Adebayor's strike is sick... can only be appreciated in real time given how fluid the cross and the strike were...

Thanks for sharing.

Wow, great goal !
Looks identical to one I remember seeing recently.

Marcus' comments remind me of that old Greaseman bit : "Oh, baby I'm a redneck"

Return of the Jedi is the best?! Marcus, say it ain't so...Empire is so much better

Motagua beat Saprissa last night in the UNCAF Final to advance to the Champions Cup.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but both Motagua and Saprissa had already qualified for Champions' Cup by winning in the semis.

In my day, I could shoot better than Adebayor.

I'm not sure Steve, you're probably right. I thought Motagua had to win the UNCAF to qualify. So is the field set for the CCC?

Adebayor? Puh-leeze. I would have...

What a crazy strike. Amazing.

My vote for the greatest Bill Murray quote of all time:

Carl Spackler: So I jump ship in Hong Kong and make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas. A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-galunga. So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, "Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know." And he says, "Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

"Pay no attention to those breathless reports saying D.C. United has already finalized a deal with Juan Sebastian Veron."

Veron? Daydream. Let's sign John Sebastian.

Indeed, Saprissa and Motagua had already qualified for Champions' Cup. Alajuela and Municipal were battling (literally) for the final Central American slot. Municipal was awarded a 3-0 victory in the first leg after fan disturbances in Costa Rica. (Municipal led 2-1 at the time.)

CONCACAF will conduct the eight-team draw on Wed., Dec. 19.

Goff,

there are some reports of Mo Johnston relinquishiing his role as coach and moving solely into the GM position. Have you heard anything about this? Personal opinion, definetly the right move!

Goff,

Obviously Veron is gonna have DP status, do you have any idea what the salary range he is expecting ot recieve or MLS is willing to pay.

Excellent! Thanks Steve...

I liked the Four-Four-Two blog entry about the Ray Hudson drinking game... :-)

Loved Marcus' quotes until I read that he has kids.

No grown man with children should be listening to Slipknot. That's a Texas Tower waiting to happen.

Dichio's strike was 10 x more wondrous.

Marcus Hahnemann meet Brad Friedel

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/blackburn/article2988275.ece

Goal keepers are a weird bunch...

> Veron? Daydream. Let's sign John Sebastian.

Brilliant! Oh, the stories we could tell...

what nothing about the copa sudamericana final with all the goals, controversy and celebrations after the game that were beyond heroic?! can dc united fans ever dream of competing this far along in the competition? Veron would be a huge step in the right direction, but man it is great to dream

Wow. I have never heard anyone say they love the Ewoks. Say it ain't so. As usual, beautiful football from Arsenal. Awesome.

too bad he is not in town tonight for the GWAR concert. i think they would definitely beat slipknot in a cagematch

Not sure if anyone has posted this elsewhere but I just found it on another soccer site;

"(Benching her) (Solo) was the wrong decision, and I think anybody who knows anything about the game knows that."

Quote from none other than the new women's coach. Whether you agree or not (and most sane people do...) what an awesome, direct, no BS statement.

Um, Solo said that in September, not the new coach. As usual, a sketchy web site mangled the original quotes and made it appear as though Sundhage said it. (sigh)

Arsenal winning the first leg in Azteca was beyond huge. Coming back from two quick goals at home was also pretty amazing. It'll be years before an MLS club can stand up to that kind of pressure away from home.

Watching Saprissa vs. Motagua last night Milton Reyes was subbed in late. I had to do a double take because after he left DCU I lost track of him. He's 33 now, but when he was here I thought he was great. Fast, skilled, he was good at getting forward from the back flank. I had to read his Wikipedia profile to see what happended to him. Forgot that he spent a season (after his ACL healed) in Dallas. Great that Motagua won. Quite a few good skilled players come out of Honduras. Should be interesting to see what kind of national team they put together for WCQs.

I didnt realize Soccer365 was a sketchy website. Here's the link to the full article, for what it's worth... http://www.soccer365.com/us_news/story_61207183916.php

If it's that bad of a site, I guess I'll have to stop checking it out every day...
______________________________________
Sundhage Backs Solo Return
2007-12-06 18:38:16

After calling keeper Hope Solo to her first camp in charge, US Women's National Team coach Pia Sundhage says it's time to move past World Cup controversy.

The Washington native was benched by former boss Greg Ryan for the semifinal match against Brazil - a game lost 4-0 - despite carrying a long shutout streak.

"Hope is a good goalkeeper," said Sundhage. "We have to move on."

"(Benching her) was the wrong decision, and I think anybody who knows anything about the game knows that."

Years back, Soccer365 was a pretty decent site. Then their un-moderated forums sank into a cesspool of xenophobia, homophobia and general douchebaggery. I went to BigSoccer and never looked back.

until the Soccer Insider came along ;>)

"douchebaggery..."

-----------------

Classic!

re: Marcus....

people, goalkeepers are insane. Goalies are insane in every sport that has them (ever seen a hockey goalie on game day? something just ain't right about them all. Just like a closer in Baseball, or kickers in pointy-ball.

Anything with a Bob Wiley quote is destined for greatness.

"people, goalkeepers are insane."

It's a requirement. If things are going bad, you have to be insane to face all those blistering shots coming your way. If things are going well, the only company you have are the voices in your head.

This blog is great, but why no love for the South American tournaments? Arsenal (argentina) surprises all of South America to win this prestigous tournament, and not one word from the Goff man?

Ok, so that Four Four Two link led me to another absolutely great link.

The Ray Hudson Drinking Game!

http://sevilla.theoffside.com/team-news/the-extraordinary-ray-hudson-la-liga-drinking-game-look-out.html

An Instant Classic

This blog is great, but why no love for the South American tournaments? Arsenal (argentina) surprises all of South America to win this prestigous tournament, and not one word from the Goff man?

Posted by: Sudamericana | December 6, 2007 03:18 PM
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I agree, Sudamericana. I love Insider Nation, and I read it every day, but I think it's true that Goffhino doesn't cover South America enough. The missing mention of this tournament is an example. Then again, he called Copa Sudamericana "ridiculous". And other than as a distraction to MLS teams (which didn't get very far anyway), I'm not sure why.

Goff -- any chance you can locate and post highlights from Arsenal (Argentina)'s thriller last night?
Thanks.

These are the tournaments that will raise the profile of MLS teams (if they win). I am still waiting for the day to see DC United in group play for the Libertadores...And to call this tournament "ridiculous", Goff has yet to learn about 'World soccer'...Maybe Goff saw the importance of this when DC put out a reserve squad against Real Salt lake, to put a full squad against Chivas...

As I've explained, the reason I called Copa Sudamericana "ridiculous" was the timing: right before the start of the MLS playoffs. A run at MLS Cup should carry more importance to players and supporters than having the honor of being eliminated in the first or second round of South America's second-tier club tournament. If, some day, the MLS or Sudamericana schedules change, (and MLS clubs have the wherewithal to build deep rosters and adaquately compete in such tournaments) I will change my tune and be all for MLS inclusion.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3ojff_arsenal-1-america-2-final-copa-suda_sport

Speaking of Latin America...

10pm tonight is the best of Mexico!

Goff,

I mostly agree with you about the timing of Copa Sudamericana.

But it mostly hurts MLS teams because of the lack of roster depth. It's timing could also be pretty inconvenient for Arsenal if they had been making a serious run at the Argentine title or America if they hadn't been eliminated already from the Mexican liguilla playoffs.

Either way both Arsenal and America had to prioritize their games and juggle their lineups accordingly. They just have more quality players to juggle than an MLS team would have.

All hail Arsenal de Sarandi for winning the 2nd Most Prestigious Club Cup in the Americas!

"A run at MLS Cup should carry more importance to players and supporters than having the honor of being eliminated in the first or second round of South America's second-tier club tournament. "

But it plays perfectly into the rampant egotism of many DC fans, who seem to believe that only foreign competition is a sufficient test for mighty United (despite the fact that they can't seem to get to MLS Cup to play for a league championship).

Vintage Hudson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYkdPxRwPVA

I wonder if Marcus realizes Slipknot isn't even remotely in the neighborhood of 'death metal'

Great goal by Adebayor. They are gonna miss him terribly during Cup of Nations.

How's about NUFC tied. Cancels out any "wonderstrike" by a lucky player.

Thx,

Jay!