Soccer Saturday

"We've Put Together A Championship Roster!" Um...no, you haven't...

At one point on Saturday, there were no fewer than 5 channels showing soccer games at the same time. Who says Americans don't like soccer? Okay, lots of people, but their voices are growing more and more quiet every year, aren't they? Let's start off the with the main event:

1. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona - The El Clasico wasn't the best game played between these two, but it was some of the best soccer I've seen this year. The scoreline was 2-0 Barca, but I disagree with those observers who saw such a 1-sided affair. Real had 16 shots to Barca's 8, possession was fairly even, and the uncapped Victor Valdes (how in the hell has this guy never been called up for Spain? Oh yeah, some guy named Casillas...) had to make a few clutch saves to keep a clean sheet. But Barca has this year's trump card, Messi, who shook off a hard foul in the 33rd minute and scored a classic goal after a brilliant pass from Xavi (can it be argued that Xavi is Messi's Scottie Pippen?)... after the goal, Walsh sent me this insightful text: "That's what happens when you don't bitch and moan to the ref, get up, and play on..." The best revenge is a goal, and Messi made the kill shot which sent the 80k plus at the Bernebeu fall silent. Xavi's 2nd killer pass of the evening sent Pedro in early in the 2nd half to essentially seal the win, giving Barca the crucial 3 points and the head-to-head tiebreak should the teams end the season tied in points. Cristiano Ronaldo had some brilliant moments for Real but was unable to solve Barca's sturdy back 4. By the way, doesn't Carles Puyol look an awful lot like Bret "The Hit Man" Hart? Just sayin... And if I were a gambling man (hee, hee) I'd put a chunk o' change on Barca winning the double. Do you see any of the remaining opponents in the Champions League matching up with them? No, me neither... And then maybe parlay that into a Spain World Cup trophy, even though Messi plays for Argentina?

2. DC United vs. Philadelphia - Yeah, the level of play was JUST a bit lower since this game immediately followed the La Liga game, but there were some interesting moments. First of all, hats off to a fantastic crowd in Philly. More than 30k showed up for the Union's home opener and went home happy after Sebastien Le Toux's hat trick propelled them to their 1st-ever franchise win. They fell apart a bit in the 2nd half and gave up a 2-goal lead, but didn't panic and shut the door on a United side that is now 0-3. As for United, how early is it to send out the S.O.S? Without Jaime Moreno, the team shows no offensive spark. Troy Perkins has been culpable for multiple goals, the defense isn't doing him any favors, and El Salvadoran newcomer Christian Castillo has shown nothing to warrant any of the preseason hype. So does United bench him and risk (once again) the ire of the El Salvadoran fans who still have not quite forgiven the team for trading their hero Raul Diaz Arce more than a decade ago? And although the heat might be on new Coach Curt Onalfo, when are Kevin Payne and Dave Kasper going to be held accountable for putting together such a lousy team the past few years?

3. Other MLS Thoughts -

A. If you have Edson Buddle or any of the L.A. Galaxy defense on your fantasy team, you're probably leading your league.

B. Chicago has no business losing their home opener in front of a large crowd to a team like San Jose.

C. Kansas City might be a much better team than I thought.

D. Toronto might be just the opposite.

E. I know it's only 3 weeks in, but why do I get the feeling the Western Conference is essentially going to be a 3-team race between L.A., Seattle, and Real Salt Lake? Over/Under on the number of times the lead changes hands amongst the 3? Let's set the line at 12.

4. Washington Capitals - Scott Morath should drop by in a few days to give us his in-depth playoff analysis, but I was watching the NHL Network last night, and they went over their "3 Biggest Stories To Watch in The Playoffs." They were San Jose, Chicago, and...Pittsburgh???? The Caps win the President's Trophy going away, and they don't even rate as viable storyline? Hope Bruce Boudreau puts this on the bulletin board. The Caps still get no respect. Time for them to earn it.

5. Steelers Trade Santonio Holmes To The Jets - New York is really shooting for a Title in the 1st year of their new stadium, aren't they? Only giving up a 5th rounder for the talented (but troubled) Santonio Holmes is a steal. However, with Holmes probably being suspended the 1st 4 games of the season, I think Pittsburgh is tired of the unwanted attention and wants to send a message to anybody else who wants to embarrass the franchise that it will no longer be tolerated. I know you're all thinking that Big Ben is an exception, but no team gets rid of a franchise quarterback...are you listening Philadelphia?

That's all for now. As I mentioned earlier, Morath will give us some good hockey stuff later in the week, and I'm sure Pat will come up with something as well.

Thanks as always for reading!