A Week Off

I could say I was gone on international duty. Truth is, I got busy with my real life at home and at work. But enough about me.


Would You Dump Your Date[s]?

Or dance with the gal that brung ya?

Should MLS suspend play during World Cup Qualifying dates? Or should they play on with some teams' stars absent from club play to perform their international duties?

Personally, I have gone back and forth on this one.

The MLS should suspend play.
Everyone else is doing it -- EPL, SPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, etc. etc. Why make club teams with the best international players suffer possible defeats simply because of international competition? It's not fair to take away opportunities for you first squad players to play for both club and country and succeed at both.

The MLS should not suspend play.
So, who cares if everyone else is doing it? Would you jump off a cliff if…well, oops. Didn't mean to sound like Mom, but you get the point. The MLS season is already very long. Why extend it further by taking unnecessary time off?

With play continuing -- and during the home stretch for playoff positions -- each MLS team actually has to be one. Here's the opportunity for which non-starters have been waiting. Here's an opportunity for the coach to show that his team is not only good but deep. The regular bench players better stay motivated and ready. The developmental players better be actually developing and be not only fit but a fit for any upcoming situation.

As you can tell…
I am really leaning toward not suspending play. Now is the time for the great teams to dig deep and show themselves. The playoff race tightens. The tension is heightened. What a great way to see the season finish.


Okay, Sometimes a Nil-NIl Draw Really Is Boring

Game off. Yawn.

Charlton Athletic 0-0 Southampton. Even the Valley faithful were groaning at halftime and booing at the end.

No scoring, obviously. But also no passing, no defending, no possessing, no playmaking. But there was goalkeeping -- though Dean Kiely of the Addicks seemed to have more work to do.

And speaking of Kiely. The Deano comes up with some great saves to keep a point for his side and it costs him £50. Kiely has pledged to donate £50 to the Demelza House children's hospice every time he keeps a clean sheet during the 2004/05 campaign. Nothing like paying for a job well done!


Anyone who dislikes Manchester United…

…must be having a lot of fun these days. I keep hearing chuckles when I have mentioned this particular mid-table side.


Should KC Have Kept Jay Alberts?

The Wizards drafted the Yale midfielder in the fourth round. But after camp and preseason, he was given his release. He signed with the Minnesota of the A-League and became Thunder Rookie-of-the-Year.

According to Thunder head coach Buzz Lagos, "Jay turned out to be a pleasant surprise and great player for us this year. On the flank his speed and flair added a great deal to our attack and his defensive skills improved every game.”

In 28 regular season and two playoff games, Alberts garnered only three assists but created many more chances for his team.

From my perspective, he seems a somewhat smaller version of Chris Klein at 5'8" and 150 lbs. And couldn't the Wizards use Klein's stand-in now? KC has a full roster, so someone would have to go. My choice? Cut Vuk or Walsh and leave the other one unprotected for the expansion draft.