Late lunch
By: Craig Stouffer
Examiner Staff Writer
05/12/09 2:51 PM EDT
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 head coach Tom Soehn said that Andrew Jacobson (ankle) did train today and looked good. Sounds like he's back in the mix.
Also in attendance, former draft pick Dan Stratford, who's getting himself into shape by working with DCU and apparently has a girlfriend in D.C. I'd be surprised to see him in the mix for the team this season.
Santino Quaranta, fresh off the birth of his second child last week, talked about staying awake in film sessions but more importantly, his continued progress staying sober: "It's amazing. I'm so grateful. Eighteen, nineteen months ago, it was a whole different world for me, and to be able to bring a child into the world and be responsible and to be there for my wife - to be able to do the things that I'm doing now, it's an amazing thing. I'm so happy. I can't explain how happy I am. It's been a fun ride so far. I just continue to do what I do first thing, keep myself sober. I don't ever forget that. That's always number one on my list. I'm still finding time to hit meetings, even now, and be a part of people that need my help as well, not just my baby and my wife. It's a bigger picture than just being selfish and taking, because god's given me a lot back in my life. I just don't want to take it and not be grateful and forget about it. I keep myself grounded first, and then I go from there."
Soehn had some great stuff on Chivas head coach Preki -- the two were foes on the indoor court before both moved into MLS: "We were very competitive individuals. When we played, it was mostly indoor. I had to mark him a lot, and it was always fun because we were both professional. We’d battle during the game, but after the game it was a friendship."
On Preki's infamous cutback: "He’s going to go to his left eventually, and he still got it off now and then."
Meanwhile, in the land of women's soccer, the Washington Freedom relayed to me that Abby Wambach isn't appealing her one-game suspension for hacking down Daniela, meaning she'll miss this weekend's trip to Boston.
Also, the U.S. women's team's two games against Japan later this month have been cancelled, as the Japanese have cited concerns about the H1N1 virus.
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