’02_10′
courtesy of ‘m hoek’

World Cup Soccer
Record: 0-0-2, 2 points
Next Game: Wednesday 10am

Wednesday morning brings us the next chapter of the World Cup for Team USA, and they’ll be playing for their tournament life. USA will need a victory if they want to advance, but Algeria’s allowed just one goal so far in two games, so it’ll take a lot of doing. A tie would still allow the US to advance, but they stop being in control of their own destiny. If they were to tie, they would need England to lose against Slovenia, or tie, but score less than 2 more goals than we do against Algeria.

There are some outcomes that would require actual coin flips in order to determine the advancing team. Via ESPN: “If the U.S. draws with Algeria and England draws with Slovenia, and England scores exactly two more goals than the U.S., the U.S. and England would be even on all tiebreakers for second place. The tie would be broken by drawing lots … aka, a coin flip.”

So get your warpaint on and support USA on Wednesday morning. Not sure where to get your game on? Check out our Guide to area venues. Friday I caught the match at Elephant and Castle just off 19th Street, which was a great spot to see the game. Part of the beauty of the World Cup is the atmosphere watching the game, so play hooky and cite National Team Fever.

‘”for unto us a child is born…”‘
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Nationals
Record: 31-39
Last Two Weeks: 4-8
Place: Last in the NL East, 11 games back

The Nats are in a slump, collectively, and in many cases individually. Their roadtrip through the midwest left a lot to be desired, in terms of results, with the team running a 1-5 record and a lackluster offense. Pitching has been a bit of an adventure for the squad as well, as aside from Stephen Strasburg, Lannan and Livo have struggled in their last few starts, and the bloom is off of Atilano, as well.

The Nationals have an important road to the All Star Break that started with the home series against the White Sox. Though they were swept, they now face the KC Royals, who have a worse record and are slumping just bad as the Nats. After 3 against the Royals, they’ll head to Baltimore this weekend to run the tables on the Orioles. After that, they’re down to Atlanta for a set with the Braves. The Nationals have a ten game homestand just before the Summer Classic, facing the surging Mets for four near the 4th of July Weekend, then six against the Padres and SF.

‘DC United vs Colorado Rapids 04’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

D.C. United
MLS Record: 3-8-1
Last Two Weeks: 2-0
Place: 7th of 8 in the East, 10pts

There’s nothing better than a win against a rival right before a break. That’s just what United got on a quick jaunt to Seattle on the 10th. A 3-2 victory saw the offense up and about for the first time outside of RFK this season. The hot foot of Chris Pontius saw the back of the net three times. United picks up again next week with a road match against MLS foe Columbus. They’ll not be home for an MLS match again until mid July, so look for rarer dispatches on the Black and Red.

Tom Bridge

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.