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Rivalry Week Full of Draws Could Be Sign of Exciting Season

hartj7 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 04:34:52 +0000

There were twice as many draws than wins this week in the MLS. A big reason why the casual sports fan never catches on to soccer is because nothing really gets decided with a draw. Both teams leave with a point and it doesn’t make a huge difference in the grand scope of things. What I enjoy about the deadlocks is what it means for the MLS this season. Teams are so even that anything could happen this year and it will be exciting to watch all year long.

1. LA Galaxy (1) - The 83rd minute goal looked like it was the decider, but the Galaxy lost focus and lost two points for it.

2. San Jose Earthquakes (3) - Snagging a point on the road against a very good Columbus team keeps the Earthquakes in good standing.

3. DC United (4) - It wasn’t pretty but United stole a point in New York.

4. Columbus Crew (5) - Like the Galaxy, the Crew allowed a quick goal after a late-game score to leave a win on the table.

5. Houston Dynamo (2) - Since the CCL first-leg win the Dynamo have looked pretty ugly.

6. Seattle Sounders (6) - And that’s why you play the full 90 minutes. The draw hurts the Sounders in the MLS and Cascadia Cup.

7. Vancouver Whitecaps (7) - A bye week may not be the best thing for a team that was so hot the first two weeks.

8. New York Red Bulls (8) - Well they were dominant, just a little unlucky to not get the win.

9. Montreal Impact (10) - That’s three in a row for the Impact.

10. Philadelphia Union (12) - Two wins in three games for the Union is a solid start.

11. Real Salt Lake (9) - They had to pull that one out at home. That’s not what you want against a team like Colorado.

12. Sporting KC (11) - Well that was a snoozer. Getting just a point at home has to be a disappointment for Sporting.

13. Portland Timbers (14) - A point is a point. They got it late, but the Timbers dominated the game in the second half.

14. Chivas USA (16) - A point against a rival and the best team in the MLS is a win in my book. It was a courageous effort by Chivas.

15. New England Revolution (13) - They almost got it done on the road. So close for the Revs.

16. FC Dallas (18) - They allowed the Dynamo back in the game, but a thrilling finish saved Dallas. There’s room for improvement, but overall not a bad match.

17. Chicago Fire (17) - I think I’d rather watch the show than this squad.

18. Toronto FC (15) - Toronto only has three points in three games despite playing pretty well.

19. Colorado Rapids (19) - Winless start for the Rapids is just a sign of what’s ahead.

Red Bull Rant 50: And Now For Something Completely Different

Jason Iapicco — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:26:42 +0000

Jason & Truman are joined by Dan Dickinson to talk about DC, Montreal, parody account, and have a bully time doing so. Sorry for the quality of the audio. UStream had issues with the audio levels.

Download Episode 50

The Cheeky Backheel Podcast, Episode 30

Jacob Cristobal — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:34:25 +0000

With Ryan unavailable for this episode, we look to the bench and Todd Hodges of the Cascadia Dominus podcast takes off the substitute bib and joins us. We recap Cascadia, Round One between Seattle and Portland as well as the rest of Major League Soccer’s “Rivalry Week” that included scoreless draws, that fierce and timeless rivalry that is San Jose and Columbus, one of the dumbest red cards in history and Dominic Kinnear calling FC Dallas a bunch of cheaters. We also talk about the US national team with their World Cup Qualifiers on the horizon. In European recap, Charlie talks about Arsenal getting revenge on Swansea City and moving up the ladder in the Cheeky Backheel Divisional. Rick doesn’t want to talk about Chelsea so he talks about other things happening in England like an inquiry as to where Robin Van Persie has gone. And in what’s a first for the podcast, we cover the hotness coming out of the Championship where Cardiff City is on course to secure promotion…maybe? And since we’re talking about the Championship, we spend some time talking about the Blackburn Chicken. For the game segment, we tried out a new one called “Fill In The Blank” – yes it is what you think it is and let us know what you think of it. Among the blanks that get filled in are when Manchester United will lose a game and to who, how many goals Mario Balotelli will score for AC Milan and how many games Peter Odemwinghe will play again for West Brom. For their In-Direct Free Kicks, Charlie talks about that Brian Strauss article, Todd talks about the art of being a supporter or “How I Can Like A Hated Rival & Not Hate Myself,” and Rick shares with us some of the calm, sensible questions the Internet had for a recent Twitter Q&A featuring Liverpool’s Stewart Downing. Can you believe there have been 30 of these episodes?

Host
Jacob Cristobal (@jacobcristobal)

Contributors
Charles Lehman (@chazz4444)
Rick Parker Rick Parker (@TheRickParker)

Special Guest Contributors
Todd Hodges (voice of Cascadia Dominus/@cascadiatid)

[Cheat Sheet] Jeff Corbett A Rock Star, Kerry Washington Makes DC Proud, And Thirsty Thursday

Jen Richer — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 13:23:06 +0000

SATC HITS DC: In another life you knew him as Aiden on Sex and the City. Well now Jeff Corbett is a real life country star….If you don’t believe me you can see for yourself tonight at Hill Country downtown. 10pm | Hill Country | 410 Seventh St. NW | $20 | Info

LISTEN HERE FOR JEN’S CHEAT SHEET
SMARTPHONE USERS CLICK HERE

Download: 03-21-13-cheat-sheet-fresh-am.mp3

ON TV: Who doesn’t love a good old fashion wonk war? It’s not to late to catch up on ABC’s show Scandal with Kerry Washington who plays the fixer Olivia Pope and tonight she’s going to war with the White House. [ABC 10pm]

SPORTS: Saturday our DC United is taking on the Columbus Crew here at RFK and if you are thinking about going check out the Family Pack that includes tickets, hotdogs and sodas for four—all for only $108 dollars. Info

THIRSTY THURSDAY: If Napa’s not going to make it into your weekend plans, you can still sneak in a little vino in. Loudoun County has got it going on when it comes to wine and this Saturday Purcellville’s Magnolias at the Mill is pulling together six local vintners at a five course tasting. Saturday Night | 7pm | $85 |Magnolias at the Mill | Purcellville, Va | Info

Mayor Gray: 'Bring Our Football Team Home Where They Belong'

Chris Lingebach — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:22:28 +0000

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) - Lavar and Dukes were privileged to be joined by esteemed D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray on Tuesday, so naturally they addressed the name of the Washington Redskins and what it would take to move the team back within city limits.

Well, he didn’t exactly talk about changing the name. In a roundabout way he sort of did, if you read between the lines.

“It would be great to get our football team back in the District of Columbia. That’s where they belong. They’re the Washington team and they should be in our city,” Gray said on 106.7 The Fan.

While he noticeably wouldn’t acknowledge the team as the Redskins, one can deduce he remains staunch in his position that a move back to Washington would be contingent on the team changing its name.

Gray did confirm the prime location remains the current site of the Redskins’ old home.

“And of course, we’ve got the site of RFK Stadium still out there,” Gray said. “That stadium is historic. It’s over 50 years old. But it really doesn’t have the qualities for a 21^st century sports team. So I’d love to see the stadium torn down and rebuild it. We’d just build a new stadium right there.”

And in further regards to moving the team, the mayor also had a few words for his counterpart across state lines in Maryland.

“Bring our football team home where they belong,” Gray said. “They belong in the city. They never should have left. With all due respect to my good friend [County Executive] Rushern Baker, we’d love to see that team leave Prince George’s County and come back to our city.”

To hear what the Mayor thinks about the Wizards’ name and the possibility of a new DC United stadium, listen below…

Download: %20106.7%20The%20Fan|width=425px|animation=no

Follow Mayor Gray on Twitter.

MLS Week 3 Summarized With Animated GIFs

Jacob Cristobal — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 23:20:32 +0000

Week 3 or what Major League Soccer wanted you to know was “Rivalry Week.” There was the Texas Derby, the Rockey Mountain Cup, Atlantic Cup, SuperClasico, Cascadia Cup, a battle for Canada and for some reason Columbus versus San Jose. Scoreless draws, coaches yelling at the fourth official, to multi-goal madness, it was an entertaining showing for the third week of MLS. And what better way to summarize it all up than with animated GIFs. Here you go.

DC’S BILL HAMID HOLDS A BLOCK PARTY, PLAY NY TO SCORELESS DRAW

SKC AND CHICAGO GKS HOLD THEIR OWN BLOCK PARTY TO A SCORELESS DRAW

MONTREAL CANNOT BE STOPPED, DOWNS TORONTO IN BATTLE OF CANADA

UNION’S WIN OVER REVS WAS SO THRILLING THAT MLS FORGOT TO WRITE A RECAP

COLUMBUS AND SAN JOSE DRAW IN THE LATEST CHAPTER OF CALIFORNIA-OHIO TURF WAR

SABORIO’S LATE EQUALIZER MEANS COLORADO IS NOW WINLESS IN UTAH FOR SIX YEARS

DEFENSIVE OOPS SEES PORTLAND STEAL A POINT FROM SEATTLE IN CASCADIA, ROUND ONE

HOUSTON’S KINNEAR GETS FIESTY, CALLS DALLAS CHEATERS IN MULTI-GOAL BONANZA

CHIVAS USA TROLLS LA GALAXY AND STEAL A POINT IN SUPERCLASICO ROUND UNO

RBNY Power Rankings - 2013 Week 3

Jason Iapicco — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:26:32 +0000

Week 2 of the Power Rankings follows New York hosting a 0-0 draw with DC. NY controlled the match with a total of 24 Attempts on Goal, but just couldn’t put one away. Reminder: these ratings are not based on just this week alone, they take into account previous weeks as well.

Games Played This Week:

3/16: 0-0 Draw vs. DC United

Unranked:

Armando Moreno (Previous: Not Listed, Stoppage Time vs DC) - Brought on for Henry in stoppage time.
Connor Lade (Previous: Unranked, Stoppage Time vs DC) – Brought on for Alexander in stoppage time. Was interesting for him to be played in the midfield role.
Diago (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Josue Martinez (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Kosuke Kimura (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Lloyd Sam (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Michael Bustamante (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Ryan Meara (Previous: Unranked, DNP)
Santiago Castano (Previous: Unranked, DNP)

Rankings:

#20 - Roy Miller (Previous: #12, DNP)

Last week’s rankings were written up before Roy’s now infamous comments were made public. Petke rightfully kept him out of the starting eleven. He’s being demoted (even though he’s already the lowest rated) just because of his comments.

#12 – Rubén Bover (Previous: #8, DNP vs DC)

Didn’t play against DC, so had to be dropped in the rankings.

#11 - Luis Robles (Previous: #11, 90 Mins vs DC)

Thank to the defense, he only had to face 2 Shots on Goal, but he did his job when it mattered. Didn’t move up only because he wasn’t tested a lot.

#10 – Juninho (Previous: Unranked, Did Not Play) – Did not play because of injury. Not going to rate him for that.

Came in as a sub in the second half, but had an impact. The team was creating chances and his insertion only helped the team. Had a great delivery on the corner where Hamid made an amazing goal line save to stop NY from winning.

Tie for #9 – Eric Alexander (Previous: #7, 89 Mins vs DC), Jonny Steele (Previous: #6, 68 Mins vs DC)

Played well on the wings, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. These two moved down in the rankings only because of everyone else rising.

#8 – Tim Cahill (Previous: #10, 90 Mins vs DC)

Cahill didn’t score, but he came close this week. Played well and showed some of that spark he had at Everton. He’s presence will be missed at Montreal, but you can see him starting to get in a NY state of mind. Still not sure how he got a yellow card in this match.

#7 - Fabian Espindola (Previous: #1, 90 Mins vs DC)

Had 2 shots, one which hit the crossbar. Played a good game, was just unlucky with his one shot off of the bar, which took some good moves just to get off. Like Cahill, I don’t know how he got his yellow.

#6 – Thierry Henry (Previous: #9, 89 Mins vs DC)

For all the times I thought Henry didn’t shoot in the DC match, he had a team high 10 shots (5 on goal). He was his typical self when he didn’t get the ball where he wanted it, but he showed flashes of his skill when he had it.

#5 - Dax McCarty (Previous: #4, 90 Mins vs DC)

Dax played well and contributed to the defense’s stellar game.

Tie for #1 - Brandon Barklage (Previous: #2, 90 Mins vs DC), Jamison Olave (Previous: #3, 90 Mins vs DC), Heath Pearce (Previous #5, 90 Mins vs DC), Markus Holgersson (Previous: Unranked, 90 Mins vs DC)

This probably won’t happen often, but the performance of the whole back line was so good that they all deserve top billing this week, even after a rocky first two games. Holgersson replacing Miller, and Pearce moving to Left Back really showed what this defense can be.

You can follow Jason on Twitter @DoctaStooge.

The Daily Drool: Mike Petke

headbandsandheartbreak — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:00:01 +0000

Mike Petke became the head coach of the New York Red Bulls in 2012 after a year as the assistant coach. He was previously a player for the MetroStars, DC United, Colorado Rapids and New York Red Bulls.

Red Bull Rant 49.5: DC Post Game (Video)

Jason Iapicco — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:32:04 +0000

Jason & Truman sit down with Tim Hall, Kevin Doten, and Steve “Creepy Taxi” Santos to talk about the DC match.

Download Episode 49.5

Red Bull Rant 49.5: DC Post Game (Audio)

Jason Iapicco — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:31:21 +0000

Jason & Truman sit down with Tim Hall, Kevin Doten, and Steve “Creepy Taxi” Santos to talk about the DC match.

Download Episode 49.5

Bill Hamid comes up big, holds Red Bulls scoreless

Jeff Kassouf — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 21:21:39 +0000

HARRSION, N.J. – Bill Hamid gave most of the credit to his back line, but the DC United goalkeeper w

Red Bull Rant 49: Roy Gets A Pi In The Face (Audio)

Jason Iapicco — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:47:04 +0000

Jason & Pat talk to Eric Giacometti about Roy Miller, San Jose, and DC United.

Download Episode 49

Red Bull Rant 49: Roy Gets A Pi In The Face (Video)

Jason Iapicco — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 03:46:45 +0000

Jason & Pat talk to Eric Giacometti about Roy Miller, San Jose, and DC United.

Download Episode 49

The Cheeky Backheel Podcast, Episode 29

Jacob Cristobal — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 18:43:17 +0000

It may be noticeable, it may not be, but three of us did this podcast with nearly shot voices. The magic of the CONCACAF Champions League match between the Seattle Sounders FC and Tigres UANL was the cause and while Ryan was in a press box covering the match on beat for Prost Amerika, the other three were in the stands going bananas. We recap that monumental night and gush over the goals of DeAndre Yedlin, Djimi Traore and Eddie Johnson. In fact magic was the theme of the week for Champions League matches as in the UEFA version Barcelona told the world, “Chill, we got this.” Then there’s the merry band known as Malaga CF who for whatever reason UEFA has decided to label them deadbeats and ban them from next year’s European competition. So you know what, screw it – root for Malaga to win it all boys and girls. We also take a look back at the second week of the MLS, which by now everyone will dub it The Roy Miller Experience. Preview a little thing called Cascadia as the Portland Timbers go northbound on I-5 and play in Seattle this weekend. We also recap the Premiership over the weekend where we still can’t believe that Ryan correctly predicted a Liverpool win AND Stewart Downing scoring. The mini-game this week is Match Ratings where we rate Rio Ferdinand’s cheap shot on Fernando Torres from the FA Cup match over the weekend, the college try of wrangling in a pitch-invading marten and man of the people, Joey Barton having a Twitter beef with Justin Bieber fans aka “Beliebers.” Episode 29 and if you’re an aficionado of hoarse voices, this one’s for you.

Host
Jacob Cristobal (@jacobcristobal)

Contributors
Charles Lehman (@chazz4444)
Rick Parker (@TheRickParker)
Ryan Sales (@salesonsounders)

MLS Finally Figures Out CCL

hartj7 — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:23:20 +0000

For the first time, an MLS team has eliminated a Mexican League team in the CONCACAF Champions League in a knockout stage. The team to do it was the Seattle Sounders who trumped Tigres 3-2 on aggregate after losing the first game 1-0 and falling behind in the first half on Tuesday.The Los Angeles Galaxy decided it was going to be the MLS’ year with their 4-1 victory over Costa Rica-based Herediano.

The other MLS team in the tourney, the Houston Dynamo, lost in embarrassing fashion falling to Santos Laguna 3-0 on Wednesday after a 1-0 lead in the first leg.

This is a positive sign for the MLS as Don Garber stated that he wanted to make the MLS one of the top leagues in the world. His point got across to the teams participating internationally and two teams now advance to the semifinals. That’s right, two of the four teams left in the CCL are MLS teams. That’s a positive step forward, now they must take it even further.

The Sounders and Galaxy will now face off against Xelaju and Monterrey for the North American crown.

Now for some power rankings.

1. Los Angeles Galaxy (2) - That was an impressive showing against Herediano. The Galaxy dominated from start to finish against a very good team.

2. Houston Dynamo (1) - Well the Champions League is over for them. Now they can focus on capturing an MLS Cup.

3. San Jose Earthquakes (3) - Well if Adam Jahn can keep up the performance he had against New York, the attack of the Earthquakes will be scary good with Chris Wondolowski and the rookie up top.

4. DC United (4) - United doesn’t lose at home, extending the unbeaten streak at RFK to 19 with the 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.

5. Columbus Crew (5) - Don’t look too much into the loss on the road in Vancouver. The Crew are still playing good soccer right now.

6. Seattle Sounders (9) - They showed a lot of fight coming back from the 2-0 aggregate deficit to defeat the short-handed Tigres.

7. Vancouver Whitecaps (10) - Two games, two wins. This season got off on the right foot for the Whitecaps who are playing some terrific soccer. They dominated possession against the Crew.

8. New York Red Bulls (7) - A little unfortunate in a bizarre finish with the Earthquakes. The Bulls haven’t started the year the way they wanted.

9. Real Salt Lake (8) - Well that was a rough game to watch. They didn’t look anything like the side that controlled the game last week against San Jose.

10. Montreal Impact (13) - Two road wins to start the season is all the Impact could have hoped for.

11. Sporting KC (6) - The 13-match regular season unbeaten streak for Sporting finally ended in an ugly bout against Toronto.

12. Philadelphia Union (15) - They rebounded this week with a win over Colorado, battling for the full 90 to get three points.

13. New England Revolution (16) - As the last team to open the season, the Revolution made it count. The Revs defeated the the Fire despite not being the better team on the pitch. Hey, a win is a win.

14. Portland Timbers (11) - The Timbers have a big rivalry match to look forward to this week against the Sounders. Maybe the loss to the Impact will give them some added energy.

15. Toronto FC (18) - Toronto looked good last week against the Whitecaps and got the win this week over Sporting. They made their chances count and might be better than we thought.

16. Chivas USA (19) - Chivas really battled against Dallas after falling behind 1-0 to get the 3-0 victory.

17. Chicago Fire (14) - You have to take care of business at home, especially after the embarrassing loss to the Galaxy a week ago. The Fire are in shamble at the moment.

18. FC Dallas (12) - Well that was a nice gift they handed Chivas. I wonder what it was for.

19. Colorado Rapids (17) - One of only two teams to start the season 0-2. The Rapids need to turn it around on the road against Real Salt Lake. The goal has to be a point.

NCAA Big East Tournament Mar. 12, 2013

Sports Tarotist — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:44:34 +0000

Hi all!

Today is the beginning of the (current) Big East Tournament. Enjoy it now, because it all changes on July 1.

Anyway, only two Big East games tonight, but I have some other sports items to weigh in on by request. Oh, and I’m dusting off my Osho Zen Tarot for the occassion.

Ready? Let’s go! As always, thanks for stopping by.

S. FLORIDA v. SETON HALL: Page of Water (Understanding)/II–Inner Voice

Such a peaceful yet happy feel to these cards. Anyway, the team feeling the happiness won’t be the Pirates.
WIN: S. Florida

DEPAUL v. RUTGERS: V–No-Thingness/10 Fire (Suppression)

The Scarlet Knights have got this.
WIN: Rutgers

Valparaiso, one of my preferred teams, plays Wright State in the Horizon League tourney tonight:

10 Air (Rebirth)/Knight Water (Trust)

I’m definitely feeling Valpo for the win.

And in other news, Joe from Northern VA asked if I could shed some light on the ACC Tournament hopes of his alma mater, the University of Virginia.

3 Air (Ice-olation)/The Master

Sorry, Joe, but I don’t see the ‘Hoos going the distance. They may even get bounced in their second-round game on Friday, 3/15 (The Ides of March!) if they end up playing NC State, which they probably will (I can’t see Virginia Tech getting past the Wolfpack).

Joe also wanted to know about his beloved DC United soccer team.

XIX–Innocence/6 Air (Burden)

Hmm…I don’t follow DCU, but I got a sense from these cards that they, as a team, are carrying something that is having a detrimental effect on the team mentality and playing potential. I kept getting that a player contract is involved, which is tied into some prima donna behavior. The sooner this is dealt with, the better off for the organization as a whole.

MLS Week 2 Summarized With Animated GIFs

Jacob Cristobal — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:49:34 +0000

Oh what tangled webs of parity the second week of Major League Soccer wove for us, huh? If a MLS side lost last weekend, chances are they won this weekend. Unless you’re the Chicago Fire. Where Week 1 saw all but New England Revolution start their season, three clubs got the weekend off because of CONCACAF Champions League duties. Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy and Seattle Sounders FC having the weekend off didn’t deprive the MLS of any action as there were plenty of headlines, capped off with the national TV spotlight on The Roy Miller Experience Tour making a stop in Buck Shaw Stadium.

SPORTING KANSAS CITY LOSE TO TORONTO

REAL SALT LAKE STILL WINLESS AT RFK

NEW ENGLAND STARTS SEASON BY SPOILING CHICAGO’S HOME OPENER

KOBAYASHI OPENS THE SCORING SIX MINUTES IN EN ROUTE TO CAPS OVER CREW

MONTREAL, THE REAL KINGS OF CASCADIA?

UNION WIN IN COLORADO, MATCH-POSTPONING SNOWSTORM BE DAMNED

CHIVAS USA WINS, STILL LIES ABOUT ATTENDANCE NUMBERS

RED BULLS’ ROY MILLER HAD A BAD SUNDAY NIGHT, RESULTS IN QUAKES WIN

"What Lies Behind Us And What Lies Before Us Are Small Matters Compared To What Lies Within Us"

Melissa — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:35:00 +0000

This weekend was a fantastic weekend. Just one of those weekends where everything worked out and I had so much fun.

On Friday Jen and I met up with Gina at Sticky Rice on H Street. G was in town for the DC United home opener, among other things, and it was great to have some one on one time with her. She’s super popular and literally cannot go anywhere in DC without running into someone she knows. The last few times she’s been back in DC since moving home to Austin, TX I’d get to see her for 10 minutes at the tailgate and that would be it I had the California Roll and the Spicy Avocado roll at dinner (adventurous, I know), and we all split a bucket of tots. I also had a Huckleberry Lemonade. It was soooooooo delicious!

Sexy Ladies!

After Sticky Rice, we walked a few blocks to Rock N Roll Hotel for Traci and Eric’s going away party. They are heading to Lagos, so the Presidential Suite was rented out, and we danced the night away to Rihanna, JBeebs, Ace of Base, and the Jackson 5, among others. No lie, when Rude Boy came on, I screamed “this is my jam!” Because I am so white. And because it is, in fact, my jam. I had so much fun catching up with Traci, Jackie, Rick, Blondie, and all the people I haven’t seen since November.

After a full-of-vodka-spins-night’s-sleep, I ordered my Tieks and this awesome tote bag from bed because my federal tax return was deposited into my account. Jen served me a delicious raspberry Toaster Strudel in bed and let me apply my own cream cheese topping. Some things a girl’s just gotta do herself. That was our appetizer for DCU Ladies brunch at Lavagna on 8th Street. I had attempted to host a Hex Planning Brunch at Lavagna a few months ago, but their customer service at that time was craptastic, and we took our patronage elsewhere. However, I was willing to give them another go, and I’m glad I did.

My whole reason for wanting to eat there was the Nutella Mascarpone Pancakes, and they were so glorious. Like so glorious that the description of my reaction to them would probably qualify as pornographic. Everyone else enjoyed their meals, and we had a fantastic round of girl talk. We were enjoying ourselves so much that the restaurant was staring at us. This could have something to do with us reading the Amazon book description for Gangbanged At The Zoo in movie trailer voices, but I choose to believe it’s because people were in awe of our glamorousness.

On the walk back to Jen’s place, we stopped at the Friends of Southeast Library Book Sale. I never pass up a good book sale, even when I am trying to get rid of physical books. After 30 minutes of browsing, I left with the book I’m reading the description of above, and a Susan Elizabeth Phillips novel. Total financial output? $1. Baller.

After hanging out and watching the Caps game WHICH WE ARE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT, it was FINALLY time to return to Lot 8 and RFK. We were a little keen and had to wait in line to enter the parking lot.

Hey BMac!

It was such a gorgeous day for tailgating! The sun was out, there was a nice breeze to keep me from getting overheated in my Under Armour top. It was great roaming around and catching up with everyone. Catching up with people was the theme of the weekend. The DC Slices truck provided delicious noms for dinner, and the Screaming Eagles beverage tent was serving ice-cold Sam Adams. A quick jaunt to the Team Store resulted in a new girly DCU t-shirt, although I was disappointed that the DCU trolls were not yet in stock. My progressive Gay Gnome family are looking to adopt and this troll is going to be perfect!!

After 4 hours of tailgating (this is the reason I have old lady Dr. Scholl’s inserts in my Game Day Chucks), it was time for kickoff!! Even if you are taking your life into your hands, I still love it being on the bouncy bleachers and cheering on my team! I’m nowhere near match fit and was exhausted from chanting and singing 15 minutes into the match. I need to be up in the gym working on my fitness or something. I was super excited to see Max at the tailgate and find out he was coming to the game seeing as homeslice is a die hard Houston fan. He stole Jen’s shades and went incognito, although he did get into the cheering once he got his hands on a cowbell. Kid is cray. The game wasn’t pretty, but DC United won 1-0, starting our season at home off proper! The supporter’s groups pulled off a pretty awesome tifo, using a Thoreau quote*, and then creating the DC Flag with banners.

So a pretty great weekend! I’m spending my Sunday watching Liverpool (we won!), the Capitals (in progress but losing at the time I am writing this post), Project Runway, and Justin Timberlake hosting SNL. There’s some laundry thrown in there as well, when I can be bothered to get up from the couch to switch it around. Also, who ever decided Daylight Savings Time was a good idea? Not only did I lose an hour of sleep, but it throws my stomach’s feeding schedule off. This was my conversation with my alarm this morning:

How was your weekend?

* There is some argument as who originated this quote. I attributed it to Thoreau since the wording used on the banner is the wording Thoreau is generally credited for.
Photo of tifo display via PERESTROIKA APPROACHES

I'm Back (For Now)

kepc4 — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:16:23 +0000

Feels good to be back in the DC Metro area for Spring break. It’s practically tropical here compared to where I’ve been for the last several months. Not sure if you’re aware of how cold it is in Syracuse, New York, but let’s just say I’ve spent a lot of time indoors.

Plenty of sports to go around this weekend in the area, and I’ll be heading out to RFK tomorrow for DC United’s home opener. I think it’ll be tough for the Black and Red to take down Real Salt Lake without their captain, Dwayne De Rosario, who is still out on suspension thanks to his Zidane-esque head butt of a Philadelphia player in the preseason, but who knows. Here’s to hoping DC comes out on top, and I get lots of beer thrown on me by the Barra Brava. That’s all for now.

Case Closed

Dynamo Come Out Hot

hartj7 — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:38:52 +0000

One week of Major League Soccer is in the books and we saw some good soccer over the weekend. The most impressive victory might have been the Los Angeles Galaxy’s thumping of the Chicago Fire, but the most impressive team has been the Houston Dynamo.

Not only did they grab a 2-0 win against DC United, they also managed to steal a 1-0 victory in the CONCACAF Champions League. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said that he wants the MLS to be one of the top 10 leagues in the world. That starts by performing in the Champions League, something MLS teams have struggled to do over the years.

With this added emphasis put on the Champions League, Houston winning the first leg of their match against Santos Laguna three days after a MLS victory is all the more impressive.

1. Houston Dynamo (2) - Well they started off on the right foot.

2. Los Angeles Galaxy (3) - That whooping the Galaxy put on Chicago shows the rest of the league, LA is ready to get back to another MLS Cup.

3. San Jose Earthquakes (1) - I would say a 2-0 loss to Real Salt Lake at home is acceptable, but it’s not. It can’t be if the Earthquakes hope to win another Supporter’s Shield.

4. DC United (4) - I wouldn’t worry too much about a road loss against the top team in the MLS.

5. Columbus Crew (8) - It was just Chivas, but come on. The Crew looked good.

6. Sporting Kansas City (9) - Graham Zusi putting away that goal before halftime was critical. His two assists? Well that’s just Zusi.

7. New York Red Bulls (7) - Going into a crazy crowd in Portland and pulling out a tie is a solid start for the Bulls, but failing to hold a 3-1 lead is not a good sign.

8. Real Salt Lake (10) - They stole one from the Earthquakes, but a win is a win and Saborio is amazing.

9. Seattle Sounders (5) - When you don’t find the back of the net, the other team will make you pay. Despite controlling most of the game, the Sounders fell to the counter attack goal from the Impact.

10. Vancouver Whitecaps (12) - The Whitecaps pulled off the win against the lowly Toronto in a snoozer of a game.

11. Portland Timbers (13) - All those goals. I hope this is what the rest of the season produces in Portland. A thrilling tie (who would have thought that would ever be said) with New York kicked this season off right.

12. FC Dallas (14) - A little luck is all it takes sometimes. The gift of a goal from Ceus allowed Dallas to sit back for most of the game.

13. Montreal Impact (15) - Despite never being in control of the game, the Impact executed the game plan. Sit back, be patient and strike on the counter. It brought them three points on the road in Seattle.

14. Chicago Fire (6) - Oh boy. Obviously not the start they wanted. There’s a lot of things to fix this week against New England.

15. Philadelphia Union (11) - One good sign is that Sebastian Le Toux is back in Philadelphia and in form. The striker will be key for Philadelphia this year.

16. New England Revolution (16) - The Revolution were the only team to not play the first weekend. They get their chance this week.

17. Colorado Rapids (17) - They were in charge in Dallas, but the result doesn’t always go your way. That’s what happens when your starting goalie is out.

18. Toronto FC (19) - They played surprisingly well against Vancouver. Will they be able to keep it up against Kansas City?

19. Chivas USA (18) - I’m hoping they get better with time, they’re hoping so too, I’m sure. Nobody wants to be a punching bag.

United Kickoff Luncheon Part 2

blessedbklynite — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 17:16:07 +0000

Here are a few more pics I took at the United Kickoff Luncheon. They are mostly of the items they h

United Kickoff Luncheon Part 1

blessedbklynite — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:45:34 +0000

Here are a few pics I took at the United Kickoff Luncheon. They are mostly of the items they had up

The Shortlist March 6, 2013

The Scheduler — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:37:47 +0000

The Scheduler is now fully operational! My weekly digest will come out more or less every Wednesday. Here are my picks from what’s coming up this week.

Per the impending Snowquester Wednesday, there are some great brunch and happy hour deals!

On Thursday, March 7, the Phillips Collection is hosting From the Philippines to the Phillips, part of the Phillips After 5 series, in conjunction with the Philippine Embassy to explore Filipino culture, art, food and music.

The DC Independent Film Festival runs from March 6-10, based mostly out of the US Navy Memorial Heritage Center, and includes feature length films, shorts, seminars, panels, and masterclasses. Personal screenings of interest are the Amazing Animation shorts program, live action shorts program, Docs at Night documentary shorts program, the Experimental and Shorts Program, and Camera Shy . The workshops From Papercutting to 3D filmmaking – A Collaboration between Two Artists and Tradigital Mythmaking-Adapting Literature for Animation in an Intercultural Context are looking pretty cool too. The full schedule can be found here.

The Francophonie Cultural Festival 2013 is in full swing. Tonight’s event, La Cuisine du Québec: Exploring the Passion and Depth of Québec’s Emerging Microbreweries, has been postponed due to the storm, but there are number of other films, fêtes, concerts, and performances in the coming week.

DC United opens the season on March 9 with a game at home at RFK Stadium against Real Salt Lake. Tickets can be found here.

The DC Environmental Film Festival is March 12-24, full schedule found here, my picks will be in next week’s Shortlist.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival has been announced for March 20-April 14. Hopefully the Snowquester doesn’t kill off all the flowers… Scheduled events are forthcoming, but the Cherry Blossom Parade is on April 13. Also, there is apparently an app coming soon…

I hate St. Patrick’s Day. I do. In spite of that, next week’s shortlist will be full of green beer and Kiss Me I’m Irish T-shirts. Ugh.

That’s it for this week’s Shortlist. As always, pencil me in!

The Scheduler

MLS Week 1 Summarized With Animated GIFs

Jacob Cristobal — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:50:13 +0000

Week 1 of the 2013 Major League Soccer season is in the book. There was drama, upsets and just the general good vibes from the fact that the beautiful game is up and running again in the US. While we’ll save our great pontifications for later this week on the podcast after the CONCACAF Champions League fixtures, here’s a quick summary of the weekend’s action.

And what better way than with animated GIFs right?

SPORTING KANSAS CITY SPOILS LE TOUX’S RETURN TO PHILADELPHIA

VANCOUVER BESTS CANADIAN RIVAL TORONTO BUT LOSE DEMERIT TO INJURY

TWO LATE GOALS RESULT IN DC UNITED STILL WINLESS IN HOUSTON

RAPIDS GOAKEEPER BLUNDER IS A GIFT OF A GOAL FOR DALLAS

MONTREAL PULLS THE UPSET SPECIAL IN SEATTLE

CHIVAS USA LOSE TO COLUMBUS AND LIES ABOUT ATTENDANCE

MIKE MAGEE HAT TRICKS CHICAGO

TIMBERS AND RED BULLS PUT ON A THRILLER IN PORTLANDIA

REBUILT REAL SALT LAKE BESTS SAN JOSE

Last Year's Finalist Get Off on Right Foot in MLS

Joseph Aldrich — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 01:10:21 +0000

The Houston Dynamo pounded on DC in their home opener for 80 minutes before netting two goals. Really the Dynamo could have just as easily won that game 5-0. DC looked like no one had told them the regular season started and Ben Olsen may have a tough challenge this season if his players stay this disinterested. Don’t take credit from Houston though, they played well the whole game and the triangle pass that started the sequence for the first goal was pretty soccer for this early in the year.

On the other side of the country last year’s MLS champs LA Galaxy made it hard to tell how good they are or how bad the Chicago Fire will be this year. The Fire didn’t have much to show, but it could just be a matter of acclimation time. Jeff Larentowicz and Joel Lindpere should turn out to be a strong midfield duo. The Galaxy on the other hand looked great the whole game, especially Mike Magee who scored a natural hat trick… that didn’t come during the post season. Watch out if he’s able to keep his playoff form for a whole year. He’ll give Wondo a run for his money.