In other news: The Quakes are back! Supposedly. I’m more excited than I really should be, since that means a) there’s the off chance I’ll have a kind-of-local United game to go to in the spring before I leave California, and b) the Quakes are the once and future favorite team of the supporters of the California Victory, the USL-1 side I’ve taken to following in the absence of RFK. But it’s clear that this is a huge win for the league. A great owner (check out his fantastic groundhopping plan for the team, which is great for exposure and an interesting chance to see a lot of venues), a solid fan base, loads of tradition, and a pre-set nasty rivalry with Beckham FC. No one’s going to lose here. Execpt maybe Philly.

And finally, speaking of Goldenballs, this hilarious Dan Loney post is an absolute must-read. I’d do a pull quote, but the whole thing is so spot-on that it wouldn’t do any justice. Read and enjoy.

(Note: this actually starts a really horrible stretch of the season for me, since most of our next few games are on the DK/Comcast/MLSLive trifecta of death. Unless there’s a reliable supply of torrents around, I can’t watch those games. So if anyone out there has a way to help, I’d appreciate hearing from you.)

You guys know where to go for the rest of the DCU bloggery. Happy 4th and Pray For United.

Though the Champions League is clearly the more prestigious and lucrative of the two, I love, and in fact prefer, the UEFA Cup. I think it’s one of the great football tournaments in the world, and a much more wide-open tournament than the CL. The “little guy”, whether it’s a team from a small league, or one of the mid-range teams in a big league, can succeed here. Last year’s runner-up, Espanyol, came in as the 15th-ranked team in Spain’s La Liga, having qualified, as many UEFA Cup competitors do, by winning a domestic cup. It really is a tournament where almost any team can win on any given matchday, and that makes it, in my opinion, one of the great ones to watch.

I don’t agree with his preference (since UEFA Cup may as well be played on Jupiter for those us with basic cable and bad internet), but he’s spot on on all other counts. If Champions League is something like the NBA Playoffs, interesting if over-processed and largely predictable, UEFA Cup is March Madness, retaining much of the charm and randomness that its big brother sold to corporate sponsors long ago. And in case you didn’t see at least the highlights from this year’s final, it doesn’t yield much in the way of football quality, either.

Ian appears to be a prolific writer, and he’s chosen a fantastic topic. Everyone go check him out.

As far as a little background goes: I started with DC United last year when I (briefly) lived in town and have quickly become a die-hard. I started reading excellent United blogs like Goff’s Soccer Insider and The DCenters, and Bob has given me a shot to start writing as well. This could go well, or very poorly. I’ll count on commenters/other bloggers to tell me when it’s either one, so please speak up as often as possible.

(I’m also going to be contributing to a new blog by Thomas Dunmore, who writes at The Offside’s Chicago Fire page. For those who enjoy all things related to soccer fandom and culture, you should check it out.)