Thursday Night Futbol - Pesca-dagger!

Pescadito at the death steals two points from the Fire. For the life of me, I can't figure out how the Hoops didn't wipe the pepperoni-ladden pitch with Osorio's ancient assemblage of past their sell-by date CONCACAF stars (Blanco, Wanchope, Armas). Sure the Fire were organized, but they were also glacial, and a quick team like Dallas should really be exploiting that more effectively. It looked like they would early, but alas, it seems Denílson-ism is a disease spreading through the team. Contact infection with the resultant behavior of lots of flashy tricks but very little substance. A night at the discotheque is entertaining, but it's so much more satisfying when it leads to the horizontal mambo.

A few notes:

• Rolfe pretty much staked his claim for a return to the national team. Despite playing out of position in the midfield, he was Chicago's most dangerous player by a country mile, getting a golazo from distance to cap his performance. He also has a great touch and is a decent passer to boot. If this is indeed Jaime's last year, United could do worse than making a package deal - say Brian Carroll and draft picks - for the Fire frontman.
• Wanchope and Blanco may be sparking Chicago's late run, but I didn't see much evidence of their contribution in this match. Somebody ought to make a movie - "Slow and Slower". In fact, we've already got the distressing footage of the hunchback doing his troglodyte trot about the park and failing to contribute much of anything courtesy of ESPN's ridiculous use of the "Blanco Cam". Speaking of which...
• ESPN tries to add some Latin zest to the booth. It's hard to call the experiment a failure after one game, but maybe next time they should try it with a two-man booth as the new guy often got steamrollered by the twin gringo motor-mouths. When he did manage to get a word in edgewise, I didn't feel he made a significant contribution. Oh well, at least he's not Tommy Smythe and he does get bonus points for trying to keep the discussion on point. To whit...
• Please stop showing non-game footage DURING THE FREAKING GAME! How hard is it to time that crap for a substitution, injury, or other significant stoppage (fouls, free-kicks, corners)? Sure, it adds a humanizing, entertaining note to watch Ricardinho dumps some ice down Denílson's back, but not while the ball is in play please!
• I really hope that the addition of Denílson doesn't have a detrimental impact on Arturo Alvarez, who was starting to show signs of becoming a real danger man of potential all-star (and national team) quality. Hopefully the kid doesn't get it in his head to try and imitate the Brazilian's showboating to the extent that he loses his effectiveness...
• All that said, I do think that Denílson is a positive addition to the league, if only for the fact that he tries to do things that will inspire American youngsters to approach the game with a bit more flair and creativity. Did you hear the crowd when he pulled audacious bits of trickery?
  

An interesting match despite all of ESPN's efforts to ruin it. Hopefully the old-timers ran themselves into the ground a bit so that United's suspension-decimated roster has a fair shot at grabbing some points in Chicago this weekend. The Fire will be angry at letting this one slip and desperate for points to confirm their playoff position. Dallas, on the other hand, have officially dropped from Supporters' Shield contenders to mid-table mediocrity, and that's a shame for such a talented side.