrom, plus a gritty presence in Laich to dig pucks out of the corners and create traffic in front of Lundqvist.

Boudreau did experiment with a ‘put all of your eggs in one basket’ approach with an Ovechkin-Backstrom-Semin trio for a few shifts near the conclusion of Game 2, but pretty goals aren’t going to get the Capitals back into this series. They need to score a few ugly ones, and the aforementioned combination often favors ‘cute’ plays—bypassing open shots and overhandling the puck—something their coach frequently lamented while playing the three stars together during the regular season.

Obviously, suggesting different line combinations is a favorite pastime for us hockey enthusiasts, particularly when a team is struggling. At this time of year, there are no trades to make, and shuffling different role players in and out of the lineup isn’t likely to cure what ails the Capitals in this series. Boudreau needs to find a way to get his young guns blazing again. He has made the proper adjustments before… now he just needs to learn from last year’s experience and do it again, and hope that it’s not too late.

[Editor's note: The usual Monday Morning soccer roundup will be put up on Tuesday, Pat Walsh's column Wednesday, and then (finally) my USL2 preview on Thursday...]

"We're Gettin' The Band Back Together!"

photo courtesy of Suz Kitsteiner

[Editor's note: I was going to combine the Richmond Kickers preview w/ an overall USL2 preview, but there's just too much info to do it in 1 article. That's what happens when coaches and players actually call you back...Today's article highlights Richmond, while you can look forward to an in-depth USL2 preview early next week.]

If you take a look at the 2009 Richmond Kickers roster, you might think you time-traveled back to 5 or 6 years ago. The names are familiar: Delicate...Pascale...Burke...Worthen...Gorres.

"It's almost like being back in the mid-2000's," said Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, who is entering his 10th year with the club. "We've all been such good friends for a long time, and it's just great that a bunch of us are back playing together again!"

Matthew Delicate rejoins the team after spending the past three with Rochester in USL1. He came back because of family ties to the area, and the fact that he's coming back to a team and a system he knew and could continue to thrive in. Worthen has had a few more stops along the way, with Real Salt Lake in MLS and stints in Carolina USL1 and Pittsburgh in USL2.

With both players back to the club, combined with the acquisition of Kenny Cutler, who also has an MLS pedigree, the team has an abundance of veteran players who have played professionally for several years. There's so much leadership and experience that the club was forced to release Fabian Dawkins, a dynamic forward the team spent most of last year trying to acquire.

"At the end of the day, the competition for roster spots was just too tight. We feel that we picked the best 20 players we had, and had to let a few other ones go, ones who would have made the team in previous years," said Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw.

There was speculation in the offseason that Pascale and Mike Burke (also entering his 10th year with the team) might hang it up and concentrate on their lives after soccer, starting new careers, and settling down into the family lifestyle. Not just yet, said Pascale. He admitted he needed to take a break from the sport after last season, and after 4 months off, he knew he still had something left.

"Knowing a few of those guys were coming back influenced Burke's decision, and mine as well... The camaraderie is there, the professionalism... it's just exciting the way the team is coming together."

If you talk to Cowlishaw or Assistant Jesse Myers, though, their excitement for the season also leads to words of caution.

"Every team has gotten better this year," said Cowlishaw. "Discontinuing the MLS Developmental System has let a lot of USL teams pick up young players with MLS experience, as well as several veterans of the league."

"There are no easy games anymore," added Myers. "I think there are 6 or 7 who could wind up winning the Championship, and none of them would be a surprise. We have to bring our best every game, regardless of who we play or where we play them."

When you break down the 2009 Richmond roster, you'll see very few holes:

Goalkeeping - Pascale has played in 3 championship games, has 10 seasons with the team under his belt, and is arguably the best in the league at his position. Backup Mark Murphy stepped in last year when Pascale was injured and filled in admirably.

Defense - This is an interesting area for the team. They've got the veteran Kelvin Jones in the center, and have also picked up Yomby William, who last played for Puerto Rico. The wildcard in the mix is rookie Henry Kalungi, who played in the PDL w/ the FC Fredericksburg Gunners the previous 2 seasons. Kalungi has the size (6'2) to play in the center, has the athleticism to play wide, and the toughness to play as the team's defensive midfielder. The ability of these 3 to mesh early could go a long way in determining the Kickers' success in 2009.

Midfield - Whether they play a 4 or 5 man midfield, there's a lot of options here, so it's up to Cowlishaw and Myers to find the right combination. The ageless Burke can play anywhere, and then you throw in players like Sascha Gorres, Cutler, Worthen, Adrian Bumbut, and a few others, and this looks to be the team's deepest position. That'll help when the team faces games on back to back nights in the summer heat, and midweek games should they advance in the U.S. Open Cup.

Forward - With Dawkins gone, the spotlight falls squarely on Delicate, who was a superstar for the Kickers in 2004 and 2005 before departing for Rochester in USL1. He plays great as a lone forward, so Richmond can comfortably play a 4-5-1. If the team plays David Bulow or Ben Hunter up top with him, the opposition's backline has multiple problems to deal with. Goals should not be a problem for this group.

Overall Outlook - On paper, this is the best Kickers' team since the one that came within a penalty kick of winning the USL1 title in 2005. Again, that's on paper. As the players and coaches continually told me, although they feel the team has gotten better, so has everybody else. At the end of the day, it comes down to chemistry, talent, and desire, which the players, according to Pascale, appear to have.

"I love the pulse of the team this year," he said. "We can't wait to get started!"

England Is Premier

So once again England has put three teams into the Final Four of Champions League. It’s the second year running they’ve accomplished the feat. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that no EPL team has been knocked out by a foreign team in that time.

Manchester United showed why they are the class they are going into the Estadio do Dragao and walking away with a rare road win thanks to another moment of brilliance from Cristiano Ronaldo. Having Rio back in the back was as important as CR7’s blast. But Porto never really threatened, save for a couple of Edwin van der Sar blunders. Think Sir Alex is happy he re-signed the Dutch vet at this point?

Arsenal joins them. And, really, after that choreography, how could they not? Though Bruce Arena can say he’s better than Arsene Wenger at one thing: celebrating a goal. The red to Eguren was probably a bit touchy, but after that dreadful penalty call -- not even Tim Weyland or Fabio Tovar would have called that -- he was probably the winner in getting to Villarreal’s shower before his teammates. It wasn’t the Yellow Submarine’s day at all.

Tuesday saw Barça cruise through, as we all thought they would. Liverpool and Chelsea, as I told Mark it would be, was a low scoring affair with the Blues scraping by. Oh wait, that’s right, my predictions are slightly worse than a weatherman’s. (Now, bring me some soup. What kind? CHUNKY!) The only thing I’ll say is this: if Peter Cech doesn’t sort himself out soon, we could see another 4-0 first half for Barça in the first leg, which will be played at the Nou Camp.

Other thoughts

- Red Bull Arena was topped off earlier this week. Not sure if that was with Stoli or Grey Goose. But you know D.C. United fans must be jealous and/or angry watching that place being built. I just wonder if they bothered putting in a trophy case or not.

- Alec Dufty (not Alex Duffy) was cut by those same Red Bulls just two days after deputizing for Danny Cepero, who left with a head injury early in the draw with Houston. New York fans may wonder if Cepero actually suffered that injury prior to the season. But, really, you have to think this makes life easier for Juan Carlos Osorio who can easily put Jon Conway back in the lineup as he returns from suspension. Now if he could just do that with a couple of guys on his back line.

- Anyone have seven teams with more points than Columbus and Houston COMBINED after four weeks? Houston are making this their MO with just one win in April since 2007. No worries there. Columbus are a few mental errors away from at least four more points. But with the discipline on display by Sigi’s side in Seattle, one has to wonder if Warzycha will be up to the task of righting the ship. Getting Chad Marshall back from his non-concussion head injury will be huge, but who knew trying to replace Brad Evans would be so tough?

- D.C. has a tough game this week on ESPN2. Not sure that RFK is having happy hour for the odd 7 o’clock start time on a Friday night. But New England, coming off a bye week, might have a few more bodies ready for this one. Though it sounds like Matt “Monkey Bear” Reis will not get the green light, much to the chagrin of the United faithful. Steve Ralston might get his first start, which bodes well for a Revs side that is still stingy on the defensive side despite losing Michael Parkhurst and missing Reis. Christian Gomez, who Steve Goff pointed out earlier this week is off to a slow start, shouldn’t rebound going against Shalrie Joseph. My guess -- which at this point is betting on snake eyes at a craps table -- is a 1-1 draw with New England scoring on a Crayton mistake while Ben Olsen knocks one in for the home side. What does that mean? Expect a 4-3 win for New England.

- Since Mark doesn’t have enough ammunition to give me a hard time, here’s another round of MLS predictions looking forward to the weekend. Home teams listed first, as always.

New York v. Real Salt Lake: RSL continues NY’s woes in beating them for the first time. Welcome back Jon Conway. RSL 2-0

Chicago v. Kansas City: Game of the week for me. Davy Arnaud needs help in attack and won’t get it against the Fire. Will Hamlett be smart and finally start Blanco and Rolfe? He better. Chicago 2-1

San Jose v. Los Angeles: Another Cali derby, another game L.A. doesn’t win. Is that seat warming up Bruce? If the Quakes could only finish they’d win. San Jose 1, Los Angeles 1

Chivas USA v. Seattle: Seattle’s never lost on the road. Ever. In that one game. They will in this one without Kasey in goal. Chivas 1, Seattle 0

Dallas v. Toronto: Hey, it’s at night so the 4,000 people that show up won’t get a burned. The eleven on the field will, though. Toronto 2-0

Houston v. Colorado: There’s gotta be more than one tie, right? Why not this one on a crap field? Just don’t ever bet against Conor Casey. Tied 1-1

So there ya go. Eventually my record will even out. Or my paycheck from Mark will stop coming. Which after Tax Day probably won’t be happening anyway.

- Pat Walsh

Playoff Fever...Catch It!!!

My2Cents would like to welcome guest columnist Scott Morath, who gives us his in-depth preview of the Caps/Rangers series which begins on Wednesday. We're hoping Scott becomes a regular contributor with his hockey columns, so give us your feedback and tell him to stay with us!

(2) Washington Capitals versus (7) New York Rangers– The Stanley Cup playoffs frequently boil down to a goaltending duel, which could spell trouble for the second seeded Capitals, who send erratic Jose Theodore between the pipes opposite the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist—widely regarded as one of the top netminders in the world.

Offense – A considerable edge to the high octane Capitals, who rang up the third highest goal total in the league (272), while only four teams tallied FEWER than the Rangers’ paltry 210 scores. The Caps boast reigning MVP Alex Ovechkin (league high 56 goals), Nicklas Backstrom (66 assists), Alexander Semin (79 points, despite missing 20 games), and Norris Trophy candidate Mike Green (31 goals, only the eighth defenseman in history to reach thirty in a season). Conversely, the Broadway Blueshirts don’t have a single player with 30 goals, or even 60 points. Edge: Capitals

Defense – Outside of the dynamic Green, nobody on either blueline did much to distinguish themselves this season. Given his hefty price tag ($39 million over six years) , the Rangers were expecting A LOT more from free agent signee Wade Redden (3 goals, 23 assists). Twenty-two year old Marc Staal was a bright spot in a shutdown role, logging twenty-one minutes on the backline each night, but the youngster will have his hands full matching up against Washington’s snipers. Edge: Even

Special Teams – The series may hinge on whether or not the Rangers can stay out of the box, and how well their penalty killers fare when they don’t. The Capitals feature the league’s second ranked power play, which clicked at 25.2 percent during the regular season. Fortunately for Rangers fans, their team managed to kill off an NHL best 87.8 percent of opposing man advantages. On the flip side, New York’s power play was god awful (next to last in the league, 13.7 percent), and the Capitals’ penalty kill was middle of the pack (17th out of 30 teams). The playoffs are usually called pretty tight (see picture above), however, meaning plenty of power plays for BOTH teams, which should provide the Capitals with ample opportunities to squeeze a few pucks past King Henrik. Edge: Capitals (albeit a minor one).

Goaltending – Lundqvist versus Theodore… need I say more? Edge: Rangers

Intangibles – The game-breaking aura of Ovechkin is a HUGE intangible for the Capitals, but the Rangers have a few things going for them as well. Chris Drury is one of the all-time clutch players in playoff history, and definitely one to keep an eye on should any of the contests spill into overtime. Super pest Sean Avery salvaged his career with a successful return to Broadway, after Dallas kicked him to the curb on the heels of his infamous ‘sloppy seconds’ remarks. Avery is a master at getting under the skin of opposing players, and will try to goad Washington into taking bad penalties. Meanwhile, don’t underestimate the ‘Tortorella factor’. New York bench boss John Tortorella took over when Tom Renney was fired in February, and he already has a Stanley Cup on his resume, having guided Tampa Bay to the title in 2004. The Capitals’ Bruce Boudreau will be coaching just his second playoff series, having lost to the Flyers in seven games last spring. Edge: Rangers

Outlook – Conventional wisdom suggests going with the team with the superior goalie, but the Capitals have so much firepower in their arsenal (including the equivalent of the H-bomb in Ovechkin) that it will likely come down to Game 7 in Washington, where the Capitals are 29-9-3 this season. Capitals in 7.

Happy Monday! Big weekend for the domestic league in the U.S., as there was a full slate of games for MLS, WPS, and to start the USL1 season. Let's start with:

1. Classico - L.A. vs. Chivas - Got to watch a chunk of this match in a bar Saturday evening. Kind of slow and disappointing, as their games are usually wide-open. Chivas finishes w/ a 10-9 advantage after 3 red cards. Gregg Berhalter makes his debut for the Galaxy and last 79 minutes before being shown the door. Also, look at L.A's lineup...notice how OLD that team is? Berhalter, Donovan Ricketts in goal, Chris Klein, Tony Sanneh, Eddie Lewis. This would have been great 5 years ago, but you gotta wonder how long those legs will last throughout a busy and grueling summer.

2. Other MLS action - DC United drops their 1st, not unexpectedly, on the road in Salt Lake City...Kasey Keller gets himself ejected in Seattle's first loss of the season...Conor Casey gets his 4th goal of the season in 1-1 draw with the defending champion Columbus Crew, who are still winless...Bobby Convey gets his 1st goal for San Jose in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Chicago, while Houston and New York play to a dismal and boring 0-0 draw. Of course, aren't the words "boring" and "New York" redundant at this point? Side note: Nice predictions, Walsh, you actually got 1 (the tie w/ Chivas and L.A.) correct!

3. Washington Freedom vs. Chicago Red Stars - One of the few games I got to watch in its entirety. Freedom outshoots Red Stars 14-3 but can only get a 1-1 draw. Chicago 'keeper Caroline Jonsson was player of the match making several huge saves, none of which was better than on Abby Wambach's header deep into the 2nd half. Here's a name to remember: Sonia Bompastor. The Freedom midfielder was arguably the best player on the field Saturday. She's got great speed and athleticism, but makes great service and delivery and was unlucky not to have multiple assists Saturday night. Another great find for Jim Gabarra. The game was on FoxSoccer, and I have to at least mention:

A. Announcers - I don't normally make comments about the broadcasters. I've called several games, both pro and amateur, and I know that I wasn't the best. That being said, who was the female announcer (Emily Weinberg?) and why did she have a microphone? Her disagreement w/ the 2nd yellow card to Chicago's Frida Ostberg was ludicrous! She threw out her elbow and took the player down when she was beaten. Any referee who didn't give a card on that SHOULD be fired! He didn't have a choice. Plus, she continually called out Carli Lloyd, going so far as to question her work ethic. A ridiculous and asinine statement... finally, she kept asking play-by-play anchor Christian Miles (whom I admittedly like) if he agreed with her statements. He agreed, but what else could he do? He was trying to call the game, not argue with her. Work on that, FSC... don't make me watch with the sound down.

4. USL1 Starts - Carolina opens the season with a 2-1 win over Minnesota. I hear through the grapevine that 1st year coach Martin Rennie has assembled quite a squad this year. That's a great stadium down there in Cary, and if the team is as good as advertised, that place will be full of supporters. That's a fantastic area for soccer! In the other game, defending champs Vancouver drew 0-0 with last year's U.S. Open Cup finalists Charleston. A point on the road for the Battery in that hostile environment (and I mean that in a good way) is a great way to start the campaign.

That's all for now, folks. Look for Mr. Walsh to make a contribution here soon, and I'll be back later in the week with a preview of the USL2 season.

Moving On?

Thursday afternoon Don Garber spoke with Steve Goff of the Washington Post and stated (paraphrasing here because I’m too lazy to get the actual quote, which probably would have taken less time than typing all of this) that if United doesn’t get a new stadium, they will be forced to move.

It’s good posturing on “The Don’s” part. But will it work? I say no. At least not while Adrian Fenty is still mayor of the nation’s capital.

Since Miss Cleo’s gone the way of Milli Vanilli and parachute pants, I can’t predict the future. But there is one option I haven’t seen anyone discuss yet, so let me be the first. Because that’s what we do here at “My 2 Cents.” (See: Beckham, David to Chelsea.)

What if the rumors to St. Louis get some legs? I don’t see that current expansion ownership getting a franchise, even if Albert Pujols is involved. So how about MLS reprising what happened in San Jose? Take United’s team and move them to The Lou, and then in a few years with new owners bring back an expansion franchise -- because MLS still wants to expand beyond the 18 teams it will have in 2011 -- to D.C.

Will this happen? Probably not. Honestly I’d rather see United move to Baltimore -- how about that for a rivalry with Philly? -- so I could walk to home games, but that has as much of a chance of happening as the Orioles making the playoffs.

Honestly, in this economy with relatively no land in NOVA to build upon, and limited areas in Maryland with Metro access, the prospects of finding a location for a new stadium seem fairly remote. I could see playing at Navy-Marine Corps -- which is FieldTurf, but did host games during the ’84 Olympics -- and its capacity of 34,000, but getting fans there from the D.C. area isn’t going to happen.

Personally, I say combine forces with Sasho Cirovski, do away with Frat Row, and build a new stadium for United and the University of Maryland right off of Route 1 and minutes from the College Park metro station. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Other thoughts…

- Speaking of stadiums, USSF announce 70 possible sites for games when the U.S. is awarded the World Cup in 2022 (assuming England gets WC ’18). Since this isn’t every other blog -- notice the lack of “Americans Abroad” or “Soccer on TV” listings -- I won’t cut and paste all 70. Though that laziness factor has something to do with it too. Either way, I find it amusing that RFK is on the list. Though the stadium will host the U.S. national team three times in roughly 12 months, and is a potential World Cup venue, it’s “substandard” for DCU. Things that make you go “Hmm.”

- Eddie Johnson scored. And Cardiff fans were chanting his name. And this time they didn’t have pitchforks and torches while doing so.

- As Mark pointed out yesterday, Jurgen Klinsmann is on the proverbial hot seat at Bayern. This begs the question: if the Golden Bomber gets canned, was it a blessing in disguise for Landon Donovan? Had another manager taken over this summer in that scenario, a situation like Clint Dempsey and Freddy Adu saw in their moves to Europe where the man responsible for bringing them over was axed shortly their after would have arisen. Sadly, I think Donovan’s path would have mirrored Adu’s more than Dempsey’s in that case. Obviously that’s all conjecture, but something MLS talent needs to consider should they finally make that move.

- Seven games, all on Saturday thanks to Easter, in MLS this weekend. Here’s a preview of each in ten words, or thereabouts. Home teams listed first.

San Jose v. Chicago: Quakes home field advantage not enough to thwart Blanco’s return to starting lineup. Prediction: Chicago 2-1

Toronto v. Dallas: TFC rebounds to be the latest team to beat up on Dallas. Prediction: Toronto 2-0

Real Salt Lake v. D.C. United: Me starting four RSL players in MLFS is good news for United. Prediction: 1-1

Columbus v. Colorado: Crew need this game more with tough schedule looming. Prediction: Columbus 2-0

Houston v. New York: Houston doubles total number of April wins in the past two seasons. Prediction: Houston 1-0

Seattle v. Kansas City: The real Emerald City (Seattle) leaves the fictional Emerald City (Oz/Wizards) green with envy. Prediction: Seattle 2-0

Los Angeles v. Chivas: Donovan shines in L.A. derby, but Galaxy defense still concedes goals. Prediction: 2-2

- Pat Walsh

Q & A w/ Jim Gabarra and other stuff...

Sorry I couldn't post yesterday. I had actual work to do, so I'm giving Pat an extra day to come up with a variety of insults directed toward me...

A couple of topics and then I'm off:

1. Washington Fredom & WPS - I've been meaning to put something up for a couple of weeks, but kept getting other stories jumping on my plate. I was able to chat for a bit w/ Freedom Head Coach Jim Gabarra before the opener against L.A. Although we didn't speak much about the game itself, we talked about this season, the league, and some comparisons between this league and the WUSA, where he won a championship with the Freedom in the league's final season. some of the highlights:

Q: What's the biggest difference you see right away between WPS and WUSA?

Gabarra: A couple of things jump out. first, the business model is different. The people running it seem to have a better business sense about them, and they seem sensible about how to operate the league...that's not a swipe at the WUSA, but I think this group is a little more realistic in terms of achieving success. They want to slowly grow and sustain the league, much like MLS did in its early days.

Q: You haven't played a real game yet, but what strikes you about the level of play?

Gabarra: There's no question the level of play is higher in WPS. Even after the WUSA folded, a lot of these girls played in the W-League in the USL, or went and played abroad, so their skills didn't really diminish. They have been professionals for several years now and know what it takes to succeed.

Q: Has that made the transition back to this higher-level league easier?

Gabarra: No question. We've only had a 3-week training camp this year as opposed to a 6-week camp with the WUSA, but we've been able to work on tactics and not as much conditioning...again, the women are professional and keep themselves in shape year-round...I think those who followed the WUSA and those who follow this league will (hopefully) see the difference right away.

Q: Your designated players (Cat Whitehill and Abby Wambach) are 2 of the best in the world, and you've also added Brianna Scurry. They've been playing with a certain group of people the past few years. How do you think they will adjust to new teammates?

Gabarra: They've already done it. I've known Abby for a long time, and Cat and Bri, and they all just blended right in. I'm pleased with the chemistry of this team. It's clicked from the start.

Q: How much can you attribute that to the fact that you have several players on the squad (Lori Lindsay, Becky Sauerbrunn, Emily Janns, and a few others) who have been with the Freedom for the past few years?

Gabarra: I think it'll help us in the beginning as far as how the girls will play off each other. some of the other teams in the league had to start from scratch, so we have a slight advantage...again, the professionalism of this league and these players means it won't take long at all for teams to gel, so as I said, whatever advantage we have won't last long and it'll be an equal playing field.

Thanks to Jim for his time! He's got a million things on his plate and I appreciate him taking a few minutes to give me some good info...

Other quick hits:

Champions League: Those were a couple of muggings on Wednesday, huh? Barcelona humiliates Bayern, which apparently puts Klinnsman on the heat seat in Munich... maybe he should have taken the U.S. job a few years back? He'd have more job security...Chelsea goes into Liverpool, gives up an early goal, and storms back to take a huge lead back to Stamford Bridge in the 2nd leg. There are also several reports that AC Milan's Carlo Ancelotti is ready to take the reins from interim manager Guus Hiddink, which leads me to...

Beckham's future? - Ancelotti loves Beckham. Beckham obviously loves playing for Ancelloti. How much fun would it be for the world's most popular player to return to the EPL to face his former team twice a year and have chance at redemption? I'm calling it now, folks; Beckham goes to Chelsea and has a stellar year at Stamford Bridge. The question is; will Old Trafford boo him or cheer for him upon his return to the stadium where he participated in some of the best results and moments in the history of Man. U.?

Parting Shot: The Richmond Kickers are apparently shopping forward (and Jamaican international) Fabian Dawkins around the league. The team spent a majority of last season trying to acquire him, and when they finally did, he scored 3 goals in 5 games. Sounds like an interesting story. I'll make some calls and try to get an update next week, along with a USL2 preview.

Mid-Week Wrap

Feeling a bit under the weather, hopefully you get the reference on the pic, so let’s get straight to some random thoughts. And since I’m not feeling creative, I’m stealing Mark’s format.

1. CONCACAF Champions League - First, congrats to the Puerto Rico Islanders. Sure they were up a man for an hour, but it’s no easy task going to Mexico and winning. Just ask every MLS team. And going out on penalties is nothing to hang your head about. Looking at their roster which features a handful of guys who couldn’t make it in MLS -- Bill Gaudette, Kyle Veris, Sandy Gbandi, Nicholas Adderly, Petter Villegas, and newcomer Dominic Mediate -- and you wonder how many GMs are kicking themselves right now. Not to point fingers or anything, but four of them have ties to D.C. United.

2. U.S. Open Cup - It’s crap that not all of the MLS teams are in the tournament proper. I’m guessing it has to do with seeding, but I don’t know why they wouldn’t sort that out. Nevertheless the games go on, though not the scoring. Colorado sent Los Angeles packing on penalties after 120 minutes of scoreless play. Neither side was at full strength, though that didn’t stop Abby Okalaja from giving a straight red in the first half. And to think I needed something to put me to sleep last night.

2a. A Great Image - Not a huge fan of Twitter, but this comment from “fightonusc” during last night’s draw made me laugh:
Bruce Arena almost got off the bench at some point tonight. Someone should get him a Snuggie to keep him warm.

3. Champions League - Man U can’t be happy with the 2-2 draw heading to Portugal next week. The first two goals of the game had a combined three assists from defenders -- just amazingly poor touches at that level. Meanwhile the Gunners head home with a draw as well. Two amazing goals in that one with Marcos Senna’s blast followed by Emmanuel Adebayor’s brilliant chest trap and (near) bicycle. Though I still say Grafite’s on the weekend against Bayern tops both -- that finish reminds me of those slow rollers that always piss me off in foosball.

3a. One of these days I’ll show Bushman how to do hyperlinks.

4. Champions League Redux - Just because they’re fun, predictions for today’s game. Barcelona hosts Bayern and I look for Messi to one up Grafite as Barça cruises 3-0. In the slugfest between Liverpool and Chelsea, not more than a goal should be scored, which means there will be several; either way the Reds will head to the Bridge next week with a lead.

5. Stadium Bid Fail - Back here in the D.C. area, United’s bid for a stadium in southern P.G. County was shot down (pun intended). Senor Goff at the Post keeps joking about a move to St. Louis. I can’t see that, but in this economy I don’t see what leverage DCU has to build a stadium anywhere locally. From a fan’s perspective, I’m as upset that the ACC tourney and College Cup(s) won’t be held locally as they were rumored thanks to the proximity of the University of Maryland. It’s really a shame money was wasted on the Soccerplex in Germantown and couldn’t have incorporated United while being closer to D.C., aka on a Metro line.

6. Two Thumbs Up - Sorta soccer related, and I know I’m a few years late to the party, but if you haven’t seen Green Street Hooligans, it’s worth two hours of your time. Speaking of, Elijah Wood quietly has a damn impressive IMDB page, dating all the way back to Back To the Future II. Who knew?

Non-Soccer Stuff

7. NCAA Hoops - Congrats to UNC for a convincing win after dominating throughout the tournament and holding the banner high for the ACC. Kudos to Michigan State for carrying on the tradition of the Big Ten crapping the bed in a national championship game -- at least this time it was a sport other than football. The UConn women though, man, what else can you say about 39-0. If they just had thirty more games.

8. Fenway Park - Phish is the latest to play in front of the Green Monster. As they’ve done with their other recent announcements, there’s a cool video to accompany the announcement. Of course this is gonna be another quick sellout and most of the tickets will wind up in the hands of brokers. I don’t know that there’s an easy fix, but something needs to be done to stop this, whether it be Phish or Bruce or whomever. That and the fees. I know TM has to make some money, but paying an extra $19 to see U2 at FedEx when Danny Boy will tack on at least $20 for parking is making me think hard about whether I want to see Ireland’s second best export -- behind Guinness, of course, and don’t make me choose between the two -- for the first time since PopMart.

- Pat Walsh

Weekend Review

Lots of great games this week, an old foe returns to Mexico, and trouble already in Seattle?

1. Manchester United vs. Aston Villa - Game of the year so far in the EPL? I haven't seen one or heard of a better one. What a tremendous amount of drama in a game that could very well decide the Champions of the 2008/2009 season. Villa probably deserved a point, but the 80th minute leveler from Ronaldo and then the game-winner in the 92nd (let's face it, when you saw there were 5 minutes of stoppage time, you just KNEW United would get the win) pushed them back to the top of the table. Also, I can honestly say that until yesterday, I hadn't heard of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda. Macheda's finish was world-class, cutting the ball back inside w/ his heel and curving a wonderful shot just outside the reach of Brad Friedel. I guess it's safe to say the 17 year-old Macheda won't be buying another beer for a long time. Their play also helps to refute what others say about United; they simply buy talent and don't groom their own from the youth clubs and up. Both players are from the youth academy, so draw your own conclusions. [Correction: Macheda actually got his start w/ the Lazio youth club]

2. Mexico's New Coach - Javier Aguirre takes the reigns for the 2nd time. He led them to the 2002 World Cup, but was humiliated by the arch rival United States in the round of 16. He'll definately bring passion back to Mexico (who can forget the game where Claudio Reyna ran after an out of bounds ball and Aguirre kicking at him as he ran past?) and might shake up his lineup. Mexico plays at El Salvador (ask the U.S. how much fun that was) and then home to Trinidad and Tobago. That should be at least 4 points and put them in a decent position heading into the 2nd phase of the Hexagonal. Stay tuned, as there is more drama w/ this team than a Mexican soap opera.

3. Seattle - 3-0 after 3 games and still haven't surrendered a goal. Went into a very tough place to play in Toronto and emerged unscathed...well, kinda. Looks like wunderkind Freddy Montero is in a bit of trouble with the police back in Seattle. Here's the link to it:http://www.seattlepi.com/local/404574_montero02.html?source=mypi The fact that he didn't travel with the team for Saturday's game, yet the Sounders still looked solid, is a testament to the organization and Coach Sigi Schmidt.

4. MLS Week 3 - Highlights include a Conor Casey hat-trick to lead the Rapids to a 3-2 win over L.A., RSL demolishing the Champion Columbus Crew 4-1, DC United off to an unbeaten start after sneaking one past Houston, Ljungberg getting his Seattle career off to a bang w/ a goal just 15 minutes in, and Chivas USA matching pace with Seattle's 3-0 record.

Non-Soccer News

5. Jay Cutler to The Bears - They've mortgaged the franchise to get him, didn't they? Their starting QB in Orton, 2 1st rounders, and a 3rd. I remember a trade my Colts made years back: 2 #1's, WR Andre Rison, and Pro-Bowler Chris Hinton for the right to draft...Jeff George. didn't work out so good, did it? Hope the Bears know what they're doing, as opposed to...

6. Washington Redskins - So they learn nothing from the Broncos handling of the Cutler situation, and essentially throw THEIR starter Jason Campbell under the bus to try and get the Broncos to once again fleece the Redskins in a trade. From the sounds of it, Coach Jim Zorn had no say in this matter; it was all Vinny and Dan. Nice job, guys. What's that I hear? It's your diminishing fan base...

7. Wrestlemania 25 - Yes, I'm ending this column w/ wrestling. Went to a bar that was showing it last night for free with a few buddies to watch the annual extravaganza, and I was pleased at how they carried it off. No big-time celebrities (except for a silly Mickey Rourke sparring session with Chris Jericho), and very few frills and gimmicks, just some good ol' fashioned 'rasslin. Some good stuff; both main events were solid but unspectacular. The HHH/Orton match lacked much drama, although it was unique to see both wrestlers hit their finishers in the 1st minute, but in the end it was essentially a beat down and clean pin for HHH. Match of the night was Shawn Michaels/Undertaker. Michaels was ridiculous as he is at every WM, and this was easily 'Taker's best match in years. Taker won to keep his unbeaten WM streak alive at 17-0, but I think Michaels walked away to a standing ovation from the fans for his performance. Remember, this is a guy who refused to "job' (get pinned) for a long time in his career. Nice to see him more mature and a leader in the locker room.

And on that note, folks, I'm outta here. Look for something from Mr. Walsh here in the next day or so, and thanks as always for reading!