The Fullback Files

DC United Next Coach Cup: Semifinals

2009-11-11T21:48:00.000-05:00

The quarterfinals are in the books. Twenty-eight candidates have been eliminated, leaving us with just four survivors to compete for the prestigious DC United Next Coach Cup. Let's not pull an FO dithering and hemming-and-hawing extravaganza, shall...

Hang on a Second!

2009-11-10T12:49:00.002-05:00

Anybody else read Loney's description of Preki... "But he can't run an offense, can't start the right forwards, can't put in the right forwards, can't find the right forwards, can't keep a roster consistent, can't keep his players healthy, and only...

DC United Next Coach Cup: Quarterfinals

2009-11-09T21:33:00.001-05:00

The Round of 16 is in the books, and more highly-regarded names have fallen by the wayside. I'll weave in the recap of the last round as we set the stage for the next. Voting for the quarterfinal round ends Wednesday night, so get your votes in now,...

MLS Playoff Prattle | MLS. A Kick in the Balls?

2009-11-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

Now tell me truthfully. What is your abiding image of the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs? Is it Schelotto steaming on the bench in Salt Lake? Maybe Onstad "chesting" Flopping Fredy? Perhaps Ching's flying finish? Not me. I'll go with Mike...

DC United Next Coach Cup: Round of 16

2009-11-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

The group stage is now in the books, with a few notable names getting tripped up at the first hurdle as the field narrowed from 32 to 16. Now things start to get really interesting as we move to the single elimination phase of our program. While my...

DC United Next Coach Cup: The Group Stage

2009-11-06T14:30:00.001-05:00

Time to kick off the DC United Next Coach Cup with the group stages. In true, bloated, FIFA money-grubbing fashion, we're going straight for the 32-name jugular. Some of these are serious candidates, others are waaaaaay out of left field or half in...

Nominations Please

2009-11-05T19:45:00.004-05:00

Okay, rather than that staid old, winner-take-all "next coach" poll that the Goffster is running, I'm going to run a tournament-poll competition in honor of our beloved MLS Cup playoffs. So take a look at the names that Goff has listed and toss out...

Tricksy Winger?

2009-11-05T18:57:00.002-05:00

Was it just me or was there a veiled barb in there directed at the FO? You know, the part about maybe the coach shouldn't shoulder the blame, maybe the players should, maybe the MANAGEMENT? But Benny couched that by spewing the Payne party line...

How's That For Irony?

2009-11-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

It was beginning to look like, given the hemming and the hawing, the insults to league and to fans, followed by furious backpedalling, that Kevin Payne was going to drop the ball and hand Tommy the keys to season #4. But then a curious thing...

Ramble On

2009-11-02T21:42:00.000-05:00

Let's begin today's stroll about the intarwebs in the land of the vikings... I'm sure everybody has read all the Brit-hype and seen all the mobile phone videos of Brad Guzan walking on water, and that's all well and good--he's the #2 behind Timmy...

MLS Playoff Prattle | Goals? I Got Yer Stinkin' Goals

2009-11-02T14:33:00.000-05:00

Show of hands, please. Who thinks the MLS HQ thought police "requested" more goals after the Sounders-Dynamo 0-0 brawl (admittedly not a bad game to watch, despite the lack of goals) and the "might as well have been 0-0" RSL victory over the Crew...

Lazy Saturday...

2009-10-31T10:47:00.004-04:00

Okay, so first things first...the MLS HQ troglodytes should be ashamed of themselves. Fining Payne $5k for criticizing other teams' style of play? Shameful...and predictable. Also predictable? Payne's apology. But what to make of this bit of...

MLS Playoff Prattle | Crank up the Prognostication Engines!

2009-10-28T12:57:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again, MLS fans. The leaves are turning, a chill wind blows from the north, DC United are watching from home (sniff!), and the playoffs are getting ready to kick into gear. So let's take a look at the matchups and consult the...

MLS Table Talk | Bringing the Curtain Down

2009-10-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

Before we transition to MLS Playoff Prattle (the post-season replacement for the Dogpile and Table Talk, in case you've forgotten from last year), let's take one last look at how the final single table shaped up in MLS this year... Just talkin' bout...

Memory Lane (With Voting!)

2009-10-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

Go take a trip down memory lane and see how many of these USA jerseys you remember with fondness (superheroes! Speed Racer! shame about the centered logo)... nausea (to be fair, the 90's boasted some hideous jerseys, but still)... or pain (ugh,...

Seriously, Part III

2009-10-27T12:08:00.000-04:00

Seriously? "The problem in our league isn't who is or isn't in the playoffs; it's that not enough people want to watch our league yet, and we have to convince them that our league is worth watching. I don't think [playing conservatively] is the way...

Seriously? Part II

2009-10-27T11:38:00.003-04:00

Seriously? D.C. United has engaged in serious talks with a Virginia jurisdiction about a new stadium, club president Kevin Payne told the Insider. He declined to identify the city or county but said -- no surprise -- that the stadium site would be...

Seriously?

2009-10-27T11:34:00.000-04:00

Seriously? "We have to determine whether we believe, for the immediate long term, if Tommy is the guy to lead the team," Payne said. "We don't go into this with our minds made up. We want to almost treat it like a blank slate."Ignoring the...

Post Match Wrap | United vs. 'Zards

2009-10-25T14:50:00.000-04:00

Partido dos in this little experiment, bringing together the loose strands... DC United 2:2 Kansas City Wizards CommunityAmerica Ballpark KC: Kamara (30'), Lopez (PK, 90+') DC: Moreno (PK, 67'), James (82') Your Friendly Neighborhood United...

Such Heights...and Such Depths | a DC United Match Reaction

2009-10-24T23:56:00.000-04:00

Go ahead. Admit it. You saw that coming didn't you? I mean, I wasn't prepared for Julius James to limp his way to late almost-glory in a target man role only to have his effort negated by a stoppage time PK (Fred giveth PK's, and Fred taketh them...

Worst Thursday Ever?

2009-10-23T09:08:00.001-04:00

Hyperbole to be sure, but still...ouch! You'd be forgiven for being miserable if you were a USA and DC United fan poking about in assorted RSS streams and illegal internet feeds yesterday. To recap... Snatched Away! In simultaneous games, United...

FBF Glossary: The Parity Police

2009-10-23T08:38:00.000-04:00

The world game is rife with leagues dominated by a handful of clubs. The Prem takes turns passing the baton between the Big 4. La Liga often boils down to a two-horse race. The Bundesliga title race is only interesting when Bayern are faltering....

Baby Steps | a DC United Match Reaction

2009-10-20T23:00:00.000-04:00

So, that was a better result than we probably could have expected in light of our sorry history south of the 2-0 crossing. And you could probably have doubled the surprise given the starting lineup that the oh-so-nattily-dressed Tommy Soehn ran out...

MLS Table Talk | Scenario Breakdown

2009-10-20T13:40:00.000-04:00

Rather than our normal rundown of points-per-game and goal scoring averages, let's start the graceful transition from "Table Talk" to "Playoff Prattle" by outlining the current scenarios for the various clubs... Columbus Crew vs. Revolution, 5PM...

Double the McTavish

2009-10-20T09:59:00.004-04:00

Check it out, the United roster is so barebones in midfield for the CONCACAF Champions' League match with Toluca tonight that the FO cloned McTavish! (via the Goffmeister)... The DCU roster: Goalkeepers: Steve Cronin, Milos Kocic. Defenders: Dejan...