Japan turned the narrative tables: This time it was not the USWNT winning against the run of play. They attacked relentlessly for much of the match, and came awfully close to scoring over and over again. Japan forced the USWNT to bring the game to them. Every now and again, they let up their breaks.

The worst thing about tonight's game was not the Michael Kennedy no-PK call, it was the response by the Cauldron. I've been in the Cauldron since it was in the corner of Arrowhead, section 114 and I've never really felt ashamed of being there. Tonight I did. Seriously disgraceful crap by multiple fans who felt it was alright to throw shit on the field after Kennedy blew the penalty call.

So DC caught us on a short week and hit us for 3 points. Our defensive marking was god-awful, but we still almost stole a point. Crow now, DC. You'll be sleeping with the Torontos in September, ain't my problem.

To everyone who's wondering why I rolled out the same lineup as I did on the weekend, it's because it's the first week of May and we played a USL-3 team on the weekend.

Not to put too fine a point on the recent crappy marketing tactics by Houston and Vancouver, but I think this article by Jim Stengel is relevant to the tactics being employed:

One very interesting, and controversial issue, emerged from the discussions: how did Simon and Unilever feel about the juxtaposition of Dove's Brand Ideal of improving women's self esteem with Axe/Lynx's Ideal of helping geeky guys get the girl, with a "tongue-in-cheek" sexist portrayal of girls?

Dr. Joel Rookwood
The flights to Doha were booked without complication, accommodation was effortlessly secured, and match tickets were purchased with ease. My introductory experiences of international tournaments have rarely unfolded with such simplicity.
Faz and I arrived at the Khalifa Stadium in Doha last night genuinely excited at the prospect of witnessing the opening ceremony of the Asian Cup.