MLS Thursday Night: DC United v New England Revolution

By: Bob | May 3rd, 2007

We are a few weeks into the season and it is clear that everyone and their grandmother is jumping on the MLS Thursday night bandwagon. Heck, my own grandmother would tune in if only ESPN2 showed Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy before the game. Speaking of jeopardy, one would have to think that DC United coach Tom Soehn’s job might be on the line if his team comes up with another dud performance in front of a national television audience.

The expectations for DC United heading into the 2007 MLS campaign were high. The club won the MLS Supporters’ Shield by having the best record in the league during the regular season in 2006. And then they crashed and burned out of the playoffs and the next thing you knew Soehn was replacing Peter Nowak on the bench. After three games, all of them losses, it is safe to say that DC United have been as disappointing as when you go to the grocery store and they have run out of Chunky Monkey ice cream. Hence the reason Soehn should be squirming this evening.

The New England Revolution finished second in the Eastern Conference last season and then finished second in the MLS Cup. In fact, the Revs are the kings of finishing second. They’ve made it to the league final three times and have walked away as bridesmaids on all three occasions. Through four games this season they are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference with two wins, a loss and a draw a couple of Thursday nights ago (otherwise known as the start of Tommy Smyth era).

Here are a few things to watch while you, grandma and hundreds more tune in for Thursday night lights:

1. Bobby the Blogger – In a league that has often been accused of being vanilla, the DC United defender offers some refreshing personality. The ladies and some men love him because he is GQ certified. The bloggers love him because he is one of them, only he is funnier. His teammates love him because he is actually a pretty decent player. Expect the ESPN cats to blab about him a lot during the game.

2. A Good Welsh Soccer Player – Indeed, that is not an oxymoron. The bio of Revs midfielder Andy Dorman not only says that he enjoys playing cricket, but it also says that he is rapidly becoming one of the better midfielders in MLS. I have no idea whether this is true or not, but that is what games like tonight are for. Well that and having an excuse to finish off a six-pack before calling in sick on Friday.

3. Those Bouncing Fans – The sparse crowds for the past few Thursday night games have been a bummer, but at least tonight we can count on the DC United supporters groups to make some noise. JFK Stadium is not perfect for soccer, but the Screaming Eagles and Barra Brava do their best to shake the stands. Literally.

As always, feel free to leave your comments and thoughts about the game or life in general in this space. I have the suspicion that this is going to be an enjoyable one to watch, but if not there is probably a good Nova documentary on PBS.