Behind the Badge

MLS Game #8: DCU @ Chivas USA

05/17/2008 2:29 PM by Kyle Sheldon

United readies itself for MLS game number eight this evening. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. local time (10:30 p.m. ET) and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español. The temperature is supposed to get up into the high 90's (and low 100's in some areas), so we're all hoping it cools down by game time. I'll be back with the lineup about an hour from kickoff, but for now here is a rundown of today's United-related news:

Steve Goff writes about the two biggest problems Tom Soehn faces in the Washington Post.
John Haydon's piece focuses on the longevity of Jaime Moreno - from the Washington Times.
Charlie Boehm writes about United trying to overcome its recent struggles on the road at dcunited.com.
Grahame Jones looks at the many different story lines in today's game in the Los Angeles Times.

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Chivas USA

LA update

05/16/2008 8:15 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Quick update before we head out for a team dinner this evening... the guys trained behind closed doors this afternoon on a practice field at the Home Depot Center. The team played some possession, worked on defensive posture and finished with some set pieces.

Prior to today's session, Zach Wells and Jaime Moreno took part in a short press conference along with Chivas USA's Paulo Nagamura and Brad Guzan. A few excerpts from Señor Moreno when he was asked about the team's early season struggles:

"The reason is simple - we're not playing well. We worked so hard from pre-season and now we find ourselves at this point. At the end of the day, it's the players who play the game. The coaches can only do so much... soccer is about not making mistakes and we've allowed too many. We know we're going to score goals, but we need to defend better, starting from the forwards all the way to the back."

A few other notes: Ben Olsen is with the team offering any help and guidance he can. He also really likes crossword puzzles... Saw former United forward (and MLS Cup MVP) Alecko Eskandarian in the hotel lobby. He's still hurt, but as friendly as ever... It's going to be hot tomorrow.

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Chivas USA

Kevin Payne on Washington Post Live

05/16/2008 11:55 AM by Kyle Sheldon

Here are two clips from Kevin Payne's appearance yesterday on Comcast SportsNet's Washington Post Live. KP speaks mainly on the team's early season struggles...

Part 1:

Part 2:

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Kevin Payne

Off to the city of angels

05/15/2008 8:58 AM by Kyle Sheldon

After a short training session this morning, the team will depart for Los Angeles today in preparation for Saturday's match with Chivas USA. The team has a League meeting Friday morning (let's learn about your 401k!) and will train that afternoon at the Home Depot Center.

Saturday's match is set for 10:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel & Fox Sports en Español. The game can also be heard live on the radio - in english on WFED 1050 AM and on the Spanish Radio Network (1540 AM, 1390 AM, 1600 AM and 1350 AM).

I'll be back with updates and photos throughout the weekend, so keep checking back. Also, in case you missed it, you can now vote for your MLS All-Stars. Without naming names, we think there are several United players worthy of your vote.

UPDATE: We just confirmed that Kevin Payne, our President & CEO, will be on Comcast SportsNet's Washington Post Live this evening at 5:15 p.m. (the show is replayed at 11 p.m., too). He'll discuss the new Volkswagen deal and what it means for the club, as well as his views on the current state of the team. Washington Post Live is hosted by one of our favorites, Russ Thaler, and today will also featuring two well-versed soccer guys, both from the Washington Post - Jason La Canfora and Paul Tenorio.

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Chivas USA

Reason number 714 to love Benny Olsen

05/14/2008 1:53 PM by Doug Hicks

Ben Olsen is a fan favorite among United supporters for an array of reasons. He has given everything he has to this club since before he could grow facial hair (ok, that may be stretching it a bit, but you get the point). Regardless, much has been made of Benny's recent battle to overcome ankle injuries and when he'll again contribute on the field. What people may not be aware of is how Benny continues to give to the team despite not being able to score goals, get into a tackle or provide on-field leadership during games.

Following United's loss against Chicago, Ben was in the locker room to greet players exiting the field. His message honest and simple: keep your heads up, we'll get through this. When the Black-and-Red returned to training this week, a hobbling Olsen was there, boots on and ready to go. While he can't run and play, he still knows that he can provide some intangibles while participating in training as best he can.

Yesterday, Benny saddled up with a group of reserve players, hitting crosses and explaining how to beat defenders with a driven, bending ball that also strands goalkeepers in their tracks. Today, he joined in training as a neutral player, knocking the ball around as he could all the while assisting and encouraging the efforts of others.

The rehab appointments continues and no, Benny is not at risk for further damage to his ailing ankle. While he's not close to making a return to action, it may never be more obvious the lengths he will go to to help his club. Yet another reason for United supporters to love Benny Olsen.

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Ben Olsen

Access United: DCU vs. Chicago post-game

05/13/2008 1:02 PM by Kyle Sheldon

I'm sure none of us really want to re-live the 2-0 loss last week, but if you want to hear what the players and Coach Soehn had to say afterwards you can below with the most recent edition of Access United... more behind-the-scenes video on our YouTube page.

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Access United, Video

What's the deal with... ceremonial kicks?

05/13/2008 9:28 AM by Doug Hicks

Before each United home game, a ceremonial kick takes place in which a person kicks a ball to United’s team captain as a way to start the match. Before United’s recent home game against Real Salt Lake, something much more special occurred. BehindTheBadge.com caught wind of this great story and went to United sponsorship maven Danielle Osborne for the details.

btb.com: So Danielle, what’s the deal with the ceremonial free kicks?

DO: I always call each game’s presenting sponsor ahead of time to see who they might want to designate to take the ceremonial kick. I mean, no game can start without one of these, right?!

btb.com: Of course not. So what happened before the Real Salt Lake game that made this event unusual?

DO: It was getting close to game time and the person designated by Sierra Mist to take the kick hadn’t yet shown up at the stadium. We had to go to a back-up plan…find someone from the crowd.

btb.com: And you found…?

DO: Kelyn Bosley. I spotted a young girl in the stands wearing a D.C. United t-shirt. She was so cute and I thought she’d be perfect for the task. After asking if she’d like to take the kick, her dad said, ‘Does it matter what foot she uses?’ It wasn’t long before she was in the center circle delivering a perfect pass to Jaime Moreno.

The story doesn’t end there, you see. After following up with Kelyn’s dad to provide some pictures from Kelyn’s moment of glory, some great details came to light. Below is an excerpt from an e-mail sent to Danielle by David Bosley. It made Danielle’s snap decision all the more special.

Danielle,

Thanks for the pictures, we really appreciate the chance to have Kelyn out there…

There is a 'feel good' back-story to your particular choice of my daughter Kelyn as D.C. United's Ceremonial Kicker. As you might be able to tell from our mailing address, she lives (and has for all her nine years) in the city of Waveland, Mississippi that was Ground Zero for Hurricane Katrina. Our house received the least damage of any in our town, (only three feet of floodwater), whereas 70-80% of the homes in Waveland where destroyed. Her school was destroyed, and obviously it affected her life greatly. She has toughed it out and been great about it and the volunteers from around the nation have been great help to the community, but it still I felt like she might need a change of scenery for a little while. She and I flew up to the DC area (using frequent flier miles that were soon to expire, I'm frugal, NOT cheap!), and in the midst of our extended weekend visit to the Capitol area saw that D.C. United were in town, and walked up to the ticket stand and bought our tickets fifteen minutes before you first saw us. It was a nice honor for a little girl who might have deserved it (OK I'm partial).

Long story short, in my opinion, you couldn't have picked a better Ceremonial Kicker.

Thanks again-

David Bosley

Danielle will be back at it next Saturday night, making arrangements for a ceremonial kicker to get the game started. Though a sponsor designee is likely to have the honors, Danielle will be hard pressed to find a better replacement, if needed.

5 Comments

What's the Deal?

Photo(s) of the Day: El Diablo should be happier

05/12/2008 11:33 AM by Kyle Sheldon

... because there are a lot of men who would trade places with him in the photo below. The young ladies sporting the new VW kit are none other than those from Republic Deportiva, one of the highest rated shows across the country (that includes both English and Spanish, folks). The lovely ladies are - from L-R in the El Diablo photo - Natalia, Alba and Cori. There are a couple additional photos below from their visit to RFK Stadium for last Thursday's game against the Chicago Fire... and there are even more photos on the Video & Pics page.

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Photo of the Day, Volkswagen

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