Becks got on the ball here, but was mostly a non-factor. (Bonus: in this photo,he still has his shirt on.) (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
United 0, Galaxy 0: A downpour, the two biggest stars in MLS, a nearly-must-win scenario, a season-high 22,134 hopping fans, and assistant coach Chad Ashton taking the first-team reins for the first time in his United career after regular manager Tom Soehn came down with flu-like symptoms before the game — to say that it was an exciting night at RFK would be an understatement. United came out strong, but sadly, the spotlight of the game fell mostly onto the referee. The stadium exploded in the eighth minute after a beautiful interplay through midfield ended with a fantastic finish by Luciano Emilio poking it into the back of the net — but the goal was incorrectly disallowed for offside. (Emilio was at least a yard on.) A booking in the 11th for captain Ben Olsen’s tackle on Beckham only intensified the crowd volume. United’s quality in possession delivered plenty of chances, but Galaxy keeper Donovan Ricketts was up to the task and kept things scoreless. The second half saw the introduction of Jaime Moreno, and United continued to pressure the L.A. goal. But shot after shot, corner after corner, header after header just went wide or over. Of course, the referee again blowing a big call — waving off a clear-cut penalty when Emilio was pushed down — didn’t help anything. United’s firm grip on the game began to loosen in the final fifteen minutes — L.A. began to push forward and created a couple of chances. But keeper Josh Wicks maintained the clean sheet by denying a couple of direct shots on goal, especially a Landon Donovan header from a Beckham cross in the waning minutes. The Black-and-Red bossed the game, but it was just not their night. It was hardly a surprise that two teams with 20 draws between them split the points — though the lack of goals was disappointing.
Brewers 11, Nationals 9: Pitching enthusiasts, this wasn’t for you. After an hour and a half long rain delay at Nationals Park, a run-scoring double by Ryan Braun and a home run by Mike Cameron buried John Lannan and all seemed lost. But the Nationals fought back from seven down to tie the game at eights in the fourth inning, thanks to a grand slam from Ronnie Belliard and a Willie Harris dinger. But then Nationals relievers gave up runs in innings six through eight and the comeback was all for naught. Lannan just looked awful, responsible for seven earned, seven hits, and two walks in just 1.2 innings, by far his shortest outing of the season. In the end, it’s just another loss for the Nationals, but with 26 combined hits (13 for extra bases), at least it was entertaining.
Redskins 17, Steelers 13: It was an up-and-down exhibition for the Skins last night. Good: the first-team offense, incluing Clinton Portis, scored the team’s first points of the season on their opening drive — although the drive stalled inside the 10. Bad: obviously, the team didn’t think last week’s punting exhibition was enough work for Hunter Smith — the offense proceeded to punt on its next four drives, including three three-and-outs. More good: First-round pick Brian Orakpo looked strong, recording four tackles in limited action. More bad: if Portis ever goes down, this team’s in some serious trouble offensively — one gets the feeling that this team is going to be playing in a lot of 14-9 games this year. Good: Quarterback Chase Daniel threw a touchdown pass, which makes the third-string battle between Daniel and Colt Brennan much more interesting. (NFL preseason: can you feel the excitement?)
