Weekend Wrap-Up

"I Can't Wait to Play For Italy...wait, what?"

Tons of soccer this past weekend as the domestic leagues (save for MLS and USL) are winding down and we get ready for arguably the greatest month of sports that only visits every 4 years... Oh yeah, and that whole Capitals debacle that we shouldn't mention but will anyway...

1. Giuseppi Rossi - He's been left off the initial 29-man roster Marcelo Lippi has called into Italy's World Cup squad. Some reports are that he may get called in, but a vast majority of the ones I've read have said no he won't. So, pal, how's that decision to play for the Azzuri sounding right about now? Goodness, can you imagine the hype and expectations if both he and Nevan Subotic decided to play for the red, white, and blue? There isn't much that could be done about Rossi, as it looked like he decided from an early age to play for Italy, but Subotic was ready to play here until he had a very public falling out with U-20 Coach Thomas Rongen. But I digress. Regardless, Rossi is a hugely talented player who still has his best years ahead of him. If he doesn't get on the squad, watch for him to be extra motivated to stake a claim for the 2014 tournament in Brazil.

2. USL2 - For the first time in 10 games played so far, the home team won a game, as Charleston beat Charlotte 2-1. That continues the Battery's impressive form as they went to Real Maryland earlier in the week and pulled out a 1-0 win. Richmond had a very successful road trip (Kickers assistant coach Jesse Myers told me he thinks they play better on the road) as they got 4 points in less than 24 hours with a 1-0 win over Real Maryland and a 1-1 draw with Pittsburgh. Matthew Delicate got both goals for the Kickers (he's scored all 4 so far), the latter coming against the Riverhounds in injury time.

3. MLS - Got a couple of teams to address this week:

A. DC United -It goes without saying this is the worst team in the league, and it's not even close. No goals scored in 3 home games? A crowd of only 12k on a Saturday? Red Bulls fans being louder than Barra Brava, the Screaming Eagles, or La Norte (at least it seemed like that on television)? Tough times in DC for sure. Is this the lowest point in the team's history? I don't see how it can't be...even when the team was losing in the Thomas Rongen days, or even the subpar seasons with Ray Hudson, the team, and its fans, remained optimistic. I see nothing of the kind now. The Coach appears in over his head, proving Kansas City was not just bad luck for him, and the front office has put together a God-awful squad that doesn't look capable of beating a quality NASL/USL side right now. And I don't see it getting any better this year. At least 1 or 2 "legitimate" reporters are now asking about the job security of everyone involved, something Walsh and I brought up just 2 weeks into the season.

B. Philadelphia - They lead the league in red cards, most of them for stupid fouls or reckless challenges. But is anyone really surprised? Danny Califf is a red card waiting to happen, and DC fans will remember the number of ejections the team had under Peter Nowak. That Eastern European "play hard, hit harder" style of play might have worked in previous years, but with the FIFA mandate on referees to start aggressively booking rough play, Peter might have to change tactics a little bit. Will he be able to do so?

C. L.A. Galaxy - So what are they going to do when Buddle and Donovan leave for 6 weeks (yes, Buddle will be on the squad)? Well, if they can keep up the stingy defense, they at least have a few 0-0 draws in their future. Again, those who are still critical of Bruce Arena's failures in Germany of 2006 need to be quiet. He's won everywhere he's gone, and even got a dismal Red Bulls team into the playoffs before being summarily dismissed by an impatient ownership group. L.A., for now, is the team to beat, with the Red Bulls being a close 2nd.

4. Champions League - I guess Inter Milan is the favorite going into the game with Bayern in a few weeks? Should be interesting, but I'm still stunned Barca isn't playing in the Final. Wonderful job by Jose Mourinho to stifle the Spanish giants' attack. So where do you think he winds up coaching after the Cup is over? I know people say he would prefer to be a club coach, but perhaps the millions that will surely be offered to him will be enough to lure him into this new spotlight. And no, U.S. fans, he will never coach here. The kind of power he would want is the kind the U.S. Soccer "braintrust" wouldn't be willing to give...just ask Jurgen Klinsmann.

5. Washington Capitals - Well, that sucked, didn't it? I was ready for them to play until June. Win the Stanley Cup, and then have a seamless transition to the World Cup. I know our boy Scott Morath and other friends know more about hockey than myself, but I'm pretty sure we all agree the team shouldn't panic and blow it up. Give it 1 more year. Give the coach and GM 1 more year to fix what's wrong. Maybe try to move Semin for a decent 2nd or 3rd line scorer and a couple of promising prospects? Maybe get Boudreau to make some changes when your league-best power play goes 1 for 33? Come on, Bruce, show us you really know the X's and O's of the game...

Oh, by the way, how much did it hurt watching Halak get completely shelled in Game 1 Friday night against Pittsburgh and actually get yanked? Trust me, Morath and I were texting big time on that one, the language used not something we could put on this site and still make it family-friendly...

That's all for this week, fans. Thanks for reading. Walsh will stop by later in the week for his usual spot-on analysis, and watch out for our World Cup group-by-group previews coming in the next few weeks.