lots of good info. Thanks Goff.

Didn't know Martinez had played CB in Italy... thats a GREAT sign, IMO.

Kind of sucks that some countries' longshot World Cup dreams could end in 90 minutes....and two years before the World Cup.

On the other hand they'd have the maximum preparation time for WC 2014.

Wow, that sucks that these countries don't have a half-decent location for a game. That said...Montserrat has a team??? I thought that island was more or less abandoned after all of the volcanic activity...

If you get a chance, find a copy of "The Other Final," a wonderful Dutch documentary about a game between Bhutan and Montserrat -- the two "worst" teams in the world -- on the eve of the 2002 World Cup final.

Any truth to the rumour of the Columbus target being Eider Gudjohnson?

Thanks for the Godinez update Steve.

eider gudjohnson to Columbus??

I don't want to have to buy another MLS team's shirt.....

can't he come to DC?

Goff: Bhutan has moved up a bit.

If Eider Gudjohnson goes to Columbus, he'll leave in a minute. From London to Barca to Columbus? Yeesh.

So Martinez played in Italy, but does anyone know if he got many minutes while he was there?

Just heard Kojo report on his "D.C. Politics Hour" radio show on NPR that a stadium is in the works for Poplar Point. Sounds like they are close to making a public announcement and Marion Barry was there on the studio to confirm it.

Wow, that sucks that these countries don't have a half-decent location for a game. That said...Montserrat has a team??? I thought that island was more or less abandoned after all of the volcanic activity...

Posted by: RK | January 11, 2008 01:00 PM

Actually, only the southern half of the island is still abandoned. They have done a pretty good job rebuilding the north side and even re-opened the airport a few years ago.

Mr. Goff,

While browsing the newly moved Capital Weather blog at the Post website, I noticed that when the authors comment below their posts, their comments are bolded. Not to complicate things, but I appreciate the extra insight you sometimes contribute in the comments. Any chance you could get the same bold treatment so those of us looking through the comments can jump right to yours?

This could be a good signing...

I was a regular at Millos matches when working in Bogota last summer. The Copa Mustang league is not particularly technical - indeed, I though an in-sync DC United could beat at the least most teams in the lower half of the table. Midfield shape and tranistion left something to be desired. Oh well.

If nothing else, Sr. Gonzalo will bring massive fitness to the back line. Millos homeground - El Campin - is at just over 9,000 ft of elevation. I was amazed by how much Millos ran at that altitude.

Communciation might be a bit of an issue - but who will be the leader at the back? Gonzalo or Vanney? I would have to defer to Gonzalo based on pedigree, but if his english is non-existant, then Vanney is it by default.

Again, the Colombian first division is somewhat lackluster (due to the loss of laundered narcodollars fueling player acquisition - the 80s and 90s were the glory days for Millos, Medellin, etc.), but this guy has some quality experience. I think his exposure to international club competition in latin american will be VITAL to helping the defense organize properly against the likes of America, Chivas and other top Mexican side DC will face in tournament play.

I expect - or hope - that his experience at dealing with technical and pacy attackers will lead his to mentor Marc Burch (a converted forward) who has HUGE upside and will be a cornerstone at left back once he gets better at reading the game and know when/where to tackle.

This could be a nice signing by DC (finally!)...might have to renew those season tickets after all.

Yo Lover, Go ahead, make my day....

Erick... season ticket renewals get a TOTALLY SWEET dcu flag (I did yesterday)

Wikipedia info is wrong - Martinez will turn 33 in November 2008 (DOB 11/30/75).

In terms of his Italian stats:
2001 - 2002 (Udinese): 19 games, 0 goals
2002 - 2003 (Udinese & Napoli): 24 games, 0 goals
2003 - 2004: (Napoli & Reggina): 26 games, 0 goals

Total: 69 games, 0 goals

Just heard Kojo report on his "D.C. Politics Hour" radio show on NPR that a stadium is in the works for Poplar Point. Sounds like they are close to making a public announcement and Marion Barry was there on the studio to confirm it.
Posted by: Lover | January 11, 2008 01:26 PM

Say WHA!????!!?!!!? Someone please confirm or disconfirm this craziness...?? This is like, "Oh, by the way, all that stadium stuff you were worried about. Never mind, it's all good."

Hey, do you have any information about Kenny Cooper wanting out in Dallas and Houston apparently interested? Glenn Davis has reported it on his blog. That's......strange to say the least.

Lover, do not *#^% with me. I'm too fragile when it comes to the stadium.

can't you include a clip of Paz Vega doing something cute in all of your posts?

Sounds like a very good acquisition to me. Just what we need, really. But I'm not counting this chicken until after it hatches.

Just heard Kojo report on his "D.C. Politics Hour" radio show on NPR that a stadium is in the works for Poplar Point. Sounds like they are close to making a public announcement and Marion Barry was there on the studio to confirm it.
Posted by: Lover | January 11, 2008 01:26 PM

********************
Audio of the show is posted on their website. The bit on the stadium starts around 38:30

http://wamu.org/programs/kn/

Because Martinez is only 5-foot-10, I assume he is reasonably fast for a central defender?

Wait, he's even shorter than our current group of center backs?

I'm not going to say that we should avoid him, but I do wonder about our lack of size (all over the field, but especially in the back).

Sounds like Barry likes the idea of a soccer stadium.

the question is, would DCU want to play at another stadium where they have to pay rent?
I thought the problem was that DCU can't turn a profit without owning the stadium in which they play.
If that remains the case, DCU will need to keep options open in MD in order to find the best deal for themselves.

Goff,
Where are you? Please confirm this stadium news!

I just listened to Kojo et al. on WAMU. That's interesting, but choosing one of the PP proposals that includes a stadium will not by itself ensure that DCU will stay in the District. There's no reason for MacFarlane not to see what MSA comes up with before making any commitments.

"Pele" Barry?!? All jokes aside, Barry is right. If he has two other backers (and it sounds like he does, no development plan is going anywhere without his consent because the stadium supporters will never let a proposal without a stadium out of committee and despite Fenty's wishes, he can't proceed with the blessing of the city council. This is a really positive development!

D, DC...

I knew about the flags. I renewed (or paid the deposit) in Dec...no flag. Thanks for looking out, though.
-

SilentBob,

He is quick, but in the Colombian league, his height was not an issue. They are a tad shorter than even second tier European leagues. Generally, there is no one taller than 6'3"/6'4" wity any skill playing that division (those of that size that do have skill are playing abroad).

The Colombian league does have many imports...a fair number of Argys, Uruguayans, etc. TONS of Panamanians. Again, they are not the highest quality imports, as the wages in Colombian football are quite dismal (their federation went through a telenovela to sign a national team coach - they interviewed Bielsa, among others, and when he was made an offer he told them to stuff it...it was peanuts).

Millos' relative poverty is reflected in their essentially 100% Colombian roster. No joke - one promotion during the 2006 season allowed you admission with three Pepsi bottle caps. Their attendance is lower than DC United's, except for the Clasico against Santa Fe (hence, low gate revenues).

If he comes into camp fit, he will have fitness a la Gros or Benny due to the altitude training. The Colombian league is not pretty. Millos went through a slieu of coaches (to include J.C. Osorio) and they lacked creativity. They played an unattractive style of football, so he will fit right in with MLS. Ha ha. Seriously, though, technical speed of the Colombian league may be a bit faster (i.e. footskills), but the athletic speed in MLS may in fact be a little higher. Millos rarely had more than two or three players moving at any one time. DC is usually a bit more dynamic and more athletic or fit across the board than Millos (except for Namoff).

Then again, he is 4-years-removed from Italian Serie A...

Ok, maybe I'm the only one reading that list who's not afraid to ask the question... How the heck is Surinam in CONCACAF, and not COMNEBOL? Along those same lines, does French Guyana have a team, or do they play with the French like the people from Guadeloupe since French Guyana is an overseas department? What about Guyana -- are they in CONCACAF?

Re: the Poplar Point news. It's hard not to be optimistic when you think about the radio show in connection with a couple other recent developments: 1) the only short-listed proposal for PP not mentioning a stadium was eliminated this week and 2) Fisher's 12/18 profile of MacFarlane that closed with this little jewel:

"And MacFarlane, who just a few weeks ago adamantly and angrily contended that DC United had been completely boxed out of the Poplar Point area, is now humming a different tune. Might the team still end up with a stadium near Poplar Point, I asked. "Absolutely," MacFarlane replied. Stay tuned."

Curiouser and curiouser...

The Grenada thing is huuuuuuge for Shalrie and Co. One game at home=fantastic. May they find their way into the hexagonal . . . lol.

Re: Staduim
Very positive indications, but I'll reserve a broad smile for something official.

Is it possible that DCU could end up owning the staduim (or at least benefiting from parking & concessions) under the current development scheme? Having a new stadium would be great, but the $$$ always matter.

*2 of 4 short-listed proposals had no stadium. One was eliminated. One is still in the mix.

*Kojo and Jonetta and Marion had no news. Jonetta "suspects" and "predicts" that the winning bid will have made allowance for a stadium (odds are 2-1 that she's right); Marion (the Vista Hotel) Barry threatened to block it if it did not.

*There is no indication that DCU will play in a stadium that it doesn't own, and Kojo and Jonetta and Mayor For Life provided no news on that score.

*Meanwhile RFP is out for PG County. If Vic wants to do bidness, it sounds like Maryland is ready to.

1) the only short-listed proposal for PP not mentioning a stadium was eliminated this week
-----------------------------------------

I thought the short list had gone from four (two with SSS, two without) to three (two with, one without).

Steven...

I'ts true..? Carlos Pavon is now out of L.A. Galaxy...?
do you know more...?
In Honduras radios and newspapers are talking about that..!!!

Let's work Steven !!!!

Thanks...!!

What did I tell you guys! You can always get good stuff out of the "D.C. Politics Hour" show with kojo. Pretty entertaining!

Ownership doesn't have to be the biggest issue providing the terms of the agreement between DCU and the stadium are reasonable.

Right now you guys are getting screwed at RFK.

I was basing my comment about the remaining 3 proposals having options for a stadium on this piece at BisNow - http://www.bisnow.com/archives/realestate/0108/re_0103.htm
Which is to say, look over there! It's that guy's fault if I'm wrong!

"How the heck is Surinam in CONCACAF, and not COMNEBOL?" --LeesburgSoccerFan

Surinam is surrounded by so many enemies that it's a security risk for them to play in their immediate neighbors. Oh wait, I'm thinking of Israel.

Seriously though, why doesn't CONCACAF kick in the funds to have a second leg of those matches held at a neutral stadium, even as a double header? It would preserve the appearance of fairness.

If you can't offer one decent-sized stadium (8,000 seats? two dumpy locker rooms? local police for security?) in your entire country, you don't deserve a second leg.

Sorry for the harshness, but the requirements to host an early-round WCQ are pretty minimal.

Sorry for the harshness, but the requirements to host an early-round WCQ are pretty minimal.

Posted by: Goff | January 11, 2008 04:13 PM
-----------

Indeed they are. And maybe countries that can't meet the minimum reqs shouldn't be allowed to participate at all. What would CONCACAF do if (being devil's advocate) the Dominican Republic beat Puerto Rico and eventually reached the hexagonal?

Leesburg-

Basically, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana apply to whatever federation they see fit. FIFA then reviews the application. In their case, entering them into CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying would be a waste of time. Even the worst country in CONMEBOL will crush them every time out. They do, however, have a chance when playing Caribbean nations with resources and populations more in line.

Another reason for FIFA to let them be in CONCACAF (at least for Suriname and French Guiana) is that, since they're still foreign departments, good players from these countries are called into the Dutch and French national teams, respectively. Of current well-known players, Clarence Seedorf was born in Paramaribo, Suriname but plays for the Netherlands, while Florent Malouda has France caps despite being born in Cayenne.

Santo Domingo used to have a pretty nice (but smallish) stadium with a running track around it located in their Centro Olimpico sports complex. I saw a game there involving Botafogo (or maybe it was a reserve side) against what may have been the Dominican Nat side back in 1980 or 81.

It's definitely a baseball country but if that multi-purpose stadium is still around it would seem to be more than adequate...

Any news on "Shorty" Niell?

Chest,

Suriname has been independent since the 70's or so. They were at least independent enough to have their own narco-military dictator for a while - something Holland probably would not have permitted if it was still part of the mother country...

Here's the Wikipedia entry since I know everyone checks out this blog to learn more about Suriname...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suriname

WNT:

The Forest City presenters at the public meeting said their plan could include a stadium, so all three of the finalist could support a stadium.

DCU could (would?) own the stadium. The master developer would give MacFarlane the rights to the stadium/hotel in exchange for financial backing.

PG County is putting out an RFP for a FEASIBILITY study. A very preliminary step, and you MSA supporters better hope it comes back strong - since MD is going to start raising taxes soon and the pocketbook is getting smaller every day.

Martinez was Millos' best player this year and is an excellent signing.