Excessive

A tough week at work that prevented any time for enjoying sport gave way tonight to what may prove to be a far too packed schedule of soccer. It started tonight with our attendance of a preseason scrimmage between the University of Maryland men versus the University of South Florida, will continue with the Nigeria-Argentina match for Olympic gold in a few minutes, a brief break before Charlton-Reading on Setanta USA tomorrow morning at 7:45 am, then a chance to catch up with former Addicks Andy Reid and Darren Bent as Sunderland-Tottenham is broadcast live on the Fox Soccer Channel at 10 am, and then perhaps a nap before the DC United-Colorado Rapids match at RFK tomorrow night.

Although the score line for the Maryland scrimmage will indicate that USF won two to one, the match has me fairly excited about the upcoming season. Coach Sasho Cirovski chose to give freshman Zach MacMath, the keeper for the U.S.'s U-17 team, serious minutes in goal. MacMath looks to be a very strong keeper, despite being beat successively in a horrendous minute of play by a free kick that shouldn't have been given and then on a breakaway in the box where Maryland's right back, Rich Costanzo, was badly out maneuvered. Jason Herrick, the sophomore (red-shirted) striker from Elmhurst, got three good chances on goal with his head (and seemed to be a near constant threat off set pieces) and converted one that gave Maryland a lead that the Terps did not look likely to relinquish. I went to the game to watch Rodney Wallace play the wing but ended up spending most of it impressed by the performance, skill, and leadership of Omar Gonzalez. I know next to nothing about the technical aspects of the game, but Maryland's number 4 is fun to watch. The 6'5" junior center back's play makes it easy to imagine him playing in the top professional ranks of U.S. soccer. The only thing that was at all troubling was Maryland's midfield play, which was not nearly as competent or confident as one might expect given the talent and depth that the Terps claim at the position. Neither Herrick nor Casey Townsend ever got a ball to their feet that allowed them to pose any threat to USF's defense. Can't imagine that this will be a theme for the Terps season, however.

While typing this out, I've had the first half of the White Caps-Timbers USL1 match on in the background and it is nice to see DC United alum Nick Addlery net two goals for Vancouver. Addlery won my respect and the affection of an entire gaggle of 10 to 13 year old girls with his patient coaching/babysitting of the youth team at a clinic graciously hosted by MLS at RFK.

Back to School

The number of season tickets we hold for various local teams has been steadily creeping up the last few years, a fact that my wife laments. Having dropped our commitments to the Washington Nationals and the Washington Mystics, we have found a number of other squads that we enjoy supporting and seem to build on that group each year. This fall, we will be all about collegiate sports, adding Maryland Men's Soccer and Maryland Women's Basketball to our season passes for Georgetown Men's Basketball.

For even the most casual fan of soccer, there is an embarrassment of riches of the sport in this region. In addition to three professional teams in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, the collegiate soccer offered at the University of Maryland is remarkable. One of the Terps' finest, Maurice Edu, is reportedly leaving MLS's Toronto FC for Rangers, netting an impressive $5 million transfer fee. Edu was one of three former Terps representing the United States in Beijing, as he was joined by Chris Seitz and Robbie Rogers. Stephen King, a midfielder for the Chicago Fire, who stood out in both of our trips to see the Terps play last year, looks like he should settle in well in the MLS.

Whatever the history, we will be going Ludwig Field more often this season in the hopes of seeing Rodney Wallace build on what was a great freshman season. Wallace started all 21 games for the Terps his first year and he is exactly the type of player that I've grown to overvalue. Like CP Baltimore's Mathew Mbuta, he's a winger with pace who is always a threat to score (Unlike, for example, Jerome Thomas...).

First exhibition match at home is next Friday at 7:30 (free to anyone who wants to check the game out) against the Big East's South Florida.

PKs

Back from an enjoyable playoff match between CP USA and the Harrisburg City Islanders. The length of the match (FT, ET, and then PKs) gave me plenty of time to reflect on the past couple of days.

Mbuta was, unfortunately, not terribly impressive... both he and Mark appeared to leave the match with knocks. Frankly, Crystal Palace did not deserve to win, but the performance and enthusiasm of Shin Harada, who was called on to play center back and settle a backline that had given up eight goals in the last two league fixtures, made the trip worthwhile. And after I thought that Mateus dos Anjos had a really poor game in the first match against Bermuda in Baltimore, Anjos was great at fullback tonight. A Gary Brooks header and a great Teixeira cross to Healey accounted for CP's two goals. When the match went to penalty kicks, Brian Rowland managed to get his hands on one shot during the first five but could not steer it away from the goal. Rowland seemed to be bothered by the lost opportunity, but the next time he made contact with the ball, it did not go in (pictured). Sergio Flores finished things off, stripped off his shirt and ran into the crowd of over 1,300 to celebrate. When we left UMBC, Harada was wandering around the pitch pumping his fists -- hard not to love Shin.

I was quickly distracted by the news (delivered to my blackberry) that the Cubs routed the Braves in a doubleheader 18 to 2. The Cubs are now 26 games over .500 (9 more wins will guarantee a winning season) and have scored 155 more runs than they have given up. Only the Red Sox can claim a positive differential of over 100 runs (118). Just an amazing run (and people can write all they want to about CC Sabathia's impact on the Brewers, but Cubs fans have to be savoring the addition of Rich Harden who was, again, tremendous tonight).

Next up for CP is the seemingly impossible task of taking on Charlotte this Saturday away. Charlotte dominated CP during the season, beating them 3-0 both home and away. Whatever happens, it has been an enjoyable season and I am grateful for having been able to witness it.

Tuesday night we were at RFK as United took on the second/third team of the New England Revolution (for perspective, the Rev travelled with as many players as the Bermuda Hogges). It was great to be able to give full throated cheers for United again in a fairly vacant stadium... only 6,000 there. DC United, at times, looked as worrisome as ever. Gonzalo Martinez seemed to be on the receiving end of finger pointing from Jaime Moreno and, more notably, from McTavish on New England's lone goal. Guerrero was a revelation on the wing and he has certainly proved his worth in just a short time with the team. Emilio netted twice -- his second goal can be largely credited to a great run by Fred that distracted the Revolution's center halves enough to give Luciano sufficient space to score -- and Santino popped a great ball over the Rev's keeper to give United a lead that was not relinquished. Otherwise, I thought Quaranta gave up the ball too quickly in the midfield and seemed to want to distribute the ball on attack through very narrow lanes. My sister was particularly impressed with Peralta's performance in the first game we saw him play since surgery. The man of the match, to my mind, was Bryan Namoff, who was fearless throughout the game. I don't often notice Namoff on United's backline, but last night he made expert tackles and refused to back down to a frustrated Revolution side that took numerous cheapshots.

Because the Battery took care of Seattle in the other semifinal of the US Open Cup, United will host the Open Cup final with an automatic berth to the CONCACAF Champions League in 2009 at stake. United is certainly a much better side with Guerrero and Vide on the team and with Quaranta and Peralta back from injury. The return of Gallardo will hopefully be heralded this Saturday, but it does seem that the only way that United will find itself in the Champions League next season is if they win the Open Cup in early September.

Prior to heading to RFK, I sat in my office stewing at the live updates of Charlton's disastrous aborted Carling Cup run. Yeovil should not have been able to escape the Valley with a win and I fear an inability to score goals without Andy Gray or Zheng Zhi (should he even be an option) or Chris Dickson on the pitch will be a recurring theme throughout the season. In any event, Southend's announcement that Nicky Bailey's move to SE7 would be shortly confirmed removed some of the sting of the disappointing showing at home and has me a little more optimistic for the visit to Watford this Saturday.

FinanceU

Thanks to the good folks at CharltonLife, I was not forced to rely exclusively on spotty match text commentary to follow events at The Valley. Instead, my morning was spent listening to highly entertaining Swansea radio commentary at the highest decibel the external speakers plugged into my laptop would allow (and educational too, who knew that you could finance the purchase of a car in Wales at an average APR of 29%? Thank heavens for securitization).

The Swansea commentary and the corresponding broadcast of fan reaction left the impression of a game where Charlton largely held on and survived numerous threatening situations. Charlton's offense did not seem to improve even after Monk was dispatched and Swansea were reduced to 10. BUT, all's well that ends well. Two goals in -- both from set pieces, both initiated off the feet of promising youngsters (JonJo and Basey) and both headed home by Championship veterans (Hudson and Gray) -- and none allowed with praised heaped on the "well organized" backline by Swansea partisans. And three points is three points, much better to have on August 9th, than to have first achieved the figure on August 25th.

As with last year, Charlton opened at home against a team that topped the table in League One (Scunthorpe had 91 points in 2006/2007; Swansea 92 points in 2007/2008). While Scunthorpe was not terribly impressive in that first match despite winning a share of the points (and, indeed managed to martial only 45 more points over the course of the season), all reports appear to indicate that Swansea does pose a bit of a threat in the Championship this season.

So, nice way to start the year.

Yeovil in the Carling Cup at home on Tuesday; I'll be at DC United's semi-final in the US Open Cup against the Revolution at RFK Tuesday evening, and then CP Baltimore, which got destroyed by the Richmond Kickers today (5-0), look like they intend to lay down in front of the Harrisburg City Islanders to begin the playoffs on Wednesday night at UMBC...

Starting XI

Woke up this morning to the happy news that Hameur Bouazza came to the Valley on a season-long loan in time for today's test against Swansea. Two seasons back, when both Watford and Charlton were in the Premier League, Bouazza and Ashley Young made Watford an entertaining side even in Marlon King's absence due to injury. Bouazza's talent is, I think, self-evident and equally self-evident is that the effectiveness of Bouazza's tenure with Charlton will be largely determined by the attitude he brings to the club. In any event, its nice to have replaced one Algerian international (Madjid) with another (Hameur).

But Bouazza's loan move raises a question that has bugged me since last season... what is Hodgson doing at Fulham and why is anyone letting him do it? I pay attention to Fulham largely because of the number of American players featured in last year's squad. This season, Bocanegra, Keller, and McBride have moved on, but Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson will likely see their talent buried in the massive mediocre Premiership talent Hodgson has now accumulated at Craven Cottage. Absent an injury plague of biblical proportions, Eddie Johnson will not feature in southwest London this season -- EJ has got to be frustrated to look up and see not only Andy Johnson ahead of him, but Nevland, Zamora, Collins John, Kamara and David Healy (?) blocking any chance he might have to get Premier League experience. And despite what I thought was a great year from Clint Dempsey last season, Hodgson's midfield, which now features Iran's Andranik and WBA's Zoltan Gera, may not permit Dempsey as many first-team opportunities this season (although a failure to harness Dempsey's energy, drive, and talent, would be a powerful indictment of Hodgson's coaching ability).

Hope Springs Eternal

Last year, when we were headed across the Atlantic for a wedding in the Cotswolds conveniently scheduled to follow the opening of the Coca Cola Championship season, I was certain that we would be greeted with glorious victory over the Iron in what would be a triumphant romp through second division football for Charlton. Those hopes came crashing quickly as a lackluster effort by Charlton and my unfortunate decision to sit in the southern portion of the West Stand instead presented us with an enthralled Scunthorpe side and delirious away fans. It was, at least, an appropriate harbinger for the 07/08 season. Charlton would frequently take opponents for granted or field players that cared little for the shirt or for the supporters in the stands. For me, however, the season was a joy regardless. Charlton's troubles gave me extended opportunities to learn about new teams in a division unfamiliar to me; it also presented the opportunity for new heros to emerge from the ashes of a fetid premiership side (Chris Dickson?; Moo2Kill?; Lloyd Sam? JonJo?).

Now, on the eve of the 08/09 season opener, I am even more excited than I was last year. Absurdly, inexplicably excited; 10-year old on Christmas eve excited -- because this year I am going to enjoy the ride, even if I will not be able to participate first hand. While there is still hope that a return trip to West Africa may involve a slight detour to SE7 this fall, I doubt I'll be able to take in anything Charlton does with my own eyes. That is, however, ok. I am happy to rely on the good folks at Charlton Life (whenever the forum is free of technical hangups) for a narrative description of events. And I will be keenly interested in developments, because I am excited about the squad. For the most part, the players that emphasized prestige over effort and heart have moved on to suck the life out of some other club. They will be replaced by folks who may have limitations, but at least instill some confidence that they are poring every fiber of their being into the team every single fixture. I am thrilled to read on Charlton-related blogs a near unanimous call to get behind this squad and universal condemnation of the kvetching about the state of the club that seems to have prevailed over the last month.

Charlton's strikers (all 50 of them) are pure promise. With the exceptions of veteranos Gray and Todorov, the others -- Varney, Dickson, Fleetwood, and McLeod -- have shown flashes of brilliance in lower divisions and, as such, the hope of quality in second division football. JonJo, Sam, Racon, Semedo, and, with luck, Zheng Zhi make for a potentially exciting, if nerve-wracking, midfield. Holland, JT and Ambrose are the only old hands available to provide a steadying hand. Amdy Faye may not be available in that vein, but the Potters intend to keep Addicks on edge for at least the week (technically, five days) as they decide whether to sign the phenomenal, unparalleled talent that is the Senegalese international (he played Champions League football last year!). While Faye may go, the Shrimpers may provide another young talented midfield player, Nicky Bailey, who has termed a potential move to The Valley "a dream" (Bailey apparently has Charlton as much on his mind as I do). With the departure of Magic, the backline is where most questions revolve. But, even there, the players merit tremendous support -- Moutaouakil, Youga, and Basey, will be joined by Fortune and the new captain Hudson at the back. While I was hopeful that Sam Sodje would provide some cover, reports indicate that injury woes might keep him from contributing to any team for a month.

At this moment, there are less than 12 hours until Pards' limited squad is given its first meaningful test. 10 am EST. Charlton-Swansea. Good times.

Hogge-Tied

Well, that seems deserved; karmic even. Expecting another trouncing over Bermuda's struggling squad that would once again spotlight the remarkable talent accumulated on Crystal Palace USA, the family headed up to UMBC Wednesday night (this time arriving only fifteen minutes late). And what we witnessed was remarkable. Horrid, but remarkable. On the field were two center halves that were routinely outplayed by a very poor attacking side, an attacking pair that looked woefully out of touch with each other -- Mbuta and Pat Healey seemed to be constantly running to the same spaces (Healey also lacked the pace to catch up to at least two promising balls knocked his way at the beginning of the second half), and generally heartless play by those wearing Palace shirts. In the stands, where Paul Robson took in the game, many likely missed Robson on the backline. Perhaps the only positive was an improved performance by Mateus dos Anjos at left back.

This was the first game we had been to this year where Mbuta's insane talent was not fully on display and where Larry Mark did not impress at right wing. Val Teixeira's crosses were great, but until Gary Brooks subbed in for Healey, there was no one on the other end.

A few issues with the club's summary of the game: Mbuta's wide shot was taken immediately after he was victimized by one of multiple questionable offside calls by the linesman on the far side of the field. Watching USL2 referees has me hopelessly confused about the offsides call. And calling Kevin King's shots "wide" doesn't begin to describe how far afield Mr. King's attempts were -- never mind how strange King's positioning was after his entrance into the game (what position was he playing, exactly? Attacking roamer? Shin left for that?). His second colossal miss on a sitter led to shrieks of exasperation from me that woke my two month old with such a start that a ten minute screaming fit followed (I hold you responsible, Mr. King).

Not the ideal way to close out the home fixtures. Playoff game next Wednesday; CP still has a chance to earn the third spot on the USL2 table. Cleveland is a point ahead with a game in hand, but has to face both first place Charlotte, which leads the Richmond Kickers by two points, and Wilmington, a win for the Hammerheads will net them a playoff spot. CP has one game left, playing the Kickers in Richmond, so not an easy road for them either and I think it is safe to assume that they'll be the fourth place team headed into the postseason.

Additional note: the photographs below should help to explain how troubling CP's loss was to the Hogges. The first shot is of Bermuda's bench towards the end of the match, the second is of Palace's bench.