Brief Soccer Blurbs

Next time the national team plays in Europe, let's all just pretend it's not actually happening, OK? On brighter notes from the soccer world . . .

Last night, DC United striker Jaime Moreno became the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer. His 48th minute penalty kick against NYRB was the 109th goal of his MLS career, edging ahead of Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis. Moreno is one of the original MLS stars, spending his whole career (except for an unfortunate season in exile in NY) with DC, helping to lead the team to all four of its MLS championships, all three Supporters' Shields, and the 1996 US Open Cup title. Congrats, Jaime!

Meanwhile, today's USA Today has a nice story about Chivas USA striker Maykel Galindo. Galindo defected from Cuba in 2005 after the Cubans finished play in the Gold Cup tournament. He spent the 2005 season with the Seattle Sounders of the USL before breaking his nose in 2006, ironically, in a game against Chivas USA. He moved on to the Los Angeles squad this year and made a big splash, becoming the team's leading scorer.