Weekend Roundup

I took Memorial Day off from my normal Monday writing, so here are we on a dreary and rainy Tuesday here in DC. Lots of soccer this weekend, and I actually attended 3 matches. Unfortunately, I missed the best one (Richmond/Crystal Palace), as you can see from Richmond's Kelvin Jones above. Nice little gash from what players and coaches described to me as a war (photo credit courtesy of Suz Kitsteiner).

1. DC United/Real Salt Lake - First chance I've had to watch United in person this year, and I picked possibly the worst game I've seen this year. DC had a few chances in the first half, but both teams seemed to bunker in (although Tom Soehn claimed it was only Real who did so). Gotta say I was impressed w/ DC's back 3, plus GK Josh Wicks. He made the saves when he needed to, including back to back gems midway through the 2nd half to preserve the point. And any talk about Bryan Namoff losing a step (that might have been me before the season started) can get off that bandwagon. His speed is fine, his positioning is better, and he's become an obvious leader on the field.

One more thing; I was looking forward to seeing RSL's Javier Morales play. After Saturday, I'm in no rush to see him again anytime soon. He resembled Carlos Ruiz more than anything else, with all of the diving, whining, and just not looking like the guy who took over games last year. No wonder the team hasn't scored a goal on the road this year.

2. Freedom/Sky Blue FC - Still not getting the Sky Blue thing (especially when they wore orange jerseys), but this was actually a much better game than the 2nd one of the evening. Even without Abby Wambach, the Freedom created several scoring chances and had some nice finishes, including a corner from Sonia Bompastor to Cat Whitehill. Cat is quickly becoming my favorite player, and she can make a case as the best defender in the league. She stripped Natahsa Kai and Rosana on multiple occasions, sometimes making a risky tackle inside the 18 and winning it cleanly. In addition, GK Erin McLeod has without a doubt supplanted Brianna Scurry as the Freedom starter, and Sonia Bompastor was a joy to watch. She was probably the most exciting player on the field.

3. The USL-2 Craziness Continues - So previously unbeaten Wilmington goes into winless Western Mass. and loses, Bermuda wins again, Charlotte loses again and has given up a league-high 15 goals, and Richmond and Crystal Palace play to a standstill. The 1-1 draw in Richmond Stadium was the 4th consecutive home tie for them. They've got a heavy home schedule for the first half of the season, so they need to start picking up some points on the road to assure themselves a spot in the top 5 to make the playoffs. As I mentioned earlier, I got texts from players and coaches after Saturday's war, and learned there were 8 yellow cards and 10 minutes of stoppage time...in the 2nd half! And there I was sitting in RFK joking with my fellow journalists as to how bad the MLS game was...

4. FC Fredericksburg/NoVa. Royals - A solid PDL matchup between the regional rivals. Shaka Bagura nets a pretty goal early in the 2nd half for the 1-0 Gunners win. A typically brutal game for both teams as numerous yellows were distributed, and a few more which would have resulted in red weren't called. I like the way the Gunners are playing so far. They possess well, their outside backs are good at making knifing runs and clearing space for the attackers, and they're solid in the air. The good news for this team is that they've been missing some guys who should step right in and contribute, giving this already good team some depth. Big test this weekend as they play Reading, who are going to the U.S. Open Cup and have been manhandling opponents so far this year.

5. Champions League - Won't go into all kinds of depth about this game. The matchups are being broken down by every other soccer writer, blogger, or tv commentator. I'll give just my (usually unreliable) prediction; United will start out tentative to see what Barca brings at them. With the Barca defense playing shorthanded due to yellow card suspensions (another silly rule that FIFA should really look to change), Ronaldo will score on a fantastic counterattack and go into the break at 1-0. Barca will push forward in the 2nd half, and United will double the lead on another counter, this time by Wayne Rooney. Barca will get a late goal but it won't be enough, and United will repeat as Champions of Europe.

By the way, I have to work on Wednesday and will have to tivo the game and watch when I get home. That means, do not call me, text me, or email me. I will stay off Facebook and any other channel that even has the slightest chance of showing the result. I'm even skipping the gym in the evening because I know something will be on the tv. You've been warned; leave me alone!

Look for Pat's column later in the week, hopefully breaking down the Champs League Final on Thursday for us.

Also, with the Stanley Cup Finals all but matched up with Pittsburgh and Detroit, we'll try to get something from Scott Morath, our hockey expert, and break the series down and give his prediction.