On Monday, we showed you the video that asked the players who the best prankster on the team was. Today, we bring you one of the best pranks of 2008 - in photo essay form. Though numerous players play pranks on their teammates throughout the course of a season, this year, a particular prank war developed between Marc Burch and Santino Quaranta.

Click to continue reading...

Wow. What can I say? I mean.. wow. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we'd be nominated for a Best of U.S. Soccer award. Yes, you dream about these things at night. You hope against hope. But, it always seems such a lofty dream. We really don't expect to win, so we're going to give an acceptance speech while we have the chance.

Click to continue reading...

Would you call yourself one of the biggest D.C. United fans out there? Do you bleed Black-and-Red? Do you go to RFK Stadium more often than you go to the grocery store? Do you know every player's middle name and their favorite movie (if you do, that's a little creepy)?

Well, if you are one of the biggest fans out there, you need this - the D.

Click to continue reading...

You might recall the video we posted a couple weeks back that asked the question "who is the best dressed player on D.C. United?" That video was a preview for a series of videos we premiered at the United Awards Reception last week. We've received numerous requests from those in attendance to put the videos up here, so we're obliging them.

Click to continue reading...

D.C. United players answer the question - who is the hairiest player on the team?

Come see who wins the real team awards at the Fifth Annual United Awards Reception on October 30 at historic Atlas Theater. More info here.

Click to continue reading...

... and you're female, today might be your lucky day.

United's starting centerback is obvoiusly desperate to meet women and has made himself available to Mix 107.3 to take part in a little giveaway they've aptly named "The Bachelor." The set-up is simple: Head over to the Mix 107.

Click to continue reading...

Following Saturday night's 1-0 win over the Fire, the team gathered in the locker room around the lone TV to watch US swimmer Michael Phelps and his team compete in the final swim of the Olympic meet - the 400 medley relay. As you probably know, Phelps was going for his record eighth gold medal. What follows is a photo essay of the team's reaction during the last two legs of the swim.

Click to continue reading...

I have a feeling a good number of our fans - perhaps especially those in Barra Brava? - know who Branden Steineckert is. For those of you that don't, you should know first that he is a United fan. He also happens to play drums in one of the most popular punk rock bands out there, Rancid. He also previously played in The Used, which is a massive rock band as well.

Click to continue reading...

Everyone knows Ben Olsen. One of the most popular players on the team since his rookie year in 1998, the tenacious midfielder has already cemented himself in United history as one of the best. You may not, however, know his older brother Jeremy.

Best by injuries in recent weeks, United's coaching staff has called upon the elder Olsen - who has been in D.

Click to continue reading...

What a week of bonding D.C. United's front office and players have had this week. After a incredible meal at Chima Brazilian Steakhouse on Monday night, a number of players and staff made their way to the DC Improv last night to watch hypnotist Flip Orley perform. I only wish I possessed the descriptive writing ability needed to accurately describe how hilarious his show is.

Click to continue reading...

Earlier this year, former Washington Bullet Gheorghe Muresan visited the D.C. United locker room. The Romanian is a big soccer fan and attends a few United games each year. The 7-foot, 7-inch Muresan is pictured below with Brazilians Luciano Emilio and Fred. The three serve as the subjects for our first Behind The Badge Caption Content.

Click to continue reading...

Be sure to keep an eye on wtop.com for Dave Johnson's regular column 'Dave's Take.' His most recent piece is especially a good read. He discussed Mayor Fenty's recent comments about trying to get the Redskins back in D.C. and how it is "a slap in the face" to D.C. United. Give it a read here.

Click to continue reading...

Not sure what Haircut '08 is? Then, you need to read this and this. Once you've done that, you're ready for the video below... Wait until you see what James Thorpe had cut into his head!

Click to continue reading...

If you haven't yet read it, check out Dan Steinberg's recent post on the various D.C. teams and their policy on being shirtless at games. You'll see that our stance when compared to the other pro teams in the area is in stark contrast. If you read the piece, you likely saw a great quote from our VP of Communications, Doug Hicks.

Click to continue reading...

WJLA's Greg Toland happened to be at RFK Stadium today during all of the haircutting festivities. Though he wasn't planning on covering the inaugural Haircut-Off, he did...

Click to continue reading...

You can read all about what's going above at Dan Steinberg's D.C. Sports Bog, but the quick story is that today was the inaugural "Haircut-Off '08" between rookie Dan Stratford and season ticker holder Karen Hennessee (who also happens to be a professional haircutter/stylist/barber/hairdresser).

Click to continue reading...

As promised, the results from last night's date auction - which included Domenic Mediate, Marc Burch and Devon Mctavish being auctioned off - have been corralled. I'm told the event was a big success with a good bit of money being raised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Marc Burch was the evening's top grossing gentleman, bringing in $575, while McTavish ($375) and Mediate ($325) followed.

Click to continue reading...

As I sit down to watch the first Euro 2008 match between Switzerland and the Czech Republic, the team is finding their ways to TV's to tune in. I polled the guys this morning on who they thought would be the winner and here is the break down:

France (4): Franco Niell, Fred, Gonzalo Martinez, Marcelo Gallardo (who says it will be a France-Spain final) Germany (3): Clyde Simms, Bryan Namoff, Luciano Emilio Italy (6): Gonzalo Peralta, Ryan Cordeiro, Domenic Mediate, Tom Soehn, Dave Kasper, Jaime Moreno (who said "I don't want them to win, but they're too good") Holland (2): Marc Burch, Santino Quaranta Portugal (4): Jose Carvallo, Devon McTavish, Chad Ashton, Ben Olsen Russia (1): Rodion Dyachenko (who was born there and said he couldn't pick against them) Spain (2): Mark Simpson, Zach Wells So, no one picks any of the following: Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey. Click to continue reading...

An introduction, Part I: Ben Olsen is known as a very stylish guy. Some might say too stylish. He has a very unique look - one all his own. On a given day he might wear jean shorts, a sleeveless tee and chucks. Another day might bring an old, ratty t-shirt and a pair of designer jeans complemented with a winter hat.

Click to continue reading...

In the locker room, one of the more popular activity among players is ping-pong. And really, how can you not like ping-pong? Competing after training today were rookies Ryan Cordeiro and Jeremy Barlow. I can't say I know who ended the day victorious, but Cordeiro was winning while I was watching..

Click to continue reading...

Turns out our method for determining the 2008 National Champ wasn't foolproof. Darn it. As it turns out, it was the South Americans (and Tom Soehn) who most accurately predicted last night's game:

Actual Score: Kansas 75 - Memphis 68 Jose Carvallo (Peru) : Kansas 75 - Memphis 69 (1 point off) Jaime Moreno (Bolivia): Kansas 72 - Memphis 68 (3 points off) Gonzalo Martinez (Colombia): Kansas 74 - Memphis 65 (4 points off) Tommy Soehn (Germany/Chicago): Kansas 72 - Memphis 68 (4 points off) As commenter TCompton so perfectly writes: "Clearly, our South American friends are sending the message that the team that is favored doesn't always win, and that sometimes overtime is needed to finish off a worthy adversary. Click to continue reading...

.. the University of Memphis Tigers!

In a highly calculated and scientific manner, I can with 100% confidence tell you that Memphis will defeat the Kansas University Jayhawks 74-71 this evening in the NCAA title game. You might be asking yourself, "how can he be so sure? How does he know?

Click to continue reading...