Reading between the lines in that article it sounds like we're going to have a rocky start to the season. It doesn't seem like the guys are clicking yet.

But I still have faith that it'll all come together.

Ready for a big season with lots of hardware Baby!!

Lets go D.C. United!!!!!!!!

Repeated attempts at building off-field team chemistry seems to mean that their isn't a lot of team chemistry. I think the fact that Ben Olsen, the undisputed co-leader of DCU along with Jaime, is not on the field is a big negative impact. Ben leads with his actions, his effort, and his voice. The rest of the team feeds off of his energy. We don't just need his ability on the field, we need his leadership.

Come back soon Benny!

I'm relieved that between Kirk, Stratford, and maybe Quaranta, we should have some more depth at midfield. If even one of them pans out it should be a huge help.

I'm thinking DCU should re-hire Gros just to be a personal trainer to Quaranta and whip him into shape.

Steve:

great post yesterday regarding the roster and excellent article the morning paper. Many thanks for your work.

I agree with goldenchild, i hope the new guys are fully aware of who Ben is to the team and the fans, and that they welcome his return to the fold hopefully sooner than later. Just don't hurry back and take 2 steps forward and then 5 back.
We need ya Ben!
Kick some TexAss.

Fantastic article this morning, Senor Goff. It's the superb kind of "human interest" story that gives us deeper insight into where the team is at. It's also gotten me completely stoked for the season!

Thanks for a great read.

VAMOS!!!

Goff, why does the league still insist on having a waiver draft?

We have some serious "in between the line" readers around here. How you guys can surmise all the negativity is way beyond me. This team has been away from home longer than any other United team in recent memory. Florida, California and now Texas. If rooming, hanging out and being around each other 24/7 for an extended period of doesn't build chemistry, I don't know what will. Soehn himself has said he focused on conditioning in the early stages of camp, now they'll work on the technical side. Let's give them some time before we start wigging out.

What are the odds of two Gonzalo's? Anybody a Gonzo doll from the muppets to bring to the stadium? How about this for an idea...WHEN 'Tino scores, instead of confetti we throw...........Cheerios!!?!?

Thanks for the article, man I think I need a freshman facebook for these new dudes.

Any updates at all on the Quaranta situation?

I think all the new guys will get what the team is about once they get a chance to play in front of the home fans.

I'm not being negative on the team chemistry. With so many new faces, with such varying backgrounds, it isn't possible to have great team chemistry right off the bat. It takes time to bond as a team.

My point is that Ben is the most important player to lead the team (yes, you can make an argument for Jaime too). He is a US International and he leads by example. If there was a season over the past few years where we needed to show the new signings the DC way and to set the tone this is it. We haven't had this type of turnover of important personnel (losing MLS MVP, MLS DoY, MLS GoY) before.

I'm not worried yet, but the sooner Benny is back buzzing around the field the better.

I found Simms comments about Gallardo checking back deeper into the midfield of interest. I recall Gomez would often be seen hanging out up front, almost like a third forward. That usually left a pretty big hole between Simms/Carroll and the front line, except when Moreno checked back (or Gomez).

With Gallardo demanding the ball sooner to his feet, that could leave more space for Moreno as the withdrawn forward, so long as Emilio plays as high as possible. So long as the wing midfielders stay wide (read: Fred!), we could really stretch the opposition.

Moreno's ability to combine with Gallardo could prove to be vital. What I don't know is: who will take Moreno's place when he's done for the game at minute 70?

with all that great pre-season action in Texas this week, the most-exciting game just might be this one on Saturday:

http://texasprosoccerfest.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=36&Itemid=41

--------
why does the league still insist on having a waiver draft?
--------

Because that's how they've set up the single-entity structure of the league.

You've got any better ideas?

Why isn't Quaranta a part of the "Waiver draft" system?

Does it depend on when a player gets waived by a former team?

Any hope for TV/Internet/Radio for these matches? doesn't Tony Limarzi need a pre-season too?

seems odd to me that Soehn wouldn't be learning Spanish. Also there was a quote somewhere last week about how Namoff just knew how to say left and right in Spanish. Yeah, its good that players are coming along with their English, but you would think the front office would get some Spanish lessons for these guys, at a minimum for the coach.

Check out this WP article about the rebuilding of Anacostia. There is a mention of the stadium at Poplar Point:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/03/AR2008030303520.html?nav=rss_metro

Hi Goff,

Any clue when the Club World Cup actually gets started? I couldn't find any set dates on the FIFA website.

Thanks!

What does it take to get ESPN Deportes? And why is most champoins league games on this channel and ONLY one on regular ESPN? If they don't interrupt with other networks perhaps FSC or GolTV would bring most of them.

Gotta admit I am also stoked for the Harbor View game. It has been *too* long since the last home match.

I was struck last might while listening to the 3rd period of last night Caps hockey game on the radio. The Caps were leading the mighty Boston Bruins by the score of 9-2. Yet, the crowd noise was minimal. Sure, they got loud again once the Caps went up 10-2, but it died right down again by the time play resumed.

I do not mean to bash hockey or the Caps at all, but that just made me all the more eager to be standing in the bouncy section once again at a DCU match. If DCU were up 9-2 over, say, the Red Bulls at the hour mark, RFK would be a deafening bedlam. Its not a whole lot quieter even when we are down.

R U ready for some futbol?

Greetings from Leningrad (I mean St. Petersburg)

Found this - made me miss the Metro.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tim_vickery/03/04/tranpo/index.html

"It's impossible to have a complete understanding of the cultural phenomenon of soccer unless you know how to get to the stadium using public transportation.

The game is a celebration of urban collective space. Thousands of people -- sometimes the equivalent of the population of a small town -- make their way across the city to watch a big game.

Their experience of the event is not limited to the 90 minutes playing time. It starts the moment they set off to the stadium, and only ends when they make it back home.

If the journey to and from the game is unsafe, or unpleasant or badly organized, more people will choose to stay at home. Bad public transportation is one of the biggest defeats soccer can suffer."

What does it take to get ESPN Deportes? And why is most champoins league games on this channel and ONLY one on regular ESPN? If they don't interrupt with other networks perhaps FSC or GolTV would bring most of them.

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

If you have RCN cable, then subscribe to the DigitalVision package. It includes FSC, Gol, and for some reason it includes ESPN Deportes.

Why would anyone make the assumption that United will be off to "a rocky start to the season" due to team chemistry? Are we the only team that made any moves this offseason? The rest of the league is in the same boat as us. And our key foreign acquisitions (Gallardo, Niell, Martinez, Peralta) have all been training with the team since the very first day of camp. That isn't true about a lot of the other teams in the league.

Goff, I have posted a couple of times on the thread but forgot to say thanks for the feature article. Baseball gets multiple articles/columns a day on their preseason progress. There is no way that DCU will get that type of coverage, but it would be nice to get 3-4 articles/columns a week. Is one item every other day too much to ask?

Any news on the USA v England friendly at Wembley yet?

LA just waived Kelly gray, I am not sure what his salary is, but could he be someone DC has looked into?

Celestine Babayaro - from 3 year contract to waiver draft - Can we bury Galacticos Juniors with the NASL?

seems odd to me that Soehn wouldn't be learning Spanish. Also there was a quote somewhere last week about how Namoff just knew how to say left and right in Spanish. Yeah, its good that players are coming along with their English, but you would think the front office would get some Spanish lessons for these guys, at a minimum for the coach.

Posted by: pat | March 4, 2008 10:35 AM

------------------------
I agree completely. This struck me too. I was glad to here that they did some focused communications drills, and I think the team will have to establish their own code (and stick to it). But yeah, you'd think Sohen and Payne (for recruiting purposes) should be getting individual language training. All of this -- the culture and language -- is behind my love for futbol.

Andy: thank you! Unfortunatelybi have comcast so pretty much got stucked!

The -best- thing that they could do is train in a foreign country and get fully exposed to a foreign language...otherwise, their second-language skills will be limited to the basics...

I guess you guys read the article differently than I did. I prefer not to wear rosy glasses. The truth is, it doesn't sound like we have generated a host of scoring opportunities in our pre-season to date. Benny, Jaime, Gallardo AND Soehn all were practically quoted in the article as saying the team is struggling to get on the same page.

And I would disagree that every team is facing the same challenges that we are. Replacing both your central defenders, your goalkeeper, and your primary playmaker is a huge adjustment. What other team in MLS is doing that this season?

Now, I never said we wouldn't get it together. Personally, I think Gallardo is the man. We've got a wealth of attacking talent between him, Jaime, Fred and Luci. I'd be surprised if we don't at least get out of the first round of the playoffs this year. Maybe make some noise in Super Liga.

But I'll stick to my prediction. I think April is going to be rough.

THis picture is off topic

http://i3.sinaimg.cn/ty/c/p/2008-03-04/U2367P6T12D3511447F44DT20080304181509.jpg

However 1 picture shows the diffrence between Becks and a player like Cristiano ronaldo. BEcks at 32 is still going out to see sick kids and lighten there hearts. Ronaldo is having 3 somes with old women. Respect his game or not, he is a quality human being.

P.S. I find it wierd that Sir Alex was so upset with becks and his lifestyle back in 99 and gives ronaldo no --- for his lifestyle. Goes to show that there is a double standard. IS SIr alex involved with Ronaldo?????HHHHMMMMM

dc FAN -
hilarious.

I thought the picture was going to be Ronaldo and 2 MILFs.

Esperanto is the answer . . . .

Baseball gets multiple articles/columns a day on their preseason progress. There is no way that DCU will get that type of coverage, but it would be nice to get 3-4 articles/columns a week. Is one item every other day too much to ask?

--------

Not my decision.

sports@washpost.com

Ron: The Caps were leading the mighty Boston Bruins by the score of 9-2. Yet, the crowd noise was minimal. Sure, they got loud again once the Caps went up 10-2, but it died right down again by the time play resumed.

I was there too and noticed the same thing. That was an insane scoreboard, and a pretty good-sized crowd. Why was everyone sitting so quietly?

I like hockey, but that was the first game I've gone to in years. Maybe that's why -- a game like that should have felt absolutely electric...

So hats off again to Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles, Du Nord, and quiet siders too -- DCU fans definitely kick butt and keep every game alive.

Can't wait to get back to RFK!

What kind of team is Harbour View? Considering that it will be DC's first full game of the season, that we have a number of newcomers, and with Olsen sidelined, I expect United will struggle.

Is Harbour View a team we can beat with a sub par performance? I know almost nothing about them.

A little perspective is in order . .

Last year we started with a 3-5-2, had just signed Emilio while Fred wasn't even on the squad until the 2nd round of Champion's Cup. He only played a handful of minutes in the Perkins (Doh!) loss to Chivas.

This week of games how we play not whether we win or lose) will show if we are ready step it up

Harbour View has won several cups in the Jamaican National Premier League. They currently lie 5th of 12 (GP 26, W 9, D 10 L 7, + 6 GD).

Notable former players (that I recognize anyhow) are Andy Williams and Damani Ralph.

I'd guess they'll be like their national team: fast and athletic, but not able to field highly skilled players at every spot.

DCU 3-1 on aggregate.

"Is Harbour View a team we can beat with a sub par performance? I know almost nothing about them.

Posted by: noptov52 | March 4, 2008 12:59 PM "

*******************************

I know that "Harbour" is the British word for harbor.

The team photo on their website shows Fabian Taylor who I think did us some damage a few seasons ago when he was a NY/NJ Mutt.

We should be able to beat them over 2 legs but I, too, am a bit worried about the series and the away leg in particular. When we played them 3 years ago they had a big fast forward named Luton Shelton that moved on to play pro in England somewhere.

Whether or not they have Fabian Taylor I'd expect them to at least have a big fast forward who can run onto long balls over the top. So lets hope our central defenders and keeper are on their toes and on the same page.

Sorry, I meant to include a Harbour View link:

http://www.hvfc.net/Premier.htm

That's their roster from 2006-7, not sure how much it's changed. Fabian Taylor, Jermaine Hue and Robert Scarlett might be familiar names to MLS fans.

VIVA LOS GUNNERZZZ!!!

VISCA EL BARCA!!!

MILAN AND CELTIC = LOSERS!!!!

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

Fantastic way to start the morning, by reading such a great article by you, Goff!

Soccer needs more space in the papers!!

i don't suppose the reading's opponents supporters would chant "oooh, ah, malaria, say oooh ah malaria" toward fae, would they?

could also be used at concacaf qualifiers against panama :D

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