Soccerday

Um, is United going to pay for my plane ticket to Seattle so I can use my special game B season ticket to see DCU play Real Madrid? Real won't play in Baltimore because Barcelona is playing in New York at the same time? (Well, given a choice, all travel inconveniences being relatively equal, I'd rather see Barca than Real.) While it's still good that DCU might play Real, even in Seattle, all I can say, after anticipating the prospect of seeing the game in person, is, Damn.

A game day article in the Post on Adu. Freddy has made himself an integral part of an excellent team. Though he's only scored once, he's hit the post or crossbar a number of times, and he's been involved in several United goals either directly with assists or in the flow down field towards goal. His defensive skills are still lacking, though that may be unfixable totally because of his size. Last week against Columbus, Marc Burch, the rookie from Maryland, was simply too big and strong for Adu to contain, and Nowak had to sub in McTavish for Adu to help hold the lead.

Freddy's never going to be what he was unreasonably packaged to be, a magical player of legendary status. He's small, and what's more he's slow, way too slow to be truly great at his size. Which is not to say that he can't eventually go to Europe and make a fine career and get into the USMNT pool and play in South Africa in 2010 and (supposedly) Brazil in 2014. And for now, he's a key component on United, and I'm sure that every other team in MLS would love to have him.

No bottom notes in the article itself on tonight's game in Chicago. The pregame box lists the same probable line-up as started last Saturday v Columbus, with Adu up top with Moreno and both Simms and Olsen in midfield. Which means nothing, with Nowak, of course, but of note is that Erpen is listed as starting. Since I have not read or heard anything about whatever injury took him out of the game at half last week, I'm happily assuming that everything's fine.

Chicago desperately needs this game. They need the points, they need to start winning in their new stadium. I expect United to come out with attitude. It ought to be chippy.