Why the Beckham Rule Sucks - PLUS

You'll all have to bear with me as I find my feet. I was a little late and a little more rushed than I like to be. The one vote received in determining whether this space would do several smaller posts versus one "master post" came in favor of the former (helps that I like this too). In any case, I'm working on it - posting and thinking and so on - so, please, bear with me.

- The best item of the day by far came out of the LA Times Grahame Jones. His article, which urges MLS to find ways to sign quality players in spite the economic constraints, contains the most precise explanation as to why the "Beckham Rule" won't fly:

"Ronaldinho is at the top of his game, enjoying the spotlight like no player before him. His skills are unparalleled. His popularity is enormous. But put him on any MLS team and the trademark smile would vanish. It's an 11-player team. Ronaldinho shines because he has the likes of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Eider Gudjohnsen, Javier Saviola, Rafael Marquez, Edmilson, Mark Van Bommel and all the rest of Barcelona's starry stable around him."

The "Beckham Rule," for those not familiar with it, boils down to allowing MLS teams a one-player exemption from the salary cap. And what Grahame has here arguably shatters that: team dynamics define any given player's responsibilities - that is defines and, at times, limits. Sad, but true.

In other news...

- The final game of the U.S. Open Cup's fourth round plays tonight when the Kansas City Wizards return to the Chicago Fire's Toyota Park to play "the tie that never was." Seriously, the first game was postponed for (I think) lightning. This game will finally get us entirely set for the quarterfinals. Who will win? Even if they only beat up on Columbus, KC is probably feeling a bit more frisky than the Chicago team that lost to Chivas USA at the end of Saturday's game. Then again, KC has cause to feel a bit pooped. For what it's worth, the good vibes of finally winning will put KC over top: KC wins away.

- Quick USL Division 1 update: Apart from the Virginia Beach Mariners slide down the table, the standings haven't changed all that much. Put another way, the Portland Timbers' chances didn't significantly improve over the weekend. They're still five points out of playoff contention and behind two teams (Puerto Rico Islanders and Atlanta Silverbacks) with three games in hand to boot. The fact that Puerto Rico comes a calling this weekend - which makes for a nice zero-sum match-up - constitutes the best silver lining I can find.

- For your reading pleasure, the blog On the Pitch pulled together a very, very nice (and dauntingly long) post on youth development and the way the current set-up continues to encourage kids to go to college. (Whoa. That's disastrous phrasing..."encourage kids to go to college" like that's a bad thing.) If you've got the time, it's well worth the read.

Whew. All for today.