Tickle v. Tackle 22

Tickle

• All signs point to action! How will UEFA react to Dida's shameful behavior following the fan incident in the Milan v. Celtic Champions' League match? As we mentioned last week, he definitely shouldn't quit his day job to get into acting. Tomorrow is the day of reckoning. Will Dida be punished? If he is, will MLS even notice and decide to punish their own SAG-rejects (see: Ruiz, Carlos)?
• Barca is a treat to watch. With so much talent, style, daring, and creativity, they're the anti-Chelsea, if you will--entertainment personified. On top of all that, look at the willingness to get the young blood off of the production line and out there on the pitch for meaningful minutes. Despite Real's current lead in the table and an "effective" style of play that gets results, nowhere is the class of La Liga more in evidence than at the Camp Nou.
• Here comes the youth parade. Bob Bradley calls in the young guns for the Switzerland friendly, with the likes of Edu, Adu, Szetela, Zizzo et al. Bob is certainly running the rule over a wide swath of the player pool prior to the start of World Cup qualifying. Kudos for having the stones, Bob! But hmmm, does Edu's call-up mean that he'll miss out on TFC's match with the Gals this weekend? Beckspiracy!
  

Tackle

• 9 games plus a $10k fine for Rico Clark's attempt to volley Ruiz into next week? But what about the Fish-Kicking merit badge that he so thoroughly deserves? Joking aside, nine games seems a bit harsh, but we'll have to see what Ruiz gets, if anything, for his apparent punch to Clark's back and terrible sense of the parts of his own body. Come on Carlos, we all saw the kick hit your shoulder, what's with the head grabbing? Who do you think you are--Dida?
  
• How many times does it need to be said - don't drink the water! A little bit of Montezuma's revenge maybe? DC drop two valuable points in KC on their march towards the Supporters' Shield with half the squad suffering the ill effects of a trip to Mexico. Of course, it didn't help that they were "Marufo-ed" on a couple of occasions as well--occasions that were sure to turn the stomach as well.
• Hey, all you grand poobahs at MLS HQ--stop scheduling MLS matches on international dates! United will be missing Jaime Moreno for this weekend's tilt with the Fire, a key match in the race for the Supporters' Shield, due to a call-up to the Bolivian national team. Congrats to Jaime for the resurgence in his international career, but AARRGGHH!!! Will it take Jaime missing the MLS Cup final--in RFK no less--for the nabobs of nightmare scheduling to notice that something is wrong with this picture?