Hard times hit United after Open Cup setback
Soccer Betting Lines
09/02/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - D.C. United hit rock bottom Wednesday. The
most storied franchise in Major League Soccer history was already on the verge
of their worst season in history, and it got even worse with their U.S. Open
Cup exit.
That D.C. United lost again was not a surprise - that's what they've done this
year. How United lost, interim manager Ben Olsen said after a 2-1, extra-
time loss to the Columbus Crew was "cruel."
United took a one-goal lead into the final minutes of the Open Cup semifinals,
holding onto an early lead despite an ejection of goal scorer Pablo Hernandez,
when Marc Burch scored into his own net with one minute left in regulation.
Columbus added a second goal eight minutes into extra time, and United dropped
out of the competition just seconds short of another finals appearance. It was
a tough loss, would have been for any team, but even more so for this one.
United has won four games this year in MLS through 22 matches. Yes, four. That
equals the number of championships the team has won in league's first 14 years
in existence.
"This season has been abysmal," United's Santino Quaranta said, "and [the Open
Cup] was the only thing we had going for us."
Until the last minute Wednesday night.
Burch's own goal erased a chance for D.C. to return to the U.S. Open Cup final
for the third straight year. The last two years, the once-proud club failed to
make the MLS playoffs, but thrived in the Open Cup tournament.
United won the U.S. Open Cup two seasons ago, and lost in the final to Seattle
Sounders FC last year. Now, United will watch Seattle defend its title against
Columbus next month.
D.C. will have to turn its focus solely to MLS, where over the last eight games
of the season, it will try to avoid accumulating a number of records no team
wants.
United, 4-14-3, could overtake the 2001 Tampa Bay Mutiny for the worst year in
league history if it loses its last eight games. Tampa Bay went 4-23-3 and had
a .185 winning percentage. D.C. could finish with a .183 winning percentage.
United has been shut out 14 times in league play, just one off the record. With
15 goals so far in the league - or only two more than MLS scoring leader Edson
Buddle of the Los Angeles Galaxy - D.C. needs 10 goals to avoid the lowest sum
ever in a single-season.
"We'll keep pushing, somehow regroup," Olsen said Wednesday, "then start again
on the weekend."
United returns to MLS action Saturday against Columbus, then visits Toronto FC
and Los Angeles. Houston, Colorado, San Jose, Chicago and another game against
Toronto wraps up the schedule.
Olsen, who helped United to its MLS Cup titles in 1998 and 2004, can only hope
to start building the foundation for the team's next boss. Olsen replaced Curt
Onalfo earlier this season, but isn't considered a candidate for the full-time
job.
D.C.'s fall, which has happened over the last few seasons, can be traced to a
number of bad roster decisions, including trading ex-MLS Defender of the Year
Bobby Boswell to Houston in 2007.
Boswell was shipped out for backup goalie Zach Wells (who retired in 2009 when
he was just 29), and then the signings of five South Americans last offseason,
including Marcelo Gallardo, failed to produce much for the club. None of those
players are still in D.C.
Before this season, United traded Brazilian midfielder Fred, a first-round pick
and allocation money to the Philadelphia Union to acquire the right to ex-D.C.
goalie Troy Perkins, who returned to the league following a stint in Europe.
Perkins has allowed nearly two goals a game in 15 starts and lost his starting
spot to rookie Bill Hamid.
After reaching the MLS Cup in the first four years the league existed and with
wins in three of those finals, United hit a tough stretch from 2000-2002. D.C.
returned to the playoffs for the following five seasons, meaning there is some
hope the current three-year slide is just another rough patch.
However, United's attendance has slipped below 15,000 for the first time ever.
It now seems that the word "TRADITION" - proudly displayed below the collar on
the back of their jerseys - is all the club has right now.
<< D'Backs' Hudson named NL Rookie of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson was
named the National League Rookie of the Month for August.
Hudson went 4-1 with a 1.85 earned-run average in six starts during the month.
He led all National Le
<< St. Louis' Pujols named NL Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols has been
named the National League Player of the Month for August.
Pujols batted .379 over 26 games in August and led the National League with 11
home runs. He posted a .
<< Orioles' Matusz named top AL rookie for August
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Orioles pitcher Brian Matusz has
been selected as the American League's top rookie for the month of August.
Matusz went 4-1 with a 2.43 earned-run average over six starts in August. He
led AL r
<< Atlanta's Hudson voted NL Pitcher of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson has been
named the National League Pitcher of the Month for August.
Over six starts in August, Hudson posted a 4-0 mark with a 1.71 earned run
average. He struck out 3
<< Federer rolls into third round at the Open
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Five-time champion Roger Federer was
an easy second-round winner Thursday at the U.S. Open.
The second-seeded former top-ranked Federer cruised past German Andreas Beck
6-3, 6-4, 6-3 at Ashe Stadium.
Wozniacki, Jankovic reach third round in Flushing >>
Flushing Meadows, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki and
former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic were a pair of second-round winners
Thursday at the 2010 U.S. Open.
The 2009 runner-up Wozniacki double-bageled Taipei's Kai-Chen
Toronto's Bautista wins AL monthly award >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista
was named the American League Player of the Month for August.
Bautista torrid month-long stretch with the bat saw him lead the A.L. in home
runs (12), RBI (24)
Boston's Buchholz named AL Pitcher of the Month >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boston Red Sox right-hander Clay Buchholz was
named the American League Pitcher of the Month for August.
Buchholz was 4-0 with a minuscule 1.03 earned-run average over six August
starts. He struck out
Hawks sign C Thomas >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Hawks signed free agent center Etan
Thomas on Thursday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
An eight-year veteran, Thomas spent last season with Oklahoma City and in 23
games a
Braves activate Glaus >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves activated first baseman
Troy Glaus from the 15-day disabled list prior to Thursday's game against the
Mets.
Glaus had been on the DL since August 18 with inflammation in his left knee
NFL Football Trash Talk
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their supplements to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject
would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms.
Thankfully, this wont be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends,
their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the
sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies
your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming
the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like
your opponent really is a truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit. And in
defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your
hyperbolic heights. The plug-necked yahoos on your team, you can say,
will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesnt
focus only on your opponents team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea
is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to
make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Wheres your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, I'll try to type slower for you next time. Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, dont just conclude by saying your opponent is a twerp who drafts like my grandmother. Say that your opponent is a sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars. By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You wont be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, Im sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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