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. Beckhamgate steals the spotlight from Summer of Soccer » Lost in the brouhaha over David Beckham’s controversial return to Major League Soccer, and his inauspicious reaction to his unfriendly welcome at Home Depot Center, is that a year away from the 2010 World Cup, soccer is establishing newfound respect in the sports news cycle. Nevermind the crowds at Qwest Field (65,000) for Chelsea vs. Seattle or the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium (82,000) for Mexico’s CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal, none other than highlights of the Shamrock Rovers made ESPN’s SportsCenter. The Dublin, Ireland, club played host to Real Madrid in its first exhibition since signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.
2. MLS has talented players, we know » The least heralded of summer’s long list of silly friendlies is the Major League Soccer All-Star game, which this year pits MLS’ best — minus participants from D.C., New York, and Toronto, due to scheduling conflicts — against U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard and Everton from the English Premier League on July 29 in Salt Lake City. It’s a proven fact that the MLS team can and should beat its opponent in this match. But the convoluted and complicated roster setup further siphons already diminished meaning and interest. The funds spent luring European teams and administering this match would be better redirected into simply compensating the players who are picked as All-Stars. The last thing they need is another game to play.
3. Wambach nets her century » Washington Freedom forward Abby Wambach scored her 100th international goal for the U.S. in a conveniently staged match in her hometown of Rochester, N.Y. It was the only goal in the 1-0 win over Canada, making the 29-year-old Wambach the ninth woman to reach triple digits, and fifth in U.S. national team history, doing so faster than anyone before her (129 matches).
Key Game
CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal, United States vs. Honduras, Thursday, 8 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura » D.C. United midfielder Santino Quaranta was the hero when the U.S. topped Honduras, 2-0, in Gold Cup group play two weeks ago. Duplicating that effort with an increasingly depleted roster of youngsters won’t be easy against a team that has now dropped two in a row to the U.S.
