Yeah, that occurred to me shortly after I left my comment. If that's the case, then apologies to Chris, but I stand by my comment, since there are plenty of people out there who can't wait to rush Dolo and the other vets out the door, even though they remain our best options.

You replace players when better options come up. Not just younger, they have to be better. Cherundolo and Bocanegra are still our best options at RB and LB, respectively, and it really isn't even close. Dolo's club team (which he captains) is currently sitting in third in the Bundesliga, in a Champions League spot. It is absurd that people want to replace him with a kid playing in the Championship or another kid who hasn't even played an entire Bundesliga season.

Because Cherundolo is our best RB. It baffles me how little respect he gets from US fans. He's about to captain his German team to a Champions League spot, and people are calling for a kid playing in the Championship to replace him!? As far as Dempsey goes, he is a striker the same way that Edu is a CB. Just because he can play there in extraordinary circumstances doesn't mean he should be playing there.

To continue, Benny Feilhaber was born in Brazil and Jay DeMerit was eligible to play for Denmark, I believe. Then there are fringe players like Freddy Adu, Lee Nguyen, etc. And there are American-born players who represent other countries, like Giuseppe Rossi and Brede Hangelaand. Welcome to the United States, we're a nation of immigrants.

The same reason Spector isn't going to get a look as a defensive mid - because he isn't as good as our other options there.

Well played, Babieca.

A lot of really ugly comments here, considering none of us have seen him play and have no idea how good or bad he is. Would Steve Nash (another big soccer fan who chose a different sport) receive this kind of vitriolic response? Love him or loathe him (I'm indifferent), the guy is a world-class athlete, and would hardly be the first to play two sports at a high level. Everyone knows Bo Jackson (no pun intended), Deion Sanders, Herschel Walker. How about Antonio Gates, a Pro Bowl tight end who only played basketball in college? LeBron was a highly-recruited football player out of high school, and would be playing in the NFL right now if that's what he wanted. Donovan McNabb played in the Final Four. Could Ochocinco hack it in MLS? I have no idea, but neither do any of you, so keep your unnecessarily spiteful comments to yourself. No one is interested in reading such pointless posts.

I think it's pretty good, considering that the DJ was deaf! What's that? Def? Oh. Never mind.

Scandinavian leagues take the winter months off due to the cold.

It's a formidable word.

Am I the only one who finds it incredibly annoying when people phonetically spell out Lichaj's name? What are they trying to prove?

Rick, I fully understand that as a Galaxy fan you'd be pissed - I would be too, I'm sure. But while I don't exactly think Beckham's annual loans help the league, I also don't think they hurt MLS's reputation in Europe, either. Actually, I think just the opposite. Many (most?) people in Europe viewed Beckham's move to MLS as a retirement from top soccer. I imagine (speculation on my part, but grounded speculation) that his moves to one of the world's top teams two years in a row, and now a possible move to another Champions League club in probably the most competitive league in the world has opened some eyes across the pond, that just because a player chooses to play in MLS doesn't mean that he still can't hack it in an elite league. To try to sum up my rambling, not necessarily beneficial for MLS, but potentially beneficial for the league's reputation overseas. And while I'm not strongly against these loans, that no doubt has a lot to do with the fact that I am not a Galaxy fan. Otherwise I'm sure I'd feel very differently.

Ives, I guess the way it came across to me was that of a fan venting, rather than a journalist writing a story. Even if this is more of an opinion piece, I would expect a little more "detachment," so to speak. But maybe I'm reading too much into this, and you are, of course, free to have an opinion. Again, I mostly agree with you, just a little surprised by the tone of the piece. Not a criticism, just an observation.

Ives, using the word 'farce' in the headline and lines like, "David Beckham sure has made a habit out of doing anything but devoting himself to his current club," and "an aging midfielder with completely ridiculous dreams of still being a factor for the England national team" (among others) do come across as quite resentful. Personally, I agree with most of your points, if not your phrasing. I do disagree with you about Beckham's England career. Obviously Fabio doesn't want him, but he would have been in the WC squad, and would still be a viable option of the bench for England. (SBI-I really don't agree with you. How is that "resentful"? Why can't you have a strong opinion about something without being "hateful" or "resentful". It's a joke for a 35-year-old Englishman to be forcing his team's hand about a loan deal in order to help his national team chances. That's a farce. Disagree with me if you want, but this whole idea that someone can't have strong opinions without some sort of emotional investment is silly.)

The Internet loves to mock him, but twenty-nine goals in ninety-one games with Salt Lake isn't shabby. At twenty-five he still has plenty of time to improve his game, and the Championship is the ideal place foe him to do that (he's lucky he didn't sign with an EPL bottom-feeder). Best of luck to him, and I expect him to surprise a lot of people.

- Michael Stypulkoski - 27 - Norfolk, Virginia - US, Fulham, ODU Monarchs, any MLS - About a year ago

Exciting finish to the women's college championship game between Notre Dame and Stanford. Stanford's keeper has been incredible here in the second half.

I won't lie and say that has nothing to do with it, but no, it's not the only reason. I do think Russia was probably the weakest bidder for 2018, but I don't think that that decision was nearly as bad as 2022. Australia, Japan, or South Korea I would have had no problem with. I'd still be upset that the US didn't get it, as I think we are by a wide margin the most logical choice, but whatever. But Qatar? It's a tiny country, both geographically and population-wise. They have never even qualified for a World Cup and have no soccer history to speak of, but they now get an automatic bid. While they are one of the more "liberal" (so to speak) Middle Eastern countries, there are still major concerns about their human rights record. Other questions that are not so pressing and will no doubt be sorted (but still exist) include what happens if Israel qualifies for the tournament, and what the alcohol situation will be like. And while Qatar itself is a stable nation, the Middle East as a whole is highly volatile, increasing concerns about terrorism. But the most worrying issue of all is that they are going to be playing in the hottest part of the world in the middle of summer. It's dangerous for everyone involved, including fans. Qatar, IMO, had the weakest bid, yet they won it easily. The whole situation smacks of corruption.

Let me assure you that as the leftiest lefty out there, I hate both of these decisions. What you wrote is absolutely nonsensical. It is mind-numbingly absurd to bring left-right politics into this.

Following from Norfolk, Virginia

Not to sound overly melodramatic, but I am shocked (SHOCKED!) by this. Is there something about Dax that I haven't heard about? Bad teammate, difficult to coach, wants to move to Europe, something like that?

What a great finish, so glad I watched the whole thing. The final ten minutes were incredibly entertaining. Congratulations to Colorado fans.

Late to comment, but I've been following from Virginia.

Go Monarchs!

I have mixed feelings. I think he never got the recognition he should have in Europe, but it's nice that he's back in MLS while he still has plenty left in the tank. Should be one of the league's best defenders for several years.