Noel S. Williams

Some random thoughts from RFK….. DC soccer fans are among the best in the nation. My only previous experience seeing a soccer game at RFK was when I saw Norway play Mexico in the 1994 World Cup, so last night was my first chance to see the DC soccer fans in action. They do not […]

I just got a friendly call from the LA Galaxy front office letting me know that a local bar, the Off-Campus Pub on Avelon Blvd. right near the HDC, will be showing the game in English. Similarly, a commenter to my previous post has mentioned that the game will also be shown at the Cock and Bull […]

The game against Honduras this weekend is massive. Win, and the US can start buying those non-refundable tickets to South Africa and will probably win CONCACF. Lose, and the game against Costa Rica the following Wednesday will be a pressure-cooker. Some random thoughts…. The Honduras game will be played in….Honduras. Despite the political instability in […]

There is a thin line between being a mad genius and simply being mad. If Brian Clough was the mad genius of English football, the new film The Damned United explores Clough’s simply mad stage when he got fired at Derby County and then, after 44 days in charge of Leeds United, got himself dismissed […]

This is the updated table after the weekend action: A week later, and though the table has tightened a little, the same eight teams as last week are still on track for the playoffs. As it stands now, the playoffs would be: East Columbus vs Colorado Chicago vs New England West Los Angeles vs […]

With less than a month left in the season, this is promising to be one of the more exciting run-ups the MLS has ever had. The new playoff format which allows wild card teams (teams that finish outside of the top two of their conference)to qualify based on their overall record rather than conference standings […]

Kartik was right. There was a buzz about this game – two solid, mature teams with something to prove. In the end, the Galaxy went out deserved winners. Some thoughts… Welcome back Sean Franklin. When 2008 Rookie of the Year Franklin tore his hamstring in mid May, Galaxy fans saw disaster. Franklin was the only […]

There has been some talk lately about how the USMNT has regressed from its best teams of the past decade – that a lack of veteran leadership has made this team shakier and that Bob Bradley is making do with a hand full of poor cards. I don’t believe that to be the case. The […]

Many US fans have been rubbing their hands in anticipation of having Schalke’s Jermaine Jones playing under the red, white and blue. The son of a German mother and American father has applied to FIFA to get his team designation switched from Germany to the US. The holding midfielder is a tough tackler in the […]

Heath Pearce's career needs a revival. Perhaps he can get it in Texas? Open thread for you Hoops fans…..

So, David Beckham flew all the way from Los Angeles to London so he could sit on the bench for the friendly against Slovakia and play 10 minutes of garbage time once England had a four goal lead against Croatia. He got a great view of how Shaun Wright Phillips did well against Slovakia and […]

As much as I enjoy Kartik’s writing and analysis, let me add a counter-point on this. The referee clearly blew this call, and there are no rules of the game or replay angels that would ever indicate otherwise. That being said, I try not to get fussed about blown calls. Soccer is a game of blown calls, […]

The US did not play particularly well, but three points is three points. After the loss at Azteca, the most important thing the US needed to do was put a W up on the board, and they did that. There passing was poor, their link-up play was stilted, and their defense of the wings was […]

One of the major complains that many have against the MLS is that it is a developmental league. No American dreams of playing for the San Jose Earthquakes or the Kansas City Wizards – they imagine themselves playing in Italy, Spain or England. The best MLS players are always eyeing their European opportunities. Their agents […]