Soccer

It has been a while since I've posted, and the wealth of interesting Soccer recently has been partly to blame. The fact that my daughter was born this month may have had an impact as well.

U-20 World Cup

The US team made a disappointing showing in the U-19 world cup. They got through group play but lost to Austria 2-1 in the Quarterfinals. Freddy Adu and Josmer Altidore were exciting but didn't have the consistent play necessary to really make run.

U-17 World Cup

The US team managed to squeak through group play with one play and two losses. Luckily, 2 other teams also had a 1-2-0 record and the US won the tie-breaker. They really didn't deserve to move forward, but hey, luck is luck. They play their Second Round next game early Thursday morning against Germany, and hopefully they perform better than they did in the first two games.

MLS Stars

I've already mentioned Beckham's arrival and the excitement that it generated. Beckham continues to have an impact, although he hasn't turned around LA's fortunes yet. There are several other players that are making as big or bigger impacts on their teams though. Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a Mexican club and National team star has joined the Chicago Fire and is helping them make a run at the playoffs. He is also helping increase attendance, both at home and on the road. Not to the same degree as Beckham, but it will also probably be a more sustained increase. Also, players like Juan Pablo Angel and others are making similar impacts around the league.

Womens' World Cup

The US Women completed their final warm up match for the World Cup, which kicks off next Month. With a 40+ game unbeaten streak, anything short of a win will be a letdown.

With so much soccer to watch, and so much of it occurring overseas, I'm glad I have my TiVo so I can watch them at my leisure. Also, it is times like these that I appreciate soccer's low popularity. I don't have to worry about hearing spoilers before I sit down to watch the games!