Weekend Roundup

Former Gunner Adrian Bumbutt fouls former Gunner teammate Danny McGarry (photo courtesy of Suz Kitsteiner)

Another busy week of soccer has come and gone. We saw Barcelona become Champions of Europe (I've got a story I'm putting together on that one and I'll have it up later in the week), lots of MLS, USL, and WPS action, and we've got the next 2 rounds of the CONCACAF WCQ this week. Let's review the weekend first and then I'll make my hexagonal predictions...

1. MLS - Okay, I know that I am slightly biased toward DC as I see them and cover them more than any other team in the league, but that penalty call in the 92nd minute for New England has to be one of the worst I've ever seen. It's a 4-point swing. Teams go from 1 point each to -2 for a steady DC and + 2 for a badly slumping New England. If you thought Tom Soehn is an ornery guy after a win or a draw, imagine being in that press conference Saturday night (shudder)... In other action, Freddie Ljungberg misses a penalty as Seattle draws w/ defending champions Columbus, who look like they're starting to find a rhythm... Chicago follows up a huge and dramatic come from behind win at Chivas Thursday night with a flat performance against Dallas and get blown out... Conor Casey gets his 7th and 8th goals of the season for Colorado but has yet to receive a phone call from Bob Bradley... Finally, Gregg Berhalter has obviously been watching tapes of Pablo Mastroeni, as he gets ejected once again in a 1-1 draw with Kansas City.

2. WPS - The Washington Freedom stay unbeaten in 5 games with a 3-1 win over the FC Gold Pride. Cat Whitehill and Sonia Bompastor once again lead the resurging Freedom, who have vaulted into 2nd place after a rough start... L.A. continues to run away from the rest of the league after a 2-0 win against St. Louis... And in new Head Coach's Kelly Lindsey's debut for Sky Blue FC, they reward her with a 2-1 win over Boston. Ian Sawyers has officially been relieved of his duties with the team. Does this mean Julie Foudy will withdraw her support for the league? I mean, it's no longer about her, so does she really care anymore? Seriously, though, would love to find out the real story behind Sawyers' departure. Anybody have a clue?

3. USL 2 and PDL- Didn't get to see any USL1 action this week, but...

A. I watched Richmond get a convincing 2-0 win over Western Mass. in a game that could have been 6 or 7-nothing had it not been for the Pioneers' James Thorpe in goal. He made some great saves, while I'm not sure if his counterpart, Ronnie Pascale, had to break a sweat. Richmond might not have solved their offensive issues, but defensively, particularly with a rotating centerback trio of Yomby William, Kelvin Jones, and rookie Henry Kalungi, they're pretty solid and will keep the team in most games. Also of note that might only interest me, there were 3 former Fredericksburg Gunners playing in that game (Kalungi and Adrian Bumbutt for Richmond, and Danny McGarry for Western Mass. Not bad for a club in only its 3rd year of existence). Elsewhere, it was an interesting weekend with Charlotte destroying Pittsburgh 5-1, with the Riverhounds turning around and beating Wilmington 3-1 the next night. Real Maryland beats Crystal Palace 1-0 in the Maryland derby, and then Harrisburg solidifies their hold on 1st place with a 3-2 win over the Monarchs...speaking of Harrisburg:

B. PDL - The City Islanders might have a tougher than expected U.S. Open Cup game against the PDL's Reading Rage on Wednesday. I watched Reading absolutely hammer FC Frederickburg 5-0 yesterday at the Fredericksburg Academy Athletic Complex. The Gunners boast some quality talent, but were played off the pitch. If you look at the Rage, they don't look like the best athletes and they're not very big. However, their passing and skill were dazzling yesterday, as they look like a better team than the one that made it to the final Four of the PDL tournament last year. They're already running away with the Mid-Atlantic Division, and if Harrisburg takes them lightly this week, you could see an upset.

4. United States at Costa Rica - The U.S. has never won there. At times, they've been blown out. This is a solid Costa Rica squad who will give the U.S. all they can handle. Although the U.S. has taken care of business at home, that was one ugly draw in El Salvador. We'll see how Bradley and the boys can adjust to an even wilder scene Wednesday night at Estadio Saprissa. I think Bob goes with a conservative and defensive alignment, hoping to get a draw. The tea leaves say he won't get it, and the pressure will REALLY be on Saturday in Chicago against Honduras. Costa Rica 2 - U.S. 0