What I Did Last Summer

Hiatus Over

Cooled my jets a little back back in July and then had a hard time getting back to writing at the end of the summer...new home, some vacation time, pre-season and so on made it tough to carve out time to get on the blog.  But things are settling back into the more normative routine, and it's time to resume regular posting.

Anyway, to keep it light in the early going, some bullet points from around the soccer world, both locally and internationally.  Lots of the heavier soap-box stuff in the pipeline, too.

• USA hosts Mexico in Ohio tonight at 8pm in a crucial MNT World Cup qualifier.  Two regional heavyweights stunned last week, and about a million story lines within the matchup; not the least of which includes the firing of the Mexican boss on Saturday.
• Gotta brag on my boys a little; Haverford was ranked #14 nationally last week after a 2-0 opening weekend...stumbled at home to Kean (pronounced, by the way, "Cain") on Sunday and are no longer so honored.  Fun while it lasted.  Still, 3-1 to open the year hints at much higher expectations than ever at Haverford.
• Quick Boys (LMSC U-13s) took a nice road win at the USTC over Lionville, 2-0.  The scoreline flatters though, as the second came mere seconds from the final whistle.  Regardless, a good shutout to open the fall.  Evan and Danyal scoring, Wyatt assisting on Evan's while Danyal's was a terrific "put-back" of a clearance, chipping the GK cleverly.
• Bob Bradley, former USMNT coach, is tearing it up with the Egyptian MNT, on the verge of qualifying for the World Cup...great documentary trailer- presumably, once they qualify, and the World Cup has passed, we'll see the finished product. 
• ESPN is carrying good college matches (men's and women's) Kansas and San Diego Friday (women's) and Clemson v. NC State Saturday (men's)
• Haverford hosts Rosemont in a cross-Lancaster Ave. derby on Thursday at 4.30PM on Walton Field.