MLS Week 19

My All Star prediction was right. Who would have guessed?

In a strange turn of events, all five league games played in week seventeen were ties. Phenomenon. (Doo doo doo doo)

I don’t think the return to league games from the All Star break has ever been as swift as it is this year. Eight teams return to action on Sunday, with RSL and Toronto playing on Monday. It’s Monday Night Fútbol!

New York Red Bulls @ San Jose Earthquakes
When I learned that San Jose managed to hold Toronto to a tie last weekend, at home, I was dazed. We’ve seen that San Jose can play well, but playing at BMO Field is not a pleasant experience, so I hear. New York also managed to hold scoring giant LA to a tie, but their tie involved goals. In order to win at San Jose, like I expect them to, they will have to continue that.

LA Galaxy @ FC Dallas
Poor FC Dallas. During the All Star game we heard plenty of talk about European Teams pursuing Kenny Cooper and Juan Toja. Unfortunately, Dallas doesn’t have much else going for them. And as much as I make fun of LA, they have a lot of depth in their goal-scoring positions. Dallas, who started out the season so well, are just not doing well right now. I don’t anticipate anything but a Galaxy victory from this game.

Chicago Fire @ Kansas City Wizards
Kansas City are looking better. They managed to score twice in their match with Columbus (their first goal was an own goal). Very nice, Wizards. Chicago had very many chances again RSL, but Chad Barrett, master of hitting the post, was unable to score. So was Blanco, which makes me happy. I think KC just might be able to win this match.

Columbus Crew @ Colorado Rapids
Poor Colorado. It has been a difficult season for them. Columbus, much like RSL, has kind of shocked everyone by maintaining a fairly high standing on the Eastern rankings. They are currently in second place, and of these two, are the better team. They scored three goals for themselves and one for Kansas last Thursday. I fully expect them to leave the pitch with three points.

Toronto FC @ Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake, while only managing a draw at Chicago, definitely proved that they were the better team. Toronto proved nothing by their scoreless draw against San Jose. Except that they should not have let Brian McBride go to Chicago (assuming my suspicions are correct). Real is on a role. Still undefeated at home, I don’t anticipate that will change from this game. But it’s usually when I’m sure of a Real victory that they lose. Let’s give this one a tie and both teams will walk away with one point. Then, unless everyone else in the west ties or loses, RSL will no longer be in first place.

Half-way

So, the All Star game is usually the half-way mark on the season. This year is not exception. It's sad. There are only five remaining home games for Real Salt Lake. There are no other games this weekend to post predictions on, so here goes...

West Ham @ All Stars
This year the All Stars will be taking on West Ham from the English Premiere League. West Ham is probably all out of shape because it is the off-season for them. I anticipate an All Star Victory. I also anticipate a fight of some sort, and for Blanco to spend at least 10 minutes complaining.

It's going to be a good one. I believe it starts in about...51 minutes.

I am 24.98 years old

Well, it’s been a long time. I’ve actually been busy and completely unwilling to blog. I try to think of something to write about and then give up. I spend my energy elsewhere.

My birthday is coming up. I actually have less than a week remaining before I am twenty-five years old. It was bothering me for about ten minutes, then I got over it.

I think 25 is the last milestone in the age thing, before you hit 65 and suddenly everything is cheaper. At 25 you can rent a car without paying their extra underage fees. That’s something I’m definitely looking forward to.

Pepper has been telling me that if I don’t give her ideas, she is not going to get me anything for my birthday. She is basically complaining that I never tell her what I want or that I buy everything for myself. I have heard this complaint from my mom before too. When it’s Christmas time, I am not allowed to buy anything for myself.

The thing is, I like surprises. When someone asks me what I want for Christmas or my birthday, I kind of get peeved. I know that it’s a standard question, but come on. I don’t like to make a Christmas list. I usually don’t get half the stuff on it, even though I plan it according to the budget I know I have to work with.

I am the type of person who listens intently to what people say. If someone mentions in passing that they want something, I make a mental note for the next holiday. I also strictly observe the types of clothes that person wears, or what they say they do in their free-time. Then I shop accordingly.

So, I rarely ask anyone what they want. It helps that the person I buy gifts for the most is Pepper, and I know pretty much everything Pepper likes. We have a lot of the same tastes. I know Pepper’s size. I know Pepper’s favorite color. I know most of the movies in Pepper’s collection.

And that's the reason I usually don't have anything planned for what I want for the next holiday. I don't remember, but like I do for you, I expect you to remember. But then again, maybe the gifts I buy aren't any good. Then this whole rant sounds so dumb...

Offside!

Exciting News!

Last night, Pepper and I put down our first payment towards our 2009 Real Salt Lake season tickets! It’s so fun to hand over hundreds of dollars and have nothing to show for it! Even so, I am very excited. We are up one row from where we are now, but the seats at the new stadium are closer to the field. So all in all, it’s a better seat...for half again as much...

Anyway, on to the rest of the league…

Colorado Rapids @ Columbus Crew
Colorado are right in their traditional form of not winning games. Columbus are still trying to hold their place among the East. I don’t know how long it has been since Colorado won. Too long. Columbus, however, managed to tie LA last weekend. Right now, that is an impressive feat. I give this game to Columbus. They are home and Colorado are stinky.

Toronto FC @ New England Revolution
This is the only game of the weekend that involves two teams from the same conference. Toronto were home last weekend with Kansas City visiting. I thought it would be an easy victory for them. New England were visiting RSL. I thought we would be lucky to hold them to a tie. I was so wrong, on both counts. Toronto is nearly unbeatable at home, but New England are good wherever they play. I think New England wins this match. Especially because most of their starters that were out last weekend, should be back this one.

Real Salt Lake @ Kansas City Wizards
KC were impressive to hold Toronto to a tie at home and leave BMO with one point. Real Salt Lake were even more impressive to win league-leading New England at home. I want so badly for Real to win, it could mean first place in the west for them if they do. But I’m afraid that in their usual form they will screw up and I will be furious and we’ll go right back to #13 in the power rankings.

San Jose Earthquakes @ Chicago Fire
San Jose’s first home game of the season, they played host to Chicago. At that point, they were looking measly at best, and yet managed to keep Chicago from scoring more than once. Chicago lost to both Chivas and Dallas last week. I would not have thought that possible earlier in the season. Even so, I think Chicago will take this game.

New York Red Bulls @ Chivas USA
New York and Chivas both managed a good week last week. New York tied the Revs in midweek and then won at Dallas on Saturday. Chivas won at home against Chicago. Chivas is still a team to be reckoned with, despite their poor start to the season and their mile-long injury list. I think it will be a good game, but I think Chivas will win it.

Los Angeles Galaxy @ DC United
Sunday’s lone game should be very interesting. DC are not the top team in the East in points, but they are making major strides. LA are sitting at top, but I hope they lose. They only managed a tie last weekend, while DC beat San Jose (which in mind is like a tie). This game is incredibly difficult to call, so I default to the home side.

GOOOOOAAAALLLLLLL!

Kansas City Wizards at Toronto FC
Poor Kansas City. They are winless in their last six games and they have to travel to Toronto this weekend. No one is going to have a good time playing at BMO this year. Kansas will extend their winless streak to seven games. Toronto will extend their winning streak to two.

FC Dallas at New York Red Bulls
I would not have picked Dallas over Chicago last weekend. They haven’t been playing very poorly, but since losing their coach, they haven’t been overly impressive. Now they have a new coach and he certainly has something to prove. New York gave up a late goal to New England Wednesday night. It’s better than I thought they would do. The Red Bulls have only had two days to rest, but at least they are at home. I think they will win.

Houston Dynamo at Colorado Rapids
Houston lost yet again the New England last Thursday while Colorado lost to Toronto. Despite their poor form, Colorado are only two points behind Houston. Both teams will be eager for three points. It’s just a matter of who wants it more. I would say that Houston does.

New England Revolution at Real Salt Lake
Last weekend, I predicted RSL would lose at Chivas. They won. On Wednesday, I was sure they would win at home against San Jose. They tied. I’m thinking that we don’t have a chance against New England—even with Twellman and Joseph missing. I hate to say it. They will be lucky to get a tie, but I expect a loss.

Columbus Crew at Los Angeles Galaxy
The Galaxy are proving over and over again that they are a new team. In their last five games, the only team they have lost to is Toronto. The Crew are coming off a victory over Kansas. I expect a lot of goals from this game, but the Galaxy will have more.

San Jose Earthquakes at DC United
San Jose have a knack for pulling strange victories out of a hat. Unfortunately, DC is climbing toward the top of the East. I don’t expect that this will be one of those games that shock everyone. It will probably end with DC victory.

Fore!

I have been remiss in my blogging duties. My only excuse is that I haven’t really felt like doing it. I know it’s lame, but there it is.

There is actually quite a lot of stuff going on right now. Summer has finally come and slapped us all in the face. It’s so hot! And yet, I love it. It certainly makes running a little more uncomfortable, but that’s about it. The roads are clear. People go on vacation so traffic is rarely as bad as it has been the last 8 months. I can go outside without a jacket. The world, and my skin, has color again. It’s all good!

Anyway, today’s blog is going to be about golf. I personally don’t love golf. I do not think it counts as a sport. Come on, they don’t even carry their own clubs! The only physical activity involved is wandering around and trying to find your ball and then swinging a club at said tiny little ball. Please.

This isn’t to say that golf is not a game of skill. I acknowledge that it’s difficult and pretty much miraculous. I am not denying that fact. I cannot understand how anyone can get a hole in one. I have only been golfing once in my life, but that was all the experience I needed to measure its difficulty.

Today was the Sorenson’s Champions Challenge at Thanksgiving Point. My company is a sponsor for this event. We have free tickets and some of us even get VIP passes. This is the first year I was able to go to this event. I was excited. I rarely get to spend more than a few minutes during the daylight hours outside on weekdays. I was able to see some big golfing names and I got sunburned. Fun for me!

And I must say that watching golf live is slightly less boring than watching it on TV.

Even so, I think I will stick with mini golf. A round takes about an hour, rather than 4 or 5. Getting less than 6 strokes is possible for someone like me. You don’t have to worry about whether the course has a dress code or not. It’s all around better.

But kudos to those of you who love to watch and play golf. I’ll stick with soccer. You can cheer while the actual playing of the game is going on.

I'm going to Disneyland!

Well, we had a successful trip to Disneyland. I wish that I could write about everything that happened. I think that would be boring for everyone. We have safely established a few things, though…

I can break rides by willpower. I have twice broken Indiana Jones by saying out loud that I hope it would break down--once while we were on it. I have also broken down Space Mountain, but not in time for us to stop on the ride and have to walk off. Too bad.

Disneyland is hardest on my feet. I get blisters and more blisters. I can’t put on any shoes by flip-flops. By the end of the day, all I want to do is sit or lie down.

There is too much food in Disneyland. We ate a lot, but it felt like we hardly ate anything. We only got one trip to Bur-r-rbank, one churro, one ice cream sandwich, one frozen banana, one everything. And as the slogan goes, once is never enough.

Disneyland is one of the best places to “people watch”. There are so many freaky people who show up and are dressed to the nines, or who are not dressed enough. There are crazy people who can’t walk around the park, and it’s obvious it’s just because of their size. There are people who cannot keep track of their one child, so they put them on a leash. How can TWO adults not keep track of ONE child? You can sit on a bench for just five minutes and see a fair number of people worth mocking go by.

Driving in California is safer than driving in Utah.

I don’t think you should ever wait in a line that has a posted wait time of longer than 30 minutes. Fast pass the ride or come back another time. The only time we spent longer than 25 minutes in a line was waiting for the Nemo Submarines. And since we had chimichangas to eat and interesting people around us to talk or listen to, it was alright.

Californians have no concept of what Utah is like, unless they have actually visited.

You can eat for cheap in California Adventure. Just take the Mission Tortilla Factory tour and the Boudin Bakery tour. Free tortillas and sourdough bread for all!

The front of Screamin’ is worth the wait. The wind whips at your face and you can see the track the entire time. If you can’t ride in the front, or don’t want to wait for the front, try riding with your eyes closed. The coaster is a different experience when you don’t know what’s coming next.

I can wear a baseball cap on almost any ride and it will not come off.

So, useful tips and fun facts. Anyone want to take a trip? I’m ready for another vacation.