Castillo at Work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN1E7WGVeOs&feature=player_embedded

DCU updates

While we await a D.C. United coaching decision, the Insider has learned that the club is attempting to acquire Cristian Castillo, the clever, left-sided midfielder for El Salvador's national team. Castillo, 25, was on loan at Mexican club Leon, which acquired his contract this month. My understanding is that DCU would have to arrange a loan itself. The chances are good but far from certain. Castillo scored against the United States in each of the teams' two World Cup qualifiers in the final round. Besides the impact on the field,

FIFA 10 Roll Call

Ok who is in for tonight, 9 pm start, maybe earlier. Post what time can play... and if you got the game

Jamie skins Sohen

Last Call for '09

Final Game of the Season: Saturday Night at 8pm.

Tailgate starts at 6pm (unless the weather is great)

No excuses, this is only for the Real Fans. 6 pts. from the final two games and we're likely in the Playoffs despite everything that's happened this season.

Playoffs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3-eavMSBnk

Well, here we are....our last regular season home game. Playoff chances are dwindling, we have to win, and others have to lose. Not the ideal scenario. Even if we win this game, we will still need to win against KC on the 24th to even have a shot at the post season, and if not, well the Giants are still undefeated and the Yanks are about to spank the Angles, so things could be worse.

Game starts at 8pm, and I'm excited to announce that after last nights thrilling US Nat'l Team tie at RFK, its officially scarf weather. So bring your DCU scarves and let's get loud for the boys one last time before we all cross our fingers and hope they win out and we get a playoff bid.

Let's all hope the DC players are rested, have put their clothes back on and are ready to make a final push, at least so Soehn can have a last chance at saving his job, not to mention Fred, Gomito, and Lucy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsmybQKpmTw

Who's with me?

Is the season over yet?

Your welcome Blackfoot women. These guys suck.

Concacf Games 9/24 and 9/30

The CCL games at RFK are coming up on Thursday night (vs. Marathon) and next Wednesday the 30th (vs. Jabloteh of Trinidad). Tickets are free for all Season Ticket Holders, but I'm pretty sure you had to request them as per the email you were sent.

Has anybody done so? Do you want to go to either game?

Considering 2 of the final 3 MLS games have major conflicts (9/27 conflicts with NFL games and 10/3 is Caps Opening Night) and there's obviously no guarantee of Playoffs, I'm going to try my best to get to these... especially the Jabloteh game on the 30th.

-Timetable

The Fighting FootPrint

Welcome back Foot'o'files and boy did you pick a good week to tune in. The Boys in Black were all set to duke it out with the Seattle Sounders for the second round, the first round consisting of them beating us for the US Open Cup in our own beloved RFK less than two weeks ago. You could say that engines were running a little hot at the thought of getting our chance to show them and their Colombian roasts and rain coats, their rainy season and Mad Season, what real champions look like. Yours truly had a pre-party of sorts to attend earlier that day (Happy Birthday Jackson!) and only made it to the tailgate with about an hour and a half to go before kickoff in the company of the Head of Security and his lady and the magnanimous Man from Mrrrrrrrrrrr. It was a beautiful sight to roll into legendary Lot 8 and have the BlackFoot Banner be one of the first things we saw. We made a bee line right for it, parked and commenced to partying. We found the Colonel, Chef, the good Doctor and Timetable already in full swing. Re-reading that last sentence makes me think we need to work on our nick names, it sounds like the cast of Clue held their dinner party at RFK. Be that as it may, the tailgate was on. You might think that showing up as late as we did that there could not possibly be too much to write about, read on you Foot faithful.

First things first: once again the fame of the Foot is spreading. We continue to throw great tailgates (I feel I can say that since no one was at the Cup Final tailgate, which you will notice I didn't even bother to write about), we continue to be one of the coolest, most exciting (or at least most recent) upstart fan clubs the Nations Capital has ever seen, and we continue to get noticed by the black clad masses who gather every game to root on the Black and Red. This weeks special guest: Hooligan Vader (yes, I know that is not his real name, but I am not sure how favorable I will make him look in this post so, just in case he googles his own name . . .). You might say that he used the force to feel, or smell, that our tailgate involved something that might help him trust his feelings and refute the Dark Side, or rather join it. He made his way over faster than Han Solo on the Kessel spice run. The Chef was only too happy to oblige and we soon had a new fan. As the Colonel and I did our best to spread the word of the Foot to this independent United fan we were graced with his thoughts and opinions. It was kind of like listening to Yoda, except he didn't talk backwards. Actually, I think it would have been more exciting if he had walked backwards, away from the tailgate. Anyway it added some flavor to the festivities as more and more fringe Footers joined the party. We soon had a full fledged party on our hands that made the Cantina in Mos Eisley look like the bogs of the Degobah System.

Now, there was one more thing that happened that is of note, and I have gone back and forth with myself, sought the advice of others and really wrestled with my conscience; and this is how I have chosen to make fun of the fight that broke out. Yes, you read that right, a fight broke out. Yes, it was between fellow Footers. The Fray at RFK went down like this: it seems that the Colonel, the Chef and the good Doctor had been engaging in some good old fashion physical jibing. It also would appear that our old friend alcohol was involved as well, isn't it always? Suffice it to say that the two above mentioned activities got out of hand, tempers flared and before we knew it we had a full scale tussle on our hands. The Doctor and Chef got things underway but it was not too long before the Colonel heeded the call to battle. A quick note here: this is the one and only time I have ever seen the BlackFoot Brothers take the same side in any disagreement, I mean literally. It was like they were Siamese instead of Italian. It almost warmed the heart, almost. As the bystanders, both shocked and chagrined, stood slack jawed yours truly and a few others jumped in to try and break things up. It seemed like as soon as you pulled someone off somebody else you had to start all over again. Thanks, by the way boys, for picking the huge muddy spot next to the tailgate and leaving what grass is out there untouched. Real cool. Eventually our impromptu pugilistic display drew the attention, and ire, of our fellow tailgaters and they made their way over to lend a hand. Even Hooligan Vader popped by, possibly looking for something else. The combatants were separated, spoken to, and soon cooler heads prevailed. As the fighters went to their separate corners the Foot went about taking down the tailgate, treating the wounds and mending the fences. Luckily, no permanent damage was done to either bones or bonds, and while the reconciliation did not happen immediately it did happen before halftime. Now, what is my take on this whole scenario, you may ask? I will put it to you like this: I have never seen grown men act sillier outside of a Monty Python movie. We are the Knights that say "Hey, wanna fight?" These things happen and if you are lucky, and we were, you get some great comedic material out of it and nothing else. The Footers waited the appropriate 30 minutes before the jokes broke loose. Boys will be boys. I am just glad the majority of our ladies were not there (way to hang tough Tonya!) to witness the shenanigans. That, I feel, would have been a real disaster. The Black and Blue Foot came out just that, a little bruised but better off. If anything, the BlackFoot established themselves as a fan club not to be trifled with, our street cred is ridonkulous! Besides that, the real tragedy happened when we finally walked into the stadium . . .

Greetings from the Grill: KFC in a bucket. Wow, how the mighty have fallen. I enjoyed the can of whup ass that was opened more but still went home hungry.

So off we staggered into the stadium in twos and threes, the real reconciliation was not to happen for another 30 minutes, and took our spots in the stands. It seems it was just not meant to be our day. The Boys in Black did their best but seemed chained to the same fate that had befallen them not two weeks ago. We lost, 2-1. It was a day of firsts: the very first (and hopefully last) BlackFoot Brawl and United loses their first home league game of the season. The only thing we needed more than those three points was peace. At the very least there was a sweet reunion of good friends right there in section 231, I think I cried, but then again I was laughing pretty hard.

Line of the day: "Hey guys, stop fighting!" Credit goes to everyone except the Colonel, Chef and the Doctor for that little gem. A close second, I thought I heard someone say "Punch him in the diabetes!" but in the heat of the moment I can't be sure.

Well, I won't bore you with the details of how all the Fighting Footers went home and played video games and ate a lot of pizza and a large cache of chocolate lava cake. Let it be known, never a dull moment when you are hanging out with the BlackFoot. I am glad to report that all is well that ended well. A quick note for future tailgates: no more chairs! Well done to the BlackFoot for letting bygones be bygones, saying good night to the fist fights and paving the way for future fun. And, incidentally, I hope the boys don't take offense to anything they read (or more likely sound out slowly) in this blog, not only because I have seen them in action but because it is all in good fun. Seriously, don't beat me up.

Farewell Footers and if you don't want to miss exciting action on and off the pitch get your asses out to some games. I mean really! As always, can't wait to tailgate!

Hughligans

Footnote: nicknames have been used to protect the idiotic.

DCU vs Sounders

When:9/12/09

What time:7:30 pm

Where:RFK

What time does the party start:3:30


Revenge is in the cards for this one. DCU needs the points at home to qualify for the playoffs. Lets get a head count of who is going. We need chairs, LOL. I will be bringing some chips and dips. I would bring the tent but the Blackfoot second string broke it.

The Laundry List

OK, time for everyones $.02 on the season so far, how we go forward and what we have learned looking back...

The Brazilian's in!

Good news! Despite some rumors that Lucy wouldn't play against Seattle tomorrow because of a MLS rule about having no more than 5 foreign-born players on the roster doesn't matter: Lucy's legit and apparently has a green card to prove it.

Also, an exciting new prospect, young Andy Najar participated in practice this morning. Some of you may remember his great run of form in the U18 US Soccer Development Academy Finals including a 1st half hat-trick against Chelsea FC and led that tournament in scoring. It would be sweet to see him get some PT tomorrow night, but I doubt it.

Let's see some possible starting line-ups, eh?

We Win Trophies

What: DC United vs Seattle Sounders, U.S. Open Cup Final

When:September 3rd

Where: RFK Stadium

What time: 7:30 Pm


Come on out and join the foot for our first trophy of the season.

The Rainy Day Footprint

So LA came into town, and so did the rain, thunder, lightning, wind, and unfortunately another bullshit tie.

To begin our day, Dr. Dank, Mrrrrrman, and I got to the Security chiefs house to leave and I think they were making pancakes again, because it took forever to get out of there, btw their new nickname is the Sloths... Once there, we joined another supporters group, although they have no name, we in Blackfoot management can decide whether to offer them citizenship. So we put our tent up, hung our proud flag, whereby we once again had to explain the origin of the Blackfoot name....after we got established, we took on the usually simple task of grilling, but the rain had other ideas because it took us almost an hour to get a flame going...all the while our fellow tailgater, Justin, continued to offer us his grill, due to our total inability to get our coals going, I thought Rich was going to hit him if he offered his grill to us one more time, I told him Blackfoot cooks its own food because I think I saw that on page 248 of the charter, right after the section on death panels.

Anywho, onto the match...

The game was slow and boring. For the most part, I thought Wicks was our savior actually, he played the wet ground remarkably well and I think he even made a few saves with his Baba-Booey-esque teeth. Becks was an unmentionable, so was Donovan and Eddie Lewis, but once again so was most of DCU. We had an early goal turned over for offsides, which was debatable, but otherwise, nothing really exceptional happened, much like this write-up...no worries, D.L. Hughly will be back this week from his sabbatical at the Galapagos Islands.

To wrap-up, the game ended, Dr. Dank, Mrrrrman and I left for the lot, of course we had to wait for the Sloths who stumbled out eventually and never wanted to leave.

FYI, our 11th tie of the season, booo-urns!

Fresh off the red card....who's making it this weekend?

The Chase

*MLS playoff chase:
Eastern Berths
Columbus 39 points
Chicago 35
Western Berths
Houston 39
Seattle 32
At-Large Berths
Los Angeles 31
Toronto 30
Colorado 30
Chivas USA 30
-----------
D.C. United 28
Real Salt Lake 27
New England 24
Dallas 23
Kansas City 21
San Jose 17
Topeka, Kansas U14 girls
New York 10

Upcoming Schedule

Upcoming Events at RFK:

Sat. 8/22 - 7:30 vs. LA (we're away, but have a great time booing Becks and watching Landon cough all over Namoff on purpose...)

Wed. 8/26 - 8:00 vs. Toluca of Mexico (Special Event E Ticket)*

Wed. 9/2 - 7:30 vs. Seattle/USOC Final (Special Event D Ticket)*&

Wed. 9/9 - 7:30 vs. KC (use 8/8 KC ticket - makeup from RM rescheduled game)

Sat. 9/12 - 7:30 vs. Seattle

Thurs. 9/24 - 8:00 vs. Marathon of Honduras (not part of Season Ticket, but I can get seats)

Sunday 9/27 - 3pm vs. SJ &

last three home games are on 9/30, 10/3 and 10/17

* - I know Special Event E is scheduled for before Special Event D, but trust me - it's when the games were announced that counts, not when the games actually take place

& - 9/2 and 9/27 are the final Exchange Dates. Since very few of us will attend the 9/27 Sunday afternoon game due to NFL conflicts, bring all your unused tickets with you on 8/26 and I'll get them exchanged for additional seats at the US Open Cup Final on 9/2

We Win Trophies!

F' Seattle.

Todd loves her

Weekend Listings

SATURDAY
Germany, Hamburg-Borussia Dortmund 9:30 a.m. GolTV
Germany, Bayern Munich-Werder Bremen 9:30 a.m. ESPN Deportes
England, Blackburn-Manchester City 9:30 a.m. Setanta
England, Aston Villa-Wigan 10 a.m. FSC
England, Newcastle-Reading 12:15 p.m. Setanta
England, Everton-Arsenal 12:30 p.m. FSC
Germany, Cologne-Wolfsburg 12:30 p.m. GolTV
England, Stoke City-Burnley 2:30 p.m. FSC
France, Toulouse-Saint-Etienne 3 p.m. Setanta
MLS, Toronto-D.C. United 4 p.m. Comcast SportsNet-DC, Telefutura
England, Wolverhampton-West Ham 5 p.m. Setanta
Brazil, Palmeiras-Botafogo 5:30 p.m. GolTV
Mexico, Chiapas-Tecos 6 p.m. Azteca America
Mexico, Monterrey-Toluca 6 p.m. Telemundo
England, Portsmouth-Fulham 6:45 p.m. Setanta
WPS, Washington-Sky Blue 7 p.m. (taped) Comcast SportsNet/DC
Colombia, Millonarios-Nacional 7:30 p.m. GolTV
Mexico, Chivas-Queretaro 8 p.m. Telemundo
MLS, Real Salt Lake-Houston 9 p.m. FSC
Colombia, Medellin-Envigado 9:30 p.m. GolTV
Mexico, San Luis-Pachuca 9:45 p.m. Telefutura
SUNDAY
Netherlands, PSV-Ajax 6:30 a.m. ESPN Deportes
England, Manchester United-Birmingham 8:30 a.m. Setanta
Germany, Moenchengladbach-Hertha Berlin 9:30 a.m. ESPN Deportes
France, Nice-Rennes 11 a.m. Setanta
England, Spurs-Liverpool 11 a.m. FSC
Germany, Schalke-Bochum 11:30 a.m. GolTV
Mexico, Morelia-Indios 1 p.m. Fox Sports Espanol
Mexico, Puebla-Atlante 1 p.m. ESPN Deportes
Mexico, Pumas-Tigres 1 p.m. Telemundo
Italy, Napoli-Salerntina 2:30 p.m. GolTV
France, Marseille-Lille 3 p.m. Setanta
MLS, Kansas City-Chicago 3 p.m. Telefutura
Brazil, Corinthians-Atletico Mineiro 4:30 p.m. GolTV
Mexico, Santos-Cruz Azul 5 p.m. Telefutura

Babe of the Week - Olivia Wilde

The FedEx FootPrint

BlackFoot bedlam has come to Landover, Maryland! Inhuman heat, pissy parking attendants and unruly, bone crushing queues could not keep the BlackFoot faithful from witnessing their beloved boys in black take on the Money Madristas, Real Expensive Madrid. The stars fell out of the sky and landed on the beautiful pitch at FedEx field. All of your favorites were there: Chris Pontius, Ben Olsen, Gomito, Luciano Emilio and of course Jaime Moreno. Who could ask for more? Well, maybe the the 60,000 fans cheering for the likes of Sneijder, Xavi Alonso, Higuain, Kaka and Christiano Ronaldo. What a day for the BlackFoot, what a day for football.

10:30 was the meet and greet time at the Head of Security's new headquarters, very nice by the way. Much later was the actual depart time for the Footers as they convoyed their way through the beautiful streets of the Nations Capital to the home of the Washington Redskins in Landover Maryland, FedEx field. Could we get any more states involved in hosting our professional sports teams? I guess if United move to St. Louis . . . Once we arrived on the scene and argued with every parking attendant we could find we set up shop in what I would deem not to shabby of a spot. The tents went up, flags were hung, grills were started and bean bags were tossed almost daring anyone in a golf cart and orange vest to ask us to move. FYI, besides the orange vests the rest of the uniform consisted of black pants and shirt, for a job where you are working outside in 95+ degree heat all day, nice Danny boy. Our ploy worked for a while but eventually it became clear that FedEx was going to put cars any where they could so some quick vehicular maneuvering ensured that we had the space we would need to tailgate to the best of our ability. Which we did. I mean it was awesome. Fundamental Footers mixed with their fringe counterparts and the party just grew and grew. Even notorious anti-soccer spokesmen Irwin and Monty were present to let the hate go for a day and enjoy the greatest sport on earth. Irwin and Monty, sounds like a comedy duo. They are not.

I cannot stress enough the heat of the day and how many lesser fans may have shown up right around game time to avoid the sunburn and dehydration that came with the ticket. Have some faith in the Foot though, we had multiple tents keeping the cars parked next to us nice and shady, perhaps more water than beer which ordinarily would have been considered a breech of the fundamental tenets of the BlackFoot charter and the Chef set the grill a considerate 5 feet away from the tailgate so you barely noticed the heat coming off of it. It was so hot Graziano, clearly suffering from heat stroke and thinking he has a body worth displaying, took his shirt off. It was so hot that Jimbo was fun to hang out with because he provided some shade. It was so hot that Sanders only peed 10 times, clearly suffering from dehydration. It was so hot that Chris and Rich got along. You get the point and if you don't you are an idiot.

Greetings from the grill: The Chef took the stick out of his ass and skewered some chicken and beef on it for the BlackFoot to enjoy. Not bad if you could forget the origin of the utensil. Burgers and dogs graced the grill, a healthy (well, not healthy really) portion of which were donated by our own Security Head and his lady after their housewarming party the night before. Good eats, but liquid was the prescribed menu item of the day, water and beer and plenty of it. None of the Footers seemed to be suffering from too little of the former or too much of the latter. Well done lads.

Into the game now and this is where the love story sours. All seemed well as the early crew, including yours truly, marched off to what we hoped would be glory. However, all thoughts of anthems and emblems, warm-ups and line-ups, the pageantry and the prestige were shattered as we saw the line, nay, the mosh pit of people trying to enter the stadium. It sucked. In line at 2:30, in the stadium at 3:10. Disgusting. Bad enough you have this "line" that you are waiting in, worse to have the most over zealous quintet of dumb drummers, tambourine terrors and woeful whistle blowers standing in it right next to you. Add to that the almost cattle like clot of people pushing you, elbowing you and sweating in your general direction and it made for a tough entry. After a quick frisk (not worth the wait if you ask my opinion, Sanders may argue that, I think he got his guys phone number) we were in and off to our amazing seats. Right behind the Madrid bench, which I think may have been made of gold, but I can't be sure. The view was great, except for the first ten minutes when all I saw was sweaty backs and asses because I was still waiting to get in. The DC Darlings put up a good fight, against both the heat and some of the most talented footballers on the planet and they managed to preserve a nil-nil draw at half. Both the above mentioned combatants took their toll in the second half though. What looked like a tired 11 finally succumbed to intense pressure from most notably dirty Dutchman Robben and the underutilized Higuain. Two goals for the latter and a cheeky chip goal and two assists for the former. Great to watch but somewhat bittersweet if you are a fan of the boys in black. The atmosphere the 72,000 plus fans created was unbelievable. This fan had to think back to the World Cup qualifying match at RFK to remember an experience quite like that. Although, I think this was even more intense, whether made so by fuzzy memory or fact. Great experience overall that made the spent pennies look puny and the inconveniences seem paltry.

A great a post-game tailgate broke out with all the components of it's pre-game counterpart. Burgers, bean bags, brews and buds. Good friends too. Thanks to Graz for eventually putting his shirt on. I hope all the Footers enjoyed the day as much as I did and hope some of that enthusiasm will carry over to the next DCU home game, and carry them over to our spot in great Lot 8 at, pay attention Hulk, the home of DC football, RFK. BlackFoot is getting their shit together and it is starting to show. Come join the boys and enjoy some undercooked chicken, brutal conversation and unbridled passion for all things DC United; where the only thing higher than the alcohol content of the beers is the lads themselves.

Line of the day: There was a funny one from Hulk inside the game, but the details are a little hazy. Someone on United, who apparently has Canada somewhere in their bio, decked Ronaldo. Hulk shout "From Canada with love!", which at time, due either heat or humor, make laugh happen. After some research I cannot find anyone on the DCU team with a Canadian background but I am sure the comments section will come through since I firmly believe there has to be a first time for everything. In this case two of them, if you count Hamlin saying something funny.

BlackFoot back pats go to the sober drivers, big thanks to The Man from Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, Graziano (yes, you read that right), and either Adam or Adrian (names?), one of which I believe drove home a carload of overheated hooligans.

Great tailgate everyone, it was a Footjob well done. I am off now to search for my wife who stashed herself on the Madrid bus in the hopes of meeting and running away with Ronaldo. What can I say, she likes the euro trash. Look forward to seeing you all again soon because even though we just finished one, I can't wait to tailgate!

Hughligans

P.S. this monumental match up probably deserves a lengthier post but after yesterdays Fahrenheit festivities I am beat, so give this column a rest and go check out something written by the Colonel. Go on, I dare you.

Recent Tailgate Photos

Second Leg Champions League

DCU va LA Firpo

When: Tuesday August 4th 10 pm

Where: Estadio Monumental Cuscatlan, El Salvador

What Channel: Fox Soccer Channel


Late night game on a school night, other wise i would suggest going to the new official DCU away bar, Tap and Vine Restaurant. We watched the DCU vs Houston game there and it was pretty cool. They even had Sirius radio on the entire time, the Spectrum channel rocks.

Is our defense ready for this?

Vote!

Erin Andrews vs. Emmanuelle Chriqui

The economy may be bad, but FC Blackfoot can afford to have two babes of the week....

Babe of the Week

Let's Learn about L.A. Firpo!!!

Besides this Tuesday (7/28) being Hugh Squire's birthday, DC United is playing an El Salvadorian club called L.A. Firpo... besides them having a funny name, here are some more interesting facts....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C.D._Lu%C3%ADs_%C3%81ngel_Firpo

- the Oldest Club in El Savlvador

- Named after a famous boxer

- Team mascot, the bull

- Major supporters group: el Furia Pampera (no match for the blackfoot)

- home stadium is known as Estadio Sergio Torres, better known throughout Central America as "The Devil's Cauldron" because it is close to impossible to defeat Firpo there. (does RFK have a nickname besides craphole? how about the black hole?)

Come out and have a drink with Hughy enjoy some good football and join the Blackfoot ranks before we start taking applications. See you near the wasp-tree.

Chef.

Rivalry Brewing

Payne Responds to Sounders

It is on. It is so on. Usually an afterthought on the American soccer landscape, the mom-and-pop U.S. Open Cup has taken a spicy turn this week, thanks to the executives for the two finalists.

It began when Seattle's Adrian Hanauer expressed disappointment that the U.S. Soccer Federation chose RFK Stadium as the site for the Sept. 2 championship game between the Sounders and D.C. United. He also questioned the bid process and whether United would draw 10,000 fans while suggesting D.C. would lose money on the game. Seattle made a lucrative financial bid to stage the match at Qwest Field, he said, but because of logistical stadium issues, the only realistic time slot for the soccer game was 1 p.m. (local) on Sept. 1 (Tuesday).

In comments to the Insider Thursday afternoon, DCU President Kevin Payne lashed out at Hanauer.....

What did you think of Adrian's comments?

"I was surprised and disappointed and offended. Adrian uses the word 'skepticism' to describe the process, which seems to be implying that it wasn't on the up-and-up. Which is really an outrageous implication. He is implying that we somehow are receiving favorable treatment. We bid aggressively at every level this year and last year. We did so because we didn't want to travel if we could possibly avoid it, given the demands of our schedule [Champions League]. Seattle doesn't have those same demands because this is their first year. Adrian has no knowledge of what we bid or didn't bid; my guess is that we bid more aggressively than they did."

"I appreciate that Seattle's fans are great. Our fans have been great for 14 seasons. It's really unseemly for Seattle to suddenly show up in MLS and everything should be handed to them. Their crowds are wonderful, we had a great time out there in Seattle [last month], but our crowds are pretty good too and we expect this year we will get far more people in the building than we did last year [8,200]. Last year we played a USL team in the final and, the way our team was going in general at that point, our fans were disappointed and disillusioned. That's not the case this year. We are going to promote the game very aggressively."

Based on the Sounders' outstanding attendance this year, do you think they would've won the hosting rights if they had offered a night-time kickoff?

"They might have. But there is something to be said for not playing on an artificial surface and not playing on football lines. We are able to deliver a surface that is arguably the best grass field in the league. We don't have football lines, and I can understand why the USSF would prefer that it's national championship not be played in those kinds of circumstances. Obviously the game-time was an issue, but that's not D.C. United's fault. Seattle wasn't able to comply with the time of the match. We did what the USSF asked us to do: We proposed financial terms, we met their requirement for day and time, and we provide them with the kind of surface soccer is supposed to be played on."

[Asked about the football lines, a Seattle spokesman told the Insider that they will be removed before all Sounders games this fall. UPDATE: On a side note, if you look closely at RFK's field, you will notice some very faint football lines left over from last winter's college bowl game.]

Should the bidding process have more transparency?

"Not if the critieria is going to be financial. If the USSF wants to come up with a new criteria, then it could be more transparent."

Final thoughts?

"We expect to make money on the game; Adrian doesn't know what he is talking about there. ... I just think it is a little out of bounds in your first year to throw stones the way they have."

Upcoming Schedule

Upcoming Schedule:

Tonight (Thursday) - USA-Honduras Gold Cup Semi-final on FSC @ 7:30pm

Saturday Night - DCU vs. SJ on FSC @ 10:30pm

Sunday - Gold Cup FINAL vs. Mexico or Costa Rica on FSC @ 3pm

Tuesday Night - DCU vs. Firpo of El Salvador at RFK @ 8pm - Special Event Ticket C in your Season Ticket Book, last home game before Real Madrid and LA next month. I have up to three extra tickets, first come, first served.

Blackfoot Gets Bitches

The best is when one of these girls friends asked Smitty what he was going to do with his life, haha.

The FootPrint

Welcome Foot-o-philes to the first FootPrint in over a month. The last time I recapped a tailgate the BlackFoot were celebrating their first year as DCU's newest fan club. If it's possible, at this tailgate something even bigger happened.

The tailgate started in usual fashion with the Foot's founding members staking out the spot. Word must be getting out about our little fan club because there was a wannabe BlackFooter already waiting when we pulled in. This weirdo stood two feet away from us as we set up the tent, grill and boards. He stood two feet away from us as we started our first game of Cornhole. He basically stood two feet away and said nothing. It was like having Jimbo there, except less annoying. Well, whatever he was waiting for must have happened because he eventually crept off to join some other lucky tailgate. This tailgate looked like a circus and he must have been the mime. Halfway into the first game of cornhole we quickly realized that there were dozens of wasps all over the tree busy making love to the flowers. I wish I had known this before I threw three bags straight into the tree to prove to the Chef that the boards were too close to it. I have never seen so many wasps. If Saunders had paid for parking on the way in I would have said this was the second sign of the Apocolypse. As it was it still may have been the first. The decision was made to relocate a few spots down. Once that was accomplished the tailgate was on and Smitty's beer got knocked over.

Soon we had some of our fellow Footers with us, some food on the grill and the soccer ball was being kicked around as some of the boys emulated their heroes on the field. Unfortunately one of those boys was exposed to a massive dose of Gamma Rays during an accident in a top secret military lab causing violent mutations in his very DNA when he was younger and; HULK KICK BALL IN RIVER. It was actually a big day for the Hulk. Next to the above mentioned check on his to do list were such things as: getting so "hammered" that he actually looked green, knocking over Smitty's beer, fighting with just about everyone who said just about anything to him, exposing his own "beanbag" to some fellow Footers and . . . his sister . . . while simultaneously creating the most awkward moment in BlackFoot tailgating history, cooking some pretty good pork bbq, completely disappearing during the second half, molesting the girl in front of us with the BlackFoot flag (more to come on that) and making it generally impossible to leave after the game by insisting on asking everyone what they thought about leaving like he was taking a poll for Gallup. Hulk entertain!

Now, I suppose I should get back to the big event that has the potential to knock the one year celebration of our football fan club out of the limelight. You would have to say that it all started with Chef providing quality BalckFoot t-shirts for the gang. Add to that some committed fans who show up game after game to support their fan club and their club. And top it off with a shiny, beautiful BlackFoot flag provided by the BlackFoot's own Betsy Ross, Chef's sister. I mean this thing was awesome. Even before the flag made it's arrival fellow tailgaters were asking questions about the Foot. Yours truly was only too happy to let them in on the secret to which most responded with a puzzled, dazed look on their face reminiscent of Keyrock the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. Either that or some good natured laughing. Either way it was clear, the word was out. Once the flag showed up and was proudly displayed by being precariously hung (you could say the flag was at half-ass) on the tent we started to pack them in. The tailgate adjacent to ours, full of keg stands, beer bongs and g-strings, was so impressed they couldn't help but wander over to see what the hype was all about. They were only too happy to weasel their way into our Cornhole winners queue, get soundly beaten by the Foot and then slink off back to their party full of lewd behavior and low self-esteem. They were so impressed by the force of the Foot that one of the ladies in their crew even dressed up just like one of our fringe Footers who was in attendance. Crazy. The bottom line is clear: the BlackFoot have arrived. It is now not only us talking about how great our tailgates are but other people as well, which in my mind only strengthens the base on which our fan clubs reputation will stand. T-shirts, Cornhole boards and flags are the ammunition with which we will wage war on MLS fans and clubs alike. Once you go BlackFoot you never go back-foot. Put your BlackFoot forward. Stand on your own two BlackFeet. You just know that all the other fan clubs are straining their ears with panic in their eyes listening for the sounds of our BlackFoot steps. Well done the Foot! Oh, and somewhere in there Smitty's beer got knocked over. Again.

Just real quick I would like to point out that I have taken my fair share of pot shots, no, not that pot, at the Hulk. I make no apologies for that. I will however also point out that a lot of the success of the Foot has to be credited to the Chef and his sister. They have put our symbol out there with their hard work and ingenuity and they deserve to be congratulated for it. Well done the Hamlin's.

I know what you are thinking. Nothing else of note could have happened at this eventful tailgate, could it? It could. Someone must have kidnapped the Colonel of Music's wife because he somehow agreed to a musical theme other than blasting Widespread Panic and one other song by some other band. What was the theme you ask? The Colonel ordered the troops to submit some suggestions from the Rolling Stone top 500 albums of all time list. And the troops rallied. Some GREAT music was enjoyed by the Footers as they frolicked in legendary Lot 8. At some point however, the Colonel switched sides and titles, becoming the SS of sounds as he occupied the iPod like Germany did Poland. But much like any dictatorship the people rose up to rebel and the music got back on the Democratic playlist. The change of pace was nice and I personally look forward to more themed tailgates. Could the BlackFoot unplug and go acoustic much like Bob Dylan in reverse? Maybe. A good mix is the main idea I think, so fear not Colonel, Panic has it's place. And we rocked them out on the ride home. Mountains look like fun . . .

Greetings from the Grill: as mentioned above the other thing the Chef whipped out beside his balls, the ones he did not shank into the river, was some pretty good pulled pork. Sandwiches were enjoyed by all, even the heart healthy Colonel. Someone must have called him Jewish because he tore into that pork like he was the Big Bad Wolf. Can't blame him, it was good. Whoever brought the cookies with chocolate frosting on top of them, god bless you. Good eats. Good beers too, not that Smitty would know since his got knocked over.

Somewhere in all of this a soccer game was played. The new flag accompanied the BlackFoot into the stadium as we went to cheer on the boys in black against the Colorado Crapids (nice one Saunders). The flag was raised in celebration of our team taking the field to the delight of all, except the displaced Barra Brava fan who was so hardcore he got annoyed when the flag gently brushed up against him. I mean really. Really anonymous Barra Brava fan? Really? You wear the jersey of arguably (yea BlackFoot!) the most rowdy, hostile and fanatic fan club there is and get annoyed when you feel a flag on your back? Really? Do the qualifications for being the gayest member of the Barra Brava include not only shunning all symbols of loyalty but also sitting so far away from the actual fan club that you might as well be a member of El Norte? Does it really? Are you so hardcore that when you go out to dinner you order the side salad and a Barra Guava juice? You make golf fans look like felons. I mean really. Well have no fear fellow Footers, that did not stop your boys from raising that flag every time the play on the pitch called for it. Nor did it stop Chef from turning the screws by brushing the flag up against the ass of the lady next to above mentioned fake fan. Hulk cross line! It was extra sweet when, in the second half, the boys in black turned it on and with goals from Jaime (spot kick), Lucy (tap in) and Namoff (make amends header) overcame the one goal hole they had dug themselves in the first half. That flag went up with every one. Awesome. We even had our honorary BlackFooter (we finally found out his name is Tim!) help raise the flag and scream out the name that was, for good or ill, on the tips of a lot of tongues. The Colonel and I had a blast showing our colors and we must now remember to tape these games because the BlackFoot will soon make their debut on the tube. It cannot be stopped. Sadly the Chef missed most of this and in fact most of the second half. Hulk miss goals while shopping! I also believe that Smitty's beer got knocked over.

Good tailgate, great game and overall a big day for the Foot. I am inspired by this turn of events, both on the field and off, and cannot wait to see what the Foot do next. Whatever it is I will be there waiting to commit to it and comment on it. And maybe, just maybe, I will knock over Smitty's beer.

Line of the day: who knows, I even stayed sober this time and I can't think of one. Maybe we just aren't funny?

Well, this was a long one, I know, so thanks to the faithful Footer's for reading to the bottom and rest assured that the Professor will write something soon that will make this War and Peace look like a grocery list. Keep and eye on DCU as they fight it out in the cup and the league and as always, can't wait to tailgate!

Hughligans

Simms

*Clyde Simms is heading to Munich this week to have his adductor/groin/hernia injury examined. If necessary, he'll have surgery there and be sidelined up to three weeks. Obviously, he won't play against Rochester on Tuesday night in the U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Maryland SoccerPlex.

"Honestly, I just want peace of mind," he said. "If [surgery] is what it takes, then I will be happy about it. ... It seems to be like an over-use injury, knowing the guys who have gotten it. Hopefully, we can figure out what the problem is. One day you feel great, and the next day, it's frustrating. It was fine Wednesday and Thursday and I felt fine during the game [Saturday against Colorado], just a pass late in the game set it off."

Danny Szetela

Rumor has it DCU might get the opportunity to sign Danny Szetela of Passaic NJ fame.

For a brief history...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Szetela

Wow, with some of our roster aging, how sweet would it be to have Szetela in the midfield with Quaranta and Pontius up top, most likely next season, we most likely won't keep Luciano IMO.

With Jaime, Ben, and Gomito aging, having Danny-boy at 22, with National team and European experience would help us immensely....my two cents. Get him DC.

DCU vs Crapids

When: Saturday July 18th, 2009

What time: 8:00 pm

Where: Lot 8 RFK staidum

What time are we getting there: 4:00 pm, actually we can get there earlier if needed, its a double header with the freedom starting at 5:00 pm.


We havent had a tailgate in a long time, so lets do it right. The Blackfoot will be leaving around 3:30-3:45. Bringing cheese, tortillas chips, and salsa, and of course beer. The weather is looking excellent, so come on out.

DC United Open Cup P(review)

Tonight, DC United faces the Harrisburg City Islanders of the USL 2nd division at the Maryland Soccer Complex in Boyds, MD for the quarterfinals of the US Open Cup. Actually, that’s the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup now in it’s 96th year (shouldn’t pass up the chance to give Mr. Hunt a tip of the hat).

REVIEW

United comes into this quarterfinal having squeaked by the PDL’s Ocean City Barons 2-0 in the last round. True to their home state’s character, the Barons gave us a scare.

How could it have been a squeaker at 2-0 you ask? United won, true, but barely thanks to a dubious penalty and some scrappy play.

After the miserably boring and badly played first half, the weather reflected the crowd’s mood as rain and a 10 degree temperature drop moved through at halftime. Despite my professorial projections of continued rain, my esteemed colleague, writer B. Fondak, predicted it would clear up after halftime. It did and so did United’s play.

Ben Olsen, one of three 1^st team players to start the first half, along with Marc Burch and Rodney Wallace, came out at half for Chris Pontius and things started to look up. Pontius, who would end the game with at least 5 good chances on goal, immediately had an impact finding space at the top-center of the Barons' defense. Barons’ coach Neil Holloway must not have liked that substitution very much because he started to Hulk out about 10 minutes later and was ejected. In fact, he only left after a cop on the sideline "encouraged" him to leave!

The first United goal came in the 74^th minute when Barons' keeper Ogunbiyi dove out to parry a long through ball. Ogunbiyi hit the ball and then took out the charging Ange N’Silu who tumbled head over heels. Note the order: (1) keeper hits ball (2) keeper hits player. Nonetheless, referee Jeff Gontarek pointed to the spot and Christian Gomez, subbed in for the injured John DiRaimondo in the 68th minute, took him up on his offer and slotted the ball in the Barons' net.

Wallace came out for Clyde Simms (does he have a PS3 yet or what?) in the next minute as Sohen looked to lock things down which…sort of happened. A former DC United official, in the stands that day, commented “this is where professional conditioning comes in” and it did. However, the “we’re-a-PDL-team-playing-an-MSL-team-and-have-nothing-to-lose”feeling also came in as the Barons bared down on the United goal flooding the box with players from all parts of the pitch abandoning their 1^st half defense strategy. It almost worked, too, when the ball got by a diving Kocic only to be cleared off the line by Devon McTavish.

The men in black finally clinched the win in extra time when Gomito cracked a long direct kick on goal that the losers’ goalie Ogunbiyi deflected to the feet of N'Silu who quieted the obnoxious Jersey crowd for good and setting up tonight’s match-up.

PREVIEW

The Harrisburg Islanders are coming off a quality 2-1 victory over the New England Revolution in the last round. Like United, the Revolution didn’t start many 1^st teamers but lost the gamble. The Islanders got redemption after losing to the Revolution in the quarters of the 2007 Gold Cup. It should be noted that the Revolution also played a man down because of injuries and was actually down three men at one point in the second half. In other words, the Revolution were not at 100% or even 75%.

So, the Islanders will be a cakewalk, right? Ah, sweet hubris. That enticing and emboldening surge of confidence and surety that comes from victory and often precedes failure. We underestimate this Pennsylvanian team at our own peril. The last time DC lost in Open Cup play was in 2007 to, yep, the Harrisburg City Islanders.

Additionally, the Islanders are a mix of local and international talent that has won 10 of their last 14 games who, despite the cliché, have nothing to lose. Throw in Nicki Patterson, who leads his league in fouls with 28, and you have an intriguing game tonight that will see a United without Emilio and Moreno (injuries), Quaranta and Jakovic (international duty) and with a long list of players who went 90 minutes against Columbus Saturday. Expect to see Kocic start in goal again (adios, Mr. Crayton!) with N’Silu up top. Lastly, if Benny plays, he will be playing his hometown team. That’s right, Olsen was born in Harrisburg, PA some 32 years ago.

Prediction: United 2-1.

Introducing Blackfoot member Ambrose Burnside

The FootPrint

Happy birthday BlackFoot!  DC United's newly formed fledgeling fan club just turned 1.  We are napping, dirtying our diapers and crying all the time.  The BlackFoot faithful celebrated with their biggest tailgate of the season with numbers that would have the Barra Brava shaking in their South American made sandals.  Okay, maybe it would have had the Screaming Eagles quaking in their Keds.  Or, perhaps it was more like El Norte was trembling in their, well I don't know what they wear, they sit so f'ing far away who can tell?  At the very least the family in the caravan next to us were slightly nervous, all footwear aside.  Suffice it to say we had a lot of fringe Footers in attendance and the party was on.  On top of all this excitement was the belated (I get it Chris, I missed your birthday) birthday celebration of our very own Colonel of Music (definitely) and Beer (occasionally).  The Eternal Colonel was celebrating his acceptance into the recently retired community and the fact that his prostate is still slightly smaller than his head.  BlackFoot founders, significant others, family and friends all partied like Santino Quaranta in the early years.  

We could be found in our usual spot with all the amenities you have come to love or loathe at our tailgates.  The completely crooked Turkey Table that you could place on a basketball court and it would still wobble like a Weeble, the tent that has decapitated more people than the guillotine, the grill that has been used "gently" if Lennie from "Of Mice and Men" is defining the term, the BlackFoot Beanbag Boards . . . no joke, those things are fun, and of course the classic Chris and Rich clashes that over time may have changed topics but have never changed decibel levels.  It was good to have a big gang together and it made for a great, multifaceted tailgate.  BlackFoot fringe member Graziano played for the skins team, in fact he was the sole member of the skins team, to the chagrin of the shirts.  The sun bounced off his pale body to the point that you needed a homemade viewing device just to look at him.  He looked like the cover of the Beatles "White" album, except skinnier.  He stepped behind a light pole and vanished like Bilbo Baggins at his own birthday party.  I know I told the Chef not to give away his brand new BlackFoot t-shirts, but I think sometimes an exception is in order.  

The recently ordained BlackFoot brewmaster Justin and his wife Emily won the "traveled the farthest to be here" award but the real prize was the home brew that traveled that distance with them, all the way from NC.  Did I mention his middle name is Porter?  A treat of a wheat beer and a better than good bitter were enjoyed by the Colonel and I and anyone who managed to swipe a sip.  Good stuff.  The Colonel held counsel with Justin in order to gain some brewing advice with hopes of starting up our own DCU Brew Crew.  I think the name "BlackFoot Bitter" has a nice ring to it . . . or maybe a "BlackFeet Wheat"?  Something to think about and drool over.

Greetings form the grill; which on this day looked like a meat truck hit it.  Burgers and brats multiplied like Gizmo when he got wet.  It was crazy crowded on that grill but I am pretty sure that no meat touched the lone veggie burger.  It looked like Custer's last stand on there, if he had been made of soy and black beans.  That veggie melt was truly a pariah patty, but no doubt it was enjoyed by it's victim (thats my girl!).  The whole crew was clogging arteries except for the Colonel and his wife.  What's the matter Colonel Sanders, chicken?  We had enough baked goods to open up our own Entenmann's aisle and more chips than the California highways.  Since most Footers brought and cooked their own food I hope that the Chef enjoyed his day off, and enjoyed the pork loin that was not ready in time when he got home that night.  Hulk thought game Sunday!  Add all the beer to the mix and it was only a matter of time before my old friends heartburn and hangover showed up.  Ugggh.  

After a great tailgate we went into the game.  Our beloved United against the Fire for first place.  The game was great, the most fun I had watching DCU so far.  Jaime shined from the spot and Gomito blasted a beauty from outside the 18.  Awesome.  Not to mention Josh "Candle" Wicks (cause he's on fire?) who denied McBride (loved him on the US team) from the spot to preserve the three points.  Some great team play from Jackass, Wallace and Pirate Clyde ensured that we are no longer just flirting with first place.  Well done lads!

Line of the day: I promise to get better at this, I am not entirely sure how but I am fairly confident it means less beer.  So I might not get better.  Come on comments section!

We were glad to see our DCU Insider partying despite his recent increase in spare time.  Since he just got laid off one can only hope that he went home that night and got laid on.  Forget fantasy seats, may we meet again mezzanine, and goodbye game day gear (unless purchased from the new online team store, finally).  Not all the news is bad since this now means that Matty can spend a little more time tossing the bean bag with the Foot who will no doubt make fun of the new Philly franchise who may be hiring.  The BlackFoot should have put in a good word with Nowak when they saw him at the last game!  Though he would not have understood it.   

Congrats to the BlackFoot on turning 1 and congrats to me for not paying the parking fee for Chris "sans cash" Saunders for the first time.  Instead I paid for his brother.  Great to see everyone, drink beers, eat food and most of all watch the boys in black win a battle.  Hope to see more fresh faces at the tailgates that are coming up and as always, I can't wait to tailgate.  

Hughligans

Happy Birthday Colonel!

As the BlackFoot get ready to turn one year old this summer one of their original members is celebrating his own birhtday. Congratulations to the Colonel of Music and kind of Beer who turned 54 yesterday! There is no doubt that the rapidly aging colonel will be celebrating this Saturday with his BlackFoot brehteren as he gums a chicken sandwich and hikes his pants up to his nipples. He will, most likely, shatter one stereotype of the elderly though as he will no doubt yell at the kids to turn up the music instead of down, unless it's Phish. Happy birhtday Colonel, you cranky old bastard!

DCU vs Chicago

When: Saturday, June 13th

What time: 7:30 pm

Who:DCU vs Chicago for first place

What time are we showing up:3:30

What to bring: Chips, dips, birthday cake, beer, apps, stuff to throw on the grill


Come on out saturday to throw the old bean bag and hang out with the Blackfoot. The chef will be manning the grill so bring him something good to eat. If anyone has a portable table they can bring, please do. Paper platets and paper towels as well.

DCU vs Red Bull Post wrap up

The day started out horrible with a lot of rain and no sunshine in sight. We pre-gamed it at Hamlins with some FIFA and some beers. Some suggested that we stay in all night and do that, however common sense prevailed and we headed out for Lot 8. The tailgate was short and sweet, beers were had, bladders were relieved, and the rain fell. On the walk into the game, with my eagle eyes, spotted one Petr Nowak, former DCU coach/legend now head coach of the Philadelphia Union. Walking with Mr Nowak was Josh Gros and his girlfriends fine ass body. On pointing out Petr and thanking him for his DCU service, The Dr of Dank decided to give Petr a dissertation on loyalty, screaming from behind me towards Nowak, "traitor! traitor! your a traitor". I could not tell if the smirk on Petr's face was one of innocent laughter or was he thinking "you little shit American, I would fucking break your gimp ass in two if this was Warsaw". I'm thinking the latter due to Petr's reputation on and off the field. Now on to the game, Josh Wicks has established himself as the Number #1 keeper in DC this Summer. He had an astounding game and was my MOTM. Santino once again is in fine form and he scored first for the good guys in the 42nd minute. This happened on a wonderful build up play and assist from Fred. In the second half NY mounted a weak comeback which turned futile because of Wicks. Who once again, for the third start in a row, impressed. Later in the game, Gomito went on sizzling run in the box, only to be hacked down by a crappy NY defender. This got the ref's attention and we were awarded the penalty kick. Moreno stepped up and cooley slid it past the keeper to make the score, DCU 2 NY 0. And that's how the game ended up. Some side notes from the game, the executive high up in DCU got us great VIP seats with free beer and food. Unfortunately for Smith that food was cooked during the last game over a week ago, at least thats what I could tell from Smith's hunching over in agony in the passenger seat on the way home. Also be sure to pick up your official FC Blackfoot T-Shirt that Chef had made up, nice work Hulk. Hopefully we will see you all this Saturday for FC Blackfoot's birthday party, more details to follow in the coming days.

Bring it on NYRB

With a combines 8-5 scoreline from our first two meetings of the season, I think we can expect to see some goals on Thursday, let's hope they're our goals, not theirs. NY enters with three straight loses, and we enter after a heartbreaking loss to NE on a shitty call. Let's be loud this week boys, we need the three points more than ever if we want to keep pace with Chicago.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Well, its been announced, Real Madrid will be coming to play DCU on August 9 at FedEx Field....
There is a good chance not only Kaka, but CR7 might be part of the squad by then, and lets all hope for a healthy horsey face as well....how many tickets do we need to get for the whole group of us so we can sit together? Let's get an early count so we can get good and cheaper seats than if we wait..

The FootPrint

Well Foot-o-files, it has been a little while since I last wrote about a BlackFoot tailgate and it is time once again to put my best foot forward.  I am, painfully now thanks to the boys, aware that I missed one tailgate a while back.  Bit of a shame too, it was a good one.  Allow me to sum it up quickly with the two main highlights:

1. Chef Hammer couldn't wait to start cooking so he started a 1 alarm fire on his coffee table while the BlackFooters watched the Caps in the playoffs.  It was the crucial last 5 minutes of the game so the fire (started by a dangerous combination of candles, newspaper and a complete lack of any kind of responsibility) may have gone unnoticed if the Colonel hadn't looked down to check his phone.  He quickly alerted the rest of the room with what some might consider to be a rather womanish scream of "Fire, Fire, Fire!".  Well, 1 alarm fire aside, there is no reason for you to be alarmed as everyone came out of the fire unharmed, unless you count the massive blow to the whole fire prevention movement.  Hulk hate Smokey the Bear!

2.Well, I am sure that there was another highlight but due to alcohol consumption and smoke inhalation (not just from the fire, eh boys?) I'll be damned if I can remember it.  

Right, now that we have that out of the way lets move on to DC's Open Cup game last Wednesday against the NY/NJ.  Most of the boys were able to get off of work early (shocker) so the Foot wasted no time hitting the spot.  Well, the Foot didn't but DC's finest, and I don't mean Jaime Moreno, did.  After the Colonel's pre game tradition of honking at the traffic blocking his direct route into the lot we were greeted by a cop who informed us that we were not able to park in that lot unless we had a pass.  Clearly she was not a detective as the usual gatekeepers were set up not fifteen feet away with orange vests and signs and, lo and behold, parking permits for sale.  This was calmly explained to the officer by the Colonel and the Chef. Just kidding, the Colonel growled and the Chef hulked out.  Honestly, the list of things that makes the Chef lose his cool is growing quickly, you can now add cops to children and improperly placed couches.  Before the kettle came to a boil we were waved on and allowed to pay our $15 and park.  A quick side note: I recently went to an Orioles game and was asked to pay $8 dollars to park.  And United charges $15.  Seriously? How do we not have a stadium built yet?

Enter the tailgate.  Coolers were opened, chairs were set out, corn hole boards were placed. The partying had officially begun.  The usual beer games and beers were played and drank and fresh face Mr. West documented a lot of the tailgate.  The BlackFooters, at least this one, found out that he is soon to be a father.  Congratulations West from the BlackFoot clan!  Everything was good at this tailgate, from the weather to the company.  In fine BlackFoot tradition everyone got f'd up.  It was great.  

Line of the Day: this is where this article goes interactive.  I know something funny was said at the game that deserves the Line of the Day title but I cannot remember what it was.  Being the brilliant planner that I am I had a contingency for this situation as I asked everyone around to be sure to remember since I knew I wouldn't.  Come on comments section, let's see what you've got.  

Greetings from the grill: The Chef received rave reviews for both his chicken burgers and his salsa that went along with it.  Yours truly didn't actually have any, but everyone who did seemed to enjoy it and didn't get sick.  So well done Chef.  You have proven that you are not scared of chicken and know how to use fresh veggies for something other than presentation.  

Well, before we knew it it was time to head into the game.  Some of the crew were left behind to squeeze out every second of the tailgate.  Also, the Doctor of Dank had a busted wheel and was hoping to get a ride to the stadium, a true death march of 50 yards away.  It is almost as if he times these foot fuck-ups so that he has a perpetual limp.  These timely toe-breaks are more chronic than his diabetes.  He is going to start up his own fan club called FC BrokenFoot.  Well, he got his ride but the rest of the boys were left to fend for themselves and (don't read this part Doctor) walk to the stadium.  

The game was great and we enjoyed watching United beat up on our neighbors to the north. Chef enjoyed sticking it to the NY fans as he walked over to just below their sad section and repeatedly thrust the DC badge in their general direction.  Hulk taunt!  There was some talk of recruitment as we eyed up the future Foot-o-philes in our section.  And best of all, our man on the inside came through with the fantasy seats.  For those that don't know these seats are close enough to the field that if any of us were in decent shape we might be mistaken for players.  That and the free beer had our group sitting sidelines in no time.  Sadly, that is almost how long we were there.  With a whopping 4-1 lead at halftime the BlackFoot clan decided to head back out the lot and re-start the tailgate.  This can be looked at in one of two ways: if you are cool about it you would say that it shows our dedication to our chosen art form of tailgating, or you might say we are lousy DCU fans if you are a dick.  Everybody has got their opinion and I don't care about yours.  Any way you slice it we had a blast and DCU crushed their cup competition.  The party eventually headed back to the soon to be deceased BlackFoot headquarters and then a poker game broke out.  

As usual I have no idea when the next home game is but, I can't wait to tailgate!