At long last, we come to the end of our autopsy. The corpse is laid out on the table before us, and we can step back and make an overall assessment, not just of cause of death, but of what needs to change if we don't want to sit here next fall... Click to continue reading...

Rolling right along with our grisly task, it's now time to figure out who to protect from the expansion draft. "What part does this play in an autopsy?" I hear you ask. Well, the guys you protect are those valuable players at the core of the team... Click to continue reading...

Alas, poor Hejduk! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite step-overs, of most abysmal crossing. He hath lunged in like a hack a thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is! My gorge rises at it. Quite literally, actually. So... Click to continue reading...

Hmmm. Following on from last week's third-party questioning of Preki comes this bit from a "very well connected fan of Chivas USA." (hat tip to duNord)... He really was a limited coach. He never bridged a link to Guadalajara. He didn't care to add... Click to continue reading...

Carrying on from our look at the goalkeepers and defenders in Part II, it's now time to address the midfield and forwards. Once again, note that I'm including the loanees and injured reserve guys in this roundup. Midfielders John DiRaimondo: With... Click to continue reading...

Having assessed the general strengths and weaknesses of the team in Part I, it's time to move on to the player-by-player assessment portion of our program. We'll begin with the goalkeepers and defenders. Note that I'm including the loanees and... Click to continue reading...

Sadly, my viewing of the semi-final matches was limited this weekend. I planned to watch the Galaxy-Dynamo match before hitting the road Saturday morning, but the delayed kickoff and power outages meant I only caught the first half before hitting... Click to continue reading...

autopsy (noun) (1) an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease —called also necropsy (2) a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something... Click to continue reading...

Sorry for the delay and the abbreviated nature of this post. I've been on the road all weekend, and I'll put something together after the Denmark match that will address what we learned from the two matches. Until then, just a few quick hits about... Click to continue reading...

A week's worth of anonymous internet polling have left us here, with two candidates remaining in the Next Coach Cup. Both have had relatively smooth paths to the final, though you've got to wonder if the combination of ABMOD and Benny's fragile... Click to continue reading...

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... Click to continue reading...

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... Click to continue reading...

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,... Click to continue reading...

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... Click to continue reading...

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... Click to continue reading...