Thursday Thoughts

This may or may not have been Mark on after Kiss.

It’s been a slow week. And by slow I mean there was no World Cup qualification going on. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff to talk about, so let’s get to it.

- There was an interesting post over at Hexagonal Blog -- a great site for CONCACAF news -- last week concerning our qualification. If you look at the chart that showed where all six teams stood after each of the ten match days, you see that the U.S. was never lower than tied for second. Granted, things were still up in the air until the penultimate game. But things could have been worse, just look at where Mexico and Honduras were after match day 4.

- As our buddy Craig Stouffer blogged yesterday, can you really get a handle on this D.C. United side? I almost could see them pulling a New York Red Bulls of last year and making MLS Cup. I see that just as easily as them losing to a Kansas City side that has nothing to play for -- much like the Columbus finale last year, but the Wizards aren’t as good -- as pulling of a deep run. In other words, I have no idea what to think going into this weekend. (Hey, it’s better than me BSing like Mark and I normally do about what we think might happen!) No matter what, kudos to United for earning just the second ever draw by an MLS side in Mexico with their 1-1 result in Toluca. Lawson Vaughn shouldn’t have been in a position to concede the penalty, but you kind of felt like Toluca was going to score at some point. They’ll need help tonight as Marathon heads to Trinidad to face San Juan Jabloteh and if you think that result is a foregone conclusion, just look back to last week when T&T hosted Mexico and pulled off a shock result. Granted, that was a (mostly) meaningless game, but strange things do happen in this beautiful game.

- Going back to what I posted last week about the Charlie Davies incident, Bruce over at his realm DuNord posted some good questions as a lead into his daily must-read yesterday. He points out we never heard what happened after Michael Bradley’s red card in South Africa and even the lack of explanation over the Jurgen Klinsmann hiring fiasco. Does that put Sunil Gulati on Dick Cheney’s level of keeping secrets? If so, don’t go hunting with the USSF Prez. Also, another friend of M2C, Brian Strauss talked to Robbie Rogers in a good interview and the subject of Davies being out late was brought up, but you have to feel that will be the most its ever discussed.

- To continue with a link-based blog, Steve Davis at his blog wrote about how Michel Platini may have gotten it right with the Champions League and uses FC Rubin Kazan’s upset of Barcelona -- at Camp Nou! -- as his defense. This to me is a mid-major versus BCS conference debate for the NCAA hoops tournament. Probably because of my being an alum of Maryland and all I’ve tended to side with the BCS teams and feel the same about this argument. After all, isn’t the Europa League/NIT Tourney for the little guys? (Yes, I realize MD hoops have been in the NIT too often recently.) At the mid-point of the group stage, four teams (half of the groups) have the maximum nine points. Only two groups -- Group C with Madrid, Milan, Marseille, and Zurich and Group F with the aforementioned Barça and Rubin Kazan along with Dynamo Kiev and Inter -- seem to be balanced from top to bottom and only Rubin Kazan are Champions League newcomers. Obviously there are going to be minnows every year in the group stage, I’m just not sure that we should pat Platini on the back.

- I’m not going to bother with an analysis of the most pitiful weekend of football I can remember. Suffice it to say this guy couldn’t do any worse than Jim Zorn or Ralph Friedgen at this point. And for those of you who defend Fridge out there, explain to me why he should stay after reading this. At least Terps hoops is back. And yes, I’m expecting a big year -- at least the Sweet Sixteen and wouldn’t be shocked if Vasquez wins ACC POTY.

- Pat Walsh