We don’t care about the SuperLiga.

Euro friendlies? Nice, gets you some exposure and ticket revenue, but nobody cares who wins.

Tonight’s MLS all-star match is nice, but the same Man U team of backups facing the all-stars already lost to a 10-man Kansas City squad that’s one of the league’s worst.

What (should) matter most are the following:

• Regular season and playoffs (although too many teams make the playoffs);
• CONCACAF Champions League;
• U.S. Open Cup.

So when your league’s best team loses 4-1 at home to a second division squad in Champions League, it’s absolutely inexcusable.

That’s right. The Los Angeles Galaxy lost 4-1 at home to the Puerto Rico Islanders. With center back Omar Gonzalez, left back Todd Dunivant, and goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts on the bench, the league’s best defense barely showed up to play. It’s like the Galaxy didn’t even try to win.

Heads up: Champions League matters. The opportunity to play in the Club World Cup against teams like Barcelona or Inter Milan matters. The opportunity to win internationally recognized trophies matters. When you blow it off and treat it as though it doesn’t, MLS gets embarrassed, as it did last night with the . Don’t give me this bit about an experienced team or whatever.  Yeah, we know Puerto Rico was a Champions League semifinalist last year. Big freaking deal. This is the best team in MLS by far, and they got smoked. All the excuses translates to is “blah blah didn’t take it seriously, got our buts kicked, blah.”

MLS was recently ranked the world’s 88th best domestic professional soccer league by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics.

Yes, we all know the league is far better than that, probably ranking somewhere from 15th to 25th, much like the Russian league is far better than its perch at No. 44. The rankings heavily factored in Champions League showings.

The choice to blow off Champions League games is foolish, much like the complete lack of respect for the U.S. Open Cup. Every serious domestic league in the world has at least one major cup competition and Champions League. I’d much rather watch a meaningful Champions League game against Chivas Guadalajara or Saprissa, two of the best teams in Mexico and Honduras, or a U.S. Open Cup match against the Red Bulls or Harrisburg than Celtic’s second teamers.

Fans would take Champions League and U.S Open Cup seriously if only MLS clubs would. Yet they don’t. American professional soccer gets a black eye as a result.

Do you want MLS to be taken more seriously by top players considering playing in the U.S. and Canada? Winning the Champions League and going to the Club World Cup would be a start.

Then, instead of meaningless friendlies against second stringers, an MLS team could play the world’s top clubs in games that actually matter.

The 35-year-old journeyman with the shock white/blonde hair will become eligible to play in the Union’s next regular season match on July 31 against New England, according to a team statement. He has played in two international friendlies so far, impressing in both.

Coudet most recently played for Colon de Santa Fe in Argentina’s first division and played last year with Union defender Michael Orozco Fiscal for San Luis in Mexico’s top league. He has played for at least nine different professional teams in his career. His best period may have been from 1999-2004, when he spent all but one season as a starter for the famed club, River Plate, breaking that up only with a brief half-season stint in Spain’s top league.

Contract terms were not disclosed.

What about Martin Rivas?

Fellow Argentine trialist Martin Rivas played for the Union against Manchester United on Wednesday night, but a Union spokeswoman says he is no longer with the club and declined to confirm details about Rivas. From what we’ve learned, it looks like the 18-year-old midfielder played for non-league Renata Cesarini in Argentina, and he looked pretty good in 30 minutes of action Wednesday night. Here’s a video of him below, in case he returns.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Photo: Paul Rudderow)

Philadelphia Union held Manchester United even for 75 minutes before Gabriel Obertan scored in the 76th minute to give the Red Devils a 1-0 victory Wednesday  night.

Tonight’s friendly at Lincoln Financial Field saw the hometown Union surprise Man U by playing an aggressive match throughout, and the first half was a back-and-forth endeavor that saw both teams miss good chances. Neither side was able to break through until Obertan’s goal off a pretty pass from Danny Welbeck, as good goalkeeping and occasional misfires held the game even till then.

Man U played without some of their top stars, as manager Sir Alec Ferguson has not brought on the team’s U.S. tour most of the team’s players who played in the World Cup. That meant no Wayne Rooney, for example.

Danny Califf played a typically solid defensive game against Man U. (Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

For the Union, manager Peter Nowak treated the game as he’s treated most friendlies, giving his reserves a chance to get some playing time and giving starting goalkeeper Chris Seitz the night off. Still, his team attacked throughout, with Danny Mwanga shooting high on a brilliant chance in the 15th minute. Later, Jack McInerney had an opportunity stopped by Red Devils goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak and another in the 50th minute that went just wide, while Alejandro Moreno mishit a turnaround shot from point blank range that Kuszczak handled easily. Andrew Jacobson’s late sliding attempt on goal went high over the net.

Union trialist Eduardo Coudet got the start, and fellow trialist Martin Rivas played 30 minutes in the second half. (Edit: See comments below for info on Rivas.)

Kyle Nakazawa returned from injury to play for the first time in more than a month.

Notably impressive but still looking like a rookie: Brian Perk, who stopped a one-on-one chance from Ryan Giggs late in the game. He gave up the goal, but he was left in no man’s land on it, guessing right but not quick enough. On another play, he put Jordan Harvey in a bad position with a short pass, and it nearly led to a goal for United.

Still, no goals for the Union. A close match and solid showing that likely surprised many, and it’s the last one for the Union until July 31, not counting the friendly against Harrisburg City Islanders on July 27, as they get some time off for the all-star break.

(Photos: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

Sunday, August 1, 2010

8 am   Men’s Over-30 Cup Championship

10 am   Women’s Cup Championship

12 pm   Men’s Open Cup Championship

2:00pm   Men’s Amateur Cup Championship

Friday, July 30, 2010

10am  Men’s Amateur Cup

Olympic Club (CA) vs Boston Olympiakos (MA)

12pm  Men’s Amateur Cup

Barracudas FC (TX) vs Carpathia Kickers (MI)

4pm  Women’s Cup

N Texas Premier (TX) vs Kentucky Wanderers (KY)

8pm  Men’s Open Cup

CASL Elite (NC) vs Detroit United (MI)

(on Field #3)

12:30pm  Men’s Over-30 Cup

Kells FC (OR) vs United SC (DC/VA)

2:30pm  Men’s Over-30 Cup

Kickers (FL) vs Ajax (MO)

I was going to write a column about this until I realized I already wrote one — eight months ago. Amazingly, it all remains relevant today, so I’m reposting it below. All that’s changed is that Donovan proved what was predicted.

• He proved he can play in one of the world’s best leagues and star for one of its better teams.
• He’s now a household name in the U.S., and our one soccer superstar needs to be given the chance to pave the way for others like him.
• The transfer fee will never be higher than now for a 28-year-old World Cup star. His $10 million-plus transfer fee could equal the total cost of a designated player for each MLS team.

Don Garber’s pronouncement that Donovan isn’t for sale is hopefully just a negotiating tactic to hike his transfer fee. Yes, casual fans might go to a Philadelphia Union game if Donovan plays, but one Donovan visit a year to Dallas won’t change that franchise’s problems. Regular fans are more likely to have a residual distaste for MLS’s refusal to let a great player grow and its missed opportunity to reinvest on a broader basis.

MLS must show it won’t trap promising players. (See Twellman, Taylor.) Otherwise, the Stuart Holdens and Danny Mwangas of MLS will plan to leave as soon as their rookie contracts expire, because they’ll be trapped later. That in turn could force MLS to sell them well before they peak — which means lower transfer fees — or get nothing when they leave on free transfers, as happened with Holden (and possibly now Jonathan Bornstein).

Donovan needs to go abroad. Here’s why, as first published here on Dec. 6, 2009:

Donovan to Europe — the best thing for MLS

The Independence lost 2-0 this weekend, dropping them further behind the first place Gold Pride.

Philadelphia Union’s Sebastien Le Toux will be an addition to the MLS all-star team, the Philadelphia Daily News reports.  (The info is buried at the bottom of a feature on Danny Mwanga.)

The Delaware County Times had a feature we missed on local product Jon Conway, the backup goalie for Toronto FC.

MLS

MLSSoccer.com has all the roundups and highlights of the weekend’s games in Major League Soccer. A few international matches were going on, but notably, Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan scored to give the Los Angeles Galaxy a 2-1 win over D.C. United. (Yes, Donovan is still with the Galaxy. No, he hasn’t signed with Everton yet. Unfortunately.)

The Chicago Fire signed 26-year-old Mexican international Nery Castillo as a designated player.  Castillo has struggled the last three years in stints at Manchester City and Shakhtar Donetsk. He sealed his fate at Shakhtar by stealing a penalty kick from a teammate and then missing the shot. He never played again for the the Ukrainian giant. If Castillo returns to form with Chicago, still, it could be a big coup, particularly since Cuauhtemoc Blanco isn’t coming back. Goal.com breaks down the team’s tactical options.

International

Fulham has begun negotiating with Martin Jol to fill their vacant manager’s seat. U.S. national team coach Bob Bradley had been considered a front-runner for the job.

The Guardian has a feature on Manchester United’s young players, some of whom could play Wednesday in a friendly against the Union here in Philadelphia.

Here’s a real interesting look at Watford’s youth program and how it could serve as a model for other English clubs. Sounds awfully similar to the U.S. residency program in Bradenton, eh?

More fallout in the so-called “Capello Index” fiasco. Honestly, is it really that big deal that a manager rates players? Yeah, it’s public, but big deal? It’s not like it’s a secret that Diego Forlan was awesome in the World Cup while Robert Green wasn’t.

Toronto FC came in to Chester on an eight-game unbeaten streak. They can go home without it.

Philadelphia Union knocked off Toronto  2-1 on Saturday thanks to a stoppage time penalty kick scored by Sebastien Le Toux.

Cristian Arrieta and Jack McInerney set up the climactic play, with Arrieta sending in a curling cross from the right side. Maksim Usanov headed it down, but it didn’t get far. McInerney grabbed the rebound  and blasted a shot on goal, only to have Usanov stop it with his hand and prompt the penalty call. Le Toux sent his PK upper right. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei guessed right and went the same but didn’t have a chance, and it was over.

It was a hard-fought, evenly matched game. The Union went up 1-0 in the 61st minute after Michael Orozco Fiscal headed in a corner kick from Le Toux. Chad Barrett equalized for Toronto in the 81st when Philadelphia native Dan Gargan put a throw deep into the box and Barrett went up for the header among three Union defenders.

Prospective signing Eduardo Coudet never made an appearance.

Other than that, a few things stood out:

Danny Califf and Amobi Okugo go up for a header. (Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

• Amobi Okugo looked really good – until the Barrett goal.

Okugo played well against Celtic and earned the start today, and he put in 80 good minutes. The 19-year-old rookie defensive midfielder made some good tackles and consistently and calmly held possession and passed away from pressure. Real good showing, until the Barrett goal, for which he gets partial blame.

• Look at the pretty throw-in going over our heads … and into the net.

Three Union players watched Gargan’s throw-in go into the middle, each in position to make a play, and none leaped for the ball. Okugo was in front. Midfielder Stefani Miglioranzi saw the play coming low and stepped down from further up in the box. Orozco was behind Barrett. None of the three left their feet for the ball. Ouch.

• The back line continues to shift around, and now it’s happening in-game.

After Arrieta picked up a yellow card in the 48th minute, he moved from left center back to right back, swapping spots with Orozco. The move made sense, as center backs (and defensive midfielders) are often more likely to pick up cards than anyone on the field. Arrieta made it look like a good move with some good crosses from the right side. Despite a poor stretch in June, he’s still a natural right back.

• Alejandro Moreno’s not back yet, and Danny Mwanga’s hot streak looks over.

Moreno subbed out early again, and he doesn’t seem back to full speed after his injury. Maybe it’s the absence of his effective hold-up play that’s rendered Mwanga somewhat invisible the last two games, or perhaps it’s a lack of fitness. Peter Nowak’s decision to send in Andrew Jacobson for Mwanga right after the equalizer was telling.

• Either Nowak is MLS’s answer to Bill Belichick, or MLS injury reports may have more value as toilet paper.

Moreno was listed as “OUT” on the official league injury report, but he started. Shea Salinas wasn’t listed on the injury report prior to the San Jose game, but he didn’t start because of an injury and sat out today. Kyle Nakazawa disappeared from the starting lineup one day and appeared on the injury report later. Lucky I don’t bet on soccer games.

Danny Mwanga on the attack against Julian de Guzman. (Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

Player ratings

Chris Seitz: 4

Seitz wasn’t asked to do much Saturday, and he didn’t. Nearly stopped Barrett’s shot – but didn’t.

Jordan Harvey: 6

Harvey looked really good attacking down the left side and is pushing up more and more. Nearly scored on a sliding shot that hit the post. Made some good tackles. Easily the Union’s steadiest player.

Cristian Arrieta: 5

Hit some dangerous crosses in the second half, including one that led to the game-winner. Nearly gave up a goal in the first half when he missed an errant pass from Miglioranzi. He lived dangerously by continuing to go in with some hard, risky tackles despite having a yellow card, but in the end, they were clean.

Danny Califf: 8

Califf may have saved three goals. He bailed out Arrieta and Miglioranzi by tracking back to challenge Barrett after Miglioranzi’s errant back pass. Califf’s smart header back to Seitz set up a clearance on a near-breakaway, and a key block stopped another shot. Consistently headed balls out to send back Toronto’s attack. Great game.

Michael Orozco: 6

Scored a beautiful goal and gave up an ugly one. He has to share some of the blame for Toronto’s goal. Otherwise, solid game.

The ref points to the spot on Maksim Usanov's penalty. (Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

Stefani Miglioranzi: 4

His poor pass to Arrieta nearly gifted a goal, and he stood watching while Barrett scored his. Played a decent game otherwise, but those were key plays.

Fred: 5

Consistently found the ball and held onto it. Had some nice short passing with Okugo to maintain possession. Still hesitates too often when in position to shoot, though he did put one shot somewhere into the River End.

Amobi Okugo: 6

See above. He’s showing he can play in MLS after all. Looking like a keeper who will only get better. His clumsy baby steps of spring seem gone in summer.

Sebastien Le Toux: 8

Le Toux hustled and hustled and hustled all day. His pressure on Frei forced the goalkeeper to, on a routine clearance, kick the ball out of bounds to his side when a misstep left him with Le Toux in his face. Created plays on the attack with clever passing and was dangerous throughout. Showed why he deserves an all-star spot. His corner kicks, however, were often too low or off the mark. Orozco’s score wasn’t due to great service.

Alejandro Moreno: 4

See above. Something’s missing. He’s still hurt. Had little impact, other than a clever throw-in to Le Toux near the goal that almost set up a Harvey goal.

Michael Orozco, Danny Califf and Sebastien Le Toux celebrate a goal vs. Toronto. (Photo: Daniel Gajdamowicz)

Substitutes

Jack McInerney: 6

Union Jack came in with a ton of energy and played with confidence and creativity. Shows no fear on the field, as his stoppage time shot showed.

Andrew Jacobson: n/a

Entered in the 82nd minute. Hustled but didn’t get a chance to do much.

Nick Zimmerman: n/a

One day, maybe he’ll get a chance to come into a regular season game before the 80th minute.

Next match: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., vs. Manchester United at Lincoln Financial Field

TV: 6abc, MyNetwork TV

A much-improved Toronto FC pays a visit to PPL Park this Saturday to face Philadelphia Union, marking the second time the Union have played a team twice this year. The two played in Toronto on April 15, when the Union lost 2-1 in a game made famous by Danny Califf debuting the PPL’s Elbow on Julian De Guzman.

The personnel have changed on these teams, however, as new coaches have begun to work new players into their system. Toronto (6-4-4) is playing the best soccer in the history of its franchise and sits in third place in the Eastern Conference, on an eight-game unbeaten streak during which they’ve given up only three goals. The Union (3-8-2) are playing competitively every match but haven’t yet found a way to grind out wins in close matches. They defeated Scottish giant Celtic in a friendly on Wednesday, but neither team was at full strength.

With the summer transfer window now open, trialist Eduardo Coudet could be the first new addition for the Union if he signs after playing in Wednesday’s friendly, and with regulars Shea Salinas, Alejandro Moreno and Roger Torres all injured, he could start. For Toronto, new signing and former Valencia star Mista could make his debut for the team.

Probable starters

Philadelphia

Goalkeeper: Chris Seitz

Defenders: Jordan Harvey, Cristian Arrieta, Danny Califf, Michael Orozco Fiscal

Midfielders: Andrew Jacobson, Stefani Miglioranzi, Fred, Sebastien Le Toux

Forwards: Danny Mwanga, Jack McInerney

Toronto FC

Goalkeeper: Stefan Frei

Defenders: Nick Garcia, Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora, Dan Gargan

Midfielders: Nick LaBrocca, Julian de Guzman, Amadou Sanyang, Fuad Ibrahim

Forwards: Dwayne De Rosario, Chad Barrett

Injuries and suspensions

Philadelphia: OUT: FW Alejandro Moreno (R knee contusion); MF Shea Salinas (L ankle contusion). QUESTIONABLE: MF Kyle Nakazawa (R knee sprain). PROBABLE: GK Brad Knighton (shin splints). Roger Torres is not listed on the injury report but was injured Wednesday and photographed on crutches after the game, so he likely will not play.

Toronto: OUT: DF Emmanuel Gomez (Right Knee Osteochondral Injury); QUESTIONABLE: MF Nane Joseph (Separated Right Shoulder); PROBABLE MF Dwayne De Rosario (Left Adductor Tightness); DF Ty Harden (Laceration of the Right Leg).

Match-ups

Philadelphia defense vs. Toronto attackers

Dwayne De Rosario is one of MLS’s best players, and he’s showing it again this year, scoring eight goals in 13 matches for his hometown team. The natural attacking midfielder is playing more up top than ever this year, and so far, it’s working. He scored two goals against the Union in their first match. Chad Barrett will join him, with four goals on the year, but don’t forget how O’Brian White smoked the Union defenders (notably the since-departed Shavar Thomas) in their first meeting.

The Union continue to shift their back line around, with Cristian Arrieta and Michael Orozco exchanging the right fullback and left center back positions. Arrieta has struggled at times, but he can also show why the Union signed him, like he did with a terrific performance Wednesday against Celtic. Danny Califf and Jordan Harvey steady, consistent locks in their positions, while we’re still figuring out where it is that Orozco belongs on the field. (But he definitely belongs.) The Union remain the league’s only team without a clean sheet in the regular season, but goalkeeper Chris Seitz has been playing well lately.

Edge: Even

Philadelphia midfield vs. Toronto midfield

Julian de Guzman was a holding midfielder in Europe but was asked early this year to be more of a playmaker. It’s not clearly not his natural tendency yet, but he’s very quick on the ball and must be watched. Two teenagers and a Philadelphian will likely join him in the midfield. Gambian midfielder Amadou Sanyang has drawn attention from Ligue 1 clubs in France as well as Dutch power PSV Eindhoven, while fellow 18-year-old Fuad Ibrahim, an Ethiopian citizen who grew up in Minnesota, is just starting to see regular playing time. Rutgers alum Nick LaBrocca came over in a trade for Marvell Wynne just before the season started and has since nailed down the left wing slot in the 4-3-1-2 formation.

The Union will likely be without two regular midfield contributors, Shea Salinas and Roger Torres, both of whom are injured. Also, Sebastien Le Toux could slide up to forward because of an injury to Alejandro Moreno. Trialist Eduardo Coudet could be signed in time to get the start, and considering the injury problems, the timing seems appropriate. He looked good against Celtic. So did Andrew Jacobson, and the injuries could pave way for him to start. Stefani Miglioranzi remains the cog at defensive midfield, while Fred will find his way onto the field somewhere, whether it be on the wing or in the center. The Union midfield looks alternately like a 4-1-3-2, 4-2-2-2, or 4-3-1-2, usually depending on the personnel. Normally they’d get the edge over a young Toronto midfield, but injuries and chemistry can’t be ignored.

Edge: Even

Philadelphia forwards vs. Toronto defense

Toronto’s defense looked horrid earlier this year, but new signings and a growing familiarity with their defensive-minded coach’s system have improved things. Center back Adrian Cann has been the key improvement. Philadelphia native Dan Gargan has been starting regularly and played well in the first match against the Union, finally getting a chance at the highest level of American play after returning from an abrupt and premature retirement in 2008. Nana Attakora, just 21 years old, is looking better at center back, while Nick Garcia is probably the weak link at left back. Goalkeeper Stefan Frei is a monster in goal, and he’s still just 24 years old.

Striker Danny Mwanga has been on fire for the Union. The teenager’s finishing has proven excellent, though he hasn’t yet shown an ability to free himself up off the dribble. Alejandro Moreno is injured and out for the game, and his hold-up play will be missed. That means Le Toux will either slide up to forward or “Union Jack” McInerney will get the start. If so, you could see four teenagers starting for the two sides.

Edge: Even

Individual match-up to watch

Danny Mwanga vs. Adrian Cann

When Mwanga gets the ball in position to score, he scores. Simple as that. Cann’s task is to prevent that. If he can cut off the passing lanes and force Mwanga to get the ball further from goal, Mwanga hasn’t shown yet that he can do much with it creatively off the dribble.

Prediction

Union win 2-1. Home field advantage is huge, and Peter Nowak is too good a coach to let these guys forget that they’ve given up weak goals at the end of a half three times in recent weeks. Toronto’s defense has been stellar lately, but the Union play to score, not just to avoid losing.

(Photo: Paul Rudderow)

Yeah, well, this isn’t one of them.

This is a look back at a night that was basically my ultimate WTF game. Just a bizarre night for so many reasons. Here’s why.

This is the traffic jam 15 minutes before kickoff. (Photo: Patrick Martin)

I found the true River End, and it’s not occupied by Sons of Ben. No, it’s actually Route 291, the main road into the stadium, which flooded to the point that water apparently reached as high as my car door handle, according to the guy directing traffic there. I sat in traffic for 45 minutes (with a guy in a Celtic shirt in the car behind me) before finally getting to the place where the traffic herders set up and veered me away from the flood. Yes, rather than set their people up by the exit ramp or the traffic light where they could have rerouted hundreds or thousands of cars BEFORE they sat in an unmoving line for 45 minutes, they just let us sit … and sit … and sit. We got to the stadium 30 minutes into the game. WTF?

I was rejoicing over the traffic jam as the game went on without me. (Photo: Patrick Martin)

Suggestion to the Union: Use your awesome social networking skills to notify people via Twitter or Facebook if you hear of biblical traffic messes like that. (And yes, Union employees knew. One mentioned it to me.) The failure to do so isn’t the fault of the Union, because these first games are a learning experience. But now we know.

Eduardo Coudet? Eduardo Coudet? We were dying in traffic at game time, and my buddy gets a Facebook message on his cell phone indicating some guy named Coudet is starting. Coudet? Coudet? They snuck another one in?  WTF?  Supposedly he’s played outside midfield for much of his career, but he was deployed at center midfield Wednesday. Looks like he can play, and that cartoon hair style has serious comedic potential. But seriously, make an announcement about a new player or something. I mean, a journeyman midfielder isn’t a state secret. WTF?

Brian Perk makes a brilliant save against Celtic. (Photo: Nicolae Stoian)

Brian Perk is a damn cat. Did you see those saves? That guy was everywhere! Fearless, acrobatic, quick as Bruce Lee, he secured the win with several brilliant saves in the last 15 minutes. Chris Seitz has been playing well, but don’t be surprised if Union fans start calling for Perk if Seitz starts struggling again. (Heck, this is Philly. They might call for him after every goal.) The guy was just brilliant. His style of goalkeeping is based on quickness and aggression, and it has to be, as he doesn’t even break six feet. Just awesome. WTF?

Toni Stahl, thanks for joining us, we have some nice parting gifts for you. Wow, another red card in less than a half of play. Terrific. Yep, don’t think we’ll be seeing him in a regular season game too soon. Most teams are actually better when they play with 11 men instead of 10. Dave Myrie and Shavar Thomas await. Sure, the second yellow card was pretty questionable, but WTF?

Yeah guys, you brought enough to smoke out the whole stadium. (Photo: Nicolae Stoian)

It’s not Scottish soccer unless some idiot fans are getting arrested. Yeah, thanks for the flares, guys. You let off so much smoke that it basically put a haze over the whole field for about 10 minutes. Hope security didn’t rough you up too much there as they dragged you out. Real classy too to toss entire beers into the air at Union fans in section 120 after your team scored. We really enjoyed watching the ref wave that goal off. We know you like your team, but WTF?

The Union won’t let me put my season ticket in my own name. So a friend reserved our tickets so we could ensure we had all three seats in one place. (Yeah, I can get press credentials to a game, but on Saturdays, I like to kick back and enjoy a game like anyone else – in the stands.) But when it came time to pay for them, I paid for the tickets with my credit card. Now I can’t switch the tickets to my name. It means I can’t get whatever benefits come with being a founding member.

A Union ticket rep explained to me the logic behind it Wednesday  night, that it’s to prevent someone from going in with a friend just to snag a boatload of tickets and cut the line of reservations. Sure, I can see theoretically how that would work, and the guy was a nice guy so I can’t be mad at him for a policy. (To be clear, I can get pretty good access to the team if I want it thanks to the Union’s solid PR staff, so it’s more the principle — and the recognition that others likely have similar situations but no press credential.) But what’s more likely: That, or that people simply didn’t want to have to coordinate the times of their reservations to ensure they got to select seats consecutively later on? This one has to change. We’ll give this a toned down, lowercase WTF in anticipation of the generally smart Union brass making the right call to change this in the offseason: wtf?

I watched 45 minutes of crappy soccer until the last few minutes. Yeah, the flood kept me out so that I missed the goal and most of the Union regulars. Then I watched both teams kick the ball around and do nothing for most of the second half. At least some of the regulars looked good, like Califf, Orozco, Jacobson (very poised) and Arrieta (great showing). Union Jack showed a little hop in his step, and Nick Zimmerman actually got more than five minutes in a game. But that was some boring, boring soccer for a while there. This Celtic team? Yeah, it’s preseason, but they’re such a pale shadow of what this club used to be that I was just like, WTF?

That last sequence was insane. Two brilliant saves by Perk. A great block of a shot by a defender (either Arrieta or Califf, I think, but I forget who). Boom, boom, boom. My buddy’s 12-year-old nephew isn’t a soccer fan, but we brought him to the game because we had an extra ticket. He said he loved it. It was the atmosphere in part, but that last sequence definitely helped. Absolutely brilliant. WTF!