Author: Ben Bromley

  • Cut this team.

    Troy Perkins- Cut. Who knows what happened to the Troy Perkins that was on the fringe of the National Team picture, but that person must have stayed in Norway. Bill Hamid- Keep. Good young keeper who will only get better. Chase Harrison- Keep. Might as well, Hamid needs a backup. Julius James- Keep. He and…

  • DCU in a 4-2-3-1?

    Basketball commentators (especially Bill Simmons), talk about getting your best players on the court, and not worrying about the formation.  In the modern NBA, formations and tactics matter less than having all of your best players together. Like the center who is thrust into the lineup because you’re “supposed” to have all five traditional positions,…

  • The Last Match of the 2010 Cycle

    I’m excited for the USA-Brazil friendly tomorrow! Now, I know that this might make me a bit of an outcast, but I’ll tell you why.  I see this match as the last in the 2010 World Cup cycle.  I disagree with those who say that this match is purely a money-grab, although I’m sure US…

  • DC United-LA Galaxy quick thoughts

    I’m still amazed at how terrible the picture is on Fox Soccer for MLS games; its really, really bad.  Let’s just move to Versus already. Anyways, the game.  DC United versus the best team in the league.  And, except for the final score, it was just like I said: if you look at the general…

  • The Galaxy come to town

    Sorry that I didn’t post anything about the 0-0 draw with NYRB or the 1-0 loss to the Sounders; I was on vacation on Bald Head Island, NC, with my fiancée and her family.  But now the best team in the league comes into RFK. Donovan, Ricketts, Buddle, and the rest of the team are a match…

  • Boskovic and Hernandez lineup math

    Ah, the last game before DC United two new signings, Branko Boskovic and Pablo Hernandez, can officially start playing.  That’s when lineup choices will start getting more interesting, although I doubt either of them will start that game (against the Sounders), but maybe a late sub depending on how the game is going.  The lineup…

  • Vuvuzela Hero and other gimmicks

    The USA needs a gimmick.  No, not the national team itself.  They have trademarked American Grit, allowing them to get scrappy wins and play above their nominal talent level.  But no, ESPN is the king of gimmicks, and yet they’ve tried to market the World Cup with things like British announcers, top-tier studio talent, and…

  • FSC, MLS, and Versus

    As I was watching Saturday’s Columbus-Chicago game, I noticed something terrible.  No, it was the announcing, although many people harp on that.  The two announcers in this game, as well as the sideline reporter (touchline reporter?), felt the need to fill every second with inane chatter about anything and everything without letting the game just happen.  It…

  • Quick thoughts, DC United vs. SJ Earthquakes

    Like many DC United games, this one could have been subtitled “The Tale of Two Halves.”  Except, unlike a normal United game, they were poor in the first half and then got better in the second.  And the Earthquakes were all over United in the first half, keeping all of the possession and sending in…

  • Quick thoughts, DC United vs. Real Salt Lake

    Quick thoughts and ratings after DC United’s 0-0 draw with Real Salt Lake… Never thought that, after the start of this season, I would be disappointed with stealing a point against Real Salt Lake, the current holders of the MLS Cup.  But after the way the match went, I can’t help but think that DC…