First.

I will guess that Mina's signing violates a foreign player rule in MLS.

Thx,

Jay!

Any news on the English rights for the Olympic qualifiers?

Now that the game is an official game how does that help at all when considering world rankings??? Will this help the U.S. position at all in the standings or at least a couple more points???

What defines an "official 'A' team?" Can we discount last year's Copa America games as not being played by our official A team.

I pity the fool who denies Landon Donovan his scoring record.

English TV for Olympic qualifying is Fox Soccer Channel. Official announcement still in the works.

I will guess that Mina's signing violates a foreign player rule in MLS.

-----------

Huh???

I don't think MLS's foreign player quotas kick in until rosters have to be official. This seems like interpersonal problems, rather than league rules obstructing his signing.

I really hope someone other than Houston signs him, because that's their true weak spot at this point. Bringing in Mina brings them back up to being as good as they were last year. Colorado should really make a push now and partner him with Herculez Gomez, which would actually give the Rapids a dangerous offense (crazy, I know).

So, the Danes are finally willing to concede that it WAS their national team the US beat? Thank heaven for small mercies.

Now I'm curious about 'A' matches as well. What Copa America?

Now I'm curious about 'A' matches as well. What Copa America?

Posted by: sitruc | February 29, 2008 05:49 PM
---------------------------

There was no Copa America, just like there was no '06 WC and MLS stopped playing between 2000-2003

I also remember no MLS Cup in 1998.

I looked up the requirements for an A-Team on the FIFA website:
http://www.fifa.com/statutes/officialroster.html

It states that, for an A-Team, the roster must include:

- one megalomaniac
- one bejeweled, mohawked aerophobe
- one misogynist
- one schizophrenic pilot
- token female

Have a soccer-filled weekend folks.

The Gals are really having a fire sale.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_ylt=Aq_IWM9_R4s2e0XhEDcgGmSkvrYF?slug=txtorontoharmse&prov=st&type=lgns

Are ruining int'l football

Grant has every right to be mad. Its only one game. Anybody can beat anybody. Jose to Barca??

Sorry I forgot to post this. Why would Barca want Jose? If it anit broke dont fix it.

18 days to the first home match!

The only managers who don't have to worry about Jose are Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Every other manager is on the hot seat including Rijkaard.

@Posted by: Glen Burnie Guy | February 29, 2008 05:12 PM

it will pretty much never hurt your ranking to play an A level game and win. The rankings penalize inactivity which is why some financially strapped nations probably rank a bit lower than they should since they can't play all the time.

Copa America is an odd duck, as I understand the rules; the US couldn't 'force' any clubs to release players since it wasn't an A tournament for us, however, since it is an A tournament for someone and we participated, it counts as A level matches for us since it would serve no benefit to the South American teams who were playing A squads to play us. Mexico beating Brazil in that tournament is a big part of the reason they jumped so far ahead of us in the rankings.

Red Devil, I think it is safe to say David Moyes for Everton is 100% safe. Unless you're only talking about "big" clubs.. *sigh*

I will guess that Mina's signing violates a foreign player rule in MLS.

-----------

Huh???

Posted by: Goff | February 29, 2008 05:41 PM

-----------

Don't worry. Us Big Soccer posters are used to Jay talking out of his ass.

Everton are too big for Jose. ;-)

Mercury Morris would be proud of Landon!!

That's one for well rounded trivia buffs......

Thanks for the up on the Donovan story!

RedCard
http://www.soccerp.com

Mercury Morris would be proud of Landon!!

Posted by: Lloyd Heilbrunn | March 1, 2008 01:10 AM
===============

As would Bert Patenaude (were he alive).

Hey Goff, is working at The Post kinda like how the newspaper business is portrayed in the hit tv show, "The Wire?"

Four the ignorentt peeple like me,

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

You need an Insider Intern to post on weekends.
I'm Jonesing........

17 days to the first home match!

Algarve Cup preview:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=512672&root=us&cc=5901

Bert Petanuade --> In 80 appearances for he Fall River Marksmen, scored 72 goals!

Would that qualify as DP?

When initially contacted by The Associated Press about the Denmark game in August, FIFA responded: "The Danish FA confirmed in January that this match was not played by their official 'A' team. Therefore we did not register it."
------------------------------

/Someones/ mad the US stomped them.

Tx for link, 270. (This is a test from my blackerry).

Benfica-Sporting derby tonight!

16 days to the first home match!

Without Goff,
the day is off!

Algarve Cup preview:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=512672&root=us&cc=5901

Posted by: I-270, Exit 1 | March 1, 2008 06:47 PM
===========================================

Thnaks for the link. What a Byzantine format for a tournament! Could you imagine trying to organize an office pool around such a thing?

Here's Ronaldinho's bicycle-kick goal yesterday that earned ESPN's No. 1 spot in its Top-Ten plays:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2_33t2UIFQ

Not bad for the new Amway spokesman...

http://www.nutrilite.com/

hoever is in charge at Chelsea in the summer will be given money to spend, and the club are set to battle it out with Manchester United to land American whizzkid Jozy Altidore. (News of the World)
------This doesn't sound right. Pure gossip I guess. He is not that great that ManU or Chelsea would track him.

Maybe the acknowledgment that the Denmark game was a full "A" international is linked to this (you own up to the loss and we can discuss climate change):

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/01/AR2008030101554.html?hpid=topnews

tri-village: the Algarve Cup format seems strange, but it makes sense if you think of it as just a two-group tournament. Groups A and B are all that matter. Win your group and you play in the final. Group C is so that lesser teams can still get some experience and not just get pummeled by the big...er, girls. Host country Portugal wouldn't stand a chance if they had to face Germany, Sweden, etc.

What a Byzantine format for a tournament! Could you imagine trying to organize an office pool around such a thing?
Posted by: tri-village | March 2, 2008 09:44 AM
======================

After our office pool on the Democratic primaries and caucuses and superdelegates, everyone thought the Algarve Cup pool was easy.

Slow weekend in the soccer world, I guess

Or maybe Goff decided to take two consecutive days off like the rest of us. Say it ain't so!!

Since athletes don't take weekends off, reporters don't either

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/01/AR2008030101947.html

1-1 at half of benfica-sporting. Adu is not only not starting, he's not even on the bench. Hope this means he is already on his way to olympic camp.

Last attempt didn't seem to work. 1-1 at half for benfica-sporting. Adu not on roster tonight.

Thanks Troy. On-site posting via Bberyy works. I look forward to your Algarve Cup Match-Troyker.

Since athletes don't take weekends off, reporters don't either

Posted by: emanon | March 2, 2008 04:00 PM
===============================

Doesn't the sports editor know that there are more important things than AU b-ball going on in the world? I'm talking about 65,000 people witnessing a historic event.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/soccer/03/01/beckham.ap/index.html

Goff,

What do we need to do to get MLS/United coverage in print? I mean, you do a great job and all, but the avalanche of baseball news is starting to rile my stomach.

And with the certainty that the cacophony is only going to louder as the new stadium opens, over a sport that is as exciting as watching paint dry!

Also who is the most soccer friendly candidate in the presidential election? We know Bush is a baseball nut, Obama is a basketball player/fan, but quien es lo mejor para el futbol?

I remember seeing the Clintons on the giant screen at the Big Jack/FedEx field during the 99 WWC. Bill rose to his feet and applauded enthusiastically when the US scored (I think it was Chastain's goal). Hillary stayed seated and clapped politely.

(I think it was Chastain's goal).

Ha ha! You do, of course, mean the SI Cover goal?

I bet Hillary was biting her tongue and kicking Bill under the seat.

Ha ha! You do, of course, mean the SI Cover goal?
========================================

I-270 specified that it was out in PG County; ergo, it was the quarterfinal match against Germany. Chastain actually scored an autogol earlier in that game. Presumably that was not what provoked the enthusiastic applause on the part of these people, although there is no limit to how clueless politicians can be.

I watched most of the second half of that game, I-270, Exit 1. I heard LA lost on Sunday and couldn't make sense of it.

Pretty good weekend for American keepers, eh? Hannemann and Friedel both with shutouts, Howard with the win. Gotta love it...

This may be the wrong thread, but did anybody else see the training kits the boys were wearing on the Gonzalo vid at MLS.net? What's with the shoulder chevrons?

I'm at work and I've had my morning coffee. All I need now is my SI fix.

What do we need to do to get MLS/United coverage in print? I mean, you do a great job and all, but the avalanche of baseball news is starting to rile my stomach.

And with the certainty that the cacophony is only going to louder as the new stadium opens, over a sport that is as exciting as watching paint dry!

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

Feel free to email the sports department: sports@washpost.com

re: paint dry

I imagine baseball fans would say the same thing about soccer.

Goff, your wish is my command. I sent in my e-mail asking for more soccer coverage in general and DC United in particular.

I didn't mention baseball and paint drying because I didn't want to seem whiny.

Do you have any insight as to what Gallardo thinks of his transition to DC United and MLS? His is our biggest "name" signing since Etch and I am curious about what he thinks.

A broader story about United's new players and how all the pieces are fitting together is "tentatively" scheduled to run in tomorrow's print edition.

Presumably that was not what provoked the enthusiastic applause on the part of these people, although there is no limit to how clueless politicians can be.

Posted by: tri-village | March 2, 2008 08:26 PM
=======================

:-)
I should have specified Chastain's face-saving goal.

I-270, Exit 1 is actually not a bad place to be tonight:

http://www.imtfolk.org/html/imt08_dervish.html

I-270, Exit 1 is actually not a bad place to be tonight:
http://www.imtfolk.org/html/imt08_dervish.html

Posted by: 22201 | March 3, 2008 01:27 PM
=================

An Irish band in a Presbyterian church, and one of them is carrying a bazooka? I think I'll stay home :-)

I'll just have to share that comment with the director of the concert series, himself a Brit. (You will notice that I somehow got out of there alive.)

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