Week 15 Notes:

• After being gifted with a 94th minute PK against Dallas Wednesday night, Landon Donavan had the nerve to say, “Someone high up doesn’t want us to win”. Uh-huh. Riiiiight. Did one of those faceless, nameless higher-ups tip Jeff Cassar that you were going left side with your PK attempt? It sure looked like he knew which way you were going.

• A combination of injuries and international callups left San Jose with only three field subs for their game against Metrostars. Obviously, somebody up high didn’t want them to win.

• Jamil Walker should be a star in this league, and probably will be someday. But he needs games like this week where the lineup is decimated to get a chance to play. He is the John Wolyniec of San Jose, except that Woly got his chance and made the most of it, while Jamil needs more chances and needs to do more with the chances he gets.

• The Dallas v Columbus match up reminds me that the first MLS match I ever attended was between those teams. It was at the Cotton Bowl on Cinco de Mayo in 1996. I still have the t-shirt, though it’s in danger of disintegrating each time I wash it these days. The most memorable thing about that game was watching Bo Oshoniyi throw the ball about 70 yards instead of punting it. Bo is still in the league, backing up Tony Meola in Kansas City. I also remember it was hot. Cotton candy was spontaneously combusting, that’s how hot it was.

• Freddy Adu and Alecko Eskandarian both get the start for DC United against Kansas City. I was starting to thing they were the same person; you know, because you never see them together at the same . . . ah never mind.

• Just for the record, Tony Meola still has the goods. He’s only gotten better over the years. He’s in great shape too, even though he’s pushing 40. I’m pushing 40, and I can barely mow the back yard without medical attention.

• Looks like a pretty good crowd in Kansas City. 26,000 or so is what I hear. I guess the relocation stories in the press lit a fire under the Wizards faithful.

• If Carlos Ruiz was ever actually injured, how would we know?

• I’ve said this many times before, but I have to repeat myself today because the problem is becoming epidemic in this league: ENOUGH with the white shoes already! Good heavens they look awful. If you wear those abominations, you had best be scoring 20 goals a year, or making saves that would make Lev Yashin jealous. Otherwise, it’s just wrong. And stupid looking. And annoying.

• CJ Brown planted a vicious elbow in Brian Kamler’s face and didn’t receive so much as a verbal reprimand. Jason Kreis got a straight red for not nearly as blatant or purposeful a shot the week before. Hmmm…. I’ll go ahead and stop with the “someone up high” jokes now. But you know it was there ready to be made. I deserve credit for my restraint, don’t you think?

• I love soccer. That should be clear. I think Americans who dismiss soccer as boring without making an effort to appreciate the sport are nekulturny. That said, this weekends games were boring, with the exception of the Fire/Revs match up Sunday night. I don’t know if it was the heat, injuries, international callups, poorly synchronized biorhythms, bad luck, or the alignment of the planets, but most of the matches were uninspired and slow. The Wednesday night Burn/Quakes game was a good ‘un, but come Saturday the league took an unplanned break from excitement.

• Taylor Twellman is back from injury. Good for the league, GREAT for the Revs. They’ve got to be the best last-place team in the history of soccer. Considering ¾ of their opening day starting team has gone down to injury at one time or another, they’ve done pretty well. And they play entertaining soccer to boot. If I had a second favorite team, it might be the Revs.

• Stevie Ralston, a perennial member of my All-underrated XI, scored a Goal Of They Year candidate off the freekick against Chicago. Check it out on the MLS website.