Looking Back: Feels Like the First Time

[K]

The latest from Lanky134

http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20050622&content_id=34100&vkey=news_dcu&fext=.jsp&team=dcu

K

[Lanky134]

http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/images/2005/06/22/csfTBIfN.jpg

I'm glad they used this picture instead of the one we've all seen of Harkes' dental work.

[Dave Brother]

nice read Lanky, Thanks.

[K]

They edited out the bit about Matt Mathai almost killing Kevin Payne after the team won (there was jumping, hugging, wet aluminum benches, could have happened to anybody). ;) Oh well, guess we'll have to add to the SE history section on the site.

K

[Barbara]

One of my many secret shames is that I was in New England when that game was played yet didn't go. Instead of going to the game I watched it (on my honeymoon) from a hotel room in Freeport, MN.

In unrelated news, Dave's columns are not good for my mascara.

[Bill-DC]

I'd love to read about everyone's experiences there who went. For example, my friend Sergio (from Bolivia) and his wife drove up on Saturday and slept in their car because they couldn't find an available room. To this day he said it was worth it to see Marco and Jaime win the first title.

[Sachin]

I think my chest cold from that and 1997 lasted until about last year.

In other news, would a column on Geoff Aunger have the title "Dirty White Boy"?

Sachin

[liverbird]

Excellently written, as always.

[Lanky134]

Thanks again, everybody.

In unrelated news, Dave's columns are not good for my mascara.

Yeah, my creative writing teacher in high school said something similar right before she threw me out...

In other news, would a column on Geoff Aunger have the title "Dirty White Boy"?

A friend e-mailed me with some others:

"Cold as Ice": The 97 MLS Cup Final (alternatively, Alecko Eskandarian's
2005 Season)

"Dirty White Boys": DC United's Battles With Joey Franchino and Rusty Pierce

"Urgent": Trying to Sneak Into the Playoffs in 2003

"Head Games": The Ray Hudson Years

"Hot Blooded": Hristo Stoichkov Leaves His Mark On DC Soccer

Double Vision - How Marco's LASIK surgery after the 1999 season was supposed to make him an even better passer.

Midnight Blue (actually a Lou Gramm solo song) - Another night loss on the West Coast.

Waiting For A Girl Like You - Will Chino ever get his work permit?

[Bill-DC]

"That Was Yesterday" 2000-2003 chant from other teams supporters on Big Soccer

In 2004, MLS Cup was "Back Where You Belong"

For MetroStars and Crew fans, "I Keep Hoping" (Lou Gramm)

Props to All Music.....

[CHICO13]

I'd love to read about everyone's experiences there who went. For example, my friend Sergio (from Bolivia) and his wife drove up on Saturday and slept in their car because they couldn't find an available room. To this day he said it was worth it to see Marco and Jaime win the first title.
We drove up the day before and spent the night at some Do Drop Inn about 15 miles outside of Foxboro. The three of us were armed with about 20 airline bottles each of Cap'n Morgans. We looked for rain ponchos the day of the game but there weren't any. (Even Kmart was out :eek: ) We settled for some extra heavy duty lawn garbage bags. By the end of the game I was soaked to the core and loving every minute of it. We stopped at KMart after the game where we all bought new socks and shoes and $5 sweatshirts. It was a great ride home. :)

[fatbastard]

We drove up the day before. It rained the entire drive up, hard, we saw at least 5 cars that had slid off the road. I had my big American friend Chris and my big Salvadoran friend Francisco in the car, both swore they'd help keep me awake during the drive, both were snoring by Baltimore.
We stayed at the Days Inn down the street from the stadium, it's now a HolidayInn Express or something. It had stopped raining during the night and I accidentally left my sunroof cracked open. Woke up Cup morning to a raging Nor'easter that had filled my car with water. Hotel pillows and bedspreads make excellent water absorption devises (or so I hear...). Early in the morning, while trying to dry the car out I caught my first real outside-of-RFK glimpse of the Barra Brava as about 3 vans painted up all pulled into the Pancake place across the street.
Went to WalMart for rain gear. they didn't have much, I got a windbreaker that didn't quite fit, but was black and red, most people ended up buying garbage bags, they had lots of those set out :)
We had been in Boston the day before in the North End and Betty (forgot her last name, was a hotshot in the FO, moved to Miami in '98) told us we were invited to the after-party after the game, just come by the hospitality tent before the game and get our tickets - well, the weather was so bad, there was no one at the hospitaity tent so we got no tickets.
It was cold and it poured the entire game, my two hands were frozen around the pints of Sam Adams we were drinking. I swear, when we scored the first goal, it got 10 degrees warmer, when we tied it up, I felt great, I may have sweated after the 3rd goal I was jumping up and down in the puddles so hard. Francisco had been off taking a piss and missed it, I still remember the red and black face paint dripping down his face with the rain as we told him about it. We headed home and promptly got lost on I90. We pulled over at a gas station to get our bearings (not to ask directions) and change into dry clothes. While changing, we noticed there was a Sheraton Hotel right across the street - we laughed at how hilarious it would be if that was the Sheraton we were supposed to have been at the player after-party with. We drove over just for fun - and it WAS the hotel. A few drinks at the bar later, Betty showed up, handed us our tickets and we got to go down to the player party ballroom and kiss the trophy, still cold and wet. What a great night - Matt and a few others were there that I knew. We got to watch the replay of the game with the team, it was just too cool.
The Budweiser was free and all we saw of Chris after he learned that was him coming out of the back room every 15-20 minutes to get two fresh beers. Needless to say, the boy was piss-drunk by the time we left.
On the way home afterward, the bastard puked all over my car - at this precise moment, the rain finally stopped for good, so there was nothing to wash the side of my car off with. He drunkenly handed me his American Express card and told me to find a hotel. We stayed at a much nicer place that night :D
Ah. Good times.

[GrillMaster]

We drove up the day before. It rained the entire drive up, hard, we saw at least 5 cars that had slid off the road. I had my big American friend Chris and ... Ah. Good times.Good ole Chris M. You should tell people about what a star he has been on Swedish TV! ;)

GM

[BBBulldog]

Double Vision - How Marco's LASIK surgery after the 1999 season was supposed to make him an even better passer.


Place where I went for exam last Friday had his autographed picture on the wall since they did it :)

[gocaps]

Place where I went for exam last Friday had his autographed picture on the wall since they did it :)
Looks like you should be going to another place... :D

[Bill-DC]

Great stories about that first Cup. Keep 'em coming.

[BBBulldog]

Looks like you should be going to another place... :D

That's reputed to be best place in area, did Marco's vision get ********ed up big time?

[Lanky134]

That's reputed to be best place in area, did Marco's vision get ********ed up big time?
The word we heard from Payne after training camp was that, because of the surgery, Marco's vision was going to be better than ever. He was seeing 20/20 for the first time in his career, as I recall. He only had 4 goals and 8 assists in 2000. Of course, a lot of that was the result of having Albright , AJ Wood, and a considerably diminished RDA as Moreno's strike partner. There were also, I believe, plenty of nagging injuries, especially the toe injury of 2001, that he played through which affected the last few years of his time here.

[gocaps]

That's reputed to be best place in area, did Marco's vision get ********ed up big time?
No, but his play took a serious nosedive :D

That was the same year that they were actually saying that the surgery they did to repair Marco's chronic foot problems had actually hurt him because he had to get used to being able to put more power on the ball.

[BBBulldog]

so you're saying I'll sing half as loud after lasik :D