Tuesday "Q" (but no "A")

Lionel Messi Has Cankles? Who Knew?

We took last week off as we had about 1.5 million things going on, not the least of which was FASA’s official announcement that their PDL and W-League franchises will kick off their inaugural seasons in the spring of 2011. More than 300 folks came out on a Wednesday night to watch the announcement, as well as get tons more information on the “Field of Dreams” complex that is finally coming to fruition in Spotsylvania County. You know it’s a serious and important announcement when 2 members of the county’s Board of Supervisors (Chairman Gary Skinner and Hap Connors) are in attendance as well.

More information on both of these projects is forthcoming, but in the meantime, check out Potomac Soccer Wire’s Charlie Boehm’s outstanding article on the evening’s festivities and what FASA has in store for the future.

In the meantime, we’ve got lots to cover. Tons of week 2 NFL action and, of course, since this is primarily a soccer blog, tons of soccer to talk about. Let’s put it together this week in the format of “Questions That Don’t Require Answers.”

1.Does Lionel Messi’s ankle injury (pictured above…nasty!), if it keeps him out for any lengthy amount of time, let Real Madrid fans think they actually have a shot at winning La Liga this year?

2. Does the fact that there seems to be no pressure for Dimitar Berbatov to perform this year actually the reason why he’s playing as well as anybody in the Premier League?

3. Am I the only person who thinks watching a Serie A game is the equivalent of watching paint dry?

4. Although they continue to be one of the worst teams in the history of MLS, will DC United’s inspired play for Ben Olsen over the past several weeks have United’s front office thinking about removing the “interim head coach” tag he currently has?

5. If the MLS playoffs started today, Real Salt Lake and FC Dallas would meet in the 1st round. That’s a potential MLS Cup Final, not an opening playoff series. Anybody want to scrap the current Conference format once and for all and just go to a single table when Portland and Vancouver join next year?

6. Was Thierry Henry’s incident with Kevin Hartman last week a dirty play or just another in a series of dumb plays from a guy who’s done a good job of making people forget that he was, at one point, the most exciting player on the planet?

7. Why are Redskins fans saying Sunday’s loss was a “good loss?” I have lost lots of games in my career, and I have NEVER used that term to describe the feeling.

8. Staying on the Redskins, when was the last time the team actually threw the ball downfield with such success? With a bunch of 30-something wideouts, no less. What will Shanahan do when he gets young guys who can actually play?

9. How long before someone brings the topic of race into the Kevin Kolb/Michael Vick quarterback situation in Philadelphia?

10. Why did that idiot at the Colts game the other night think he could keep Brandon Jacobs’ helmet? If you can’t keep a football, dude, why would you think a helmet was a souvenir?

11. Who knew the Colts could even run the football?

12. How does Jamaal Charles go from a guy who gets nearly 1,000 yards in the last 8 games in Kansas City last year to being a backup with the same team this year? (Yes, I ask that question because it affects my fantasy team)

13. Can the Pittsburgh Steelers defense carry that team to a Super Bowl this year? 2 weeks, 2 monster performances.

14. Is it too early to say “Told ya’ so” about Jason Campbell?

15. NHL Training camps started this week. Anybody else a little nervous that the Washington Capitals might suffer from a bit of a hangover after last year’s playoff disaster?

Walsh might write something later in the week. He might not. He likes to keep all of us guessing.

Thanks as always for reading, folks!