WEEK 13 NOTES

• I still think Amado Guevara is a punk, but he is one talented, deadly-finishing, quality punk. He and Ruiz both should have SAG cards, but dogonnit they’re good.

• Wow. Just wow. Eddie Gaven became a man tonight. He scored two goals in the first half against the Galaxy. The first was extremely well taken, composed, clinical, a thoroughly professional, top-notch goal. The second, well . . . the second was just incredible, world-class, impetuous, Homeric. If it’s not the goal of the week they need to quit giving away the award. It could well be the goal of the year. This time last year the kid still hadn’t returned the tux from his prom.

• No Freddy in the Freddy v Jason matchup in Dallas. Not until late in the game anyway. I’d call it a let down, but I’m more excited about the Dallas part of the DC-Dallas match-up anyway. Jason gets the 89th goal of his career, becoming the all-time leading goal scorer in league history. Class personified, this guy is.

• Alecko Eskandarian continues the rampage he started on last week, scoring the equalizer for DC, and effectively relegating Adu to more bench time in the process.

• Hey wouldn’t it be cool if the last thing the Dallas Burn did before their name change takes effect was win an MLS Cup? Wouldn’t that throw a wrench into the plans?

• What does it say about MLS that Troy Perkins has to work a part time job to make ends meet? Is this the mark of a major league sport? If Shaq had to spend part of his week working at sporting goods store . . . well I can’t even go on with that analogy because it’s just too ridiculous. What gives? Pay the guys already. I’m a schoolteacher for pity sakes, and I’m probably doing better than this kid. Of course, he’s got that whole “playing soccer for a living” thing going for him, so my sympathy is limited.

• Felix Brillant showed why Eric Wynalda is wrong about attackers diving. Brillant could easily have gone down and been given a foul in the 63rd minute against Metrostars. Rightly so too, he was definitely fouled. But instead, he stayed up, showing strength and determination, and scored. Beating three guys for a goal is so much cooler than diving. Brillant may be a rookie of the year candidate, along with teammate Clint Dempsey, who also scored.

• Dempsey has had three goals in three games. He’s easily the cream of the crop of young Americans in the game today. I wish he played for Dallas. He’s from Dallas, by the way. Ahem. . . are you listening, Dallas front office?

• Matt Reis, after playing brilliantly for 90 minutes of that game, almost self destructed in stoppage time. First he fouled Magee in the box and gave up a PK to Guevara, and then he pushed the Referee’s Assistant after scuffling with Guevara over who would get to pick the ball out of the net. Expect a suspension for Reis after the league office watches the tape of this one.

• Jean-Philippe Peguero’s goal for Colorado against Columbus probably won’t be a goal of the year contender, but if there was such a thing as Most Difficult Goal of the Year, he’d be right up there. Tough chest trap, man on him, tough half volley finish. It was a good one.

• If Edson Buddle stays healthy, he’s going to turn in to one of the more dangerous forwards in this league. He reminds me of Eddie Johnson; always on the verge of breaking big, but not quite there yet. Probably not as fast as Eddie, but already a better finisher.

• Jovan Kirovski scored from about fifty yards out to snag the winner for the Galaxy against the Fire. Henry ring came aggressively off his line to stop a breakaway, but unfortunately didn’t clear as well as he’d have liked. Jovan hit it first time, really with the side of his foot, letting the velocity from Ring’s clearance do all the work. Henry Ring hasn’t made many missteps this year, but that was one of them. In the old CISL it would’ve been a three pointer.