Caught in Possession

Had an interesting phone convo with DC United assistant coach Mark Simpson at Dulles Intl. Airport this morning, where the team was supposed to be catching an early flight out to the West Coast for phase 2 of the preseason...but an abrupt cancellation put the kibosh on that plan. So everyone is dispersing until later today, when a mid-afternoon flight is supposed to ferry the squad out to California. United will be training at a number of locations around the state and will scrimmage Chivas USA as well as that new-old club from San Jose.

Simpson was kind enough to share some of his thoughts on the team's general progress so far, and United's goalkeeper situation in particular. Look for more on that soon...I also got to chat with Georgetown U. graduate Ricky Schramm this week, who played with the Richmond Kickers last season after an unsuccessful tryout with United and is now working to catch on with the NY Red Bulls as a reserve. I have found Ricky to be a genuinely good guy and someone who deserves a shot in MLS -- look for a PSW piece on him in the days to come.