Stuff You Missed – Or Not

I spent a good deal of time yesterday working up summaries of the three MLS games from Saturday.

Toronto FC Fans Throwing Full Bottle at Freddie Ljungberg from 12th Minute on Vimeo.

Unfortunately, the combination of my utter incompetence and some weird goings on inside my "computer box thing" (stop me if I get too technical) has sent it the way of all flesh.

And since it's way, way too late to do a piece like that over again, please allow me to summarize:

– The second entry in the series entitled: "Phrases never previously uttered by mortal man":

"After yesterdays' road victory, the New York Red Bulls are now in first place"

– The Seattle Sounders have now played 21 games at Qwest Stadium in all competitions. They've been SHUT OUT in nine of them and have scored goals in only two of the last ten.

Somehow, all of the Ljungburg-Montero-Evans-Zakuani firepower we keep hearing about doesn't seem to be delivering the goods. At least not at home.

– It's comforting to know that five of the six winners of the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup have gone on to win either the Cup or the Shield. Otherwise, you'd be tempted to say that DC's season looks a lot like it's headed for the crapper.

– Overheard at RFK:

"You know Mr. Chang, when we finally move out of here I'm going to miss this place"

"What do you mean "we"?

– A week ago it was duly noted in this space and elsewhere around the soccersphere that Marvel Wynne arrived in Colorado and, without having benefit of one single practice with his new teammates was sent out to play Center Back, a position he had never played before and did a remarkably solid job.

Sunday Rapids Coach Gary Smiths' luck ran out; Wynne was utterly ineffective marking up Collins John for the first Fire goal and got used and abused by Patrick Nyarko, leading to a from-behind foul, resulting in the McBride PK which tied a game the Raps could easily have won.

– Forget what I said last week – maybe Stevie Nicol really can win games with no players.

– Let me repeat: "After yesterdays' road victory, the New York Red Bulls are now in first place"

– Someone else has assuredly said it by now but I don't care: the final score in Commerce City: Fulham 2 – 2 Colorado

Found an interesting photo today:

The problem is I don't know whether the biggest mystery is why Boswell got a yellow here or why Espindola didn't get a red.

Early candidate for "mugging of the year"

In the "Bad News For Everybody Else" Dept., GUILLERMO BARROS SCHELOTTO, who was thought to have the inside track for the Boca Juniors job now that Abel Alves is undoubtedly on his way out, has reportedly turned them down.

Elsewhere, in perhaps the least surprising move of the season, Toronto FC has released forward Ali Gerba who, you may recall, was sent home early from the Carolina Cup by head coach Preki for, apparently, not busting his ass in the now-prescribed manner.

His release was complicated by the fact that Gerba had a contract which was guaranteed even before the new rules went into effect. Fortunately for TFC, he wanted out as badly as they wanted him gone.

I understand that there's a report going around that Brian Ching will have "a major announcement" sometime tomorrow.

Not going to speculate.

One of the more flattering things said about me in recent memory was from a feeble minded dwarf who claimed that I was in reality FAKE SIGI.

If anyone needed any more proof that this is, sadly, not eh case, I offer THIS UTTERLY BRILLIANT PIECE from last week.

It's been out for a few days obviously, but in case you missed it, he absolutely nails it in regard to Major League Soccer Soccer's incredibly inept rollout. Unfortunately there are broad stretches where I have no Earthly idea what he's talking about – Drupal (PHP)? jQuery? MySQL? AJAX? Python? APIs? Do people really talk like this – but the stuff I'm able to comprehend is devastating.

I didn't get a chance to mention it previously but I didn't want to let it get away entirely without commenting that I think it's the best piece of original MLS reportage done anywhere by anyone so far his year.

Sadly, it sure as hell wasn't me who wrote it.