Quick hits going into the weekend

So I start today with a quick look at tonight's game and some other items of not to me over the last week and looking ahead.

Contrary to what many say, Dynamo do not "need" to win tonight at Rice-Eccles Stadium. While a win would be a great way to say sayonara to MLS until July 22 and put the team into first place, however temporarily, we all know that in the playoff-driven MLS, just hanging around and then getting hot is the route to a championship.

Remember, Dynamo finished second in the west in both 2006 and 2007, but you don't see that on those nifty little championship ring replicas that hang from my keychain. Also, it's important to remember that those seven ties, while quite annoying, are not losses. Dynamo also led the league in ties in 2006, and we all know how that turned out.

Now, that being said, Dynamo have done very little to distinguish itself as an elite team so far in 2008. Great runs met by truly sloppy defending. Head-up game followed by true stinkers. No momentum of any kind whatsoever. So the news today in the Chronicle that Nate Jaqua is about to come back (and then be traded to Seattle as soon as the season is over) comes as no surprise. It's just the same sort of mediocre, hey this is great, except for this one little thing, sort of news that we've been getting all season.

(Now would be the time to speak more of the here-it-is-no-it-isn't-and-back-again Dynamo Park, but I am swearing that subject off for now, despite Fallas and my brother's best efforts to pull me back into it. Must. resist. Must. resist.)

In any event, despite my heart saying Dynamo win tonight 1-0, my head seems drawn to a 2-2 result. Another tie.

Apparently, the Dynamo reserves lost to Charleston again in U.S. Open Cup play earlier this week. My only reaction to that is "Good." With SuperLiga, Champions League, the Olympics, WC qualifying and, oh yeah, MLS already dotting the calendar that was the last thing we needed to worry about. I have kind of a so-so attitude about the USO Cup. I like it and all and I am well aware of its history, but really, can't it be done earlier in the season, especially now that Champions Cup is gone? Right now, my attitude is that I root for whatever USL team is doing well in USO play, and if an MLS team that plays Dynamo is still in the thing, I root for them to keep playing long, drawn out emotionally wrenching matches that distract them.

Is it time to bring up again how superfluous SuperLiga has become with the onset of Champions League? I mean, as Mister3D and I posted back in the spring, SuperLiga was awesome last year and we loved it, but there is nothing it does that Champions League doesn't do better. I think SuperLiga should become the tournament for teams that don't make it into the Champions League knockout stages. Keep the format and relationships and keep it from overcongesting the calendar.

Viva Espana. I honestly say I liked both teams and could not lose in the Euro final. I have mentioned to Mister3D and Playtherapy many times, and I think there will be a longer blog post about this when the seasons start up again, but after my first full European season with GolTV and FSC, I fell in love with the Bundesliga. The speed was surprising and the physicality was amazing to me. I can't wait to start following them again.


Has anyone else seen the TOFFS site, the Old Fashioned Football Shirt Company. SF has written about it over at The Offside Rules and Ronaldo at 101 Great Goals pimps them as well. I think my first purchase over there will be the '67 Leones di Lisbon kit. Their range of NASL gear is great, though still nothing from my old Houston Hurricane. :< Only a matter of time though.

One other thing: I have enjoyed reading about Joseph Ngwenya getting a trial with Bayern Munich (nice links here and here). Good going Joe. See, it pays to network, especially when you're networking with Juergen Klinsmann. But my absolute favorite thing about this is that I don't think there's any way at all he's going to catch on with Bayern, which means that when this three-week trail is over, the chances of him coming back here look even better.

Happy Fourth everyone!