Stuck in DC traffic? Here's your daily morning roundup.
Who is Andy Najar, you ask? He's DC United's phenom 17-year old midfielder, and despite being, well, 17, he might be the only reason to watch United right now.
He was certainly the only reason to watch DC United last night in their Open Cup qualifying match against Real Salt Lake last night. With the score tied at 1 in overtime, Najar made an incredible twisting move in the box to elude two Real Salt Lake defenders before depositing the ball in the far left corner. It was a breathtaking move in a game that lacked breathtaking plays.
Soccer fans probably know his name already. ESPN Soccernet, for example, called him "the poster boy for the future of youth soccer in the United States." And if you're a DC fan, you know what that means: he'll be compared to Freddy Adu, the former "future of US soccer" prodigy. Adu, obviously, didn't pan out, but Najar seems different. For one, he's 17, not 14. For another, he seems to work harder off the pitch than Adu. Finally, he's doing it on a bad team that desperately needs him. This is just an educated guess, but I think Najar will work out better.
Once he does, you'll want to get to know his name.
Otherwise, here's what's going on today:
- The Nationals lost again last night to the lowly Astros, thanks mostly to stranding a zillion runners on base.
- The Capitals won't be bringing Joe Corvo or Scott Walker back, which means last year's trade deadline moves didn't really do much. Meanwhile, Japers Rink evaluates Tom Poti's season.
- Bullets Forever evaluates Mike Miller's season. I'm surprised they pulled the trigger on that evaluation. (Get it? It's a gun joke and a Mike Miller joke, all at once!).
- Hogs Haven asks where the Redskins should rank among all the franchises in sports. Last year, they were ranked 92nd. How ironic.
- Black and Red United has everything you need after last night's win.
- According to Testudo Times, Maryland is no longer recruiting local point guard star Quinn Cook.
- Casual Hoya has more on former prospect Tony Mitchell being investigated for his academic ... uhh ... commitments.