Home Sweet Home

I left the house yesterday morning and all was right with the world. Scott Wagstaff had put Charlton ahead of Oldham allowing (some of) my fellow Addicks to take note of Lloyd Sam's dream start with Leeds without regret.

While I would have enjoyed listening to the game and following the reaction on CharltonLife (and watching Arsenal demolish the Tangerines), I had to see a man about a pony. Our daughter had enthusiastically agreed to a soccer weekend with three games over two days, as well as watching a practice session before United's game against the Union. To show my immense gratitude, we hit the Montgomery County Fair to hang out with rescued horses (and donkeys) and pony rides. And, well, it took longer than expected.

Toddlers need naps. Parents who deny this reality pay in spades. By the time we got to Paul Angelo Russo Stadium in Towson, most of the first half was completed and we sat down in time to see Ali Gerba complete a first half hat trick for the Montreal Impact. Better late than never, because we were treated to the best performance by a team that we've seen in lower division soccer. Gerba was tremendous and the attacking play was precise and devastating. Through balls were played at perfect weight, with great timing, and relentless repetition. CP Baltimore's defense was scrambling to keep the score at less than five and heroically parried a number of goal scoring opportunities.

CP Baltimore got destroyed. It was an embarrassing performance. But the upshot for us was that Baltimore may have finally gotten it right. For the club, it may be too late. But if they are going to go down, they will at least do so in a comfortable setting.

There were more fans at the game than we have seen in quite some time. And they were families and kids. And happy. Paul Angelo Russo is a nice site -- it is over an hour away from our home (an additional thirty minutes from UMBC's stadium), so a major personal inconvenience -- and it is conducive to the type of support base that the club has right now. Which is the same as their support last season; the support of a third division football team with a decent youth program.

Players, like Val Teixeira, mingled easily with the fans in the stands. As did our daughter. She had chosen to wear a pink Montreal Impact shirt we picked up at the Stade Saputo in July, but no one seemed to care. At the end of the game, she joined the throng of kids seeking autographs from the players in uniform, who also mingled easily with the crowd. Andy Marshall gave her some stick for the shirt and made her smile, and, in turn, each of the players who stuck around seemed to enjoy interacting with the children.

Going to the game was fun. Never mind results. And that is a sea change for Crystal Palace Baltimore this season.

There are three home games left in the season. We probably won't make them. But I feel some regret and loss at that, because there is certainly something redeemable about the team and it will be a damn shame if they don't make it to another season.

Draftsmen

Much of my continually expanding appreciation for soccer is attributable not only to direct experiences as a passive observer of the game but also to what has been written about the sport. There is not a lot of soccer reporting in the United States, but in some ways this ends up being a virtue, as people who write about the subject have a remarkable passion for the game.

Brent Latham's recent contribution to the great site This Is American Soccer underscores just how much commitment is required to play in the field. Latham's essay is beautiful and required reading for anyone interested in the game in this country.

Passion for the game continues to be evident in Brian Quarstad's work regarding the second division of soccer in the country. Few people interested in sports seem to be able to bother with the league, but Quarstad continues to bust his rear pulling together essential information for those of us who do care. A little over a week ago, Mr. Quarstad obtained and posted USSF's new standards for Division II soccer and, most recently, took the time to knock down some uninformed and reckless reports spread regarding the future of certain clubs.

The focus of Mr. Quarstad's work is incredibly important. Locally, a complete lack of information from Crystal Palace Baltimore regarding what the heck is going on with the club -- where now game locations and times are announced the day before they are scheduled to occur -- has managed to kill whatever marginal support the club had built up over the last few years. Provided Saturday's game remains in Towson and kicks off at 5 pm, we plan on going to the game, but I can't imagine who else would be bothering to go this year. Although they are certainly not the worst team in the league, the move up has been disastrous for a team that is in a good market; enough so where continued operation in a manner consistent with the characterizations revealed by Mr. Quarstad's work threatens to do grievous harm to the prospects for professional soccer in Baltimore for some time.

If CP Baltimore folds, I will be saddened, but not crushed (silver lining: I will be free to burn the Palace shirts I own). On the other hand, if the Puerto Rico Islanders are cut out of the second division, it will be a disaster. The Islanders are one of the most compelling story lines of second division football here. Puerto Rico plays at a level that makes sense for their market and the Islanders' front office has run the team well enough that they have become a force to reckon with in CONCACAF club play. Over the last few years, I have become a fan of the club, its players, and its supporters. The Islanders have earned a spot in the second division of U.S. soccer and any decision by USSF that would preclude them from keeping a place in the league should be met with heavy opposition from all fans of the game.

Payneful

By the time the fourth official held up the board noting five minutes of stoppage time, my daughter had seen enough. "Daddy, I'm going home" and with that shot backwards, she was up the stairs and heading to the 200 section. 10 pm is late for her, but I think that the desire to depart came from something more. The mood of supporters at the game wasn't great -- people were looking for something to cheer for and despite a beautiful cross from Q bundled into the net by a Dallas defender denying Andy Najar a goal but putting United on the board, there was not much to get behind.

I lingered before reaching the concourse long enough to see Dallas' third goal and then, along with most others in attendance, we headed for the exit. The sights on the way out of the stadium were more depressing than what we had seen on the field. Numerous fans walked by just shaking their heads in resignation and disbelief. How could things have gotten this bad? Who took the joy from Whoville?

This season has seen the culmination of the utter destruction of the glorious history of the club. Luciano Emilio went from being one of the most frightening strikers in the MLS to a guy who writers like Goff can address in mocking terms. Cristian Gomez walked away from the club a second time in disgrace. Fred was banished to Philadelphia to bring back another part of former United glory -- Troy Perkins, a keeper whose reputation has been all but wiped away by this awful season. A former United player was brought back to clean up after Soehn's tenure and was afforded none of the patience shown to his predecessor. Ben Olsen was handed the helm without any prospect of success. And now Jaime Moreno, one of the greatest players to don a United shirt in the club's (admittedly short) history, has been unceremoniously kicked to the curb.

What transpired at RFK tonight was truly a travesty. United fans have been asked to get behind a team where there is no glory, no honor, no hope. Just guys playing out their contractual obligations. Although Hamid started in place of Perkins, the backline in front of him featured Julius James, Carey Talley, Devon McTavish, and Marc Burch. I'm thrilled that Burch is back and the threat posed by his free kicks was on display tonight. But Carey Talley is 33. Julius James, Marc Burch, and Devon McTavish are 26. What is the point? Dejan (25) has a hamstring problem, but no injuries were reported regarding Jordan Graye (23) or Barry Rice (22) or new DCU recruit Jed Zayner (25). So, why is the oldest crew possible on the field? Are we supposed to come to the stadium to watch veterans put together digital video reels for future job positions? And if it is about letting veterans play out the string with honor, why isn't Jaime Moreno on the field?

Pablo Hernandez and Andy Najar were the best thing about being at RFK tonight. Hamid put in a disappointing shift tonight, but I am willing to sit through it with the hope that his game will improve with more first team experience. Same with Graye and Rice.

Before leaving for the game tonight, I caught some of the Red Bulls-Galaxy match. The gulf between what the supporters of these two franchises enjoy and what DCU fans currently endure has never been greater. And its widening. Every day.

Mustang Solly

I would hazard to guess that there were not many other folks within the District of Columbia on Friday afternoon that were punching the air and whopping in response to Chris Solly's first touch of the ball in Charlton's away tie against Leyton Orient. I am always too optimistic and rarely ever appreciate the depth of the weakness of any team I root for, but boy oh boy do I like this team. Of the three hours of League 1 football played by Charlton so far this season, over a full hour has been spent a man down. The result? Charlton 4, Bournemouth/Leyton Orient 1.

I thought Chris Solly was hard done by not being part of the starting XI at Leyton, but it is impossible to quarrel with the results. A beautiful cross from Simon Francis, the man picked ahead of Solly at fullback, converted by Alan McCormack put the Addicks up a goal before the half hour as the former shrimpers combined masterfully. Having already provided Nicky Bailey to Charlton, Southend has become the Pittsburgh Pirates to CAFC's Chicago Cubs. For Solly's part, no hung head, but, quite to the contrary, a late introduction is met with a vibrant response that put the game away and relieved all the tension the faithful felt as Charlton attempted to hold on to all three points. Top of the table is a nice place to be, even if it is only early days. Well done. Well played. Hoo-rah.

There seems to be a consensus that Charlton Life will sponsor one of Mr. Solly's shirts this season and he is fully deserving of the support. For our part, we (read: I) have decided to continue sponsoring players on other clubs, although to a far more limited extent than last season. I love the additional incentive provided by sponsorship to follow results in other leagues and I have generally been well-rewarded with great storylines. For instance, this year we are once again sponsoring the home and away kit of a player on Accrington Stanley. Stanley, as a story as well as a club, is absurdly compelling. For the last two seasons, the team has seemingly hovered at death's door and yet, irrespective of daytime television level trials and travails, they achieve great things. Last season, in defiance of all expectations, Accrington maintained its league status and had a wonderful run in the FA Cup that allowed us to watch them live on television in their fourth round home tie against Fulham.

John Coleman's been the head of the squad since 1999 and Accrington's continuing gadfly presence in the League must surely be the product of some magic on his part. Again this season, Stanley's year began with more problems following Ilyas Khan's decision to leave the Chairmanship and a transfer ban being imposed that left the team with something like four registered players. And, yet, nevertheless, straight out of the gate, Accrington managed to take the scalp of the Championship side Doncaster Rovers in the Carling Cup and their profit on it is a home tie against Newcastle United, following the Toon's return to top flight. How absurd is this story? The Crown Ground's total capacity is a little over 5,000, which the club struggles to fill on a regular basis. When NUFC has an open training at St. James Park, 6,000 show up to watch practice (PRACTICE? PRACTICE? We're talking about PRACTICE?).

On the other hand, faerie tales would not seem to be true for all the teams we have a soft spot for. We are not renewing sponsorship of a Bohs player, but not for lack of trying. Repeated efforts to once again sponsor a player from the Irish champions were ignored, making recent reports that the club is in dire financial straits following their embarrassing departure from the Champions League at the hands of The New Saints more depressing. The Independent notes that the poor financial outlook of the team which may require Bohemians to go back to part time is due to lower than expected gate receipts and commercial income -- which makes the failure to follow up on supporters' past financial support even more inexplicable.

Standards

There is some amazing work being done by folks operating U.S. soccer-related blogs. Over the last few years, I have gone from being disappointed at the lack of decent coverage from reporters in traditional sports media outlets and frustrated by the half-assed efforts of local reporters assigned to cover the sport to blown away by the high level at which many committed soccer enthusiasts operate online, independent journals.

The Shin Guardian's recent interview with the Sounders' David Estrada is a perfect example of this. What TSG has publicized to soccer fans throughout the country is a compelling story of a player in the MLS who you want to root for. This is the type of stuff that gets me to tune into MLS games when they are on ESPN or the Fox Soccer Channel and sparks my wife's interest as well. TSG's piece is what sells the MLS -- and this point is not made to argue that Mr. Estrada's achievements to date would be any less impressive if they were not highlighted in an interview, only that a great story would be known by far too few people.

Similarly, I am awed by the work of Brian Quarstad over at Inside Minnesota Soccer. I don't really care about soccer in Minnesota (hailing from Illinois and Iowa, I am interested in the sport in those two states, but know nothing about them) and yet I make sure to check out Mr. Quarstad's site every day. IMS is essential reading for anyone who follows second division professional soccer in the country, as evidenced by his piece today on the USSF's release of the standards that will be imposed on the league next season. Outside of Mr. Quarstad, I have not run across anyone else who affords D-2 soccer serious treatment sufficient to keep supporters usefully apprised of developments. Indeed, it is the height of absurdity that, as a season ticket holder, I get more information about CP Baltimore from IMS than from any local news source or from supporters of the club.

Unfortunately, any concerns that I have about being left in the dark will likely be rendered moot by the standards Mr. Quarstad posted today from USSF. As noted, I have no useful information about the club, but I would highly doubt that CP Baltimore will be in any position to meet the requirements for a club in D-2 next season. In fact, I would be amazed if the minimum required -- eight teams -- would be able to meet these standards (although clearly the USSF must think that eight teams could meet these prerequisites next season). But I understand why it has to happen; as Mr. Quarstad has repeatedly noted, a 75% fail rate for franchises in the second division is the product of an unsustainable business model that does little to promote the image of soccer as a serious spectator sport in the United States. At this moment in time, getting the second division right -- in the wake of all that has been done to place the MLS on solid ground -- is vitally important to the growth of soccer in country.

Really Maryland

I was able to listen to the first half of Charlton's opener through CAFC player and the description of the game seemed to indicate that Charlton controlled much of the tempo of the match and created numerous opportunities on goal. The 1-0 win seemed to reflect a failure to convert opportunities, but three points is three points.

We were able to catch the final home game of Real Maryland's disappointing season later in the day. Our two-year old was in a great mood and was making the most of the night out, allowing me to focus on the game more than any previous one this season. And what I saw was a decent game, a heart-breaking 2-2 draw with Charlotte where Real Maryland should have taken all three points. There were still a lot of frustrating things about the team -- most noticeably, the squad members spend an inordinate amount of time screaming at each other in frustration, despite some pretty awful play from nearly everyone on the team at some moment or another during the game. Someone in front of us asked a friend if he thought that DC United spent as much time screaming at each other and then concluded that they probably yelled just as much, but you couldn't hear it in the stands. I restrained myself from answering that I've only seen Morsink and Q yell at their teammates in the same manner and that even opposing sides generally don't scream at each other with the same level of hostility. The discord within the team makes them difficult to watch.

On the other hand, the wide play from Real Maryland's midfield was excellent. I was embarrassed to realize that I did not know anything about either Ben Hunter or Israel Sesay, both of whom were very impressive on the night. Hunter served up a beautiful ball from the left for Jyler Noviello to tap in for the team's first goal and then scored the second off a wicked shot that skipped off of a defender's arm and into goal. Hunter has a remarkable story. He's 25 and hails from the Doncaster Rovers academy set up, but came to the U.S. to play soccer for the University of Rio Grande (a two year college not confusingly at all located in Ohio) before transferring to UNC. Ben did well enough for the Tar Heels to be drafted by Columbus in the fourth round, but didn't make a senior appearance for the Crew. After a couple of seasons at Richmond, Hunter joined Real Maryland this season. What Hunter lacks in pace he makes up for in placement. The pass to Noviello for the goal was fantastic and Hunter's ability to switch the field was great.

On the right side, Real Maryland featured Israel Sesay, easily the most creative force in the team. It is ridiculous that I did not notice Sesay earlier in the season. Sesay, who will turn 20 in September, is only three years removed from earning a $57,000 professional salary for the LA Galaxy as a 16 year old. Sesay had two stints in Bradenton in the U.S. Soccer Residency Program, where he played with Zac MacMath and Gale Agbossoumonde. Sesay was brilliant on the ball and has uncommon dribbling skills for third division soccer in the U.S. When he gets the ball on his feet, the modest crowd was frequently drawn into the game, waiting to see what Izzy would do.

I've been snarky about poor performances from Real Maryland in the past, but, on the last of the home fixtures, I finally realized that there was something worth paying attention to on the pitch. Better late than never.

Nth Power

It has been a frustrating year for local professional soccer. DC United and Real Maryland occupy last place in their respective leagues, and Crystal Palace has only been spared that same infamy by flagging franchises in Miami and St. Louis. For all three clubs, poor performances on the field have further endangered their prospects for survival over the long term and have substantially dampened enthusiasm at an otherwise opportune time for expanding their fanbase.

The stakes are also high for Charlton this season -- as they have been each of the last three campaigns. And, yet, I cannot stifle my excitement as kickoff approaches against Bournemouth at The Valley tomorrow. Season tickets are down, reported to be 8,437 as of today. There is no question that support has waned and the dire financial straits of the club heaps yet more pessimism on immediate prospects.

Still, what Phil Parkinson has achieved in pulling together a side with little more than duct tape has been nothing short of remarkable. There is virtually no one left in the team from the last time we saw them play -- the opening match of the club's return to the Championship against Scunthorpe -- but the team has the potential of being even better than last year's version. Gone are Nicky Bailey, Jonjo Shelvey, Lloyd Sam, Frazier Richardson, Deon Burton, Darren Randolph, Sam Sodje, and the trio of disappointing strikers who never came close to meeting their promise (Izale McLeod, Chris Dickson, and Stuart Fleetwood). In their place, Gary Doherty, Alan McCormack, Johnnie Jackson, Simon Francis, Pawel Abbott, Matt Fry, Ross Worner, Lee Martin, and Bally Smart join Rob Elliott, Kyel Reid, Akpo Sodje, Therry Racon, Jose Semedo, captain Christian Dailly, Miguel Llera, Kelly Youga, Alex Stavrinou, Scott Wagstaff, Chris Solly, and Tamer Tuna for the new look Addicks. Although none of the new signings are world-class footballers, they appear to be solid players and to fit into Parkinson's plans for how he would like the team to play.

Not bad for a manager of a skint club. And, even better, considering that Parkinson has taken full ownership of the team he has compiled.

The patience from supporters will undoubtedly be short and a set back against the Cherries will poison the well from the word go, but I don't think there is reason to take a gloomy view based on what PP has managed to do in the market.

Of course, I was also excited about the signing of Izale McLeod -- one of his shirts, purchased from the club at a remarkably reasonable price, hangs in my closet -- and don't have the foggiest first-hand knowledge of the vast majority of the team. Hope springs eternal. Come on you reds.