Craig Stouffer

Top 5: Area college basketball players to watch

The five biggest college basketball programs in Washington are all in various states of rebuilding. Here are the biggest building blocks on each team: 1. Greg Monroe, center, Georgetown, sophomore The area’s only projected NBA Draft lottery pick resides on Old Hilltop. The latest in a long line of stellar big men for the Hoyas, Monroe is the star around which Georgetown will revolve. His ability to read the game and distribute make him unique at his position, but scoring (12.5 ppg) and rebounding (6.5 rpg) will be how he gets Georgetown back on track. 2. Greivis Vasquez, guard, Maryland, senior We’re going out on a limb and guessing that Vasquez’s play, not his mouth,...

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Pacers 102, Wizards 86: Washington minus two starters equals yuck

Four thoughts about the Wizards' 102-86 loss at the Pacers, which was (a) simply an abomination, (b) moved Washington one step closer to legitimate concerns about this season's prospects, or (c) was simply an exclamation point demonstrating how much the Wiz are hurting with two starters (Antawn Jamison and Mike Miller) sidelined by shoulder injuries [Update before I post -- Jamison apparently berated his teammates afterward, making the answer (a)]: At least Caron Butler got some of his scoring mojo back, with a team-high 24 points to go with 12 rebounds. His three-pointer was still off (1 for 5) and he committed the first of Washington's seven first-quarter turnovers. Tonight, it...

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Wizards face more adversity

Miller out 7-10 days with shoulder sprain The media learned the initial diagnosis of Mike Miller's left shoulder sprain from Wizards head coach Flip Saunders before the rest of the team did after Wednesday night's loss to Miami, leaving reporters to fill in some of the players in the locker room later. "How long's he out?" asked Brendan Haywood. Answer: 7-10 days. "Damn. It's tough to develop the chemistry until we get everybody out there for long stretches. But injuries are something we've had to play through in the past. We'll continue to play through it, and at some point, we'll get everybody out there and we'll see where we're at." Miller is the third...

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Fraschilla: Who are the Hoyas?

It's not unusual to see Georgetown among the top 25 teams in the nation at the beginning of any season. So why would it be unexpected this year, when they're beginning the season No. 20 in The Associated Press preseason poll? ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla says it's because there's a balance between knowing what the Hoyas have -- three McDonald's All-Americans -- and what they did last year, which was lose 12 of their final 16 games. "They're a mystery team because they need to get their mojo back," said Franschilla in a conference call this week. "In doing so, they have three anchors in [Austin] Freeman, [Greg] Monroe and Chris Wright to build around, and then a youngster...

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Heat 93, Wizards 89: Feeling warm and fuzzy

Four reasons to keep smiling after the Wizards came back from 19 points down and still lost to Miami, 93-89: Gilbert Arenas gave a great explanation for what happened with 15 seconds left and instead of taking a three-pointer he decided to feed Brendan Haywood for a failed alley oop. “Obviously, it hit the rim,” said Arenas, who was in full mope but reluctantly and thankfully spoke with the media. “It’s not rocket scientist.” Mike Miller mustered a smile despite having his left arm immobilized in a sling. “[It happened] riding a guy over a screen, a guy kind of clipped me in a weird spot,” said Miller. “It felt like it kind of came out of...

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Arenas, Wizards fall short against the Heat, 93-89

Through five games this season after missing most of the last two years with a knee injury, Gilbert Arenas has given no indication of any lingering physical limitations to keep him from making the plays down the stretch that will get the Washington Wizards back into the playoffs. But while his body didn’t let him down with two chances to lead or tie in the final 25 seconds against Miami on Wednesday at Verizon Center, both Arenas’ decisions and execution did. It was one of a number blows the Wizards endured after coming back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit in a 93-89 loss to the Heat. Check out Craig Stouffer's blog, Pick & Roll “What happens sometimes, I...

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Heat (3-1) at Wizards (2-2)

What are you playing down ahead of the first of three meetings this month between Washington and Miami? They play again next Tuesday and on Nov. 27 in Florida. Wizards head coach Flip Saunders is playing down foul trouble for his big men last night at Cleveland. "Our bigs played really well," said Saunders. "There were some bad calls that shook them out of their offense and took them off the floor so they can’t just change. If you go out like that, you’re going to go out non-aggressive, they’re not going to have very much success. They just gotta hope that the way they play, they get some good whistles. But that’s what happens in this game. Our...

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Who will United hire as coach?

With the departure of Tom Soehn, D.C. United faces the prospect of hiring its sixth coach before its 15th season. Who will be the next Bruce Arena (two MLS Cup titles, three finals), Thomas Rongen (one MLS Cup), or Peter Nowak (one MLS Cup)? Here are five candidates, including one that really shouldn't be considered: Dave Sarachan » A current assistant at Los Angeles, Sarachan had the same job in D.C. from 1998-99. He spent four and a half years as head coach of Chicago, earning coach of the year honors, the best record in MLS and reaching the MLS Cup final in 2003. In fact, the Fire should've never let him go. Richie Williams » Currently in his second stint as interim head...

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Some promised NBA story lines deliver

From the department of "Well, That Didn't Take Long," we're barely into the second week of the NBA season, and things are as predictable as falling leaves clogging your gutter. First, Allen Iverson complained about coming off the bench -- after his first game with Memphis. "I had no problems (with the hamstring)," Iverson told NBA Fanhouse. "I had a problem with my butt from sitting on that bench so long." Is that the mentoring he talked about? Meanwhile, no complaints yet for free agent-to-be Dwyane Wade, since Miami was 3-0 headed into Tuesday, but Chris Paul has filled the void. The Hornets are 1-3 and Paul has the NBA looking into two separate...

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Soehn, D.C. United part ways

Coach said he didn't want to seek extension D.C. United and head coach Tom Soehn have parted ways after the club missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Soehn, who was in the final season of a three-year contract, told the club on Monday that he did not want to seek an extension. United officials said last week that they had not decided whether they intended to offer Soehn a new deal. "My family and I have spent a lot of time in reaching this very difficult decision," said Soehn. In three seasons, Soehn compiled a 55-48-31 record in all competitions, including a 36-30-24 mark in MLS regular season matches. United won the 2007 Supporters' Shield but lost in...

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Cavaliers 102, Wizards 90: Not a rivalry

Four reasons Wizards vs. Cavaliers still isn't a rivalry after the Cavs (3-2) were on the upside of a 30-point swing, turning an 18-point second-quarter deficit into a 102-90 victory over Washington (2-2): It isn't a rivalry when the Cavs have won six straight against the Wizards at home. Washington won't stop that trend if they can't play well for more than 14 minutes. They took a 37-19 lead at that point of the game on a Mike Miller layup in transition from Randy Foye after Andray Blatche blocked Boobie Gibson and started the break. Then Blatche got his third foul. Then Brendan Haywood got his second and third fouls. Then DeShawn Stevenson got two fouls. Then JaVale McGee got his...

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Soehn and DC United split up

D.C. United has announced that head coach Tom Soehn has decided to remove himself from consideration for the head coachign position with his current contract set to expire this offseason. Soehn came to the club before it had made a decision on whether or not to move forward with or without him. The details of the club's announcement and Soehn's coaching record can be found here. A potential list of replacement candidates can be found here. Add Puerto Rico head coach Colin Clarke to that list but for heaven's sake remove Sasho Cirovski....

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Is Wiz vs. Cavs really a rivalry?

The NBA season is barely a week old and already the Washington Wizards (2-1) are set to play one of their biggest road games of the season at Cleveland (2-2). At least, that's their opinion. The three straight playoff series between Washington and the Cavaliers from 2006-2008 were heated, engaging and entertaining -- both on and off the court. But the answer to whether it amounts to a bona fide rivalry is still unclear. Can evidence of bad blood be easily found on the Internet? Yes. Newly-acquired Wizards guard Randy Foye had seen the playoff games and heard the talk in the Washington locker room. But he found real proof online: "I just YouTubed DeShawn Stevenson versus LeBron...

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Butler expects to be back vs. Cavaliers

Wizards head coach Flip Saunders said after practice Monday that Caron Butler will be back in the starting lineup for Washington at Cleveland tomorrow night after sitting out last weekend's home opener with a bruised left kneecap. Butler didn't quite give a rousing endorsement of his health, saying he still felt a little soreness. "It felt good in practice when I was out there moving around and was able to perform at full speed," he said. "So we’ll see how I feel tomorrow." The injury did happen when he dove for a loose ball at Atlanta. "It was just the after-effect thing. I was diving for the ball, played a couple minutes afterward, felt a little...

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Wizards scary good in home opener, top Nets, 123-104

When the second Wizards starter went down to injury less than halfway into the second game of the season the night before, it sure felt like, despite the return of Gilbert Arenas, the trick might again be on Washington, which suffered so much in last year's 19-63 campaign. Until oh, what a treat the Wizards delivered on Saturday in their Halloween home opener. Nothing could be sweeter than Arenas pouring in 32 points on 9-for-13 shooting with 7 assists and Andray Blatche adding a career-high 30 points off the bench as the Wizards (2-1) shot 61.5 percent from the field en route to a 123-104 rout of New Jersey. That was without Antawn Jamison, who was already sidelined by a shoulder...

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Wizards 123, Nets 104: Blazing home opener

Four thoughts after the Wizards’ fiery – and I mean, they had a flame-infused opening montage and a hanging Wizards sign that spewed fire during pregame introductions – home-opening win over not-very-good New Jersey, 123-104. Before the game, Washington head coach Flip Saunders talked about Gilbert Arenas still trying to find a balance between making plays himself and for others: “When he gets into trouble is when he predetermines what he’s going to do. I think he can’t predetermine, ‘Well, I’m going look for an assist on this play.’ Those are things that just kind of happen. But the more he plays with our guys, the more it’s...

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Nets at Wizards; Butler out with knee bruise

Nets (0-2) at Wizards (1-1) Stats guys have at it: When was the last time five players started a home opener for a team who missed last year's home opener or didn't play for the team at that time? Gilbert Arenas (knee), Randy Foye (with Minnesota), Mike Miller (with Minnesota), Fabricio Oberto (with San Antonio) and Brendan Haywood (wrist) will be added to that list tonight. Foye replaces Caron Butler, who will sit out after bruising his left knee diving for a loose ball in last night's 100-89 loss at Atlanta. "Caron will not go tonight," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. "He’s got a slight bruise of his kneecap. It’s more precautionary than anything...

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Hawks 100, Wizards 89

Four thoughts after the Wizards (1-1) fell back to earth with a 100-89 defeat to the Atlanta Hawks (2-0). Gilbert Arenas had hardly any success attacking the basket against the Hawks’ more athletic big men. Although he led the Wizards with 23 points, he finished the first half with six of his seven turnovers in the game. He also had just four assists – almost the opposite of his complete control in the season opener Tuesday at Dallas. Brendan Haywood (19 points, 9 rebounds) and Andray Blatche (13 points, 6 rebounds) were -11 and -17, respectively. The loss of Caron Butler to a bruised knee in the second period stung, and it was a significant factor in why Arenas...

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Another big week for DCU - off the field

Well, so far D.C. United’s offseason has been as interesting as the games were themselves, eh? Actually, maybe more. First, there’s goalkeeper Josh Wicks getting shoulder surgery. What started out as 4-6 weeks has turned into 4-6 MONTHS. Nice. An interesting coincidence that it was announced the same day Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton appeared with a cast and crutches SIX DAYS after getting surgery on his foot. That makes offseason player acquisition job No. 1 the same as it was last year: find a goalkeeper. (Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, are forward – because keeping Luciano Emilio at $750,000 isn’t worth it – and finding another defender – unless...

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Wizards (1-0) at Hawks (1-0)

After setting the bar very high in the season opener on Tuesday, the Wizards are back in Atlanta, where they half showed up just over a week ago for a lackluster preseason loss. But we’re not taking stock in those games, not after what went down in Dallas. “Just the way we played 48 minutes,” said Antawn Jamison, who was supposed to start shooting the ball again today. “We’ve really stressed being a good road team, and we did a lot of things that entitled for us to be a good road team: stopping runs, playing good defense, and executing our plays offensively.” The total team performance was reinforced by Flip Saunders’ game management, which was...

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Arenas and Foye as a combo?

Dallas had no answer for new-look backcourt Gilbert Arenas and Randy Foye hardly played together during the Wizards' preseason games. But practice was a different story, and a sly grin from Flip Saunders after Thursday's practice said that particular backcourt pairing -- one crucial to Washington's opening-night victory at Dallas -- wasn't all he had waited to reveal about his rotation until the regular season. "I was wondering when it was going to happen," said Foye, who led Washington (1-0) with eight of his 19 points off the bench in the final quarter, the final 7:34 partnered with Arenas. "But I guess [Saunders] probably didn't want people to see it, because then...

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You only get one first impression

Young and old, short and tall, wide and skinny, NBA rookies of all shapes and sizes made their debuts this week. Here’s how some of them fared: The Good DeJuan Blair, F, San Antonio » The Wizards passed on the 6-foot-7, 265-pound wide body in the second round of the draft for what was essentially a $2.5 million payment on the approximately $6 million they owe in luxury tax this season. While they eventually added training camp invitee Paul Davis (who?) to their opening day roster, Blair had 14 points on 7-for-10 shooting, 11 rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes in his debut with the San Antonio Spurs. The Great Ty Lawson, G, Denver » There are few things in the...

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Crittenton on crutches, Blatche gets spooked

It's okay to believe the Wizards are going to have a good season, apparently. There were three reporters at Verizon Center on Monday for the Wizards' final practice before their first game of the regular season. There must've been a dozen today. The other thing that was impossible to notice was Javaris Crittenton traded in his walking boot for a cast and crutches. After being sidelined by a couple swollen ligaments and a bone bruise in his left foot since midway through training camp, he had exploratory surgery last Friday. He'll be out of commission six weeks: four until he can play again and two more to work his way back into shape. "It’s disappointing," said...

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NBA Tipoff, 10/28/09

Player to watch LaMarcus Alridge, Portland Trail Blazers Fresh off signing a five-year, $65 million extension that harkened back to better economic times, Alridge scored the first seven points in the first two and a half minutes of Portland’s season-opener against Houston. Of course, he then spent most of the rest of the night as a cheerleader after getting into foul trouble, scoring only four points the rest of the way. Alridge, 24, earned his huge pay raise two seasons ago, when he nearly doubled his scoring average from 9.0 points per game to 17.8. Last season he leveled off a bit at 18.1, and it remains to be seen if he can keep that pace with the Blazers’ new...

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Wizards' first spell is magic

Wizards 101, Mavericks 92 I'm trying to figure out how many questions were just answered at American Airlines Arena. Not all of them, of course. But you tell me when to stop: Will the Wizards start off on the right foot after a disjointed preseason? Is Gilbert Arenas back? How much will he thrive under head coach Flip Saunders? Will the Wizards' new arsenal of offensive weapons make a difference? Will the Wizards improve defensively? Will someone step up to fill Antawn Jamison's shoes while he's sidelined? Will it be Andray Blatche? Can Blatche play efficiently and consistently at both ends? There's tons more... What struck me: Washington trailed in the first quarter by six, 13-7, when...

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Future uncertain for United players, coach

Moreno, Olsen want to return next season D.C. United's two most storied veterans, Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen, both want to return to the team next year, but like the rest of the team and head coach Tom Soehn, they must wait to find out over the coming weeks if they are in the club's plans after it missed the playoffs for the second straight season. "I want to play," said Moreno, who this year added nine goals to his MLS all-time leading total of 130. He will turn 36 in January. "I don't know where, but I feel like I still have it. I've been pretty healthy this year. I'm actually feeling better than a lot of years. Definitely, I want to play. Definitely, I'm not retiring....

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Early NBA injuries cause for concern?

A number of prominent players will miss the opening of the 2009-10 NBA season, and the level of concern varies widely: Blake Griffin The dreams and nightmares of the Los Angeles Clippers collided in the team's final preseason game when the No. 1 overall draft pick blocked a shot at one end of the court, then finished with a spectacular dunk in transition at the other, only to fracture a kneecap upon landing at the end of the play. He's set to miss six weeks. Concern level » If he's back before Christmas, great. But if it looks like a curse, and feels like a curse ... Glen Davis After fighting with his "best friend" Shawn Bridgewater inside an SUV, the Boston forward...

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The woodwork has not been friendly to United

Nevermind that D.C. United lost three games in a row at home during a crucial September stretch or that they played a dozen matches more than Real Salt Lake, who stole the eighth MLS playoff spot away from them. The real culprits in United's recent demise -- in each of the last two seasons, in fact -- have been the woodwork and midfielder Brad Evans. United has hit the frame five times in its past two regular-season finales: three times last season at Columbus and twice last weekend in Kansas City. Thabiso "Boyzzz" Khumalo's crossbar blast from six yards away last October is still the best, topping Rodney Wallace's ping off the post in stoppage-time last Saturday at the...

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DCU runs the end-of-season gauntlet

One by one, they filed out of the D.C. United locker room: the team's five highest-paid players -- well, except for Christian Gomez ($321,000), who declined to be interviewed -- each answering a few questions on the team's disappointing season. First up, Fred ($257,000; 23 appearances, 17 starts, 2 goals, 4 assists in MLS play): "The same last year, we didn't go to playoffs because of one point again so we're all disappointed." Is it your intention to return to D.C. United? "I don't know yet. They have a one-year option, and I have to wait now." "I think the games at home, we didn't win the games at home in September. This, I think, is the key to why we didn't...

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Which Wizards will we see?

Comeback campaign opens tonight in Dallas When asked on Washington Wizards Media Day last month about his expectations for his team this year, Gilbert Arenas could only shrug his shoulders and point to the fact that the only way is up after 19 wins last season. Caron Butler took the opposite tact in late August, declaring just before he left for the franchise's trip to China, "People shouldn't be scared of mentioning championship." Three key lessons from the preseason 1 » It took Gilbert Arenas a while to find balance between playmaker and facilitator, but he finished averaging 14.7 points and 6.5 assists, a mere hint of what to expect when he plays a full game. He...

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NBA conference outlook

The road to an NBA title is like the passage deep into the most exclusive of nightclubs. Here's the scene as the 2009-10 season begins: EASTERN CONFERENCE Behind the velvet rope The party people want to be with LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal and the Cleveland Cavaliers, even though the good times ended prematurely last year when Dwight Howard and Orlando showed they were more fun. The Magic, of course, have replaced half their team, with Vince Carter elbowing his way to the table. Rasheed Wallace is beaming at his invitation to join Kevin Garnett and Boston. Drawing a crowd at the bar It's as if the entire club has one eye on Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards -- that's a party that few...

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Kasper says no decision yet on Soehn

Sorry for the little delay getting this posted… D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper says he’s not going anywhere after United missed the playoffs for the second straight season, but no decision has been made yet on the future of head coach Tom Soehn or of nearly all of the D.C. roster. “We’re going to decompress and take our time with it,” said Kasper. United has its award banquet on Tuesday and current player contracts run out December 1. Asked about his own job security and whether it had been discussed with United president Kevin Payne, Kasper replied: “I talk to Kevin frequently, and he’s assured me that I’m in the club’s...

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Jamison and T-minus one day 'til Wiz open 2009-10

Antawn Jamison was shocked to learn that his shoulder injury was going to keep him out a full 6-8 weeks. On Monday he was taking left-handed free throws. Perhaps some shooting practice tomorrow. “I thought it was something that was going to keep me out a couple days, and once the swelling went down I was going to be back to normal,” said Jamison. “Once he told me the timeframe, it kind of threw me for a loop. I didn’t think it was that serious whatsoever because I felt, once I got back in the locker room that night and it kind of calmed down, I felt like I could’ve come back out there and played.” Instead, he’ll miss tomorrow’s season...

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Vasquez and odd ACC voting

The impression Greivis Vasquez made in his NBA workouts was solid, and his message was perhaps the best quote of the pre-draft circuit after his run with the Wizards: "Let’s make that clear. Greivis Vasquez is not going overseas. He’s not playing in Europe. I would rather get my education and get my degree if it comes to be going overseas. I want to work hard to make it to the point where I will be a pro one day. But it’s not going to be overseas right now." On Sunday, Vasquez was named to the preseason All-ACC first team. He finished second in the ACC preseason player of the year balloting, 19-15, behind Duke's Kyle Singler, but he actually got more All-ACC...

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D.C. United ties but misses playoffs

After all that -- a wild 2-2 result at Kansas City for D.C. United (yes, another typically unsatisfying draw -- United's MLS-leading 13th this season) -- they were left only to root first for Dallas to draw -- not win or lose -- at Seattle and for New England to draw or lose on Sunday. Unfortunately, United can watch football instead. Because Dallas lost to Seattle, United lost a combined tiebreaker against Colorado and Real Salt Lake at 40 points in a battle for the final two postseason berths. It doesn't matter what happens to the Revolution. If Dallas had tied, a four-team tiebreaker would've ensued, actually putting D.C. in a tentative playoff spot, assuming again the Revs had...

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Jamison to miss opener and Wizards preseason ends, thank goodness

Well, you might have been hoping for an NBA preseason that offered two weeks of Wizards basketball as tantalizing as their offseason, what ended up with was about two games before it derailed into a injury-plagued, inconsistent mess, finishing with Friday night's fairly yucky 93-70 loss at Chicago. The 4-4 campaign felt sort of like a Redskins preseason, if you ask me, which isn't a great thing. A solid start Tuesday in Dallas would help erase that from the memory. Not that the last three weeks, starting with training camp, were all bad, given the six games played by Gilbert Arenas. It took him a while to find some balance between all-pass and all-shoot, but he finished averaging 14.7...

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Top 10: NBA players to watch for the 2009-10 season

These guys are a mix of the best, worst, newest or oldest and they are the players that are going to determine the course of the 2009-10 NBA season. 10. Gilbert Arenas, Wizards guard Don’t get distracted by his decision to talk to the press or not. The focus is on Arenas’ left knee and whether it is indeed finally healed. If so, Agent Zero will thrive — and then some — under new head coach Flip Saunders. If Arenas leads Washington to the turnaround their capable of, the Wizards have a real chance to upset the balance of power in the East. 9. LeBron James, Cavaliers forward Impending free agency for King James next summer should take a back seat to the Cavaliers...

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United need a win over Wizards, and other magic

D.C. part of the tightest MLS playoff race ever Significant hesitation is justified when considering D.C. United's chances of making the MLS playoffs. They're part of the tightest scrum of teams vying for the postseason in the league's 14-year history, and even with a victory in their regular season finale at Kansas City, they won't control their destiny in a seven-team battle for the final three playoff berths. But the emergence of some defensive intensity and a fortunate late addition in goal helped the cornered dogs find the bite to fend off a premature end to their season last week. United (9-8-12) hopes to thrive on that desperation again versus the already-eliminated Wizards...

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Wizards cut Grier, trim roster

Arenas, Miller return after bout with the flu Roster down to 15 » Ahead of their final tune-up before the regular season begins Tuesday at Dallas, the Wizards trimmed their roster to 15 players on Thursday, cutting training camp invitee Vincent Grier, who had one assist in less than seven minutes of action in seven preseason games. The team's other camp invitee, Paul Davis, remains with the team. Washington must submit its final roster to the NBA by Monday. "Today was probably one of the more competitive practices that we've had," said head coach Flip Saunders. "We'll if we carry that into [the final preseason game] and next week." Arenas, Miller return from...

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Friedgen, Terps find a Devil in the details

Karma has delivered yet another stiff punch into Ralph Friedgen's somewhat smaller gut. In almost any other season, facing formerly-lowly Duke would be the perfect remedy for Maryland (2-5, 1-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) after the program sunk to new lows with last weekend's turnover-filled homecoming defeat to cross-border rival Virginia, the Terps' fourth loss in five games. The Blue Devils were a combined 6-41 the last four seasons -- a time in which they would've been penciled in as all-but-guaranteed victories. But of course, they never were featured on Maryland's schedule. It figures that this year they'd be 3-3 overall, 1-1 in the ACC, and boast arguably the conference's best...

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Georgetown's search for the Wright way

Hoyas point guard holds key to making Princeton offense work Chris Wright can't seem to dodge the question of whether he's really just a square peg in a round hole. Entering just his second full year at point guard -- after his first was cut short by a foot injury -- Wright is one of Georgetown's most experienced players. His individual playmaking ability will have a large role in determining if the Hoyas can bounce back from finishing 16-15 and missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons. It might also be a referendum on the adaptability of head coach John Thompson III's Princeton-style offense. Can the complex system of reads, cuts and ball-sharing prove suitable...

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Picture in picture, get the picture?

All of a sudden, I'm twisted in knots over D.C. United. It could be the sleep deprivation after having a baby last week, but my head is spinning because United's season is teetering between utter disaster and actually not that darn bad -- and it may not even be up to them to decide which it ends up being. Did you see United draw with Toluca last night? The second time in 19 matches that a MLS team has gotten a draw on Mexican soil. The other 17 were losses. Excuse me, but are you talking about the same team that tanked its five-game homestand by losing three consecutive league matches at RFK for the first time? Can't be. I recognized Luciano Emilio, who not surprisingly struggled again...

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Know your crab dribble rules

No longer will fans, players and media members need to thumb through endless pages in a book to find a specific NBA rule or require a law degree to decipher its intended meaning. With the advent of the Video Rulebook on NBA.com, any interested party can examine video evidence of what constitutes a particular infraction and read its description with just a couple of clicks. The league uses a particularly interesting clip -- taken from a Wizards home game -- to demonstrate traveling at the end of a dribble. The offensive player in question just happens to be Cleveland's LeBron James, who takes a mighty three steps in transition before finger-rolling a layup over Washington guard DeShawn...

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Where's the workhorse RB?

It used to be that sleep was easy on Sunday nights when the San Diego Chargers were slated for their yearly featured game on Monday Night Football. As the crisp fall afternoon went by, the cold, frosty drinks went down easy and the football was enjoyable no matter the game because your fantasy team, starring No. 1 overall draft pick LaDainian Tomlinson, would lock up a fantasy victory the following evening. Thanks to LT, at least 20 more points were in the bag. We take a moment now to declare those days dead and buried. Long live the era of the fantasy workhorse running back. But the torch hasn't been passed. It's been stolen by the uber-quarterback. Raise a glass to the most...

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A uniform change to honor military veterans

Athletes took a reprieve from using the metaphor that they "were going to war" after Sept. 11, 2001. But that statute of limitations has long since passed, and now a couple of college football teams are really going to look like they are headed for battle, as South Carolina and Maryland will wear camouflage uniforms in their meeting on Nov. 14 to honor military veterans and promote the Wounded Warrior Project. Under Armour, who outfits both the Terrapins and the Gamecocks, designed the uniforms. Both teams will face huge opponents that weekend -- three days after Veterans' Day -- with South Carolina playing Florida and Maryland facing Virginia Tech. The Wounded Warrior Project...

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Wiz, Eddie Jordan meet again

Washington will face former coach Tuesday Caron Butler's personal relationship with Eddie Jordan wasn't severed when Jordan was fired as Wizards head coach 11 games into last season. Far from it, as their families took a vacation together this past summer to the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. But while Butler wishes only the best for Jordan, who as the new Philadelphia 76ers head coach will host his former team for the first time on Tuesday, the Wizards All-Star still thinks his team is better off. "That's what happens in this business, no matter what accolades that ever happened," said Butler. "But when stuff runs dry, when the water runs dry, you gotta turn to...

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D.C. United at Toluca

What » CONCACAF Champions League Where » Estadio Nemesio Diez, Toluca, Mexico When » Tuesday, 8 p.m. TV » FOX Soccer Channel/Telefutura The gist » Despite sitting in second place in Group B, D.C. United (3-2-0) needs to achieve at least the same result against group-leading Toluca (4-1-0) that Marath?n (3-2-0) does against San Juan Jabloteh (0-5-0) in order to advance to next spring's quarterfinals. The rub » No U.S. team has ever won a meaningful match on Mexican soil. United has been shut out in each of its last three visits south of the border. The real dilemma » By virtue of its 1-0 win over Columbus last weekend, United has kept its MLS...

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Haywood to return on Monday

Jamison looks better Antawn Jamison is already the second Washington Wizards starter to get injured this year -- and there's still more than a week to go before the regular season begins. But for now, the All-Star forward is the solo starter on the sideline, as center Brendan Haywood is expected to return on Monday at Atlanta after missing three games with a sprained right ankle. Jamison was shelved for the final three preseason contests after dislocating his right shoulder last week in Cleveland, but on Sunday he seemed in good spirits and wasn't favoring his arm as he left practice at Verizon Center. Jamison will travel with the team for road games against the Hawks on Monday and...

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On Arenas speaking at last

When I exchanged greetings with Gilbert Arenas after practice earlier today -- nothing more than each of us saying, "What's up," -- I didn't think it was too big of a deal, despite the brouhaha last week with Arenas and the Wizards each getting fined $25,000 because he wasn't speaking with the media. I just thought I'd say hello, as I missed last week for the birth of my second child (cigars all around!). I don't have a strong relationship with Arenas, yet, given this is my first season covering the Wiz. But as it was pointed out to me after Arenas had come and gone, it was as casually cordial as he had been since the opening of training camp. It stunned me, and led to this...

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Sat. Oct. 17 » Crew at United

When » Saturday, 8 p.m. Where » RFK Stadium TV » Comcast SportsNet+ The gist » D.C. United has lost any remaining margin for error for getting into the playoffs, but four of eight MLS playoff postseasons still remain up for grabs. Only a combination of favorable results in other matches and a win in the regular season home finale against the defending MLS Cup-champion Crew (13-5-10) will keep United (8-8-12) in contention for one of those berths. The revolving door » While midfielder-forward Santino Quaranta had surgery Tuesday for a ruptured plantar plate in his left foot’s first metatarsal, United added USL-1 goalkeeper of the year Steve Cronin on...

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U.S. looks to avenge loss to Costa Rica at RFK

Americans try to claim first place in region With the U.S. men's national team having completed qualification for the 2010 World Cup with one match to spare, it has safely and admirably turned its attention toward claiming first place in the region with a win in its qualifying finale. But perhaps equally important, the match is a chance to squash the memories of the lowest point of that 18-month saga, which came on June 3 against the very same team it will face on Wednesday at RFK Stadium. "You know along the way that not every result is going to go your way, and you have to treat it as a whole," said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. "If there was one game that we still...

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Bradley's low point

After U.S. national team practice yesterday afternoon at RFK -- one in which D.C. United teen-aged goalkeeper Bill Hamid was helping out in net -- head coach Bob Bradley was asked if there was a low point for him during CONCACAF qualifying. It struck me as unusual the way he responded without his usual stoicism: "When you start the qualifying, you know that it's ten game, ten tough games. You split it a little bit into halves, if it makes sense. You know along the way that not every result is going to go your way, and you have to treat it as a whole. If there was one game that we still would look back upon as being disappointing, it was the Costa Rica game. We went down right away in...

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Making it look easy, Agent Zero eases his way back

Saunders faces former team Tuesday night Three preseason games down, and we've seen the pass-first Gilbert Arenas, the shoot-first Gilbert Arenas, and in spurts, an ideal mix of the two. The search for balance clearly isn't complete with two weeks remaining before the 2009 regular season tips off, but Arenas has had few problems exploring all the sides of his game after sitting out most of the last two years. "Gil like to play mind games," said guard DeShawn Stevenson. "But you see when he's attacking and stuff, it's hard to guard him. We just need more of that before the regular season come." Arenas has saved his best for the last two third quarters, during which...

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Haywood leaves the building limping

Washington center Brendan Haywood turned his right ankle just over two minutes into the Wizards' 123-115 preseason loss to Dallas in front of 8,201 at Verizon Center. Haywood stayed in the game for nearly six more minutes but went to the locker room shortly after leaving the game and didn't return. Although he left the locker room afterward with a limp -- declining to speak with reporters -- Wizards head coach Flip Saunders characterized the injury as a "slight sprain." "In a game situation, he probably could've came back," said Saunders. "We decided to be precautionary and keep him out. He actually played very well, except for shooting free throws, before he...

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Wiz-Mavs 4th quarter review

4th quarter review Blatche might very well foul out before the game is over at this rate. He’s not happy with the officials… What happened to the Mike Miller stationed in the corner shooting threes? He’s running, jumping, rebounding, basically anything but… You can say what you want about rotation and minutes not mattering during the preseason. But Mike James hasn’t yet left the bench in the second half, neither has Dominic McGuire… Flip Saunders says he doesn’t praise makes or misses, only good shots. McGee tests that theory by swishing a turnaround from deep… Wiz reserves have cut the lead to seven. Barea halts the run, coaxing...

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Wiz-Mavs 3rd quarter review

3rd quarter Arenas opens with an alley oop to Blatche in transition, but then gives everyone what they really want: a jumper, a drive-and-dish to Stevenson for a three, and then a drive to the hoop for a layup of his own. The Verizon Center din, for a moment, grows. Rodrigue Beaubois is a busy bee. The refs like his aggressiveness. Now that Mike Miller is in the game, much more attention is being paid to whether his hair is prettier than Nowitzki’s. Consensus is it’s the German. Now Arenas is rolling, six points in a row, the last bucket the best of the trio: Zero ducks down low, takes long wrap-around dribble around one defender, then splits Gooden and Kidd in the lane for...

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Wiz-Mavs 2nd quarter review

By the way, forgot to mention that Haywood was 0-for-6 at the line in the first quarter. A serious case of the shanks. Can’t blame it on the ankle, either, which appears to be sprained... At least a couple calls going against Andray Blatche on defense, and the video evidence is on his side. The crowd “welcomes” the replacement referees… Mike James, now at the point, trying to be aggressive, draws an offensive foul. Three assists now with less than two minutes remaining before halftime… JaVale McGee had to love that. He got to run the floor with the ball on the break after Jason Kidd saved a ball out of bounds. McGee didn’t finish but drew the foul.....

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Wiz-Mavs 1st quarter review

Gilbert Arenas dishes out four assists but doesn't take a shot. Crowd was almost pleading with him to do something for himself. Caron Butler led all scorers with 14 points on 5-for-8 shooting. Dirk Nowtizki (8 points) had little trouble with Antawn Jamison. No suprise there, really. DeShawn Stevenson drives to the hoop, gets fouled and spills onto the ground. A full 5 seconds pass before any of his teammates come to help him up. Generally that's not an awesome indication of chemistry. Brendan Haywood fouled early on a putback, turns his right ankle -- plays on then departs for locker room midway through the quarter. Highlight of the quarter: Andray Blatche gets blocked by Erick...

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Wizards-Mavs pregame

There's little to report that we didn't already know ahead of the Wizards' second preseason game: DeShawn Stevenson is starting at shooting guard, meaning Nick Young will come off the bench. (In my first-ever visit to the Wizards locker room, by the way,) I asked Young what his role would be: "To feed the post," answered Brendan Haywood from across the locker room. "To feed the post," said Young. Coach Flip Saunders said Gilbert Arenas is likely to get 10 minutes, and then they'll play it by ear. Somehow, it seems like Arenas is due to attack the rim and find his shot rather than opening with 7 assists. I wonder, also, if he'll bust out the surgical glove and work on...

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Wizards notebook: Blatche still slingin’ headbands

What happened in Vegas didn’t stay in Vegas. In each of his three appearances during the NBA summer league, Andray Blatche struggled initially, then threw off his headband in disgust before settling down and actually having a good game. He came home having averaged 19.7 points and 11.0 rebounds. Guess what he did in the Wizards’ preseason opener? Yep. “I don’t know,” said Blatche. “It’s just my thing. I come out with it on. Whenever I take it off, that’s when you know it’s time for business. I’m trying to get in that mindset the whole time. But the headband, I don’t know what it is. I just come out with it on, and then...

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Three things from Wizards practice

A little bit of knowledge from Wizards practice ahead of tomorrow's sole preseason home game. "Nothing changes [from the first preseason game]," said Wizards head coach Flip Saunders. "You just try to see more consistentcy. The more you play through preseason, the more consistency you want to see. You’re playing against definitely a different team, as far as Dallas compared to Memphis. Memphis is long, inside has a lot of length. Dallas has some length, but they’ve got some very skilled players when you look at [Dirk] Nowitzki and then you look at [Shawn] Marion, Jason [Terry], and Drew Gooden and those guys." Tidbit No. 1. Saunders said he'll probably...

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Just like old times for former T-Wolves Foye, Miller

Offseason acquisitions assumed control after starters left Monday The way Mike Miller and Randy Foye played together, a little confusion with the jerseys they were wearing might've been justified. When Gilbert Arenas, his left knee and the starters gave way to the reserves in the Washington Wizards' preseason opener, Miller and Foye assumed the helm, displaying both a veteran presence and a comfort with one another, proof of how the former Minnesota teammates expect to bolster the Wizards roster this season. "A couple times last year when Mike used to get the rebounds, we used to just take off because he could handle the ball," said Foye. "A couple times [vs. Memphis] I...

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Wizards-Grizzlies morning after

Given my need to drive the 100 miles back home before it was so late that I would've been a hazard on I-95, I saved the task of looking back at the Wizards’ preseason opener until this morning. My thoughts: (1) The return of Gilbert Arenas continues to offer intriguing twists and turns. Recapping the last 10 days: Arenas said he wasn’t the entertainer anymore, promised no jokes and few three-pointers and got riled up about the categorization of true point guards; the Wizards tried to play the jedi mind trick on some reporters after they saw him limping early in training camp; he sat out a bit due to a jammed finger on his off hand; and then Flip Saunders predicted he’d...

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Arenas, Wiz top Grizzlies

Star guard finishes with 10 assists in win RICHMOND - After two injury-marred seasons, Gilbert Arenas began the preseason by over-delivering and starting where he left off last April. Following the 20 assists he registered in his only two games last year, Arenas set up Washington's first seven field goals before scoring any points and played more than 24 minutes during the 101-92 win over Memphis in front of a sellout crowd at VCU's Verizon Wireless Arena. Arenas finished with 5 points and 10 assists, setting the tone by leaping over the scorers' table -- and landing on his feet, unharmed -- as he intercepted a pass three minutes into the game. With more than 11 minutes on the court...

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Pre pregame for the preseason opener

So much for those brilliant ideas. When the Wizards’ preseason schedule was announced, it was immediately significant to me that not only would their opener be against Allen Iverson in his debut with the Memphis Grizzlies, but that AI’s debut would come barely an hour down the highway from his hometown in Hampton, Virginia. I spoke to Iverson’s old high school coach, Craig Brehon, and unsuccessfully reached out to his manager, Gary Moore, for this sidebar in today’s print edition. And Iverson’s sitting out the game with a hamstring strain. Figures. In any case, all the more time to focus on the Wizards tonight, including Nick Young, who’s earned the...

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Wambach, Whitehill earn U.S. call-ups

Did you see the list of players called up for the U.S. women's team exhibition against Germany later this month? Washington Freedom players Abby Wambach and Cat Whitehill are both on the roster. So, too, is Lori Lindsey, who got left unprotected in the WPS expansion draft and was picked up by the Philadelphia Independence. It's still so shocking that Lindsey isn't with the Freedom anymore that even the orginial release from U.S. Soccer had her listed with Washington. Nice. Lindsey can add to her one cap if she gets on the pitch in Augsburg on Oct. 29....

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Wicks gets the Blanco treatment

In the same manner that U.S. Soccer hacked off Cuauhtemoc Blanco's U.S. Open Cup eligibility -- essentially, for good -- last year after his incident-filled experience vs. D.C. United at Maryland SoccerPlex -- banning him for six games or two years, whichever came first -- United goalkeeper Josh Wicks has been handed the greater of an additional four games or one-year suspension from the tournament. Wicks already had the mandatory one-game suspension via the red card he earned for stomping on Seattle forward Fredy Montero in the U.S. Open Cup final. He also "refused to leave the field of play in a timely fashion and used highly inflammatory language to insult the fourth...

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Wizards open preseason against Grizzlies

With a microphone clipped to his shirt because the final practice of Washington Wizards training camp was aired live on NBA TV, head coach Flip Saunders kept his closing message for his players short and sweet. He reminded them to get some rest and of the time of morning shootaround ahead of Tuesday's preseason opener against Memphis, which will also be his first game on the Wizards sideline. Saunders did allow Mike Miller to say the last word -- "hard work" -- a gesture that was perhaps as good an indication as any that the new addition might make his first Wizards appearance in a starting role alongside Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood. The...

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Iverson close to home in his Grizzlies debut

Richmond finally gets its reward for hosting Washington Wizards training camp when Virginia Commonwealth's Verizon Wireless Arena at Siegel Center plays host to its first NBA preseason game. But there also will be a strong contingent coming west on Interstate 64 to welcome Allen Iverson in the closest game he's ever played to his hometown of Hampton since turning professional in 1996. "Hopefully, it won't be the last time," said Bethel High dean of boys Craig Brehon, who coached Iverson in high school. "He still has a lot to offer, we believe, and we're just excited for him and happy for him to have a chance to play in front of hometown people, so to...

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United-Chivas postgame

There are way more questions than answers after D.C. United's 2-0 loss to Chivas USA, their third consecutive home loss in MLS play. They had never botched a homestand like this, and the last time they lost this many home games in a row in the domestic league? 2000, which is a bad sign. Playoff hopes? They're now on life support. I haven't done all the permutations, but the way I see is this: United can only catch New England. Now, the Revolution, who tied Colorado on Saturday, finish the season with two games against Columbus and one vs. Chicago. But still. Let's just avoid the confusing scenarios for now. Jaime Moreno: "We got nothing to say. There’s only two games left,...

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United drops third straight

Chivas USA 2, D.C. United 0 After the second straight home loss, the famously staunch D.C. United fans booed their team. During the third, a convincing 2-0 defeat to Chivas USA on Saturday that put United’s playoff hopes on the ropes, they angled their frustration at one person: head coach Tom Soehn. Ultimately, both the players and coach took responsibility for the inconsistency that produced the franchise’s first-ever back-to-back-to-back home losing streak, including Ben Olsen, whose 65th-minute red card sealed the result. “It doesn’t look so great right now,” said Olsen. “I certainly can hold my hand up today and say, I was part of this loss,...

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Preview: Chivas USA at D.C. United

Chivas USA at D.C. United Where » RFK Stadium • When » Saturday, 7:30 • TV » The Comcast Network The gist » United (8-7-12, 36 points) can overtake Chivas (11-9-5, 38) and claim a crucial tiebreaker in the uber-tight battle for playoff spots with only three weeks remaining in the regular season. The player to watch » Chris Pontius scored in D.C. United's season opener to put himself at the forefront in MLS rookie of the year conversations but he hasn't added to his four goals in league play since June. "Can I get one please? That's all I want," said Pontius, who has missed only three of United's 41 matches in all competitions....

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Saunders implements a match-up zone defense

Flip Saunders opened his first Washington Wizards training camp by giving out iPod Touches to all of his players that contain his entire offensive playbook. Hopefully, they also contain snippets from the DVD that Saunders made when he was head coach in Detroit on how to play a match-up zone defense. "I still say zones can be extremely effective," said Saunders last week. "When players hear that four-letter word, 'zone,' they freak out half the time. You can even have not a good zone, and it works just because it's a different look." The Wizards were the second-worst team in the NBA last season in opposing field goal percentage. But Saunders does have two key interior...

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Pretty quiet at RFK

Well, besides the postgame blowers after D.C. United's 5-1 win over San Juan Jabloteh. It was pretty darn quiet during the game, too. How much noise can 3,411 fans generate, really? Here's the report. The postgame media session did have a nice quirk to it, as Christian Gómez joined head coach Tom Soehn to talk to reporters [they don't let us in the locker room after CONCACAF games]. First, Soehn gave the Argentinian a hard time for falling back on the crutch of an interpreter, telling him, "English." But then it got slightly awkward, as Gómez happily fielded questions about his recent lack of playing time -- he has one start in United's last four MLS matches....

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United wins third straight in Champions League

CONCACAF Champions League D.C. United 5, San Juan Jabloteh (Trinidad) 1 D.C. United temporarily put aside its suffering MLS playoff hopes to win its third consecutive match in the CONCACAF Champions League in front of the smallest RFK Stadium crowd in nine years. Christian Gómez and Thabiso “Boyzzz” Khumalo each scored twice in the 5-1 win over San Juan Jabloteh in front of just 3,411, an audience only slightly larger than the 3,127 who watched a 3-0 defeat of Rochester in the third round of the 2000 U.S. Open Cup. The second victory in two matches against the Trinidadian club also moved United (3-2-0, 6 points) to the brink of advancement out of Group B and into the...

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Wizards' grief is nothing new to journeyman Miller

Mike Miller has to refrain from rolling his eyes when asked about motivation for playing time to help the Wizards bounce back from last year's 19-63 debacle. The LeBron James shoes he wears show how little Miller has grasped Washington's recent history -- "I didn't know nothing about that [rivalry] until I came in here," Miller said on media day -- but the truth is, Washington's woes pales in comparison with what he's endured. "If you were in my shoes and got beat up the last three years, you forget all about that stuff," said Miller. "I just want a fun year. I want to enjoy myself. I want to come in here and know that every time we lace 'em up, there's a pretty...

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San Juan Jabloteh at D.C. United

What » CONCACAF Champions League Where » RFK Stadium When » Wednesday, 8 p.m. TV » FOX Soccer Channel Group dynamics » After moving into second place in Group B with last week's 3-0 win over Marath—n, D.C. United can all but assure it's advancement into next spring's knockout stage with what would be its third straight victory in Champions League play. Roster shuffle » With Josh Wicks out for the next 4-6 weeks, reserve goalkeeper Milos Kocic will start, with recently-signed teenager Bill Hamid once again available as a backup. United defenders Dejan Jakovic and Avery John are both suspended due to yellow card accumulation while...

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Wizards hope this is their time

A bit of business, fun on first day of camp RICHMOND - The concerns on Day 1 of Washington Wizards training camp were familiar -- including the competition at starting shooting guard, the plan to improve defensively and increasingly familiar talk about aims for an NBA championship. But the day's dominant subject was the team dinner held Monday night in which head coach Flip Saunders enlisted hypnotist John-Ivan Palmer to lighten the mood and foster team unity. "Everybody leading up to [camp] was just so serious," said Randy Foye. "Just to see guys smiling, having a good time with each other, it was a great thing to see." Players were reluctant to divulge details...

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1st Wiz practice wrap: hypnotists and iPods

Enough about the battle for the starting shooting guard or what the Washington Wizards need to do in order to be better defensively this season, or players believing that the Wizards can win a championship. Today's first practice at Virginia Commonwealth's Siegel Center -- in which the Verizon Center basketball floor has been installed -- on the first day of training camp wwas all about the hypnotist that head coach Flip Saunders brought in last night and the interesting tidbit that all of the players were given iPod Touches that contain the Wizards' entire playbook, with both videos and diagrams. Guys were a little reluctant to divulge exactly what happened -- "What happens in...

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Arenas changes his tone

Wiz open camp with sights set on playoffs The "Hibachi" and the "Agent Zero" trench coat have been put away. Fully healthy after nearly two full seasons on the shelf, and backed up by a team that is as deep as it's been this decade and boasts a new head coach, Gilbert Arenas is done with gimmicks. "I'm 27 now," said Arenas. "I'm not the entertainer anymore. I wouldn't be here today if there wasn't a big fine coming because I don't feel like speaking anymore. I just want to go out there and play." Whether the All-Star guard maintains his portended media silence and the serious tone he adopted for most, not all, of his session with reporters at...

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Arenas: I'm not the entertainer anymore

Gilbert Arenas led off Washington Wizards media day in strong fashion, saying he wasn't planning on talking to media this season during what ended up being a half-hour session with reporters. I'll get to the other players in due time, but for now, here are some quality Arenas highlights, starting with his assertion that the days of Agent Zero and hibachi are gone: "I’m 27 now. I’m not the entertainer anymore. I wouldn’t be here today if there wasn’t a big fine coming because I don’t feel like speaking anymore. I just want to go out there and play." So no more with the media? "Not from me. If I’m not going to get fined, I don’t...

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United's playoff hopes shaken by 'Quakes

One massive losing streak ended in Detroit. Another ended at RFK Stadium. But San Jose did more than halt its 14-game stretch without a road win at the expense of D.C. United with a 2-1 victory in front of 14,375. The Earthquakes also handed United its second straight home defeat and dealt a massive blow to its MLS playoff hopes, leaving D.C. outside of a postseason berth with three games left in the regular season. United (8-7-12) also faces the prospect of losing starting goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who left the game with a dislocated left shoulder and will have a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test on Sunday. "We came out flat in the second half on a day where -- on any day you...

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Doubt sets in around D.C. United

Karma felt like it turned on the Washington Redskins the moment they took the field on Sunday afternoon. It turned on D.C. United 40 minutes into their match, but the net result was the same. And once it turned, there was no looking back. Yes, D.C. United once again had chances – such as Santino Quaranta’s clear miss in the first half or the bicycle kick by Chris Pontius that completed the game’s most beautiful sequence but was cleared off the line by Ramiro Corrales. But the lack of a killer finish is still yet to materialize, and the overthinking and questioning – which seemed to begin when United abandoned the 3-5-2 about a month ago – has reached a new...

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Wizards 2009-10 training camp preview

Where » Siegel Center • Virginia Commonwealth University • Richmond • When » Sept. 29 - Oct. 6 STORY LINES 1. How big of a turnaround is big enough? » “We won 19 games last year,” says Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld. “But I don’t think we look at ourselves as a 19-win team.” It’s a perception that inspired Washington’s offseason, in which Grunfeld signed a proven head coach in Flip Saunders and added three new players (Randy Foye, Mike Miller and Fabricio Oberto), all with experience as NBA starters. While not quite ready to pronounce themselves capable of Boston’s run two...

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United's Emilio feeling the heat to regain to his MVP form

At this stage of the regular season, it's a foregone conclusion that Luciano Emilio's final numbers for the year aren't going to be what he and D.C. United had both hoped. With four games remaining in the regular season, Emilio has nine goals and two assists, numbers far closer to last year's showing (11 goals, 5 assists) than his soaring inaugural MLS campaign in 2007 (20 goals, 1 assist). The latter goal-scoring rate earned Emilio a MLS most-valuable player award and more than doubled his salary, from just under $300,000 two years ago to designated player status of more than $750,000 last year. But the reality of a second straight subpar year has taken its toll on the Brazilian,...

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DCU/Marathón: feel good or feel bad?

Here's the report from D.C. United vs. Marathón. Feelin' good: D.C. United, for once the rested team, wins handily, boosting its hopes in CONCACAF Champions League and in MLS, to be honest, given Luciano Emilio's performance. Feelin' bad: Poor Marathón. Not only did it take them two days just to get to Washington from Honduras. They can't even go home because the airports are still closed. Domestic games have been canceled this weekend, too. Stinks to be them. Feelin' good: Jaime Moreno. He scored - in the run of play! Feelin' bad: Moreno. Gets sent off after late foul. Not sure about the play itself, but I did watch him jaw with Marathón coaches -- "I don't...

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Emilio lifts United past Marathón

CONCACAF Champions League D.C. United 3, Marathón 0 D.C. United got both the victory and the margin of victory it needed Thursday to breathe life into its CONCACAF Champions League campaign. As an added benefit, two goals in the 3-0 win over travel-weary Marathón came from forward Luciano Emilio, who desperately needs to find his form for United’s domestic hopes to retain a similar vitality. “We had a little while to prepare,” said United head coach Tom Soehn of his team’s nine-day layoff, its longest in nearly two months. “It almost felt like a month compared to what we’ve been going through. You could feel that there was a little more...

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The goods from Grunfeld

Wizards president of basketball operations Ernie Grunfeld is looking forward to the 2009-10 season. Let us count the ways, to a man: 1. “The season can’t get here fast enough because it’s been one of the longest summers I’ve ever had to have.” Analysis -- I’d like to take this as a throwaway, but it doesn’t feel clichéd. 2. “Flip [Saunders] has definitely raised the bar. He’s been there before. He’s done it. There’s no question about that. The last four teams that he’s coached have been to the conference finals, and he’s the leader of this team now, and he has very high goals for us, and our players are...

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United can't settle for one goal

D.C. faces Marathón in CONCACAF play For the math to work out, D.C. United needs to find the net -- more than once. A victory against Marathón won't be enough to get United into to position to advance in the CONCACAF Champions League. When the two teams met in Honduras in August, D.C. lost, 3-1. It will need to win by that margin or more Thursday because while the first tiebreaker in the tournament's group stage is head-to-head, the second is head-to-head goal-differential. "What it looks like it's going to come down to is us or Marathón," said United head coach Tom Soehn. "I think Toluca's put themselves in a spot where they're home free ... We...

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Fred, the flu, and DCU

I was planning on asking D.C. United midfielder Fred about his calf injury after practice today. He's listed as probable for tomorrow's match against Marathón in CONCACAF Champions League play. I got more than I bargained for. Me: You feeling better? Fred: Much better after swineflu. Yeah, I got it last week, me and my family. Well, then. So, DCU head coach Tom Soehn didn't have it when he missed United's match a couple weeks ago, but there it is: H1N1 made an apperance at RFK. Fred said he had it for five days and that it was much worse than normal flu: stronger, with headaches, diarrhea, no appetite and body pain everywhere. Yuck. "I don't want it anymore," said...

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Flip doesn't flip out

There were three topics for new Washington Wizards head coach Flip Saunders yesterday at his one-week-to-go-before-camp news conference: (1) Gilbert Arenas, (2) how good can the Wizards be, (3) specific strategies for offense and defense, and (4) Flip Saunders. As Saunders was comfortable with all of them, setting the tone for a preseason that promises to be both fever-pitch-level exciting yet calm and collected at the same time. That's a nice combination because it results in one thing: buzz, which the Wizards desperately want to have. Topic by topic, then. You can find my print-edition piece here. (1) Saunders was completely unfazed by Arenas's comments last week in the Washington...

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Saunders addresses Gil's offseason

Coach thinks Wiz can compete with the elite teams in the East One week before opening his first training camp as head coach of the Washington Wizards, Flip Saunders was asked more about Gilbert Arenas than he was about his own expectations for taking over and resuscitating a team that finished 19-63 last season. Saunders was undaunted by the volume of Arenas-focused inquiries -- "I did coach Rasheed Wallace, and KG," he said -- as well as by Arenas' own recent comments in which he was critical of the way the Wizards handled his comeback from a knee injury. The point guard has required three surgeries that have kept him off the court for most of the past two years. "The...

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Fearless Forecast for week of 9/20/09

EVENTS TO WATCH MLB » Dodgers at Nationals, Thursday, 7:05 p.m., MASN HD Nats have an outside shot at continuing a dubious streak. Each of last two seasons the Phillies have clinched an NL East division title vs. Washington. Even with nine games left after leaving the District, Joe Torre’s Dodgers could also be in position to clinch N.L. West by the series finale. NFL » Giants at Cowboys, Sunday, 8 p.m., NBC Lots of big story lines in Big D, but the biggest is the coming out party for new Cowboys Stadium. It’s so big it could have its own zip code. We also hear it has a pretty nice television set. NCAA men’s soccer » North Carolina at Maryland,...

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Tuesday evening roundup

Well, well, well. What do we have here? None other than D.C. United's first win in CONCACAF Champions League play in 11 tries, a 1-0 victory over San Juan Jabloteh of Trinidad, which couldn't hit a free kick inside and around penalty box and looked a lot like they should've been playing against a D.C. United team down a man after GK Milos Kocic upended a player outside the box but walked away with only a yellow card. That said, Christian Gomez took an awarded penalty kick, for a handball, nicely in the early going, Kocic was a presence, and Julius James went airborn to clear a clear game-tying goal off the line late in the first half. Tiyi Shipalane and Danny Szetela each squandered...

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No vacation for reserve-heavy D.C. United in the Caribbean

D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn is resolute that despite a 0-2 start in CONCACAF Champions League group play, the team remains in contention to finish in the top half of the four-team group and advance to next spring's knockout stage. "We're in a situation where if we win [Tuesday vs. San Juan Jabloteh in Trinidad], we come back against Marathon," said Soehn last week, referring to the Honduran team that handed United a shocking 3-1 defeat on Aug. 18. "I know we want to rectify that result. I actually thought we played well, and we had a couple of errors that cost us the result. We're still positioned well." Cue the 16-player travel roster for Trinidad that includes...

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D.C. United - Seattle postgame

Here’s the thing about D.C. United’s 2-1 loss to Seattle earlier tonight: As you’ll see from my game story, I’m going to have to disagree with head coach Tom Soehn’s assessment: “It was disappointing. The first half I thought we took -- we killed plays off by being too cute in the final third, and giving them counterattacks. We addressed it at halftime, and I thought the energy and the way we opened up the game was pretty good. We had so many less turnovers, created a lot more opportunities, and giving away the goal on a half chance like on the near post, it was deflating.” Although United dictated 90 percent of the match, including as...

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Seattle soundly denies D.C. United, again

Seattle Sounders FC 2, D.C. United 1 A role reversal Saturday at RFK Stadium completed an intense inaugural set of matches between D.C. United and Seattle Sounders FC. While the upstart expansion team played the confident, patient and opportunistic victor, Major League Soccer’s first and most storied champion was gritty and determined but again stunned, as the Sounders used bookend goals to beat United for the second time in ten days by the same margin, 2-1, this time in front of 19,592. “I’m definitely pretty disappointed that they came in to our house and they beat us twice,” said United forward Jaime Moreno. What’s worse, this loss may hurt worse than...

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Fearless Forecast for week of 9/14/09

EVENTS TO WATCH NFL » Ravens at Chargers, Sunday, Sept. 20, 4:15 p.m., CBS The unstoppable force meets the immovable object. The second-best scoring offense of 2008 (Chargers) will face the defense that gave up the second-fewest yards (Ravens). The edge will likely lie with Norv’s Chargers who don’t have the long plane ride — but you can never count out Ray Lewis and the boys from Charm City. MLB » Angels at Red Sox, Wednesday, 7:10 p.m., ESPN This Tuesday-Thursday series of postseason archrivals, puts the Halos in an interesting predicament. The Sawx are in a stiff Wild Card fight with the Texas Rangers — whom the Angels hold a solid, but...

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DCU pre-Seattle notes (and Vaughn signed)

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I missed the game last week. Vacation had to happen. But here we go again, this time for playoff positioning, and hopefully no stomping. [Time out! Before we look to tomorrow, D.C. United just announced that Greg Janicki has gone on the Disabled List with back spasms -- and a case of lingering Marathon trauma -- allowing the team to pick up former Chivas USA defender Lawson Vaughn. I was starting to think Janicki was already gone, but I did see him in the locker room after Wednesday's game -- getting his back worked on...] Back to the Sounders. First, Ben Olsen, on the mood and turnaround in confidence: "I think it’s an exciting time for us right now....

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Georgetown schedule released; Williams named to NABC Board

(Until we get a college hoops blog going, from time to time, we're going to use this space for the campus hardwood. It is part of my winter beat, after all...) I can't help but there's something glaring about Georgetown's 2009-10 schedule, which was released a short time ago. The Hoyas begin the year at Tulane, in New Orleans -- the home of Greg Monroe. It smells a lot like the visit two years ago to Birmingham to face the Crimson Tide, a nice nod to Alabama native and then-senior captain Jonathan Wallace. Except, Monroe's a sophomore. We know he would've been a top-ten projected NBA draft prospect if he had come out last year. With a season opener in his hometown, it's hard not to...

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United-Wizards thoughts

Back in the playoff picture, eh? Thoughts: 1) D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn pulled Christian Gomez at halftime of tonight's 1-0 win over Kansas City. But he said it wasn't because of performance: "It wasn’t necessarily Christian, why we took him out. Just the game dictated that we needed to get Benny [Olsen] in there. Sometimes that’s the reality of things, and I told him at halftime, it’s not you, it’s what our formation is right now. We need to solidify things, and Benny added a lot the minute he came in. He shored the middle up, and now we started to possess the ball a little bit better. Some subs you have to do, not because of performance, but because...

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Wiz to return to China

The Washington Wizards will mark the 30th anniversary of the franchise's historic trip to China by making a return trip from September 5-15. Hall of Fame center Wes Unseld, the team's star player when they were the Bullets and famously went overseas in 1979, will be joined on next month's journey by current players Caron Butler and Randy Foye. Former Washington center Gheorghe Muresan also will be in the traveling party. The delegation will visit Beijing, Shanghai and parts of the Sichuan province, which was devastated by last year's massive earthquake....

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United faces travel-weary Toluca

Midfielder Shipalane will be eligible to play Could it be true that there is a team with a more unforgiving road schedule than D.C. United? It appears so, as Toluca's first visit to RFK Stadium since 1998 on Wednesday will mark the Mexican club's third game in seven days, a stretch that started in Trinidad last Thursday before a home game on Sunday. "I expect them to feel our humidity and feel their legs a bit from their game and travel," said United head coach Tom Soehn. There's a difference, however, between Toluca and D.C. United, which went from Toronto to Honduras and back to Washington last week: The Mexicans won all three of their games. United earned one draw and...

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Fearless Forecast 08/23/09

Events to Watch Little League World Series » Saturday, ABC, 3 p.m. OK, it’s become over-commercialized, and over-analyzed, but it’s still fun. Turn on ESPN any time this week and you’ll likely catch a dose of the 16-team extravaganza. Thankfully, the title game is still Saturday afternoon from Lamade Stadium on network TV. Golf » Solheim Cup » Sunday, Golf Channel, 11 a.m. Can the U.S. women make it three straight in their biennial Ryder Cup-style competition with Europe? Sunday singles matches should hold some intrigue with players such as Michelle Wie, Natalie Gulbis and Suzann Pettersen under the gun. NFL preseason » Patriots at Redskins...

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Fearless Forecast 08/16/09

Events to watch MLS » Los Angeles Galaxy at D.C. United Saturday, 7:30 p.m. The controversy surrounding David Beckham’s return to Major League Soccer may have simmered down. But his presence on the field overshadows the fact that the Galaxy had already turned things under head coach Bruce Arena and with or without Beckham are well on their way to returning to the playoffs for the first time since winning MLS Cup in 2005. 2009 Little League Baseball World Series Aug. 21-30, ESPN For the third consecutive year, the entire Little League World Series is scheduled to be televised by the ESPN family of networks, giving young players from all over the country and world a chance...

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Needing a getaway from D.C.'s road woes as playoffs approach

Santino Quaranta chose the opposite of the standard sports cliché on Thursday, admitting the difficulty of focusing on one game at a time at this point in the season where every result seems to have an impact on how teams are positioned for the postseason. D.C. United at Toronto FC Where » BMO Field, Toronto When » Saturday, 4 p.m. TV » Comcast SportsNet, Telefutura "Everybody's pulling away," said the D.C. United midfielder, an acknowledgement of eight- and four-point gaps separating United (6-4-10, 28 points) from the top two teams in MLS Eastern Conference, Columbus (9-3-9, 36 pts) and Chicago (8-4-8, 32 pts). To keep the pace, and create its own...

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Freedom take a three-step approach

The Washington Freedom will have to take the longest route through Women's Pro Soccer's short, sweet and quirky postseason to claim the league's inaugural title. WPS playoffs Sky Blue FC (N.J.) at Washington Freedom Where » Maryland SoccerPlex When » Saturday, 4 p.m. TV » Fox Soccer Channel But it isn't the toughest, since as No. 3 seed, the Freedom (8-7-5) at least hosts their playoff opener against No. 4 Sky Blue (7-8-5), a team they beat last weekend. The winner advances to the WPS' "super semifinal" at second-seeded St. Louis (10-6-4) on Wednesday. By virtue of earning the regular-season title, Los Angeles (12-3-5) was rewarded a berth in the...

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D.C. can’t stop Spanish conquest

United’s biggest crowd in franchise history watches Real victory For the better part of an hour against the world’s biggest club, D.C. United’s level of play matched both the mercury and the best attacking players money can buy. But in front 72,368 at FedEx Field, the biggest home crowd in United’s 14-year history — and one that suffered through stifling 95-degree heat — Real Madrid drew on its unmatched reserves and prevailed with a trio of second-half strikes for a 3-0 international exhibition victory. Dutch forward Arjen Robben, a halftime substitute, had a hand in all three goals, paving the way in the 57th and 59th minutes for Gonzalo...

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Madrid used to Real big spending

While the all-star game is a strictly American phenomenon, the all-star team might as well be trademarked by Real Madrid. The roster that the Spanish giants will bring to Washington is unlike any other in the world. Yet, it's not the first time this decade that the world's richest club has assembled such a squad. In fact, the gal‡cticos, as Lu’s Figo (signed 2000), Zinedine Zidane (2001), Ronaldo (2002) and David Beckham (2003) were known -- they cost an average of $50 million apiece -- might've been more famous. But there is something different about the $365 million Real Madrid has spent since June on eight different players. Perhaps it's the simultaneous acquisition of two of the...

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Fearless Forecast 08/09/09

Events to watch NFL Preseason » Redskins at Ravens, Thursday, 7:30 p.m., CSN/NBC 4 Move along, not much to see here — really. The starters may play a series. But it is preseason football and sports fans love it. Be sure to stand back — what is now a slow burning love affair by Redskins fans with backup QB Colt Brennan will surely grow to a blazing fire as he takes the field against the Ravens’ backups. MLB » Astros at Brewers, Fri. (FSN-HD, 6:05 p.m.), Sat. (FSN, 5:05 p.m.), Sun. (FSN-HD, 12:05 p.m.) The NL Central is all tied up near the top, with the Cardinals and Cubs as likely choices to take the division crown. Lurking just a few games back are the...

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Bradley can still play Houdini in two weeks

The U.S. national soccer team has been utterly embarrassed four times in the last two months, and yet head coach Bob Bradley is poised to escape unscathed. Either he’s a genius, or he has a real-life version of that gadget Will Smith used in Men in Black. First, it was a 3-1 abomination at Costa Rica in World Cup qualifying on June 3, a match the U.S. might have done better to forfeit, since they didn’t show up to play. All was forgiven, of course, when they came from behind to beat Honduras at Soldier Field three days later. Then, of course, was hell-ride-turned-heavenly-journey in South Africa. Another 3-1 loss, this time to Italy, stung badly, and the 3-0 debacle against...

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Swimming shows sanity, will other sports follow?

The decision late last week by FINA, the governing body of swimming, to ban record-setting bodysuits was long overdue, proof that the intoxication of world records eventually wears off over time. Here are three no-brainers we hope will “follow suit”: (1) The elimination of the Bowl Championship Series: After three months of extraordinarily compelling games, college football is reduced to argument for argument’s sake by mid-November. Until a playoff decides a true national champion once and for all, BCS honchos deserve every bit of ridicule they endure. (2) An amended NCAA men’s basketball tournament play-in game: Enough with two unheralded conference champions...

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Fearless Forecast 07/26/09

Events to watch Golf » British Senior, Sunday, 1-3 p.m., ABC Tom Watson, 59, on the leader board in a tournament in the British Isles? Have we seen this episode before? The competition isn’t as stiff as last week in the British Open, but the story line is the same as Watson tries to become the oldest major winner, this time, on the Champions Tour. CONCACAF Gold Cup final » U.S. vs. Mexico, Sunday, 3 p.m., FOX Soccer Channel The meeting between these two clubs that really matters is in 17 days, when they meet in a crucial World Cup qualifying match at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City. But the region title is on the line today, and the intensity of this rivalry will add to...

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Summer League done, now what?

I guess this could be a typical July day in Washington Wizards world. JaVale McGee, who confirmed yesterday via Twitter (@bigdaddywookie) after it had been reported by Yahoo!'s Marc Spears that he had been added to the USA Basketball team mini-camp, was officially added to the USA Basketball team mini-camp. Should he thank Andray Blatche? Mike James is preparing for life after basketball at Syracuse. Brendan Haywood is giving out financial advice. We never hear from Gilbert Arenas anymore, eh? Apparently, not this summer....

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Goal! 07/22/09

Player of the Week Bryan Namoff, D.C. United The 30-year-old defender’s best season of his nine-year career in MLS suffered a blow when he scored an own goal in the first half against Colorado on Saturday. But Namoff, who should’ve been on the U.S. national team for the Gold Cup, responded in style with a dramatic, near-post diving header off a corner kick for the game-winner in United’s 3-1 win over the Rapids. It was just the third league goal of Namoff’s career. He leads D.C. in minutes played (1,620), and with Saturday’s visit to San Jose, he is expected to take the lead in starts over Clyde Simms, who will miss the match due to injury. Story Lines 1....

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Fearless Forecast 07/19/09

Events to Watch MLB » Red Sox at Rangers, Wednesday, ESPN, 8:05 p.m. Combining for over 100 wins before the All-Star break, these playoff contenders could make a big statement here with a series win — or sweep. A hitters’ park will see some of Boston’s big-name hurlers in John Smoltz, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield (who takes the mound in the series finale on ESPN). Tour de France, Stage 20, Montélimar to Mont Ventoux, Saturday, Versus, 7 a.m. The organizers of the world’s biggest bicycle race wanted drama on the final days, and they’ll get it, with the penultimate stage featuring the third mountaintop finish of this year’s tour. The last...

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No jackpot for Wiz in Vegas

NBA Summer League games are a bit like the fourth quarter of an NFL preseason game: essentially irrelevant to what happens during the regular season, but so full of interesting statistics and plays that they’re impossible not to analyze. With that in mind, here is our ranking of the performances by the Washington Wizards’ five current players on the roster after two games, from best to worst. 1. Nick Young He might have fizzled in the second half of Washington’s second game in Las Vegas — a 77-70 loss to Denver — finishing with 17 points, less than half of his 36 points on 13-for-19 shooting against Cleveland the night before. It’s hard to fault the...

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Pedro Phils pitching hole

It's either an act of desperation or pure genius -- take your pick. But the defending world champion Phillies needed to patch a hole in their starting rotation. And Pedro Martinez fit the bill. The 37-year-old signed a $1 million, incentive-laden contract this week. But what does he have left after two injury-plagued seasons with the New York Mets? We'll find out in a few weeks when Martinez returns from a stint on the disabled list. Philadelphia entered the second half with a four-game lead in the National League East, but has used nine different starting pitchers this season and Brett Myers and Antonio Bastardo are both on the disabled list. But buyer beware. For four years in a row,...

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Capitals snubbed from the NHL's annual Winter Classic

The Capitals were shut out of the NHL's annual Winter Classic because NBC reportedly didn't like the ratings the team drew in its first-round series against the New York Rangers in April. Instead, the Philadelphia Flyers will play the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park on New Year's Day. Well, at least the Caps are still a big draw in Canada. Sources in Montreal have told The Examiner's Jim Williams that Washington will indeed play the Canadiens at Olympic Stadium on Nov. 28. The game itself is confirmed on the official NHL schedule released Wednesday. Sources tell Williams that while logistical details are still being worked out, the NHL has given its approval to hold the game in the big...

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Goal! 07/15/09

Player of the Week Chad Barrett, Toronto FC The 24-year-old former UCLA star and third pick overall in the 2005 draft could be the most unlucky forward in Major League Soccer, thanks to his 22 career MLS goals out of 211 shots over four seasons, a rate of more than eight shots per scoring strike. But Barrett does have eight goals and six assists in 30 games since joining Toronto midway through 2008, including a pair of strikes in a 3-1 win over San Jose last weekend. He’s started 16 of 17 league matches this season and is second on the team with four goals this season. Story Lines 1. Another reason the U.S.-Mexico World Cup qualifier can’t come soon enough » Mexican...

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Wizards head to Vegas in good spirits

The Washington Wizards will give head coach Flip Saunders his first taste of the rivalry between his new team and the Cleveland Cavaliers when they meet Tuesday in Washington’s opening game of the 2009 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. “Is LeBron [James] playing?” said Saunders. “We might have someone who can dunk on him, I don’t know.” His joking reference to the recent controversy surrounding the confiscated video of Jordan Crawford’s dunk on James showed how much the final scores in Vegas will matter, but there is plenty of work to be done, whether it’s the building of chemistry among the Wizards players under contract or the spotting of...

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Nats losing not slapped with interim tag

There is a culture of losing that surrounds Nationals Park. Some would argue it has hung around the franchise like a black cloud since its days as the Montreal Expos, who were left destitute under Major League Baseball ownership and finally shipped to the District in 2005. The manager has just been fired. Manny Acta’s replacement, Jim Riggleman, has been pinned with the interim tag. The team’s general manager, Mike Rizzo, has been listed as “acting” GM since taking over for Jim Bowden in March. That leaves the entire front office structure built on a house of cards — a scenario that leaves even unflappable team president Stan Kasten ill at...

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MLB All-Star Game competitive again?

For years, baseball players in the American League and National League treated the All-Star Game as a quasi-playoff game. There was nothing on the line other than bragging rights. But for the old-timers that was more than enough. Now, with free agency sending players back and forth to both leagues like a pinball, that animosity has faded. The game is still a spectacle. But its outcome became such a non-issue that Major League Baseball actually added home-field advantage in the World Series as a perk for the winning team. “You can make it for the World Series. You can make it for anything you want to,” said ESPN baseball analyst Joe Morgan. “But the players will always...

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Volunteerism trumps flip-flops at White House

The latest controversy for a championship-winning team’s visit to the White House wasn’t over someone wearing flip-flops. Instead, the 2008 MLS Cup-winning Columbus Crew’s chance to meet President Obama on Monday was combined with a community service project in support of the First Family’s “United We Serve” volunteering initiative. “My problem with it was that they said you can come under this stipulation, that you can come if you do this volunteer work,” Crew goalkeeper William Hesmer told the Columbus Dispatch. “We do that volunteer work anyway.” The team’s annual cleanup around Crew Stadium took place last...

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Tough division to get tougher?

The American League East is widely considered the best division in Major League Baseball. It's been that way for a while now. But while the Red Sox, Yankees and Rays battle for supremacy this season, is it possible the division will get even better in 2010 and 2011? While the Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays are headed toward losing seasons -- in Baltimore's case No. 11 in a row -- there are reasons for each club to hope. The Orioles have four quality 25-and-under position players already contributing -- outfielders Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold and catcher Matt Wieters -- with a batch of top pitching prospects at Triple-A Norfolk and Double-A Bowie. Baseball America on...

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Adu may be saying adieu to U.S. team

There wasn't joy in every U.S. national team homecoming at RFK Stadium on Wednesday. While D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta's inspirational tale took another leap forward, Potomac prodigy Freddy Adu's often over-hyped career suffered another setback. Despite scoring a goal against modest Grenada four days earlier, Adu delivered a mediocre 64 minutes as a starter against better-skilled Honduras. When the 20-year-old wasn't repeatedly muscled off the ball, he was often indecisive or simply not quick enough to generate the offensive wizardry that led D.C. United to sign him at age 14. U.S. coach Bob Bradley also announced afterward that Adu was leaving the team to rejoin his...

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Capitals top prospects take the ice

Ready for a little hockey in the middle of July? The Caps host their annual development camp starting Sunday at Kettler Iceplex in Arlington. The organization's top prospects and recent draft picks gather for a week of practices and scrimmages, hoping to make an impression on the coaching staff before training camp starts in September. Look out for defenseman John Carlson. The 19-year-old was the 27th overall pick in 2008, but had a dynamite year in juniors with the London Knights (16 G, 60 A) and when that season ended he appeared in 16 playoff games with AHL Hershey. Playing one step below the NHL, Carlson saw serious ice time for the Bears, who won the Calder Cup. With three Caps...

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Quaranta inspires in U.S. return

CONCACAF Gold Cup: United States 2, Honduras 0 As Santino Quaranta searched for an adequate description of the thoughts that raced through his mind after scoring the game-winning goal in Wednesday’s 2-0 victory for the United States over Honduras at RFK Stadium, U.S. head coach Bob Bradley, seated beside him in the postgame press conference, proudly patted Quaranta on the leg. It was a gesture of a man who knows what Quaranta has overcome to make his triumphant return from addiction. But it was also the feeling of an entire community, which witnessed one of its own take another massive step forward in his recovery in his first match for the U.S. national team in more than three...

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Lots to read

I know, I haven't been around these parts recently. But I haven't left completely, and there's tons to check out on this Wednesday morning. The soccer page. My U.S./Honduras preview. My recap of D.C. United's win over Harrisburg in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals. Lastly, but not to miss, my Cheers & Jeers column on Santino Quaranta....

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Goal! 07/08/09

Player of the Week Jeff Cunningham, FC Dallas Major League Soccer’s ultimate journeyman forward found the back of the net twice in two minutes during the first half last weekend to give Dallas all the scoring it needed in a 2-1 win over New York. The goals were Cunningham’s 106th and 107th of his career in regular season matches, moving the 33-year-old Jamaican to within one goal of Jason Kreis for third all-time in MLS history. Cunningham spent his first seven seasons in MLS with Columbus, but bounced around to four different teams the last seven years. Story Lines 1. “The U.S. will never win at the World Cup level because it doesn’t have any players on the...

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A recovery to the top

Santino Quaranta has played a season and a half since deciding to make the long journey back from the depths of addiction, and D.C. United fans are well acquainted with what sobriety has brought him: career-highs in games started (23), played (27), assists (6) and matching his career high in goals scored (5) -- through just 13 games in 2009. But those who have felt the pain of addiction among loved ones know best that what is lost in addiction is often replaced by doubt in recovery, and how that doubt is often only eliminated by first-hand evidence. Once Quaranta takes the RFK Stadium field on Wednesday for the U.S. national team against Honduras in the CONCACAF Gold Cup -- and he...

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Cheap options to fill Wiz holes

Now that the whirlwind first week of NBA free agency has passed, the Wizards can get into the mix for a lower-priced big man. There isn't a ton of cash left for a team that is already over the luxury tax -- meaning any new contract must be matched dollar-for-dollar, turning the Wizard's $1.99 million biannual exception into an almost $4 million payout. They also have the $5.6 million mid-level exception to use, if needed. Some remaining free-agent candidates at center or power forward: Rasho Nesterovic » Familiar with new coach Flip Saunders, who had him for five years in Minnesota. A 7-footer who can bang with opposing centers. Would have to take a pay cut from last year's $8.4...

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The King of uncertainty in Cleveland

The recent back-and-forth exchange between sources close to LeBron James and forward Trevor Ariza shines light on one clear fact: James' status as an unrestricted free agent after next season is killing the Cavaliers' attempts to bring in quality free agents. Fans in Cleveland are desperate to know what James will do. But so are other players, who don't want to sign a contract and then be left behind by James next summer. According to reports, Ariza claims that James told him he was staying with the Cavs during a recruiting pitch last week. And while sources told ESPN on Tuesday that never happened, perception is reality. Ariza still didn't believe James and signed with Houston, as...

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Fearless Forecast for week of 7/5/09

EVENTS TO WATCH Golf » U.S. Women's OpenThu.-Fri. (ESPN, 2-6 p.m.), Sat.-Sun. (NBC, 3-6 p.m.) Inbee Park will try to defend her 2008 sophomore-year title against the world's best at Saucon Valley Country Club. Paula Creamer skipped this past week's tourney to rest her injured thumb to vie for her first LPGA major title. CONCACAF Gold Cup, U.S. vs. HondurasWednesday, 9, Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura The men's national team rolls into RFK Stadium -- technically, a home venue -- to meet one of Central America's toughest sides for the second time in a month, having beaten the Hondurans, 2-1, in Chicago on June 6. It is also a rematch of a historic RFK encounter on Sep. 1, 2001,...

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Tiger's tunnel vision

This is what we learned on the golf course. And not all of it was pretty. Speaking of which: Boo Weekley's outfit. Now, we know he's a popular player and perhaps some will disagree with our fashion sense. But … Camouflage shirts on the golf course? Did you see his brown shirt? And the orange hat that looked like someone took a paint brush and flung brown paint on it? If he had played in the group with Michael Allen, Greg Owen and Kevin Streelman then Weekley could have worn anything. Or even nothing. Because nobody would have noticed. Well, aside from the 30 people around the green. And we learned that the cool thing about seeing the pros up close is to watch the stars of...

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Pistons rev up intrigue in East

A week after the NBA Draft and two days after the start of free agency, it's still too early to discuss: (A) whether or not the Eastern Conference rankings from top to bottom have changed, and (B) whether any of the contenders have actually improved their chances to challenge for an NBA title. By adding forward Charlie Villanueva and guard Ben Gordon, Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars made good on his intention to go after the top free agents available. But the double move, which cost all of the salary cap space the Pistons had available, may end up being little more than a replacement for likely-to-depart Rasheed Wallace and Allen Iverson, not Chauncey...

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Glover keeps rolling after Open victory

A couple weeks ago Lucas Glover needed an ID card in his own house. Now he's known worldwide after winning the 109th U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Q » Was there a moment where you were like, 'What did I do?' A » There were a lot of those. I think I said to myself, 'Really?' a couple of times. That part has definitely sunk in and it's a good feeling. But it took a few days. Q » A lot of U.S. Open champions will take some time off, why didn't you? A » I was committed. I wasn't in the British yet and needed Hartford and here and the John Deere to get into the British Open. I was scheduled to play and I won. I didn't want to change because of that. Q »...

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Beckham's failed attempt to fit in with teammates

David Beckham caused a stir in Washington in August 2007, making his first appearance on the field with the Los Angeles Galaxy against D.C. United in front of a sellout crowd at RFK Stadium and sending the local paparazzi into fits as he popped up at different hotspots after dark. But it was at Morton's The Steakhouse in Arlington where he infamously saw an early effort to fit with his new teammates backfire, details Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl in an excerpt of "The Beckham Experiment." The book is an explosive inside look at Beckham's first two seasons in Los Angeles, which hits bookshelves this month -- just as Beckham rejoins the Galaxy for his first MLS match this...

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Campbell out of bounds

One name came to mind when watching Redskin players Jason Campbell and Antwaan Randle El tee off at times at Congressional during the pro-am Wednesday: Mark Brunell. Why? Because their tee shots often resembled Brunell's passes: high and out of bounds. Thank you; we'll be here all week. Turns out the safest place to be when they teed off was in the middle of the fairway. Unless it was an adjoining fairway. The first one we saw Campbell hit happened to be on the 11th. Alas, he was teeing off from 15. And it only took one hole to see why Tiger Woods opted to play with Tony Romo instead of the local starting QB. Romo is a player; Campbell is still learning the sport. Here's a tip, Jason:...

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Goal! 07/01/09

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Nate Jaqua, Seattle Sounders FC Two weeks ago, Steve Jenkins, the cancer-stricken son of former Seattle Sounder Tom Jenkins, was promised and delivered goals from San Jose forward Cam Weaver — two, in fact. Last weekend, Jaqua offered to do the same. “I told him, ‘I’ll use that, too. I’ll score a goal for you tomorrow,’” Jaqua told the Seattle Times, and he also came through, with two goals and an assist in Seattle’s 3-0 win over Colorado in front of a record crowd of 32,526 at Qwest Field. Jaqua now has six goals on the seasons, good enough for fourth in MLS, and he’s second on his team and in the league with five...

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Who will be free agency winners?

Shaq already joined Cleveland; Vince Carter was shipped to Orlando and even the Wizards acquired their talent by way of a trade. So when NBA free agency opens today, it could pale to what’s already taken place. Still, all these players can help: Impact SF Hedo Turkoglu » He takes big fourth-quarter shots, can handle the ball and execute the pick and roll flawlessly. Is he worth $10 million a year? Tough call. PG Andre Miller » He’s a terrific passer and underrated talent, partly because he’s so quiet. Do not take Mike Bibby instead of him. Bibby will not take you far in the playoffs; Miller can. “I love him,” one former coach said....

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Wiz search for help down low

The Wizards need a big man. Free agency offers a couple choices. But will that make for a match? It's debatable. Even though Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said there's no mandate to avoid the luxury tax, one NBA source said, "I don't think they will go over." But if they do -- and they're already committed to $75.8 million, which, if they enter the season at that mark, they might have to pay the tax -- they need to find more help inside. Aside from Brendan Haywood, the Wiz lack any real playoff experience or consistency. Antonio McDyess would help; he's a good shooter, tough defender and rebounder. He wants to go to a contender, but he'll likely have better options than...

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Boos will be news to Woods

Tiger Woods may be the biggest sports celebrity on the planet, but even he can't trump the importance of the Redskins in Washington, a lesson he'll learn first hand when he's paired Wednesday with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in the Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am. Woods was asked Tuesday if it'll be the first time a member of his group has been booed. "To have [Romo] come out and Jessica [Simpson] sing the National Anthem is going to be pretty special for all of us," said Woods. "For him to come here to D.C., certainly I didn't realize it was going to be this big a deal." It wouldn't be if Woods -- who said he's always wanted to play with Romo -- had chosen to...

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Brazil ends U.S. dream

It was like the jolt of the alarm clock on Monday morning. The U.S. men's soccer team's first-half fantasy -- a 2-0 lead against Brazil in Sunday's Confederations Cup final -- was followed by a halftime spent daring to imagine the possibility of becoming most unlikely champions. But ultimately, a dream week in South Africa that began with a 3-0 win over Egypt for magical advancement out of group play, then crossed over into surreal territory with a 2-0 upset of top-ranked Spain, was always destined to end with a harsh dose of reality. Just 41 seconds into the second half, Luis Fabiano played the role of the grating buzzer, lite-rock station or cheesiest FM morning show on the dial, a...

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Bay putting up Manny numbers

Jason Bay used to play in relative anonymity in Pittsburgh. That distinction ended at the trading deadline, when he was shipped to Boston. Now with 19 homers and 69 RBI entering Sunday, and no brain cramps, Bay has adequately replaced Manny Ramirez. People are noticing you now, are you better or just playing on a bigger stage? I haven't changed my approach or my stance. There's a lot of stuff before and after the games that goes into being a Red Sox, but ultimately it's a pretty easy environment to thrive in with the lineup we have. What was it like last year going from Pittsburgh to Boston? It was a little much when you get traded from a team that's not doing well and all of a...

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It's time for point guard Rubio to pipe down

A few years ago, Yi Jianlian refused to sign with Milwaukee for six months after the draft. You'd have thought they were the Red Army instead of an NBA team willing to pay him millions. Eventually he won out -- sort of -- by getting shipped to New Jersey. And now Ricky Rubio is pulling the same stunt. He has options, but so does Minnesota, which can afford to wait. Rubio's agent claims he has offers from Turkey and Spain. Heaven knows the NBA might fold if he stays overseas. Agents always bring up the marketing opportunities, or lack of them, in certain places. Let's see: Tim Duncan (San Antonio); LeBron James (Cleveland) and Dwight Howard (Orlando) all have fared just fine. Hmm; win...

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NBA draft preview

The Lock Blake Griffin, Oklahoma Being the number one player in the NBA draft is an enviable position, except when the pick is owned by Los Angeles Clippers. Michael Olowokandi (1998) and Danny Manning (1988) couldn’t change the fortunes of the NBA’s most inept franchise, but Griffin is expected to saddle just that kind of burden on his athletic and physical 6-foot-10, 248-pound frame. His size and determination easily make up for his youth — he’s just 20 years old — and his still unrefined scoring ability for the NBA level. Excitable Executives New Minnesota general manager David Kahn displayed his determination to rebuild the Timberwolves by adding the...

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Wizards make a deal

Washington packages No. 5 pick, three others in trade with T-Wolves The Washington Wizards appear set to observe but not participate in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft after making a trade that will make them a contender in the Eastern Conference if they stay healthy. In the first substantial move involving a lottery pick prior to Thursday's draft, the Wizards are expected announce a deal Wednesday to send their No. 5 pick along with Etan Thomas, Oleksiy Pecherov, and Darius Songaila to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, according to a league source. Foye (16.3 points, 4.3 assists per game last season) and Miller (9.9 ppg, 4.5 apg, 6.6...

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Is Boeheim blowing lid on Rubio, or blowing up Flynn?

In case you were wondering, Rubio definitely doesn’t mean “Orange” in English. Actually, it means blonde, but Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim went red in his analysis of whether Ricky Rubio was worthy of a top-three pick in Thursday’s NBA draft for The Sporting News. “I think he’s got a little too much American in him,” said Boeheim of the Spanish teenage point guard. “He’s a cocky little kid. He complained on all the calls. He’s good with the ball. He’s not a great shooter. I think he will have trouble guarding people. He didn’t play very well against us, especially in the [2008 Olympic] championship game....

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Expect to see some locals on draft night

They’re missing the stud at the top, unlike the past two years when Kevin Durant and then Michael Beasley were drafted second overall. Nobody from Prince George’s County will go that high in the NBA draft Thursday. But the county will still get two more first-round picks. They’ll just have to wait until, oh, the middle of the first round this time. That’s when Ty Lawson and Sam Young, both from Clinton, Md., will be selected. In all, four locals have a shot to be picked Thursday night: Lawson » His size and the foot injury continue to worry some teams, as does his jump shot. In reality, he could be hurt by the fact that so many good point guards are in...

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Nats are on pace for another No. 1

The Nationals recent hot streak had them flirting with .300. It likely won't harm their pursuit of something else: next year's No. 1 pick in the baseball draft. And, like this year's selection Stephen Strasburg, they could end up with another once-a-decade player. Bryce Harper even took an unusual step recently to increase his chances of becoming the top overall pick next year. He's earning his GED this summer and will then play at the College of Southern Nevada. So he'll be eligible for the June 2010 draft. Barring an unlikely extended run of success, the Nats will be in line to select him. Did we mention that he once hit a homer that traveled 570 feet? And did we mention he was a...

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Goal! 06/24/09

Player of the Week Omar Cummings, Colorado Rapids The 26-year-old Jamaican forward’s two goals and one assist in last weekend’s 3-0 win over D.C. United dispelled any notions that his offensive production would suffer due to the absence of Conor Casey — who was called onto the U.S. national team for the Confederations Cup. Cummings, in his third season, has matched his career-best total already this season with six goals — second on the team behind Casey’s eight — and a team-high six assists, good enough for second in Major League Soccer. Story Lines 1. USA advances » In a complicated scenario, the U.S. national team used a 3-0 win over Egypt...

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Bilas: Draft class not a bumper crop

ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas dished out some thoughts on this week’s NBA draft on a conference call Monday. The Examiner’s Jim Williams was there as Bilas simultaneously hedged on the overall quality of this year’s draft and yet made sure it sounded like the Wizards could actually land a quality asset. “We have guys who will go [in picks No.] 2-10 who last season might have been mid to late first-round choices,” said Bilas regarding the depth of the 2009 draft class. “That is not to say they are bad players. It is to say that we simply do not know who in this class can step on an NBA court and make an instant impact. That is the...

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Glover: The next Trevino or Moody?

North Carolina State winning the 1983 NCAA tournament. Villanova winning it two years later. The Tampa Bay Rays making it to the World Series last fall. This is what compares to Lucas Glover winning the U.S. Open. Anyone pick him to win? Anyone? We're guessing the Glover family laid a few bills on someone else as well. But he's not the most obscure golfer to capture the U.S. Open. And considering his age, 29 , he has a shot to do more than fade back into obscurity. Though one tourney win prior to the U.S. Open and a less-than-stellar mark in majors -- well, before this one -- suggests that he's not exactly a rising stud. Some allowed this to launch them higher; others, well, did not....

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Guard party visits Verizon

Three top floor generals workout for Wizards Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio should be pleased he wasn't a participant in Tuesday's predraft workout for the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center, which included the remaining three top point guards available in the June 25 NBA draft. "This definitely was the toughest workout by far," said Syracuse sophomore Jonny Flynn, echoing similar sentiments from Davidson junior Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings, who played for Italian club Lottomatica Roma instead of attending college last season. "We got little rest. We did everything back to back, but that's what you want. These guys are looking to see if you are a...

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Terrence Williams workout comments

Still awaiting word on who will be at Verizon Center for Thursday's predraft workout, although I did see Demar DeRozan's name mentioned somewhere. One rumor I heard was that there would be two workouts, but no confirmation on that. In the meantime, the Wizards finally got back into locally hosting potential picks ahead of the draft, which is just over two weeks away. To be honest, Terrence Williams was the only potential pick today. His workout partner, Virginia and DeMatha alum Mamadi Diane, is likely headed overseas. He said he's looked into France already, as he speaks the language and has connections there through his parents. Williams was a bit more colorful, declaring the...

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GOAL! 6/10/09

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Taylor Twellman, New England Revolution D.C. United was the first to receive proof that Twellman’s long overdue return from a neck injury was for real — as a substitute, he was the best player on the field in the Revolution’s 2-1 win over United on May 30. The seven-year veteran, and former Maryland Terrapin, put the rest of MLS on notice with two goals in New England’s 4-0 win over New York last weekend, the 100th and 101st of his career. He’s the fifth MLS player — both the youngest (29 years, 100 days) and the fastest (174 games) — to reach the century mark in the league’s history. STORY LINES 1. Which U.S. team...

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Emilio feeling the pressure to match his MVP season

Forward has one goal in last seven games With five goals in 2009, Luciano Emilio is currently tied for third among Major League Soccer’s leading scorers. But the Brazilian forward measures himself against the 2007 season, his first in MLS, when he scored 20 times and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. So when he was substituted in the 64th minute of D.C. United’s win over New York last week, extending his latest scoring drought, Emilio vented his frustration by kicking a tray of water bottles. Unfortunately, it caused a mess that spilled over onto the field, stopping play and earning Emilio a red card that will keep him suspended him for United’s next...

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United ropes Red Bulls once more

D.C. United 2, Red Bulls 0 It was nearly the kind of late goal that had cost D.C. United victories again and again in May, when the team was mired in a search for a dominant starting goalkeeper. But just as the calendar has turned to June, so has Josh Wicks emerged as United’s clear number one in the net. As such, his darting dive to the right to deny Juan Pablo Angel’s one-timer from 12 yards in the 86th minute preserved D.C.’s eventual 2-0 victory over New York in front of 12,226 rain-soaked fans at RFK Stadium. “The ball fell for him,” said Wicks (five saves), who earned his second shutout in three consecutive starts. “You have a split second to...

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Moreno aims to help bring back United's attack

It's been a season of fits and few starts for Jaime Moreno in 2009. After knee and hernia surgeries during the offseason, the 35-year-old forward has played a full 90 minutes just twice in D.C. United's twelve matches. In contrast, with last week's 12-minute second-half stint against New England, he's come off the bench this season three times -- only one short of his substitute appearance total (4) in 2008. "To be honest with you, I don't like it," said Moreno. "But this is what the coach decides. I've just got to be ready when he needs me, and that's what I work for every day." Moreno is looking to spark United's (3-2-7) offense, which has scored one goal in the...

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GOAL! 6/3/09

HE SAID WHAT? "I'm not anonymous in this city, and I want people coming up to me and saying, 'Man, you had a great game on Saturday.'" - Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller, hardly fading into obscurity at age 39. (Seattle Times) PLAYER OF THE WEEK Brad Davis, Houston Dynamo Not only did the 27-year-old midfielder add to his club record by registering an assist in his sixth straight game in last weekend's 3-0 win over Toronto, Davis also tallied his own goal with a heady free kick under the opposing wall. With two goals and seven assists on the year, Davis is well on his way to surpassing his career high of 11 assists in 2006, and he's done everything right to put himself on...

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Fearless Forecast

WHAT TO WATCH PGA » The Memorial, Thursday-Sunday After skipping the Texas Three Step, Tiger Woods returns to the PGA Tour this week for Jack Nicklaus' annual event in Dublin, Ohio. Woods took the Memorial three straight years (1999-2001), but hasn't won since. He'll be challenged by defending champion Kenny Perry, also a three-time winner. NHL » Penguins at Red Wings, Sunday, 8 p.m., NBC HD Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals -- a rematch between last year's finalists -- will take place on network television in prime time. And that's a good thing because then the series disappears back to VERSUS for Games 3 and 4. NBC would broadcast the final three games. MLB »...

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Attack-minded D.C. United to face stalled Revolution

Real Madrid will play in FedEx exhibition Aug. 9 With a third of the season complete, D.C. United (3-1-7) is tied for the Major League Soccer lead with 17 goals, scored by eight different players. Meanwhile, things have gotten so bad offensively for the New England Revolution (2-3-4), with a league-low eight times in nine games, that defensive midfielder Shalrie Joseph (16 goals in six seasons) has been utilized at forward and has a team-high three goals. “I don’t know that we’ll see it [this weekend],” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “I think it hurts them in the midfield. He’s actually done quite well in the fact that he works hard, and...

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James picks up option for 2009-'10 season

Guard will earn $6.7M Washington Wizards guard Mike James picked up his player option for the 2009-10 season, according to his agent, Bernie Lee. James will earn $6.7 million, but because it is the final year of his current contract, the veteran point guard could very well be included in a package should Wizards try to deal their fifth overall pick in 2009 NBA Draft next month. James averaged 9.6 points and 3.6 assists in 53 games (50 starts) for the Wizards last season after being acquired eight games into the year from New Orleans. The three-team deal also garnered Javaris Crittenton from Memphis in exchange for sending the Hornets guard Antonio Daniels and a second-round draft...

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GOAL! » May 27, 2009

STORY LINES 1. A busy summer for the U.S. » With 2010 World Cup qualifying matches, the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa and the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the next two months will be busy for the U.S. national team. But most MLS-based players will likely miss out on the first two competitions, as Bob Bradley made very few changes in the mostly European-based roster — including Olney native Oguchi Onyewu, former D.C. United member Freddy Adu and former Terp Maurice Edu — for World Cup qualifiers next week at Costa Rica and in Chicago against Honduras. Only six of the 26 players called in by Bradley currently represent MLS teams, including forwards Landon Donovan (Los...

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MacFarlane sells stake

Developer out as United co-managing partner Less than two months after D.C. United's second failed attempt in less than a year to secure a partnership with a local jurisdiction to build a new stadium, co-managing partner Victor MacFarlane sold his interest in the franchise's operating rights on Thursday to co-managing partner William "Will" H.C. Chang, who now assumes sole control of the team. "It has been an exciting and challenging last few years for D.C. United," said MacFarlane in a statement. Since partnering with Chang to purchase United's operating rights in January 2007 for a reported $33 million, MacFarlane, a prominent African-American real estate...

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Working out for Wizards, Vasquez declares: not Europe

NBA, Maryland are only options for point guard It's the NBA or College Park for Greivis Vasquez next season, of that you can be sure. "Let's make that clear," the Maryland junior said Thursday after working out for the Washington Wizards. "Greivis Vasquez is not going overseas. He's not playing in Europe. I would rather get my education and get my degree if it comes to me going overseas." Vasquez stood out among the third and best foursome yet to audition for the Wizards ahead of the June 25 draft, which also included Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks, Ole Miss junior David Huertas and LSU senior Marcus Thornton. Thursday also marked the first appearances for Sam...

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United sharp early, but taming Red Bulls isn't easy

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup qualifying: D.C. United 5, Red Bulls 3 Instead of the late-game heroics that earned a come-from-behind win over New York at Giants Stadium on April 26, D.C. United needed just 26 minutes on Wednesday to register a quartet of goals and an insurmountable lead against New York to qualify for entry into the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup later this summer. However, as most United games have gone this season, the wild 5-3 victory over the Red Bulls – the highest scoring game at RFK since D.C. beat New York, 6-2, in July 2004 – in front of an announced crowd of 5,056 wasn’t exactly decisive. “It’s hard to keep that pace for a whole 45...

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Local setup, then out for the weekend

A brief mishmash before I roll out for an extended weekend (see you back here Sunday night). D.C. United: My goalkeeper story ahead of this weekend's visit to Chivas USA... WPS: The Freedom (1-2-2) head to Harvard Stadium to face Boston (3-2-1) on Sunday -- without suspended Abby Wambach, of course. USL-2: The not-so-good Western Mass. Pioneers (0-2) visit Crystal Palace (2-2-1) on Friday night and undefeated-at-home Real Maryland (2-1) on Saturday. Crystal Palace also hosts Charlotte (0-2-1) on Saturday night. PDL: The Northern Virginia Royals (1-1), with PDL team of the week member Sean Kelley (George Mason) in the net, will try to avenge last week's 3-2 home loss to Cary (1-1) on...

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D.C. United tidbits

First things first, let's project a travel roster for Chivas -- they've entered a debacle with the flight today, which got cancelled. The team is being split over an 8pm and a 10pm flight tonight, but everybody has to be there for the early one. Yuck. Anyway, I'm sure to get one or two wrong, but in piecing together who I saw in travel gear and what I was told, here goes: Goalkeepers (2): Crayton, Wicks Defenders (5): Jakovic, Namoff, Burch, Janicki, John Midfielders (7): Fred, Jacobson, Gomez, Olsen, McTavish, Simms, Wallace Forwards (4): Moreno, Pontius, Quaranta, Emilio I'm working on a piece about D.C. United's goalkeeper rotation. Some elements to consider: What does United...

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Goal! » May 13, 2009

STORY LINES 1. A more perfect Union » Every outlet that last week got a hold of the leaked logo for the Philadelphia Union — Major League Soccer’s 2010 expansion team, whose name was officially unveiled Monday — had an opinion about its multiple meanings, from the stars representing each of the original colonies to the Benjamin Franklin-inspired rattlesnake. But the early pundits missed the arc across the shield in the center of the logo, giving the affect of the Commodore Barry Bridge, which sits right next to the Union’s $115 million stadium under construction in Chester, Pa. The subtle touch is encouraging evidence that while Philly might not enter MLS...

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Late lunch

A busy Tuesday. I'm working on a story about Devon McTavish working himself back into the D.C. United lineup. If you saw my post from late Saturday night, McTavish was hard on himself for getting beaten by Adrian Serioux for Toronto's second goal. It hasn't been easy for McTavish to get himself back in the lineup following the head-to-head collision with Greg Janicki that knocked him out in the season opener at Los Angeles. In other DCU news, Ben Olsen didn't train today -- "I was in a little denial that I had a hamstring pull but I definitely tweaked it a little bit," -- which has to put him in the doubtful range for Saturday at Chivas. But stranger things have happened. DCU...

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WPS needs to work out the kinks

In case you might have missed it, on Friday night Women's Pro Soccer updated the status of the one-game suspensions handed down to the Freedom's Abby Wambach and St. Louis Athletica's Kia MacNeill by WPS commissioner Tonya Antonucci, essentially suspending MacNeill's suspension since she was given only one day's notice to appeal the ruling. Wambach wasn't affected as Washington didn't play last weekend. Neither player has appealed just yet - the St. Louis Post Dispatch said MacNeil will - but it struck me because the the announcement was buried late on a Friday, and it seemed to be just another unsure step in a process last week that wasn't exactly efficient and clean, but maybe that's...

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Heated RFK cools off

I'm actually talking about the refreshing breeze finally circulating through the RFK press box -- it's blowing some papers around, but I don't mind -- but the game was a sweaty one, as well. Here's my game story. Here are a few more thoughts and quotes: The mood was sour in the D.C. United locker room. The crowd loved the 3-3 draw, but the players? Not so much. Jaime Moreno, on his penalty: "[Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei] did a good job waiting for me, and in the last minute I was lucky too – actually, it was on my mind to hit it a little hard and with pace and a little high. It went where I picked the spot, and I was lucky to convert." Chris Pontius, on his...

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Northern Virginia Royals home opener tomorrow

Yeah, it's a little late to promote Real Maryland/Crystal Palace USA, but I will be anxious to hear about the result. Anyway, the local PDL team, the Northern Virginia Royals, also opens tonight at the Reading (Pa.) Rage before returning home tomorrow to face the Cary (N.C.) Clarets at Fairfax High at 6. There are more than a few familiar faces on the Royals roster (especially for me, considering my history covering high school soccer around here...). Among the locals: Ernesto Marquez - George Mason/Woodbridge High AJ Sheta - Westfield High Eber Martinez - George Mason/Gar-Field High Irvin Martinez - George Mason/Gar-Field High Joe Barnd - W.T. Woodson High Jon Smithgall - James...

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Let's take the high side

We'll go with the benefit of the doubt and call it 500 or so that showed up at Lincoln Park and then marched down East Capitol Street to RFK Stadium this afternoon ahead of tonight's match between DC and Toronto. At the very least, they ensured a packed "loud side" for the match tonight. D.C. United's fan groups did themselves proud, even though I think they were realistic in understanding that the mere show of support might mean little when it comes to the whims of the politicians that will ultimately determined where and when United gets a stadium. "I think the idea is that we show the economic activity that we're going to bring to wherever the stadium is," said...

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Some Soehn, some Jacobson from DCU training

Here's what we got from D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn following today's training session: On the short break between Wednesday's match in Kansas City and Saturday's visit by Toronto: "It’s turned around quick. These days are tough, not only for them but for us, as far as you like to go over things you’d like to correct from the last game, and we’re actually today having to focus on who we’re playing. You run short of days." On Toronto, what he's seen since coach Chris Cummins took over for departed John Carver: "They’re playing a 4-3-3, pretty offensive. Obviously, the benefit of that is putting their offensive-minded guys in good spots....

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The morning read

Well, it's The Examiner, of course, so you know it's going to be short. Here it is, essentially a follow from my post yesterday about tomorrow's D.C. United fan rally, which is certainly getting a fair share of attention, at least in the soccer media. In putting together the story, I asked around a little bit to try and get some perspective on what went wrong for United, both in D.C. last year and Prince George's County this year. Who's really to blame? The economy? Baseball? Politicians? The team itself? The structure of the deals? The methods by which they were conceived and unveiled? There's probably a little bit to each. But there is one constant, of course, that keeps creeping...

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Antonucci suspends Wambach and one other

The following rulings from WPS commissioner Tonya Antonucci just landed in my inbox (verbatim from the release): 1. Washington Freedom player #20 (Abby Wambach) is hereby suspended from the next Freedom game for which she is available to play (e.g. not injured or called to national team duty) based upon a tackle in the 80th minute that was reckless and resulted in a potentially season-ending injury of an opposing player. 2. Saint Louis Athletica player #6 (Kia McNeill) is hereby suspended from the next Athletica game for which she is available to play (e.g. not injured or called to national team duty) based upon persistent egregious conduct toward an opposing player. It also...

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Can't have the bottom-up without the top-down

For the most diehard of D.C. United fans, it would be difficult to understate the importance of Saturday's rally in support of a stadium. The details, in the unlikely event that you haven't seen the release on United's website or heard Dave Johnson talking it up during last night's broadcast of the 1-1 draw between D.C. and Kansas City: "D.C. United fans are organizing a rally in support of a stadium plan for the club prior to D.C. United’s home game May 9 against Toronto FC. Planned events include a demonstration in Lincoln Park at 3:30 p.m. ET, followed by a march to RFK Stadium and a massive dual tailgate party, hosted by La Barra Brava and the Screaming Eagles, lasting...

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What will Hope say to Abby?

So, we saw what Hope Solo said about Abby Wambach's tackle of Daniela. What will the two say to one another when they're next face to face? It won't be long until we find out because they were both named to the U.S. national team camp for two matches against Japan on May 20 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas (8:30 p.m. ET) and on May 23 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah (6 p.m. ET on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español). No pick of Cat Whitehill among the full roster: GOALKEEPERS (3): Nicole Barnhart (FC Gold Pride), Kelsey Davis (Portland), Hope Solo (St. Louis Athletica) DEFENDERS (7): Brittany Bock (Los Angeles Sol), Rachel Buehler (FC Gold Pride), Lori Chalupny (St....

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Two U.S. U-20 trialists at Blackburn

With all the gushing over Anton Peterlin, it's important to know that trials and scouting are an ongoing process. Who knows who the next signing will be? I'm hearing that two members of the U.S. under-20 pool have been on trial at Blackburn: Tony Taylor (Jacksonville U.) and Sean Johnson (Central Florida). For Johnson, I understand it's his second stint with the Rovers....

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I could use a little Arthur Bryant's

But, of course, you know I don't travel and won't be in Kansas City for D.C. United's match today. Alas... Speaking of Kansas City, did you see this story about Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo's brush with death? Terrifying. Thanks to those of you who've made the transition from The Pitch. What a debacle! Please pass on the word to any other readers that you know, and I'm working to get a redirect URL up that will send folks here when they look for the old blog. Here's what I got this morning: The MLS page is here - of course, Jaime Moreno is the actual player of the week - I voted for him, too - but I need to use the items on the page to spread it around the league, especially when...

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GOAL! » May 6, 2009

STORY LINES 1. Monitoring the monitors » With 17 player ejections in just seven weeks, referees have been in the news far more often in 2009 than most soccer observers would prefer. But Jair Marrufo became the first official to get himself suspended for two weeks by U.S. Soccer, which administers officials in Major League Soccer, after accepting a jersey from Chicago Fire midfielder Cuauhtemoc Blanco following a match at Columbus on April 25. U.S. Soccer was even unsure about how to react, initially pulling Marrufo out of action last weekend unofficially before adding a week to his sentence and calling it a two-week suspension. The incident is a huge blemish for the 2008 MLS...

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United is back on top as it heads to Kansas City

United is back on top as it heads to Kansas...

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Bompastor gets POW nod, Wambach weighs in on Daniela

Washington Freedom midfielder/forward Sonia Bompastor was named WPS player of the week this afternoon. Guess who she got the nod over? St. Louis Athletica's Daniela, who it was revealed has a crack in her tibia and two damaged knee ligaments as a result of a tackle by Abby Wambach in the two teams' 3-3 draw on Sunday. The injury update prompted a statement from Wambach: “In regards to the injury Daniela sustained during our game, the thing I need to convey most is how hard it is for a player who has sustained a significant injury in the past year to now be on the other side of it,” Wambach said. “It’s been crucial for me to find out exactly what injuries Daniela...

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Minor details...

...Including, but not limited to, a new URL and name for the blog. I apologize for having no redirect from the old blog/URL. I was given no timetable for the transition. A bummer, most definitely, given the improved traffic of recent. Hopefully, you've ended up here by checking me out on Twitter (twitter.com/craigstouffer) or been passed the word. In case you're looking for an RSS feed, it's here: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/sports/blogs/penalty-kicks/index.rss2 Back to my actual work, which has me planted in the belly of RFK early this Tuesday as DCU's training sked was moved up to accommodate it's trip later today to Kansas City. Speaking of which, did you see the story about...

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Highlights from Mia and Siri

Mia Hamm said she couldn't remember the last time she did a press conference after sitting down with Siri Mullinix and a few reporters yesterday, prior to the Washington Freedom/St. Louis Athletica match at Maryland SoccerPlex. Here are a few highlights from the presser: First, Hamm was wearing a Nike-emblazoned Washington Freedom jacket, had to be the WUSA version, since WPS' apparel sponsor is Puma... As for the presser itself, the first question for Hamm was straight out of U2 Rattle & Hum. You remember it, right before "Desire." "What has happened between the writing of the Joshua Tree album and the recording of the Joshua Tree album, and now the tour and the new...

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Latest post in forever

What have I been doing since my last blog post? I shall explain. Mainly, I took advantage of Georgetown hoops falling into Tuesday’s 2 p.m. game at the Big East Tournament, making a little pilgrimage up to NYC for a first-ever visit to Madison Square Garden. It was also my first time covering a road game for the Hoyas, who lost for the second time in a week to St. John's and should now be headed to the NIT. Don’t think for a second that I was The Cooler. It just ain’t so. My 30 hours in the city were ridiculously entertaining, starting with the loudest silence I’ve ever encountered in the Georgetown locker room after the loss to the Red Storm. Actually, that was...

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MLS preview

I'll round up where things stand for D.C. United with five days remaining until its 2009 opener a little later. But for now, here's the MLS preview that we squeezed into the paper today -- I highly recommend the George & Dragon if you're in Seattle -- along with my audaciously predicted finishes in the Eastern and Western conferences, the latter being listed below thanks to The Examiner's usual stellar web presence. WESTERN CONFERENCE 1. REAL SALT LAKE 2008>> 10-10-10 (3rd) Head coach>> Jason Kreis (2nd season) Key arrivals>> M Jean Alexandre, M Ned Grabavoy Key departures>> D Nathan Sturgis, M Dema Kovalenko, F Fabian Espindola, F Kenny...

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DCU-LA postgame thoughts

Now, I wasn't in Los Angeles -- shocker, I know -- but after mulling over yesterday's game for about 12 hours, there are a few ideas I need to put out there to digest. First, awful penalty. What else do you say? I'm checking in with the league about any fallout -- will be interesting to see. Now, Galaxy fans can say Landon Donovan was robbed of a PK himself earlier after getting taken down by Christian Gomez. The replay, to me, showed that the foul was incurred outside the box, but I've been told it could be ruled that where it finished could've merited a PK call, but I'm not so sure -- seems like that would defeat the purpose of having the box in the first place and lead to lots of...

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Couple more DCU salaries

The MLS Players Union salary list has been updated. I haven't gone through the whole thing yet, but for D.C. United, there are three notable non-minimum salary additions: Dejan Jakovic ($90,000 base/$108,812.50 guaranteed), Ange N'Silu ($65,004/$76,254), and Josh Wicks ($42,000/$42,000). Anthony Peters is listed at a hair above the minimum -- $34,008 -- what's the eight for?...

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Keep track of all these names

Rosters, signees, and even an injury. We'll start in reverse order: D.C. area local Michael Lahoud got injured in his first game. Preki must be banging his head against a wall. Most of the colleges around town have released their official signee lists. Defending national champ Maryland added one more today, Haitian-born Widner Saint Cyr, to go with the rest of its group, listed here and following: Jordan Cyrus (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy), Taylor Kemp (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista HS), Jake Pace (Columbia, Md./River Hill HS), John Stertzer (Oakton, Va./Flint HS), Paul Torres (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman HS), London Woodberry (McKinney, Texas/McKinney HS), Norris Ethan...

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McTavish and Olsen

Two nice quotes from D.C. United's Devon McTavish from his visit to the RFK media room today, and a leftover from Ben Olsen's comments prior to Tuesday's kickoff luncheon: First, McTavish, who along with Greg Janicki didn't do any running today, on concussions at D.C. United: "I don’t know what the deal is. I don’t know if we’re cursed here or something. Maybe if we get a new stadium it will help that situation." Hee hee. He also gave some thoughts about Olsen's return (my story will be in tomorrow's print edition). I asked him about the balance between Olsen's leadership and his high quality of play: "You always expect him to perform at his best. He...

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DCU/Freedom doubleheaders announced

Big news. The three D.C. United/Washington Freedom doubleheaders that we expected to happen are actually happening. The only catch is that the Aug. 8 date, which seemed logical since the Freedom host Sky Blue FC (NJ/NY) and United hosts K.C. that day, isn't included. Instead, the Freedom's originally scheduled June 14 game against Chicago was moved a day earlier to create a Chi-town double bill on June 13. The other two dates: Saturday, May 23 -- Freedom vs. NJ/NY at 5 p.m., United vs. Real Salt Lake at 7:30; and Saturday, July 18 -- Freedom vs. Saint Louis Athletica at 5:30 p.m., United vs. Colorado at 8....

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Still searching for a Marcia Williams match

D.C. United is doing its part to help find a bone marrow donor match for Real Salt Lake midfielder Andy Williams' wife, Marcia Williams, hosting a bone marrow drive Sunday, March 15, at RFK Stadium from 12 to 5 p.m. Former D.C. United and RSL defender Eddie Pope will be there from 12-1, and Ben Olsen is also slated to make an appearance. The rest of this post comes from the press release: Williams was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia last summer and only a bone marrow transplant will save her life. In the last few weeks, Marcia’s blood counts have severely deteriorated and she desperately needs to find a donor match. A marrow donor must be between the ages of 18 and 55...

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DCU's senior 20 set? Not quite

I'm not promising anything, except that it isn't yet a done deal when it comes to D.C. United's 20 senior roster spots. I wondered last week about the status of Domenic Mediate, who seemed to be on the outside looking in, right? Let's revisit: 1.Burch 2.Crayton 3.Doe 4.Emilio 5.Fred 6.Gomez 7.Jacobson 8.Jakovic 9.Janicki 10.Khumalo 11.McTavish 12.Moreno 13.N'Silu 14.Namoff 15.Olsen 16.Peters 17.Pontius 18.Quaranta 19.Simms 20.Wicks Developmentals 21.Wallace 22.Barklage 23.Miller 24.Kocic But wait, United GM Dave Kasper just told me that Mediate remains in contention, which means if he's kept, than someone from that list of 20 would have to go. Candidates would be from the back line,...

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Will you or someone you know attend?

You could go to American University this afternoon for the Patriot League final (4:45, ESPN2/1500 AM). Winner gets a berth in the NCAA Tournament. I'll be there. You could try out for MLS, even here in D.C. (there's no way I can find the actual blog post, but I swear I mentioned this was a possibility late last season). Tryouts are March 21-22 at SoccerPlex in Germantown. Know anyone who's entry was accepted? By the way, the guy who won a simliar competition in Seattle earlier this winter lasted about three practices. You could attend the Tiffany Cup Tournament next month. Here's the schedule. Ooooh, Real Madrid, Blackburn youth teams! You could attend a USL2 (Real Maryland, Crystal...

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Sueños on Tuesday

Did you see the four selections from the Sueño MLS tryouts last weekend at Maryland SoccerPlex? Here they are (from the official release): --Originally from Peru, forward Cesar Bazan from Derwood, Md., impressed scouts with his confidence and technical skills. Scout Raul Diaz Arce compared his style to French legend Zinedine Zidane. --Haitian Max Ferdinand is a flashy forward from Reading, Pa. Once a participant in Chicago Fire’s pre-season camp, his sensational goal in the second day of the tryouts helped solidify his place as a finalist --Defender Manfredis Hernandez, of Mount Rainier, Md., is part of the D.C. area’s large Salvadoran community. He showed not...

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Kasper, The Pitch see eye to eye

D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper spoke with some of us writer hacks before the team's kickoff luncheon earlier today at National Harbor -- seriously, why didn't they just build a stadium in the parking lot there? I'm just sayin' -- and Kasper shared my sentiment that Sunday's draw wasn't exactly a disappointment. He was glowing when asked about the rookies and new guys: "We definitely gained confidence," said Kasper. "We know we deserved three points, and we felt good about the way we played. We’re going to build from there." So, to the injury and absence questions: First, Jaime Moreno: "Jaime had the two offseason surgeries, wasn’t really...

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Morning at midweek

Here's my D.C. United story in today's print edition. Not sure how the Prince George's Council's thumbs down vote affects things... Two roster notes: Domenic Mediate has been told by the team to pursue other opportunities, and developmental roster member Ryan Miller is also being released this week. I'm headed out to the Washington Freedom media day this morning, where Mark Washo has been named new president and general manager. He said season tickets are at just about 1,000. Have you bought yours?...

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DCU-CHI postgame thoughts

By the way, here's my Washington Freedom story, which is also in today's print edition, and my D.C. United game story, which is not. Going back through my in-game notes from last night, let me see if I can hit both D.C. United and Chicago. United's first half was quite strong indeed. Bryan Namoff was superb -- two strong showings from him in a row, one on each side of the back line, too -- as were the two rookie wings, Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace. Pontius is an early front runner for rookie of the year (did I say it first?). Christian Gomez was active, too. He nearly picked out Ben Olsen's head for a goal, and just before halftime he burst down the middle on a counter, but chose...

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Freedom's march begins

Before I mull the Washington Freedom's inaugural WPS match, I need put my college hoops hat on -- you may or may not know that I where it during the winter -- and direct you briefly to Cheers & Jeers, where we have an intimate look at Villanova's Scottie Reynolds, a guy our staff followed closely in his high school days. Nothing like Reynolds vs. North Carolina's Ty Lawson, another Washington-area guy, this weekend in the Final Four. Just imagine if UNC's Marcus Ginyard and UConn's Jerome Dyson were healthy -- plenty of Beltway appeal at Ford Field, though not any local teams. As my one colleague noted, the discussion always seems to come back to Gary Williams' recruiting. But I'll...

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Where Olsen goes, soccer games spontaneously happen

Is it me, or is this Fairfield Inn advert at least somewhat reminiscent of the Dick's Sporting Goods piece featuring Ben Olsen that ran 400 times every MLS game last year? Here's the injury update from D.C. United training today: Fred (hamstring) trained, while Santino Quaranta (hamstring) and Greg Janicki (head) worked out on the side, as did goalkeeper Josh Wicks (groin). Devon McTavish (head) did not train. I asked head coach Tom Soehn about his thoughts on Jaime Moreno's performance against Chicago: "He's still finding his legs. There were some good moments but there were also things we need to improved upon. I think he can still work a little bit harder, but I can say about a...

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Clarification on DCU-CHI start time

Last weekend's D.C. United home opener saw the second-lowest attendance (15,895) in franchise history, which led to some speculation that fans may have been siphoned off by both the U.S./El Salvador match and Elite Eight games in the NCAA Tournament. MLS teams individually control their own start times, and in theory the kickoff could've been moved up because the game was only available on Direct Kick anyway, which would've at least allowed folks to get home and catch most of U.S. match. So I poised the question to DCU spokesman Doug Hicks, did they ever consider moving the kickoff? He provided this response: "We didn't consider changing the start time. We feel that the rain and...

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Local morning soccer news

You mean, there's a U.S. match tonight? Oh, right -- yeah, I'll be at Babylon Futbol Cafe in Bailey's Crossroads to catch the action... Meanwhile, Real Maryland and Crystal Palace USA have announced a preseason match on April 10 at UMBC. The winner will be awarded the DeOrsey Maryland Cup, which was founded last year in honor of the late Matt DeOrsey. Crystal Palace president and Co-Manager Pete Medd was a teammate and close friend of DeOrsey’s at Middletown High School and at Towson. This is DoOrsey's bio, courtesy of CPUSA: Matt grew up playing soccer in Montgomery County, winning five state cups with his youth club team, the Potomac Alliance. He also led Potomac to the USYSA...

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What DCU injury problem?

Who was the one guy I didn't see training fully with D.C. United today? That would be goalkeeper Josh Wicks, who was riding the bike and trying to get over his hip flexor strain sustained late in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Chicago. As for the rest of the injury report: Devon McTavish (head wound), Fred (hamstring), Santino Quaranta (hamstring) and Greg Janicki (head wound) were all out there. In order, here's their listing on the official injury report: doubtful, probable, questionable and probable. Okay, then. Jaime Moreno said he took it easy on Christian Gomez despite Bolivia's 6-1 thrashing of Argentina yesterday. He gave a couple thoughts on Houston -- "We have to be...

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Brief midday musings

Of course I watched the U.S. game last night, although I didn't start the DVR until nearly 11 p.m. after covering GW hoops. The soccer, thankfully, was riveting but so much so that I had trouble falling asleep well past the final whistle. Makes for a rough morning. Two quick links from ESPN Soccernet to help capture my thoughts: This one, because of this excerpt: "Once again, the U.S. conjured up a solid team performance that was greater than the sum of the individual parts," and this one, because of this excerpt: "[Michael] Bradley's masterful performance on Wednesday night should signal his arrival as one of the national team's most important players, a box-to-box...

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DCU stadium legislation in Maryland

It's a press release from D.C. United. Read it, know it. WHO: Prince George’s County Executive Jack Johnson, Delegation Chairs Sen. Anthony Muse and Del. Melony Griffith, Members of the General Assembly, as well as D.C. United co-owner Victor B. MacFarlane and team president Kevin Payne. WHAT: Sen. Muse and Del. Griffith have introduced legislation that will enable D.C. United, the most successful professional soccer club in American history, to move to Maryland and work with the Maryland Stadium Authority to build a stadium. County Executive Johnson and other elected and community leaders will join the team and legislators to support this effort. WHEN: Monday,...

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DCU practice notes

More goalkeepers? Yes, add Nic Platter, who was with the Minnesota Thunder last season, to the list, which makes six, along with Louis Crayton, Milos Kocic, Mike Graczyk, James Thorpe and Bill Hamid. Not sure how long he'll be with D.C., the team leaves tomorrow for Puerto Rico. I can imagine they'll bring four keepers with them. Mamadou Danso was in practice, the team announced Zach Wells' retirement, and everybody trained fully except Andrew Jacobson, Marc Burch and Fred, who all worked very hard as they recover from their different injuries. Could be more after we talk to the...

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Traveling goalkeepers and mystery players

Well, D.C. United picked up Mike Gracyzk in its trade with Colorado last week, and promptly left him at home for this week's trip to Puerto Rico. United general manager Dave Kasper tells me that the four traveling keepers are Louis Crayton, Milos Kocic, James Thorpe and Nic Platter. As I've mentioned, academy goalie Bill Hamid can't travel -- to my knowledge, it would affect his amateur status. Hmmm. Also, by my count, there are 27 of 28 players present and accounted for the Caribbean adventure. Not sure who 28 is, but i'm sure we'll find out soon...

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N'Silu signed

Well, ain't that a coincidence. I'd just learned that Mawete Ange N'Silu had agreed to terms with D.C. United when bang!, the team announces it. Cheeky. Meanwhile, Crystal Palace USA has inked three locals: Stephen Basso, Billy Chiles and Kevin Gnatiko. Basso, a Columbia, Md., native, played with Real Maryland last year. Chiles is a District native who played college ball at Towson. Gnatiko is from Gaithersburg, played in college at UMBC and last year in PDF for Cape...

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Freedom foreigners put pen to paper

With a little over a month until the season starts, the Washington Freedom completed the signings of foreign picks Homare Sawa (Japan) and Sonia Bompastor... Here's the list of important dates, courtesy of WPS HQ: February 23 - Team deadlines to announce preseason schedules and exhibitions February 24 - WPS Team Uniform unveiling in Manhattan (Home & Away) March 2 - Training camps open; players report March 2 - Deadline for preseason rosters to be announced March 12 - U.S. Women’s National Team and other international players report to camp following Algarve & Cyprus Cups March 13 - Teams must announce roster cut-downs to 24 players March 19 - 10-day countdown to WPS...

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DCU's island life

Awaiting a check-in from D.C. United on any news outside of this match report from their 2-1 exhibition win over Puerto Rico on Saturday night. From the looks of it, head coach Tommy Soehn got a good portion of his veteran players on the field for significant minutes. However, trialist keeper Nic Platter was the only guy to see action in goal. Hmmmm. Also, the latest center back experiment, Anthony Peters, saw the majority of the action. Can't help but think there's pressure on Mamadou "Futty" Danso to get up to speed, and fast, if he wants to stick around....

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Terps, DCU set for huge clash

Or, if you prefer, a scrimmage matching preseason-form D.C. United squad versus an out-of-season Maryland team. Either way, it's happening at Ludwig Field on Sunday....

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Not a post about how to use Twitter

I got that part down. However, I've had a couple things today that I "tweeted" and didn't subsequently blog, until now. Stupid brain. Oh, yeah. By the way, you can find me at www.twitter.com/craigstouffer Anyway, The Pitch gets a little love from a D.C. United fan group in Maryland that's psyched to have the team move to Maryland. Also, The Offside Rules handled this one nicely about Grant Wahl, who gave a nice window into his upcoming book on David Beckham in a piece in this week's Sports Illustrated. Juicy....

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Eat your heart out Rossi, Subotic?

Maybe Nevin Subotic more than Guiseppe Rossi, for Aaron Maund, who has chosen the U.S,, and vice versa, for the upcoming U-20 CONCACAF Championship rather than Trinidad & Tobago, which he played for at the U-17 level. My understanding is he's an athletic centerback/wing defender with tons of upside. We'll have to see if FIFA gives its nod of approval....

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A sweet opening act for DCU on ESPN2

2008 national champion Maryland announced its spring slate of scrimmages this morning, and the highlight may not be this weekend's run-around versus D.C. United. Instead, the Terps are set to host Wake Forest at RFK on April 17 at 4 p.m., a few hours before D.C. United and New England go at each other on ESPN2... Here's the Terps' whole skeddy: v. D.C. United - Sun., March 1 - 1 p.m. - Ludwig Field (College Park) v. Rochester Rhinos - Wed., April 1 - 7:30 p.m. - Ludwig Field (College Park) v. Wake Forest - Fri., April 17 - 4 p.m. - RFK Stadium (Washington D.C.) at Creighton - Sun., April 26 - 1 p.m. - Morrison Stadium (Omaha, Neb.) at UMass - Fri., May 1 - 7:30 p.m. - Rudd Field...

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WPS uniforms

The Freedom claims the all-important color red. Not quite as sure about the skort thing. Reaction?...

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DCU adds a date

New year, new Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup bracket (why, again, do MLS teams have their own qualifying games?). Anyway, D.C. United will open it's title defense April 22 at RFK Stadium against FC Dallas, and apparently meet New York or San Jose with a...

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Brief DCU tidbits

Just briefly caught up with D.C. United GM Dave Kasper, who's back from Puerto Rico, with my main interest in finding out what's the latest on the battle for goalkeeping spots. Basically, no decisions yet -- the roster has be cut down by Monday -- EXCEPT that GK Mike Gracyzk, who was part of the Christian Gomez deal with the Rapids, is done. Four guys left, three positions (two senior roster, one developmental): Louis Crayton, Milos Kocic, Nic Platter and James Thorpe. Kasper did say thet Mamadou "Futty" Danso has caught up and that Anthony Peters had a good camp. With Kyle Veris also in the mix, it'll be interesting to see who might be the odd man out come...

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What'd I miss? [update] DCU/MD moved to Tuesday

Actually, not much, if you're on my twitter feed -- twitter.com/craigstouffer -- because there you'll see that D.C. United's news was all there: that defender Mike Zaher was let go and that United president Kevin Payne said the list of stadium sites in Maryland is down to three. I bailed a little early on training in order to help get our new intern set up to write a story, and so I only just found out about United picking up 6-foot-4, 23-year-old Canadian defender Dejan Jakovic. Hmmm. Kyle Veris wasn't in practice today, and one wonders about the plans for Mamadou "Futty" Danso and Anthony Peters. Calls have been placed to find out. Perhaps we'll see on Sunday vs....

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D.C. United looking well sorted

So, we've got a nearly complete D.C. United roster (more on that below), a TV schedule replete with tons of HD games and no HDNet games that I wouldn't get, relief that MLS isn't stepping into the sports black hole that is South Florida, and a new wave of unsubstantiated momentum for the deserving Northwest (I seriously debated relocating to Seattle two years ago, should've done it). Bring on the MLS opener in front of 32,000+ that I'll be sure to watch -- because the opening day of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament really isn't that compelling. Isn't a relief that the MLS world hasn't been completely turned upside down? Since we're here, let's revisit United's roster for a moment....

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Local products among Real Maryland signings

Former American forward Sal Caccavale and former Maryland midfielder Michael Marchiano, were among four signings announced by Real Maryland today. Caccavale was drafted by the New York Red Bulls in 2007 while Marchiano helped captain the Terps to their recent national championship. The rest of the Monarchs' signings can be seen here....

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While the rest of the world is in Columbus...

... or wishes it were, in my case, there still is some D.C. United stuff going on. First, I had chats with both D.C. United general manager Dave Kasper and newly signed midfielder Andrew Jacobson this afternoon. I have a little piece on Jacobson in tomorrow's print edition. The former Cal-Berkeley standout seemed genuinely excited to have a deal done, and even more excited to be in the U.S. He said he has no regrets about his experiences over the last year in Europe, but being home in the U.S. suits him much more. What did he learn in France?: "Tactically, it’s about as high a level as you get in the world. It was just a real crash course in learning the tactical part of the...

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USL2 schedule released

And it appears to have nine teams. It also reminds me, I should've posted news from Crystal Palace USA, which is psyched to have its core from last year back, including former American standout Larry Mark....

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Feels like Monday

But it's not. A couple things I noticed this morning. First, and this is a little old, but Bowie native Christine Nairn got her first call into U.S. national team camp. Also, George Mason head coach Greg Andrulis lost an assistant for the second straight season -- this time with former DCU-er Clint Peay taking over Richmond. Last year it was Kenny Arena moving to UCLA....

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More than just San Jose interested in Convey

You may have seen this recent report on San Jose's interest in Reading and former D.C. United midfielder Bobby Convey. According to a source, Dallas and Los Angeles are also in the running.

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No high school fields in South Texas this time

Road trip to Charleston, anyone? Can't make it myself, college hoops conference tourneys are in full swing at that point. Anyway, here's what we know about D.C. United's preseason schedule: January 22 – February 2: Washington, DC February 3 – February 11: Bradenton, Fla. Tuesday, Feb. 10: Match vs. Columbus Crew February 12 – February 17: Washington, DC February 18 – February 25: TBD February 25 – March 4: Washington, DC March 5 – March 15: Charleston, SC Saturday, March 7: vs. Real Salt Lake (5 p.m.) Wednesday, March 11: vs. Toronto FC (5 p.m.) Saturday, March 14: vs. Charleston (7:15 p.m.) March 16-18:...

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Rash judgments after one DCU practice

What did I see at D.C. United's first practice? I could tell you, but then head coach Tom Soehn would kill me. I'm going to hold off reciting the best overheard of the day -- seriously, i'd be banned from watching practice for the rest of the year -- but let's just put it this way, even amid the extra layers of clothing, which made it hard at times to distinguish between players, some rookies looked like rookies. Others did not. Rodney Wallace looked just fine. A number of other players looked surprisingly sharp. Soehn: "We pushed our guys to make sure that they did a good job in the offseason, and the first impression is that everybody’s done a good job. We have testing next...

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MLS-USL links gaining strength

Despite Washington and Denver being 1,700 miles apart, Real Maryland and the Colorado Rapids announced an official partnership yesterday. What the heck? Certainly this will help the area's newest minor-league franchise, but at the same time, it's difficult to avoid wondering whether it will keep them from working closer with other MLS teams, including the one in its backyard. D.C. United maintains multiple relationships with minor-league clubs, notably Richmond and Crystal Palace USA, both of whom have already had informal discussions with DCU about strategies for working out loan deals and friendlies this season. Exclusivity is not in D.C.'s best interest, but stronger ties with USL clubs...

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Levry to Vancouver

Just caught up with George Mason head coach Greg Andrulis, who is once again searching for a new assistant coach, and found out that former Patriots midfielder and U.S. residency product Axel Levry has departed Fairfax after one college season to join the Vancouver Whitecaps development academy. Levry, who trained with 1860 Munich last summer, hails from Fort Washington, which makes two Patriots from Prince George's County going pro. Forward Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe, a Bowie native, was a second-round pick for the Colorado Rapids in the recent MLS SuperDraft. Little known fact -- Adjeman-Pamboe impressed at the combine despite an MCL sprain.

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MLS and reality TV

I've been meaning to put down my thoughts on Major League Soccer and ESPN's "joint" decision to end MLS Primetime's exclusive Thursday night slot, but I wanted to make sure I had consulted with a couple of TV media friends to help get my thoughts in order. Here's the thing I keep coming back to: so what? Soccer isn't going away, especially not from ESPN, a network that knows its next area of growth is outside U.S. borders -- and that means the other football. Even if ratings aren't making an immediate lurch upward, bigger trends cannot be understated. First, the influence of new executives who are soccer people. Here's my guess if you polled every soccer reporter in this...

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Sweet lead-in programming

If anybody can figure out what that is on Friday, April 17, when D.C. United makes its only home appearance on MLS Primetime, let me know. Kidding. United's got to like the schedule, for the most part. Plenty of home games early and late, lots of Saturdays. The midweek jaunt to Kansas City on May 6 with games on either weekend at home seems a bit silly, but MLS never plays favorites, right? Click here for DCU's full ride, and here for the MLS-wide version. Remember, games in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the qualifying round of the CONCACAF Champions League are still to be added. DCU is also discussing three doubleheaders with the Freedom over the...

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Going nuts over Gallardo

This may come as news to you but Marcelo Gallardo has been linked with [insert any Argentinian first division club name here, with River Plate looking all but done] and appears to be on the verge of staying in Argentina. The phones apparently won't stop ringing at D.C. United, prompting release of the following statement: "We've spoken with Marcelo at length about his desire to continue his career in Argentina and expect resolution of the issue in the coming...

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Gone Gallardo Gone

Unless there's a surprising development with Gonzalo Martinez, the 2008 D.C. United Latino infusion experiement is officially over, as general manager Dave Kasper confirmed this afternoon that Marcelo Gallardo's contract (worth $1.9 million last year, making him the highest paid player in DCU history) has been blown up, leaving the 34-year-old playmaker free to sign with a club back in his native Argentina, most likely River Plate. If you're keeping score at home, that makes five, assuming Martinez is also gone, just like Gonzalo Peralta, Jose Carvallo and Franco Niell (remember him?). Meanwhile, Marc Burch, Devon McTavish, Bryan Namoff and Santino Quaranta all have new contracts. Pretty...

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Adams struggles in Europe

D.C. United draft pick Lyle Adams, who was taken in the 2nd round out of Wake Forest, has struggled to impress in his recent European trials, according to one of his domestic advisers, and could very well be on the way back to the U.S. soon. However, Adams has had no contact with D.C. United, team general manager Dave Kasper said today. With Kyle Veris already trying to earn a spot, Roger passing his medical and showing up for practice on Friday, and other defenders already hoping to solidify their own places, Adams is behind the eight ball if he decides MLS is his best choice.

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DCU does grass

Not like Michael Phelps...Because the weather here in D.C. was incredible Monday morning, D.C. United practiced for the first time this season on grass. Lots of fitness work with scrimmaging in the end. In the house: Puerto Rico Islanders forward Taiwo Atieno on trial. Most notable absence: Goalkeeper Zach Wells, who is off, essentially working on deciding whether he's going to continue and fight for a roster spot. Interestingly, DCU academy goalkeeper Bill Hamid has been helping provide numbers in the net. But his situation is complicated, as his NCAA eligibility is at risk if he travels with the team. In the media room: Fred sporting a mohawk, Luciano Emilio sporting hair extensions --...

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DCU in chemistry class

I'm working on a little story for tomorrow's print edition on the changing dynamics in D.C. United's locker room this season -- it's still very, very early, but I believe it does matter. In any case, I thought it would be appropriate to offer this teaser quote from Santino Quaranta, who is never afraid to say it like it is. "You had such a divided group, it felt like, last year, because it was guys here and guys [t]here," said Quaranta. "Now it’s more of a mix of younger Americans that are on a decent level of money now. That plays a part of it, no matter what anybody says, you know. We’re excited, it’s a good feeling in the locker room. Honestly, there...

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Headline headaches

Mull this story, especially the chart, to start your day. *Yeah, I know it's already the preseason. Apparently, something was lost in translation between my typing and those putting my story on the page. Good times.

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DCU adds two more

Oh, those tricky guys over at D.C. United, keeping mum on two more players they were adding to the preseason roster until they got to...

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Don't expect ESPN Soccer Channel just yet

It looks we'll just have to keep watching Fox Soccer Channel after Sky kept its clutch on English Premier League rights. Or will we? This latest news probably means ESPN is a step closer to grabbing the broadband rights instead. That's right, ESPN360 (collective groan from Comcast subscribers like me. Can you guys just settle the ESPNU thing already?). The question is, do you watch games online? Do you think you will in the future?

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Schedule madness

Have been a little MIA today, working on some hoops stuff for tomorrow. I haven't even had a chance to fully digest this one yet, but here's the Washington Freedom skeddy: Sunday, March 29 at Los Angeles Sol (FSC) Saturday, April 11 Chicago Red Stars (FSC) Saturday, April 18 Boston Breakers Sunday, April 26 at FC Gold Pride (FSC) Sunday, May 3 Saint Louis Athletica (FSC) Sunday, May 17 at Boston Breakers (FSC) Saturday, May 23 Sky Blue FC -- doubleheader possibility alert (RSL at DCU) Sunday, May 31 FC Gold Pride Sunday, June 7 at Los Angeles Sol (FSC) Sunday, June 14 Chicago Red Stars Saturday, June 20 at Saint Louis Athletica Wednesday,...

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Last two voted off from U.S. roster

Yeah, I bailed on this space over the weekend for some sunny weather and birthday activities -- guess my age, win a prize. No, not really. In any case, you've seen this already: GOALKEEPERS Brad Guzan (Aston Villa/ENG), Tim Howard (Everton/ENG) DEFENDERS Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes/FRA), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland/DEN), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard Liege/BEL), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock/GER), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC) MIDFIELDERS DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers/SCO), Michael Bradley (Borussia M"nchengladbach/GER), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew), Jose Francisco...

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USL sked in limbo due to troubled team

The USL2 2009 schedule was supposed to be released last week, and I'm hearing it will finally happen on Wednesday. However, as one unnamed club official put it to me, "It may have eight teams, or it may have nine." You may remember two years ago, when the Virginia Beach Mariners promptly shut their doors just before the season started. I'm investigating at the moment, but according to my research, neither Real Maryland, Crystal Palace USA or Richmond is the troubled club in question. That leaves, in alphabetical order, Bermuda, Charlotte, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Western Mass., and Wilmington....

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Gomez returns

Here's the link to my Christian Gómez story in today's paper. As good a move as this may be for D.C. United, it is difficult to ignore the circumstances that led to his departure last year. United wasn't satisfied with simply winning consecutive Supporters' Shields. It wanted more, brought in Marcelo Gallardo et al. and let Gómez go after reaching an impasse in contract negotiations. The strategy backfired, and now it appears D.C. is attempting to rewind the clock, even though an aging Gómez is a year older, now 34, and guaranteed contract years had played a major role in why he didn't resign in the first place. I'm not suggesting he's washed up -- he may very well...

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Burch deal set, still no Namoff

It's difficult to not be excited about next week's Major League Soccer SuperDraft, both because it is very deep and includes multiple players with local connections. Yes, I did cover Michael Lahoud when he was still in high school. That tends to make one into a sort-of homer. In any case, D.C. United owns picks six and seven in the first round -- you already know that -- and they're certainly not saying what they're going to do with those picks. I'm venturing a guess that a goalkeeper won't be taken, with a wink and a nod to our friend, Ives. As for current United players, I was told this morning that D.C. United will announce today that it's re-inked Marc Burch. Still in progress,...

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More Pitch love for locals ahead of MLS combine

MLS made this year's Generation Adidas class official yesterday, and with the combine starting tomorrow, I couldn't help but talk about the long list of local talent that will take part. Let's list them again: Generation Adidas Kevin Alston, Indiana, Silver Spring, Md. Rodney Wallace, Maryland, Rockville, Md. Jeremy Hall, Maryland Omar Gonzalez, Maryland Others: Michael Lahoud, Wake Forest, Fairfax, Va. Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe, George Mason, Bowie, Md. Matt Poole, Virginia, Reston, Va. A.J. Delagarza, Maryland, Bryans Road, Md. Graham Zusi, Maryland Milos Kocic, Loyola So, we're excited. However, let's be honest, it's hard to imagine that every player is drafted next Thursday. With that in...

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Freedom first to sign domestic picks

Who's excited for MLS Combine 2009? I refuse to be pessimistic about what comes out of the next seven days for MLS as guys try to make their dreams come true. I clearly remember Chris Rolfe scoring his first career goal against D.C. United as an unheralded rookie in 2005 -- he still had long hair then, and looked about 12 years old. Anyway, some good news on the women's side of things, the Washington Freedom is first WPS team to have signed its domestic picks from the WPS general draft back in October: No. 3 overall selection Becky Sauerbrunn, No. 17 pick Lori Lindsey No. 17, and No. 28 pick Emily Janss have all completed contracts. Conspicuously, No. 1 overall pick Sarah Huffman's...

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MLS Expansion curveball?

We need only to look at the recent explosion of rumors about where U.S. Soccer was considering staging it's World Cup qualifier next month against Mexico to get a sense of what is true and what isn't when it comes to Mexican news outlets. Guilty as charged, eh? But make no mistake, this story reeks of being legit. In running it up the flag pole to MLS headquarters, the response I got was essentially: Pachuca did not submit a bid for the latest round of MLS expansion. The league is considering two cities from its list of six bid: Atlanta, Miami, Ottawa, Portland, St. Louis and Vancouver. The accepted bids are expected to be announced before the start of the upcoming season. Not exactly a...

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Delagarza is the one - word

Regardless of the spelling, or misspelling, the Maryland senior defender's stock is on the rise after the MLS Combine. One can't help but wonder if it started too low in the first place. It always does. Why? At 5-foot-8 and 140 pounds, A.J. Delagarza does not pass the eye test, especially as a central defender. Fine. But that never stopped him before. "To win two national titles in four years is probably the greatest thing I’ve ever accomplished," said Delagarza two days after winning an NCAA championship. "I won two in youth soccer, but nothing compares to winning two at the college level because of all the high-caliber teams we play against." Maryland head...

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Overdue draft thoughts

What was my first impression of D.C. United's selections in the 2009 draft? Mission accomplished, it would be difficult not to think, considering the selection of two defenders (Rodney Wallace (Maryland/Bullis) and Lyle Adams (Wake Forest)), two rated attacking players (Chris Pontius (UCSB) and Brandon Barklage (St. Louis)) and a decent goalkeeper (Milos Kocic (Loyola)). (By the way, I can't go any further without commenting on Bruce Arena picking Maryland's two starting center backs, Omar Gonzalez and A.J. Delagarza. So what we're saying is, Maryland's starting back line in 2008 was better than the L.A. Galaxy's back line in 2008? Absolutely.) Wallace is a great pickup. I've had people...

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More draft picks?!

This time of the Women's Pro Soccer variety. The Washington Freedom have rebuilt with -- count 'em -- six more members of their W-League team last season, along with one other former team member. And, oh, they picked up a goalkeeper you might know... Here's the rundown: Round 1, Allie Long (7th pick overall) -- North Carolina/Penn State, u-20 and u-21 U.S. WNT Round 2, Alex Singer* (8th) Round 4, Jill Gilbeau* (22nd) Round 4, Parrissa Eyorokon (23rd) -- Purdue Note: also picked up Joanna Lohman* (Penn State, a handful of U.S. caps, played for Freedom a couple years back, too) from St. Louis in exchange for their 3rd round pick Round 5, Briana Scurry (35th) Round 6, Rebecca Moros*...

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Setback for Krieger [Whitehill update]

As I posted here last month, Ali Krieger expected to be called into this month's U.S. women's national team camp along with these guys, a group that includes the Washington Freedom's Abby Wambach. However, it the midst of her holiday rehab work from a previous injury that had kept her off the field for most of the fall, Krieger broke her foot. She told me she's having surgery this week and expects to be sidelined for two months, and that she's keeping U.S. head coach Pia Sundhage informed. Speaking of the Freedom, I'm working on finding out exactly why Cat Whitehill wasn't invited to camp. She has been living and rehabbing from her own injury in Durham, N.C. Via our friends at the...

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Jacobson weighing options

Former D.C. United draft pick Andrew Jacobson, who chose France and Lorient instead of MLS last year, then played in the Futsal World Cup for the U.S., and is back in Europe, hopes to sort out his plan for the spring during the current transfer window. He currently remains under contract with Lorient. Jacobson said today that he's been in touch with teams in France, the rest of Europe as well as United. He hasn't ruled out anything but said that is he will "do what I think will most benefit my career, which could mean staying where I...

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My first Osorio post

A quick thought about what's going on up in New York. So you're telling me that the Red Bulls now have Dominic Oduro, Macoumba Kandji, Matthew Mbuta and Dane Richards? As one USL coach put it to me this afternoon: That's not an attacking front line. That's a 4x100 relay...

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Riveting stuff for WPS at SoccerPlex

(only had a little space in the print edition so a long bonus story here...) One minute, it was a nice little comeback for the Washington Freedom that might or might not have still fallen short. The next, it was a classic match in the young history of WPS. The Freedom salvaged a 3-3 draw with St. Louis Athletica thanks to three header goals from their two shortest players on the field in the final 11 minutes of regulation on a rainy night at Maryland SoccerPlex. But the result was overshadowed by an unfortunate tackle that looked likely to have ended Athletica’s best player’s season. On the ensuing kickoff after Abby Wambach fed Lisa DeVanna for a far post header to cut the...

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Last thoughts from RFK

I'm never good at doing one last post before I bolt from RFK, so I'll make this quick. First, here's my game story from the 2-1 D.C. United victory. Some things that will keep me from sleeping tonight: 1. DCU is tied for first place in the Eastern Conference. 2. Jaime Moreno stole the show, even in the first half. His passing was crisp, he was tough, composed, involved. Sharp. (That said, he was WIDE open on both his goals. How does a defense forget about him? Seriously?) 3. Christian Gómez was superb in his role as second-half sub. 4. Speaking of which, DCU gaffer Tom Soehn went for the win, putting in Gómez right after Moreno's goal. 5. Milos Kocic was punch-crazy...

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Moreno adds to United lore with another gem

D.C. United 2, FC Dallas 1 After registering his first point of the season two weeks ago with an assist that made him the first player in Major League Soccer history to have at least 100 goals and 100 assists, D.C. United forward Jaime Moreno played down the achievement, preferring to focus on the result. But Saturday night, when Moreno, flanked by the D.C.-based portion of his family, was honored for his latest feat prior to scoring both goals in a 2-1 win over FC Dallas, the 35-year-old Bolivian veteran was genuinely reflective afterward. “It’s pretty emotional,” said Moreno. “It’s special when things like this don’t happen very often, when...

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Freedom hosts Athletica; honors Hamm, Mullinix

St. Louis Athletica at Washington Freedom Where » Maryland SoccerPlex When » Sunday, 6 p.m. TV » Fox Soccer Channel Wambach’s woes over » Freedom forward Abby Wambach finally got her first goals in WPS play last weekend, scoring the first and fourth goals — the latter also serving as the match-winner — in a 4-3 win at FC Gold Pride which also served as the first victory for Washington (1-2-1). Wambach, who leads WPS in shots (19) and shots on goal (9), was named WPS player of the week for her efforts. St. Louis slow out of the blocks » With U.S. national team goalkeeper Hope Solo in the net, Athletica (0-2-1) has given up just three...

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In step with Soehn

I thought D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn's statement in this story was quite telling. I'm not sure he had admitted before of the idea that he knew at times last year that the players at his disposal weren't good enough. Back to this season, United's upcoming stretch of three games in eight days is certainly a chance for him to get on the radar for coach of the year. While I'm here, United should learn today the results of the "coin flip" that will determine who hosts the U.S. Open Cup match between D.C. and New York. U.S. Soccer put out its first release regarding the tournament yesterday, a release that glaringly didn't include any mention of the winner earning a place in...

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United coach Soehn gets his groove back with a healthy team

Last year a stretch of three games in eight days would’ve had D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn and his staff cringing behind closed doors. Facing just that kind of schedule beginning Saturday against FC Dallas (1-4-1) — with a healthy and deep roster at his disposal — Soehn is looking forward to a chance to do what his job title says. “Last year was difficult in the fact that we were just counter-coaching,” said Soehn. “We were assessing all the injuries and trying to come up with solutions with what we had, knowing that sometimes it wasn’t good enough. That was frustrating. This year, it’s quite the opposite, managing your guys and...

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Hoyas hope bubble doesn’t burst

No. 16 Georgetown looks for revenge against Penn State Georgetown players could pick any one of a half-dozen games this weekend — besides their own — to follow in the hopes that a fortuitous result could change the Hoyas’ slim NCAA tournament hopes. The 16th ranked Hoyas (7-6, 3-3 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) also know they need to finish strong against the very team that upset them in last year’s regular-season finale, ultimately denying them a place in the postseason for the first time in 11 years. “I would like to think they know it’s a moot point if we don’t do well against Penn State,” said Hoyas head coach Dave Urick on...

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GOAL! » 4/29/09

PLAYER OF THE WEEK Steve Zakuani, Seattle Sounders FC In a season boasting an incredible rookie class, the No. 1 overall college draft pick had his best game of the season, with a goal and an assist in Seattle’s 2-0 win over San Jose. Zakuani, a 21-year-old forward from London, was a terror on the left side of the field and showed that he could combine well from the left wing with Swedish international Freddie Ljungberg, who also is emerging to be every bit as valuable as his $1.3 million salary would require. Zakuani, who spurned a chance to return to Europe by signing with MLS, isn’t doing too bad, either. He’ll make $163,000 this season. STORY LINES Real Salt...

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D.C. soccer notebook, 4/26/09

D.C. United » Quaranta pushes forward D.C. United at New York Red Bulls Where » Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. When » Sunday, 3 TV/Radio » Telefutura/1050 AM, 1540 AM/1390 AM/1600 AM (Spanish) Nowhere on the field is managing D.C. United's depth tougher than forward, where balancing the egos of the players that thrive on the glory of scoring goals is never easy. Head coach Tom Soehn also has two unmatched veterans at the top of his roster, Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno. But Santino Quaranta and Chris Pontius made a strong argument for minutes up top by setting up both goals in D.C.'s 2-0 U.S. Open Cup play-in win over Dallas on...

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United looks advanced in preliminary round

U.S. Open Cup Play-In: D.C. United 2, FC Dallas 0 Inconvenient as it was for D.C. United to begin the defense of its 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title with a preliminary round play-in match, it afforded the team an opportunity. Still being early in the season, it was a chance to get playing time for the as yet underutilized portion of the D.C. roster. By doing so, United could show proof of its much-touted depth. D.C. did exactly that in a dominant 2-0 victory over FC Dallas highlighted by first goals of the season for both a veteran, Fred, who hadn’t yet gotten his feet under him, and a rookie, Brandon Barklage, making his first MLS start in the critical role of attacking...

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United’s tourney title defense begins with play-in game

D.C. United certainly won’t feel like the reigning Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup title-holder when it takes the field against F.C. Dallas on Wednesday. It’s just the first of two rounds United will have to overcome just to make it into the 2009 version of the 95-year-old knockout tournament. “We’re defending champions, right?” said D.C. defender Bryan Namoff. “But we have to have a play-in game to start off. I’m upset that the actual champions of a tournament have to have a play-in game the next year.” But that’s what was decided by Major League Soccer, which allocated six of its first eight spots in the competition’s round of 16 to...

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GOAL! » APRIL 22, 2009

STORY LINES 1. Preki’s precocious start » It’s the second team in what’s supposed to be Major League Soccer’s first market, Los Angeles. It’s a squad beset by injuries for the second straight season. And two out of the five players that have been on the field for every minute of the first five games this season are 35 years old. But that’s how it goes for undefeated Chivas USA under the stewardship of Preki Redosavljevic. The 45-year-old, Serbian-born former U.S. national team star was MLS coach of the year in 2007 — an award which may have appeared loaded after inheriting the team from Bob Bradley, who was promoted to U.S. national team...

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Wambach, Freedom denied again

Breakers 3, Freedom 1 It seemed the surest and easiest way for Abby Wambach to finally start doing what she came back to Washington to do – score goals – when the U.S. national team's most fearsome striker stepped up for a second-half penalty kick Saturday night at Maryland SoccerPlex. But Boston Breakers goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill’s successful diving stab save to the right in the 72nd minute did more than keep Wambach off the score sheet for another week. It tilted the game in favor of the visitors, who scored twice in the next nine minutes to send Washington (0-2-1) to a 3-1 defeat in front of 4,232. “She has to be patient just like we have to be patient...

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Olsen rescues United late

D.C. United 1, Revolution 1 It’s been two seasons since Ben Olsen was in the heat of a typical scrappy match between attacking-minded D.C. United and opportunistic arch rival New England. He got a full dose Friday night. After a nice shove out of bounds by Revolution midfielder Wells Thompson in the 74th minute, Olsen responded by clutching a fist full of Thompson’s jersey and offering an exchange of pleasantries as both players earned a yellow card. The decade-seasoned Olsen then got the best of his third-year counterpart at the end, beating him to a back post header off a free kick by Jaime Moreno in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to salvage a 1-1 draw out...

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Bompastor could jump-start Freedom offense

Shots on goal were up in draw with Chicago, now it’s time to finish Freedom head coach Jim Gabarra said it wasn’t a strategic ploy to get the ball early and often to Sonia Bompastor in last week’s 1-1 draw with Chicago. It just made sense considering how dangerous the French left-winger has proven to be in the young Women’s Pro Soccer season. “That kind of shows the respect and the confidence the team has in her as a player,” said Gabarra. “They know when they give her the ball, she’s not going to lose it. She’s going to create a passing lane or a good chance to score. I think it’s mostly the players realizing that’s the...

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COLLEGE LACROSSE CAPSULES

Georgetown at UMass By dropping a one-goal heartbreaker to Loyola last week, the Hoyas (5-6, 1-3 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) were eliminated from contention for the first place in the ECAC and therefore its automatic NCAA bid. However, Georgetown can play spoiler, and thus knocking off the Minutemen (7-3, 4-0) would keep the conference race up for grabs. “We’re just going to stick together,” said Hoyas junior midfielder Andrew Brancaccio. “That’s the most important thing. We have three more games. Hopefully we’ll win the rest.” Brancaccio and Ricky Mirabito continue to pace the Hoyas with 19 goals apiece. UMass boasts fearsome...

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Better fitness is helping Emilio return to MVP form

It took Luciano Emilio just seven matches in a span from late May to early August last year to score ten of his 11 league goals. The problem was, by then it was already too late. He began the season behind with his fitness and scored just once in the first nine matches. Emilio also dried up by the end of the summer, failing to find the net in the final 13 league games as D.C. United buckled under the weight of too many games and injuries. But the Brazilian’s early form in 2009 looks much like his 20-goal, MLS MVP season in 2007, as he’s scored in each of United’s last three matches. “He came in the start of this year to prove he’s one of the better...

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GOAL! » April 17, 2009

HE SAID WHAT? “When he comes up to me and says, ‘Tell me what I’m doing wrong’ — I just open my mouth and stare at him.” – Former Virginia Tech forward Patrick Nyarko on the give-and-take dialog between him and Chicago Fire teammate Brian McBride, who is 13 years older. (Chicago Tribune) PLAYER OF THE WEEK Conor Casey, Colorado Rapids Denver’s hometown hero is finally hitting his stride. After spending the first part of the decade bouncing around Germany and the fringes of the U.S. national team, Casey returned home in 2007. An ACL injury kept him out of the first nine games last season, but Casey returned to score 11 goals in the last...

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College Lacrosse Capsules

No. 8 Maryland at No. 14 Navy Where » Navy-Marine Corps Stadium When » Friday, 7 p.m. Maryland (6-3) is coming off an historic 7 OT loss at No. 1 Virginia, the longest game in NCAA Division I history. Junior A Will Yeatman, who had his best game as a Terp (two goals, three assists), will test the staunch defense of Navy (7-3). The Midshipmen rose Saturday with a 10-8 win at Georgetown as senior G Tommy Phelan made 15 saves. Maryland leads the series 50-31-1. No. 20 Fairfield at Georgetown Where » Multi-Sport Field When » Saturday, 1 p.m. The Hoyas (4-5, 0-3 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) can get their first set of consecutive wins this season by...

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Roster, weather outlooks bright as United preps for Dynamo

Wicks held out of practice Thanks to a bizarre combination of torrential downpours and power outages, it took three tries last summer for D.C. United and Houston to get their regular-season game in Washington completed. When the match was finally played on July 23, it wasn’t completed until 1 a.m. after a three-hour rain delay. “I saw [this weekend’s] weather forecast, and it’s supposed to be good,” said United midfielder Santino Quaranta. “It’s up to RFK to see how they react.” Having recovered from a hamstring injury, Quaranta is one of a significant group of D.C. players vying for a return against the Dynamo (0-1-1). Devon McTavish...

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United rookies haven’t melted in glare of spotlight

If Chris Pontius is going to succeed in professional soccer, his biggest challenge may be getting over that little craving that he can satisfy any time he wants in D.C. United’s locker room. “I eat so much candy, and I still do,” said Pontius. “It’s horrible that they have a little candy box in there. I’m just picking at it all day.” Pontius and fellow rookie and roommate Rodney Wallace both admit to having a sweet tooth. But neither is stopping to savor their early performances after two starts apiece in United’s first two matches. “They both have adjusted real well,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “I think now...

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FINAL FOUR » VILLANOVA

Analyzing the Wildcats The Key Villanova didn’t command a headline spot in the Big East all season, and without a DeJuan Blair or Hasheem Thabeet, maybe the Wildcats didn’t deserve to. But they’ve proven they can handle the biggest programs in the nation, and belief makes them a dangerous contender. The Troublemaker Facing Dante Cunningham’s mid-range jumper and a stack of explosive guards, Dwayne Anderson is the guy that opponents don’t game plan for. But he’s the Wildcats’ second-leading rebounder (6 rpg) and he’s been Villanova’s high scorer in two of four NCAA tournament games. Why they’ll win it all Toughened by the Big...

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Freedom raises curtain for WPS

Washington franchise will have similar feel to 2003 WUSA champions With Abby Wambach at forward and head coach Jim Gabarra on the sideline, the Washington Freedom team that takes the field Sunday for the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer match will look, at first glance, a lot like the one that triumphed in the WUSA title game in 2003, that league’s final match before it closed its doors. Up next » Washington Freedom at Los Angeles Sol When » Sunday, 6 Where » Home Depot Center, Carson, Calif. TV » Fox Soccer Channel Six years later, the Freedom appears set to start in WPS where it left off with the WUSA. But that’s where the similarity...

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United douses but doesn’t put out Fire

D.C. United 1, Fire 1 It’s difficult for D.C. United to avoid harboring at least a little disappointment – along with a healthy dose of encouragement – two weeks into the 2009 campaign after leading in each of its first two matches only to walk away with a pair of ties. The latest draw, a 1-1 decision in Saturday’s home-opener in front of 15,895 at RFK Stadium against Chicago, one of Major League Soccer’s early favorites this season, offered one half of promising, if not dominant soccer followed by a shaky 15 minutes and courageous play just before the final whistle to protect the result. “I thought we put a heck of a lot into and denied them all...

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Navy fends off Georgetown

No. 16 Navy 10, Georgetown 8 Tommy Phelan was down to just one good leg for a short spell. But that didn’t stop the Navy senior from making a career-high 15 saves in his first start of the year as the 16th-ranked Midshipmen (7-3) snapped a five-game losing streak to Georgetown with a 10-8 win at the Hoyas’ Multi-Sport Field. “It was right above the left knee,” said Phelan of Georgetown junior Andrew Brancaccio’s third-quarter shot. “My left leg just went numb. I tried to get up on both legs, but I could really only get up on one.” Navy head coach Richie Meade’s surprise move in the cage was effective. But it was opportunistic play earned...

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Olsen is making a surprising return

All of Ben Olsen’s cautious optimism, at best, during the preseason about a possible end to his interminable comeback from ankle surgery didn’t add up to a spot in the 2009 season opener. Yet there he was, starting his first D.C. United match since the 2007 playoffs — a span of 15 months — last weekend in Los Angeles. “To see him in the starting eleven, he kind of downplayed it, but everyone around him knew how big of a deal it was and how great it was to have him back out on the field,” said United midfielder Devon McTavish. “I think he did a terrific job. I didn’t really see him miss too much out there. He didn’t look rusty at...

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College Lacrosse Capsules

Navy at Georgetown Where » Multi-Sport Field When » Saturday, 1 TV » MASN Radio » 1500 AM, 820 AM, 1050 AM, 1430 AM The Hoyas (3-4) have won five in a row against the Midshipmen (6-3) — the last two games by one-goal margins. Georgetown leading scorer Ricky Mirabito’s (15 goals, 5 assist) brother Nick graduated from Navy last year and led the Mids with 23 goals and 23 assists. Maryland at Virginia When » Saturday, noon Where » Klockner Stadium TV » ESPN2 Virginia (10-0) is shooting for its second perfect season in four years behind senior As Dan Glading (14 goals, 18 assists), Garrett Billings (26 goals, 14 assists), and Steele...

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Terrapins have taken boarding to extreme

Coleman, Liles snagged 35 rebounds against Utah The way Marissa Coleman talked about her and Dee Liles’ plan to grab every rebound in Maryland’s NCAA second-round game against Utah, it clearly was no joke. They were also the ones smiling after pulling down respective career-highs of 18 and 17 boards, nearly half of the total rebounds by both teams in the 15-point win over the Utes. “It’s just pure and simple really, their strength over us and their physicality,” said Utah head coach Elaine Elliott. “We couldn’t change that. We couldn’t grow bigger. We couldn’t grow heavier.” The fourth-seeded Commodores (26-8) face a similar...

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Hoyas snap skid in overtime

Georgetown 9, No. 11 Harvard 8 OT Craig Dowd stopped with the ball behind the goal, and for a moment, everything froze. The Georgetown junior attack scanned the field, searching for the inspired play and player that would not only rescue Georgetown in overtime against Harvard, but also provide hope that the Hoyas’ tattered season could still be salvaged. On cue, as life reached full speed again, Ricky Mirabito appeared, slicing through the gap in the Crimson defense, meeting Dowd’s perfectly delivered pass for a close-range finish and a 9-8 sudden-death victory, the Hoyas’ first win in three games. “We needed something to turn this around,” said Mirabito,...

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East • Sweet 16 » No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Xavier

Sweet 16: No. 1 Pittsburgh vs. No. 4 Xavier, Thursday, 7:27 p.m., CBS PITTSBURGH XAVIER Jamie Dixon can cement his legacy by advancing Pitt past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1974. X Coaching To make it consecutive Elite Eights for the Musketeers, Sean Miller will have to beat his alma mater. Levance Fields is unshakable and a nasty passer (7.6 apg), especially in transition. X Guards Pass-first sophomore Dante Jackson...

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East • Sweet 16 » No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Villanova

Sweet 16: No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Villanova, Thursday, 9:57 p.m., CBS DUKE VILLANOVA Mike Krzyzewski has a tourney record 71 wins, but adding to that total won’t be easy. X Coaching Jay Wright has lost to the eventual national champion in three of the last four NCAA tournies. The Blue Devils turn the ball over way less since Jon Scheyer (14.9 ppg, 2.8 apg) took over at point. Guards X Take your pick, but Scottie Reynolds (15.1...

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Women’s NIT » Georgetown preview

Richmond at Georgetown Where » McDonough Arena When » Thursday, 7:30 Under fifth-year head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy, the Hoyas (19-13) have posted the most wins since the 1992-93 season, when Georgetown went 23-7 and lost in the NCAA east regional. The Spiders (24-9) reached the finals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. The Hoyas advanced to the third round of the postseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament for the first time in program history following wins over Winthrop and Wake Forest. Local product Monica McNutt (Holy Cross) had a career-high 23 points against the Demon Deacons....

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Coleman, Toliver leave Comcast in style

Terps advance to Sweet 16 with 71-56 win over Utah All the trademarks were there. Kristi Toliver’s step-back jumpers and super-slick bounce passes. Marissa Coleman’s larger-than-life presence and insatiable appetite for the basketball. They will always be at Comcast Center, preserved by the banners hanging in the rafters that bear Toliver and Coleman’s names and bore witness to the two Maryland seniors’ last home game Tuesday. It was more than brave underdog Utah could ever hope to match, even though the ninth-seeded Utes certainly tried in the No. 1-seeded Terps’ NCAA second round 71-56 win. Coleman finished with 18 points and a career-high 18 rebounds,...

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Lacrosse » Hoyas can’t find their bearings

Georgetown has four losses in last five games Georgetown was already off to its worst start since 1989 before it went to Duke last weekend. If that was uncharted territory for the Hoyas, who lost to the Blue Devils, 9-5, they’re now not only off the map but surrounded by an ever-thickening fog. “We’re in waters that we’ve never been in before as a program, in recent years for sure,” said Hoyas head coach Dave Urick, who last year missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997. “The goals and the sights are set very high at the beginning of the year, and there are no guarantees. That’s something that our guys understand.” With...

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United continues to move forward

The smiles were enthusiastic yet tempered at D.C. United’s annual kickoff luncheon at Gaylord National Resort on Wednesday. The team is two days removed from a season-opening draw at Los Angeles and there is news of amended legislation in Annapolis that would mean only a more specific feasibility study than one conducted last year for a potential soccer stadium in Maryland, not the originally intended goal of floating of bonds to pay for one. “It really just authorizes the stadium authority to work with us and local authorities to really study very carefully the matter and then give solid recommendations based on their findings,” said United president Kevin Payne....

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Terps on a familiar NCAA path

Maryland and Utah are much closer than geography alone indicates, making Tuesday’s meeting between the No. 1-seeded Terrapins (29-4) and ninth-seeded Utes (23-9) more than an average NCAA tournament second round game. The two teams last met three years ago in the NCAA tournament, a 75-65, Maryland victory in the Elite Eight in Albuquerque, N.M., that furthered the now legendary “Overtime is our time,” motto that helped define the Terps’ run to the 2006 national title — the fifth of six extra-period wins that season. Easier to forget was that most of the Maryland roster was stricken by the flu. “Not sleeping the night before, Riss [Marissa Coleman] had...

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Toliver shells Dartmouth

Top-seeded Maryland cruises in tourney opener Kristi Toliver and Marissa Coleman had to play nearly as many minutes as humanly possible over three games earlier this month to lead Maryland to its first Atlantic Coast Conference title in 20 years. With that seemingly in mind, Maryland fans were at ease during Sunday’s first round of the NCAA tournament, as Toliver and Coleman rested on the bench over the final quarter of the No. 1-seeded Terrapins’ 82-53 win over No. 16 Dartmouth after the two seniors had put on a show for the partisan crowd of 10,847 at Comcast Center. “I was definitely feeling it,” said Toliver, who hit her first five shots and had 23 of...

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Eagles flight is cut just short

Villanova comes back from 14 points down American quieted heavy favorite Villanova’s hometown crowd at Wachovia Center in Philadelphia with lights out play for more than 20 minutes. But the Eagles ran out of gas in the second half, allowing the Wildcats to rally from 14 points down and run away with a 80-67 victory in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The nerves that had helped doom American (24-8) the year before in its first NCAA appearance were nowhere to be found, as the Eagles — despite spotting Villanova the game’s first five points — confidently hit nine of 16 three-point attempts in the first half, including four from Garrison Carr (22 points) and...

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Saturday's NCAA Tournament Preview

No. 4 Washington vs. No. 5 Purdue Firecracker Can’t ask for a better second-round matchup. Both teams took care of business in their opener. Purdue (26-9), the Big 10 tournament champ, took control early against Northern Iowa and held off a late charge. Washington, (26-8) the Pac-10 regular-season champ, overwhelmed Mississippi State in the second half. Why Washington will win Huskies finished first in the Pac-10 for a reason: Led by 6-foot-7 forward Jon Brockman, only four teams in the country rebound better. Guard Isaiah Thomas was the Pac-10 freshman of the year. The Huskies also should get a boost from a partisan crowd in Portland. How Purdue pulls an upset Not really an...

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Fearless forecast » NCAA Tournament

Games to watch Midwest Region » No. 11 Dayton vs. No. 6 West Virginia, 3 p.m. The Mountaineers (23-11) could be a dark horse in the stacked Midwest Region. F Da’Sean Butler (17.3 ppg) leads the way. West Virginia is an excellent defensive team (42 percent FG allowed), but poor from 3-point range (33 percent). Dayton can defend as well (43 percent) and has wins over Marquette and Xavier. Midwest Region » No. 10 USC vs. No. 7 Boston College, 7:20 p.m. USC (21-12) needed a late run through the Pac-10 tournament to secure an NCAA berth. F Taj Gibson (14.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg) earned the conference’s defensive player of the year honors. The Trojans will need to defend Boston...

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Improving on the hardwood … the American way

Eagles have defined roles entering NCAA tourney Bryce Simon almost felt like his first preseason game after transferring to American last season should’ve been his last. To his credit, he stuck around. “We literally got it handed to us,” said Simon, who called home to his parents in Kansas afterward. “[I was] like, ‘I don’t know that this is what I thought it was going to be. We’re not very good. I don’t know how many games we’re going to win this year.’ Remembering how I felt that day — it’s now the complete opposite.” Nearly 17 months later, apart from the consistent presence of senior point guard Derrick...

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NCAA Tournament » Fearless Forecast

BOLD PREDICTIONS 1 Carr won’t be the only reason American is a tough out After scoring a game-high 26 points last year versus Tennessee, Garrison Carr is item No. 1 on Villanova’s game plan for American. Except that as Carr has gained more attention this season, his teammates have begun to rise to the occasion to step in when he can’t open to knock down shots. Against the Wildcats, Brian Gilmore will have one of the biggest games of his career, and Jordan Nichols will make a key block on Corey Fisher down the stretch to keep the Eagles in the contest. Again, we’re not calling for the upset. But we have a feeling it could happen. 2 Connecticut won’t make...

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NCAA Tournament » Local Players

Ty Lawson (UNC) The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year averaged 15.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game for the Tar Heels, improving his shooting percentages to 53.8 from the floor and 46.7 from 3-point range. Lawson played at McNamara before transferring to Oak Hill. Mike Davis (Illinois) After averaging 2.6 points per game as a freshman, the 6-9 Davis blossomed this season, becoming the leading rebounder in the Big Ten (8.1 rpg) and the second-leading scorer for the Illini (11.2 ppg). The former Northern Region Player of the Year at T.C. Williams was named second-team All-Big Ten. Joey Lynch-Flohr (Radford) The 6-8 junior averaged 13.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and hit...

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Rich sounds in Seattle as MLS opens Northwest passage

New team opens season Thursday against N.Y. John Bayliss owns the first and best soccer bar in Seattle, The George & Dragon Pub, but he references D.C. United when asked about the northwest city’s impassioned embrace of Seattle Sounders FC, Major League Soccer’s newest team. “It’s a good football town, a good soccer town — any place that can put 67,000 in a stadium on a Wednesday for Real Madrid and an MLS team,” said Bayliss, who was in attendance in 2006 when United flew cross-country for a hastily arranged friendly at Qwest Field. Bayliss plans to be there again Thursday when the Sounders open the 2009 MLS season against New York. Preceded by...

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MLS Eastern Conference Preview

1. Chicago Fire 2008 » 13-10-7 (2nd) Head coach » Denis Hamlett (2nd season) Key arrivals » MF Baggio Husidic Key departures » D Diego Gutierrez, M Stephen King Outlook » Ageless Mexican playmaker Cuauhtemoc Blanco provides the inspiration in the midfield, and ageless American hero Brian McBride provides the goals. But the Fire’s heat comes from superb center backs Bakary Soumare and Wilman Conde. 2. Columbus Crew 2008 » 17-7-6 (1st), MLS Cup champions Head coach » Robert Warzycha (1st season) Key arrivals » M Alex Grendi, M Stanley Nyazamba Key departures » M Brad Evans, Head coach Sigi Schmid Outlook » It weren’t...

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Wright’s way boosts the Wildcats

Villanova won 11 of final 13 regular-season games Jay Wright has a unique knack of making you believe that your hand is a formidable one. As soon as you forget about the cards the Villanova head coach is holding, he’s got you. “We know that this group played extremely well last year against Tennessee, and they’ve won 13 in row,” said Wright about American, who he'll face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. “If you’re a three, it’s your nightmare for a No. 14 seed.” But apart from a few losses in the toughest conference in the country, the Wildcats are having a dream season. They won 11 of their final 13 regular-season...

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Patriot title stays in Eagles’ nest

Patriot League championship American 73, Holy Cross 57 They stormed the court again at Bender Arena on Friday night, as they had done a year before. But there was something decidedly different in the air. It wasn’t just that American had delivered on the promised expected of a team with seven seniors. Instead of the drama that accompanied their first ever Patriot League title last season, the Eagles had claimed their second straight championship in decided fashion, with a thorough 73-57 victory over arch conference foe Holy Cross in front of a capacity crowd of 3,123 that included District of Columbia Mayor Adrian M Fenty. “It makes it great that this was our last game here...

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College Lacrosse Capsules

No. 9 UMBC at No. 7 Maryland When » Saturday, noon Maryland leads series 24-6, but has lost last two meetings, 9-8 in 3OT in 2008 and 13-9 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. UMBC (3-2) has lost to Princeton, 6-5, and Johns Hopkins, 14-11. Top scorers are midfielders Alex Hoppmann (13 goals), Kyle Wilmer (12 goals), and Peet Poillon (6 goals, 13 assists). No. 12 Georgetown at Hobart When » Saturday, 1 p.m. For the third time in four games, Georgetown will face a goalie that is among the top ten in the nation in both save percentage and goals against. Hobart junior Max Silberlicht leads Division I in both, stopping 70.3 percent shots faced and allowing just 4.75 goals per...

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Eagles are flight-ready entering Patriot League final

American athletic director Keith Gill has a unique way of preparing for the difficult phone calls and e-mails that he’ll receive if the Eagles don’t capture their second-straight Patriot League championship and earn another visit to the NCAA Tournament. He doesn’t. Patriot League Final » Holy Cross at American Where » Bender Arena When » Friday, 4:45 p.m. TV » ESPN2 Radio » 1500 AM, 1050 AM “You prepare as if you’re going to win,” said Gill a few weeks ago, before the Eagles (23-7) had clinched the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament or advanced to Friday afternoon’s final against second-seeded Holy Cross...

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ACC Tourney » Capsules

Who’s Fading? Clemson After starting the year 16-0, the Tigers have gone 7-7 and have lost three of four coming into the tournament, with the lone win at home over doormat Virginia. At 23-7, the Tigers have an NCAA bid wrapped up. The only thing at stake for the Tigers is seeding for the NCAA Tournament. Winning four games in four days is not out of the question however for this athletic squad. Last year Clemson caught fire and advanced to the finals for the first time in 46 years. Who’s Dangerous? Virginia Tech The winner of the Miami-Virginia Tech game will play a North Carolina team that might be ripe for an upset, especially if Tar Heels coach Roy Williams rests point...

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Versatile Pontius finds his place at front of field

In one of the first team scrimmages on the first day of D.C. United training camp in January, rookie Chris Pontius got caught in no man’s land, not quite playing forward, not quite in the midfield. After one particular play, he was approached by teammate Marc Burch, who said, “You play forward, right? Well, get up there.” It was a hard lesson for youngster trying to find his best position on the field. But despite a two-month preseason that’s taken its toll mentally and physically, Pontius’ versatility has proven to be an asset. “I’m still not sure what position I play,” said Pontius. “Lately, I’ve been looking at the players...

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Hoyas caught in Storm

Georgetown knocked out in first round of tourney NEW YORK – The arc of the Hoyas’ final shot in Tuesday’s Big East Tournament first round game fittingly matched the trajectory their season: caroming off the side of the backboard. A little over two months ago, Georgetown had beaten the No. 2 team in the country on the road and surged into the top 10 in the nation. But after suffering their second defeat to St. John’s in a week — and their 10th loss in 14 games — this time by a 64-59 margin in front of 19,375, the Hoyas’ barely flickering NCAA hopes were finally extinguished for good. “We still have a shot at the NIT, but this is not the...

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Georgetown-St John's Report Card

Most Valuable Player Greg Monroe’s all-around game was once again on display even though he finished the night without an assist. Aggressiveness eventually got the best of him, and after fouling out he watched the game’s final 94 seconds from the bench. All-Star Performance Over the last half of the season, Chris Wright has become the engine that makes the Hoyas go. Georgetown’s offense looked shaky when the most confident guy on the floor had to take a seat with four fouls Overlooked Jessie Sapp hit two huge second-half 3-pointers in his swan song in front of a hometown crowd. After the second, he urged the crowd to rally behind the Hoyas. They answered his call...

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Hoyas look to take five

Georgetown faces uphill path in Big East tourney It’s never personal for Jessie Sapp. Georgetown’s lone senior didn’t let getting benched earlier in the season affect him. He’s also unmoved by a return to his hometown of New York City one final time for the Big East Tournament or by the fact that the Hoyas can avenge last week’s disheartening overtime loss to St. John’s (15-16, 6-12 Big East) in the first round. He just wants to win. “Every game counts,” said Sapp after Saturday’s regular-season finale. “We’re going to be hungry whether we play St. John’s or whoever. We’re going to go in with a different...

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Big East Tournament Capsules

Who’s hot? Louisville With G/F Terrence Williams (12.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.1 apg) becoming an NBA player right before our eyes, the Cardinals soared into the postseason and NCAA No. 1 seed contention by winning their last seven regular season games. However, only one of those victories was against a ranked team, and that was reeling Marquette in a game that was still decided by only four points despite the absence of Golden Eagles G Dominic James. Who’s not? Marquette Given their closing schedule (vs. Connecticut, at Louisville, at Pittsburgh, vs. Syracuse), there’s a very real chance the Golden Eagles might’ve still entered this week with four losses in a row even if...

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Gilmore grabs the reigns, steers AU into Patriot final

In between rescuing American twice against Army in Sunday’s Patriot League semifinal at Bender Arena, Brian Gilmore almost played himself out of the game thanks to foul trouble. Patriot League Final » No. 1 American vs. No. 2 Holy Cross Where » Bender Arena When » Friday, 4:45 TV » ESPN2 Radio » 1050 AM But in the end, he followed a game-tying three-pointer with 43 seconds remaining by hitting one of two free throws with 3.6 seconds left to send the crowd of 1,846 into a frenzy and give the Eagles (22-7) a 61-60 win over the Black Knights (11-18), a chance to repeat as conference champions and put them one game closer to a second straight NCAA...

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Lacrosse » Hoyas hosting trophy holders

This weekend’s lacrosse doubleheader at Georgetown features a rare treat: both the men’s and women’s defending national champions — Syracuse and Northwestern, respectively — will be in town to face-off against the Hoyas. Fittingly, the women’s game is the second act. The Wildcats are currently in the midst of one of the most remarkable championship reigns in college sports, having won four straight NCAA titles despite being a club-level team as recently as 2001. Former Maryland standout Kelly Amonte Hiller took over the program as head coach in 2002, and three seasons later Northwestern became the first team outside the Eastern Time Zone to win a...

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College Basketball » Capsules

Maryland at Virginia Where » John Paul Jones Arena When » Saturday, 3:30 p.m. TV/Radio » ABC/106.7 FM Much is at stake as the Terps (18-11, 7-8) can finish .500 in the ACC. Virginia (9-17, 3-12) beat Clemson and Virginia Tech in back-to-back games, Feb. 15 and 18, but has dropped four games since. The top threat is freshman G Sylven Landesberg (17.4 points per game, 6.0 rpg), who has been named ACC Freshman of the Week six times. Sophomore F Mike Scott is the top rebounder (7.1 pg). DePaul at Georgetown Where » Verizon Center When » Saturday, 5 p.m. TV/Radio » ESPNU/980 AM, 92.7 FM, 94.3 FM There is little left to prove for the Hoyas (15-13, 6-11 Big...

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Mercer, Eagles sharp in postseason opener

Patriot League quarterfinals: American 78, Lafayette 56 Any perceived seeding advantage that Patriot League regular-season champion and No. 1 American had over No. 8 Lafayette entering the conference tournament quarterfinals was supposed to be misleading. After all, the Leopards had led at halftime in the teams’ first meeting of the year and took the Eagles to overtime just last weekend. But on Wednesday at Bender Arena, American made the gap between themselves and Lafayette look every bit as big as it was on paper, running away with a ruthlessly efficient 78-56 victory – their tenth straight over the Leopards – in front of 1,903. “We had to come out and play...

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United’s central defense goes deep despite shake-up

D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn said it so matter-of-factly that one could almost have been persuaded to believe that filling the team’s most glaring hole on the roster wasn’t that big of a deal. “We’re pretty deep at the center back spot,” said Soehn, remarking on the decision to part ways with trialist Mamadou “Futty” Danso in favor of Anthony Peters, who signed Tuesday, and Dejan Jakovic, who was acquired last week. How quickly last year’s experiments — Gonzalo Peralta and Gonzalo Martinez — have been forgotten. “We’ve got a lot of guys there,” said Soehn. “With our smaller roster, you can only...

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Diminutive Mercer mans up for top-seeded American

Eagles open title defense against No. 8 Lafayette Up next » No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 American What » Patriot League quarterfinals Where » Bender Arena When » Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Radio » 1050 AM American’s opponent in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament may have been the one that spurred Eagles senior guard Derrick Mercer to the conference player of the year award that was bestowed upon him on Monday. Against Lafayette on Jan. 31, two early fouls forced Mercer to the bench for the final 10 minutes of the first half. The score when he sat down: American by 9. By halftime: Lafayette by 4. “It was a surprise to me,” said the...

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GW Hoops » Pre-revolutionary battle in Amherst

Up next » George Washington at Massachusetts Where » Mullins Center, Amherst, Mass. When » Wednesday, 7 p.m. Radio » 1500 AM The Colonials (10-16, 4-10 Atlantic 10) are on a mini roll, having won three of their last four games, due in part to 40 points and 29 rebounds in the last two games combined by junior swingman Damian Hollis. “I think that to some degree he was looking at the calendar, and seeing his career was beginning to wind down,” said Colonials head coach Karl Hobbs. “He hasn’t had the impact we know he’s capable of having on games and having for this team.” A win tonight over the Minutemen (10-17, 5-9) would move...

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Vasquez fuels a resurgence

Maryland guard has been hot down the stretch Up next » No. 10 Wake Forest at Maryland Where » Comcast Center When » Tuesday, 9 p.m. TV » Comcast SportsNet + Radio » 106.7 FM That emotion sometimes gets the best of Greivis Vasquez is no surprise. It’s merely the cost of doing business with the Venezuelan junior, whose superb play in two of Maryland’s last three games has the Terrapins on the brink of an undeniably NCAA Tournament-worthy resume. Vasquez rubbed in it Sunday night at N.C. State, dropping a three-pointer on the non-defending Wolfpack at the buzzer when the game was already decided and he already had 30 points and 5 assists. Oops....

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Belief builds for Hoyas

With its first victory over a ranked opponent since beating then-No. 8 Syracuse on Jan. 14, Georgetown gave credence to its belief that it still belongs in the NCAA Tournament. Up next » Georgetown at St. John's Where » Madison Square Garden When » Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. TV » MASN Radio » 980 AM, 92.7 FM, 94.3 FM. “We’re going to be one of the best 65 teams despite what’s happened the last month,” Hoyas head coach John Thompson III told reporters after topping No. 10 Villanova last weekend. “There’s no doubt about that.” Georgetown can only hurt itself over its final two regular season contests, at St. John’s...

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American claims two Patriot League awards

American senior point guard Derrick Mercer and head coach Jeff Jones were named Patriot League player and coach of the year, respectively, capping a regular season the Eagles (21-7, 13-1) finished with wins in each of their last 10 games and 16 out of their final 17 overall. Up next » No. 8 Lafayette at No. 1 American What » Patriot League quarterfinals When » Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. Where » Bender Arena Radio » 1050 AM. Mercer, whose last league award was rookie of the year in 2006, is averaging 11.5 points, 4.2 assists and 4.3 rebounds, including a league-best 2.52-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in league play. He’s the only player in Patriot League...

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Soccer » Snow doesn’t stop Freedom

First two practices held at Maryland SoccerPlex for inaugural season The snow that greeted the Washington Freedom’s first two days of official practice could’ve been considered an inauspicious start for the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer. But head coach Jim Gabarra had it worse at the start of the WUSA’s 2001 season, when it also snowed and he didn’t have the luxury of the indoor facilities that the team currently enjoys at Maryland SoccerPlex. “We had players running sprints in the concourse at RFK [Stadium],” said Gabarra, who endured his own two-hour commute to conduct training Monday. One minor fender-bender aside (neither...

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Colonials drop finale, seeding in A-10 tourney

GW shoots just 26 percent from floor in loss to Temple George Washington closed the regular season with its worst shooting performance of the year in a 59-49 loss to Temple. In their last game at Smith Center, seniors Antelia Parrish and Jessica Adair paced the Colonials with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Freshman Tara Booker also added 12 points, but as a team GW finished the afternoon just 26 percent (16 for 61) from the field. “[The basket was] extremely small, and on a swivel,” said Adair. “We didn’t knock down shots. We practiced well. They didn’t throw anything at us we didn’t prepare for. The shots just weren’t falling.” Instead...

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Notebook » United signs defender; stadium list down to ‘probably three’

D.C. United plugged a big hole in its roster Friday with the signing of 6-foot-2 Canadian central defender Dejan Jakovic via a transfer from Serbian power Red Star Belgrade. Jakovic, 23, made three starts for Red Star during the 2008-09 domestic season, two in the UEFA Cup, and he also has one appearance with the Canadian national team. He is expected to be included in United’s starting eleven immediately when he joins the team this week. United, which had one of the poorest defenses in Major League Soccer in 2008, had been looking to fill the role since parting ways during the offseason with last year’s additions, Argentinian Gonzalo Peralta and Colombian Gonzalo...

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Weekend area college basketball outlook

Games for the weekend of Feb. 27-March 1: George Washington at Richmond Where » Robins Center, Richmond • When » Saturday, 7 • Radio » 1500 AM With 25 points from Damian Hollis in an overtime win over Charlotte on Wednesday, the Colonials (9-16, 3-10 Atlantic 10) have won two of their last three but remain one game behind the 49ers with three games left in a battle for 12th place in the A-10 and the last berth the conference tournament. American at Lafayette Where » Kirby Sports Center, Easton, Pa. • When » Saturday, 2 • TV » MASN While the Eagles (20-7, 12-1 Patriot League) sewed up the top seed in the Patriot League Tournament...

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Hoyas anxious for Garden tour

Three games left before Big East Tournament Up next » Georgetown at Villanova When » Saturday, noon Where » Wachovia Center, Philadelphia TV/Radio » ESPN/980 AM The reality of revised expectations began to sink in for Georgetown immediately after Monday night's loss to Louisville. “Is this frustrating? Absolutely,” said Hoyas head coach John Thompson III following his team's ninth defeat in 11 games. “But we have a chance to grow. We have a chance to improve, and we get to go to New York and play.” D.C. is a bonanza for Wright's Cats Not only is Villanova’s Jay Wright a superb recruiter in and around Washington — the...

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Georgetown Lacrosse » Ehrmann picks up where he left off

Barney Ehrmann led Georgetown with five ground balls last week at Maryland despite starting out of position on defense, where he was specifically tasked with shutting down Terrapin attacker Will Yeatman. It was more like a collision of football lineman as Ehrmann (6-foot-6, 210 pounds) prevailed against Yeatman (6-6, 260), limiting him to mostly contested looks and just one goal. The junior’s influence — he led the Hoyas (1-0) with 52 ground balls last year, more than goalkeeper Miles Kass (46) and nearly 20 more than Dan Vinson, who was second among field players with 35 — should be more familiar and just as important when he sets up back out on the wing against...

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Eagles claim perch atop Patriot League again

American 64, Navy 59 It was one of American’s uglier halves of basketball. The Eagles’ double-digit lead was gone. They couldn’t buy a bucket, and staring them in the face was the real possibility that the final regular season game at home for a veteran-laden team was going to be memorable for all the wrong reasons. But in the final minute, the Eagles scored the game’s last six points from the free throw line and stymied Navy’s Kaleo Kina (19 points) on three consecutive trips down the floor to claim a 64-59 win over the Midshipmen and back-to-back Patriot League regular-season titles. “It’s a great feeling to come here and accomplish...

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Plenty of uncertainty remains for United at keeper

Goalkeeping was an endless topic of concern for D.C. United in 2008, and for good reason, as United was scored on 61 times during the regular season, more than any other team in Major League Soccer but one. Despite the team’s best intentions, a distinct uncertainty about the position still looms less than four weeks before the 2009 season opener. Position battle Each week, leading up to D.C. United’s March 22 season opener, The Examiner will look at competition for roster spots. This week: goalkeeper. Projected starter Louis Crayton is still behind fitness-wise, due in part to a shoulder injury suffered late last season and his layoff to return home to Liberia following...

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American » Soaring Eagles can’t rest yet

Last year American senior guard Garrison Carr didn’t tell anyone about his recurring dream of winning the Patriot League until after American had the conference championship and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament that came with it. This season the Eagles (19-7, 11-1 Patriot League) are on course for both a second straight conference tournament top seed and title. But unlike Carr, senior forward Jordan Nichols hasn’t been able to sleep a wink. “My mind starts racing with everything that’s going on and what could happen, how much is happening in the next month,” said Nichols. “After we lost to Holy Cross the first time, I honestly couldn’t...

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Final straw for Georgetown?

Poor shooting, turnovers doom Hoyas in bad loss Chris Wright saw his chance. Exploding to the basket, the 6-foot-1 guard raised the ball with his right hand and forced it down. But instead of a second-half dunk that would’ve cut into Louisville’s double-digit lead and provided just the kind of inspiration Georgetown so desperately craved to salvage its fast-fading season, the ball clanged off the back of the rim, and in a blink of an eye, the Cardinals had an easy layup at the other end. The eventual 76-58 loss to No. 6 Louisville in front of a subdued 12,653 just might have been the final straw for the Hoyas (14-12, 5-10 Big East), ensuring that they’ll finish the...

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Hoyas laboring late in season

Georgetown’s NCAA hopes in serious jeopardy Coming from Georgetown head coach John Thompson III, it was the ultimate compliment — but it wasn’t for his own guys. Asked after the Marquette game about the difference between his team and the Golden Eagles, who put the Hoyas’ NCAA hopes in severe jeopardy by handing them their eighth loss in 10 games, Thompson responded, “They are completely in sync with what they want to accomplish.” UP NEXT When » Monday, 7 Where » Verizon Center TV/Radio » ESPN/980 AM His comment was also a stark contrast to what Georgetown faces with four regular-season games to play and postseason plans hanging...

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Rare smiles for embattled GW

After matching his career-high with 13 points in Thursday’s rout over St. Bonaventure, George Washington sophomore Joseph Katuka made a rare appearance in the media room, taking a seat alongside Colonials head coach Karl Hobbs and senior Rob Diggs behind a trio of microphones. Up next » GW at No. 16 Xavier When » Sunday, 1 Where » Cintas Center, Cincinnati TV/Radio » Fox Sports Ohio/1500 AM “Right now, I’m getting more comfortable with my role in the team,” said Katuka, in halting English not unexpected from a 20-year-old Nigerian. “I’m trying to do what the coach wants me to do: score, play defense —...

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History meets reality

Hoyas underdogs against their next three opponents This weekend Georgetown will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 1984 national championship while the current Hoyas face the first of three more daunting contests against ranked teams that could very well determine whether or not they make it into this year’s NCAA Tournament at all. Up next » No. 10 Marquette at Georgetown When » Saturday, 2 Where » Verizon Center TV » ESPN Radio » 980 AM, 92.7 FM, 94.3 FM Unlike the past two seasons, or the great teams of the 1980s, Georgetown enters its latest stretch as a clear-cut underdog, starting with No. 10 Marquette, which scored like an NBA team in a...

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Weekend preview » Maryland, American host conference rivals

No. 3 North Carolina at Maryland Where » Comcast Center • When » Saturday, 3:30 • TV/Radio » ABC/106.7 FM The answer to whether or not the Terrapins (16-9, 5-6 Atlantic Coast Conference) have done what it takes to avoid missing the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons depends on who you ask. Maryland has won three of its last five — it’s also lost four of its last seven, including two games by a combined 70 points. Beginning with a visit from the Tar Heels (24-2, 10-2 ACC), the Terps play three of their last five games at home — all of them are against teams ranked in the top nine. Freshman Sean Mosley paced Maryland with 19...

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