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.