Why you should root for DCU

Don’t have a favorite MLS team yet? Pick DC United. DCU is the most superb team in MLS today, and is by far the best team that one can possibly root for. Why? Let me count the ways:

1. None of their coaches ever make crazy comments about sending their opponents to the hospital.

2. They have guys like Moreno, who earlier tonight celebrated his 100th goal.

3. They have some very good, dedicated fans and fan groups, who help give DCU a consistently good turnout at matches.

4. They are not named after some soft drink that makes me think of matadors.

5. They still have their original name (think about it - not many teams can claim that distinction!).

6.They have some wicked awesome goal celebrations - spitting out Red Bull after scoring against RBNY? Priceless.

7. They are not coached by some guy named Sampson.

8. They have Adu. (Did I just say that? Not sure if this is the right list for that one...)

9. They have several MLS Cups under their belt, which is more than what I can say for the Most Under-Achieving Team in America.

10. They are at the top of the Eastern Conference at the moment, which is a position that is not at all foreign to them.

11. They were the Bruce’s proving grounds before the USSF tapped him to take the USMNT head coach position.

12. They do not give up five, yes, five, goals to their opponents in a single match. (Don’t even get me started on that one!)

What is there not to like? DCU is, by far, the best team out there in MLS today. Did I just hear you right? Did you just say that you would rather watch the Premiership or the World Cup, than watch and root for DCU? Ha! None of those have anything on DC!

Columbus-DCU match

Words...cannot...express...how...frustrated...I...am...right now. (Click on this link if you do not already know what I'm talking about.) 5-1??? What on earth? All I'm saying is that I had better NOT see the USMNT play a game like that in Germany - that is, unless they play like DCU. That also leads me to my next post, which should be up later sometime tonight or tomorrow. You know, Mama always told me I shouldn't place wagers on games. Right now I'm kind of wishing I'd taken her advice. (Though I will admit that I wouldn't be saying this if the score had been flip-flopped and Columbus had won.)

Crew to see how they stack up to D.C.

The Columbus Crew are in search of their second home win as they host D.C. United in Week 8 at Crew Stadium

D over at DCenters and I have a little wager running over tonight's game. Suffice it to say that sometime this weekend, you will have the rare opportunity to see one of us eat some crow on our blog.

Movie trailers

Oh, and one more note regarding Goal!. Before the movie, they showed a trailer for a movie (a documentary, from the looks of it) that's coming out this summer about the NY Cosmos. Looks interesting. Sadly, I can't remember the title for the life of me. They then followed this with a trailer for an upcoming NFL sports movie. Seeing as I was at a "real football" (soccer) movie, I found the inclusion of that American football trailer quite amusing.

News and Views

Columbus Crew Stadium Turns Seven Years Old Today OK, now everybody join in on three. One, two, three:

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Crew Stadium!
Happy birthday to you!

Wet weather no problem for Crew Rainy matches can be fun, especially if it's not too cold. (Ever tried playing in the rain when it's in the 30's or 40's? It's not as much fun then.) It's even nicer if you have a really crappy field to play on, that turns into one big mud puddle by the end of the match. Sure, it's a challenge to play on and the risk of injuries goes up, but man oh man is it fun!

Oh Canada! Why MLS In Toronto May Just Work I personally am all for Toronto FC. (Though they may want to think about a different name - sure, it's not bad to have a traditional name like that, but a pinch of creativity wouldn't hurt.)

Roundup for MLS action in Week 7

Movie Review: Goal! The Dream Begins

Yep, it is now time for the first ever Crew Fan Movie Review (and probably one of the only ones, seeing as there seems to be a dearth of soccer movies out there). The movie: Goal! The Dream Begins. Good movie, even though there was a couple of times when I had to silently glare at the guy a couple seats down from me. (You know how at the beginning of movies, they have those announcements and commercials to turn off your cell phone? Why do people find those so difficult to comprehend?) Basically, the movie centers around Santiago, a poor immigrant kid from LA, who gets the chance to try out for Newcastle. The acting was good, the sets decent, and the soccer action believable. The plot...well, it was your typical Sports-Movie-Zero-to-Hero Plot. If that type of plot drives you nuts, you probably won't like it, but if you, like me, happen to find that sort of movie enjoyable, then you're in for a treat. It even almost made me consider, however briefly, changing my Premiership loyalties over to Newcastle. Almost, but not quite.

For those of you a bit too strapped of cash to join in the Free Beer Movement, this could be your chance, especially if you happen to live near a cheap theater (or one with a really good student discount, if you're a student). You get to see some great soccer, see that soccer players can and do make it big (in both fame and money), and hopefully gain more of an appreciation for soccer. And face it, many of us Americans will never get to travel to English to watch and experience a Premiership match, and frankly, it's simply a whole lot more fun watching the action on the big screen, than on your TV at home. Oh, and there just so happens to be on-screen appearances from several big names - Beckham and Zidane immediately come to mind, though I know I'm forgetting others.

As for anyone who might be protesting the inclusion of this movie review on an MLS-dedicated blog, I had 3 MLS "sightings" in the movie (if you've seen Goal and noticed more, please leave a comment):
1) During the beginning of the movie, one of the characters makes a comment about the LA Galaxy
2) During one of Santiago’s matches at the beginning, you can see the MLS logo on the wall of the stadium
3) I could've sworn I saw the back of a Fulham jersey that said "McBride" (ok, so this isn't strictly an MLS sighting, but he used to play for the Crew, so I say it counts).

So, was it worth my $8? I thought it was. Although it will certainly be enjoyable on DVD, the large screen and surround sound definitely made the experience more enjoyable.

Weekend roundup

Grabavoy's first Crew impression a winner
New Crew members make immediate impact Sadly, I was not able to watch this match. Perhaps my hopes for the Crew will actually be realized this fall; only time will tell if their improvement is permanent, or merely some temporary luck.

FCD, Dynamo 'own' up to tie game You know, I thought that a FCD-Houston rivalry would be good for MLS. This match wasn't too bad. Yi stood out to me as a pretty solid defender. And as for the own goal - ouch! Nothing quite strikes fear into the hearts of a goalie or defender like the words "own goal." Yikes.

I did it...

I survived. Finals are over; papers have been turned in. Perhaps this is a sign of dementia, but over the past couple of weeks, I began to think about the similarities between taking finals and playing soccer. (Go ahead and say what you're thinking: "Crew Fan, you're crazy." Now that it's out of your system, you can continue reading.)

In school, you spend weeks being trained by your professors/teachers. You learn all sorts of facts (in theory, anyways), and may even have the chance to put them into practice. You then spend hours and hours studying on your own.

In soccer, you spend weeks being trained by your coaches. You learn all sorts of techniques and plays, and hopefully have lots of chances to put them into practice. You then spend hours and hours training on your own.

See? It makes sense to me!

I think I can, I think I can..I think I can make it through the next few days. These past couple weeks have been just insane for me, and I am very much looking forward to the moment that I finish my last final and turn in my last paper. After that joyous occasion, I will once again resume providing you with those thrilling, thought-provoking posts that you have come to know and love from me (stop rolling your eyes!). Until then, wish me the best as I plod along!