This and That

Here are a few updates from the weekend:

* NAME THE TEAM SWEEPSTAKES: Chicago Red Stars won the weekly voting for the sixth time in nine tries to extend their lead over both Chicago 1871 and Chicago Wind. The fans are certainly showing consistent support of the Red Stars name. Their support is providing pressure to go in that direction, but the Wind and 1871 are receiving strong support from some important demographics and they are scoring well in formal and informal focus groups as well. We'll be taking all this information into consideration before announcing the winner. Details on last week's voting will be posted here later today.

* USWNT SCORES FIVE GOALS...AND BARELY WINS: Anyone who says women's soccer is boring should be forced to watch the United States thrilling 5-4 victory over Australia on Saturday. It was a great example of the wide open, high scoring style the women's game often provides that i described in a March post about the Mexico Women's National Team game against the University of Illinois women's team. Hats off to Angela Hucles who scored the winner three minutes and fifteen seconds into the "three minutes" of added time for the red, white and blue!

* TEN MORE GAMES: The USWNT thriller was my Saturday afternoon palate cleanser in the middle of ten other televised soccer games i took in that day. i watched five EPL matches in the morning at the Highbury Pub in Milwaukee highlighted by my Fulham side's HUGE 2-0 victory over Birmingham City to climb out of the relegation zone for the first time since December 22nd. The Whites likely need one more win next Sunday over Portsmouth to stay up another season. C'mon Fulham!! Section 8 Chairman Ben Burton made a pilgrimmage to Milwaukee on Saturday. Fire supporters Elizabeth Currie, Samantha Garivay and Zach Schaefer joined Ben and a flock of the Highbury's "Ride at Dawn Club" for a tour of Milwaukee's Lakefront Brewery - the self proclaimed "Animal House of Brewery Tours". We were back at the Highbury for five MLS games Saturday night highlighted by the Fire's 3-0 slashing of the hated New England Revolution. Seeing Jay Heaps on his knees in mourning after Stephen King's first career MLS goal was reminiscent of another great moment in MLS history.

* DON'T SPREAD ANY RUMORS: Chicago WPS General Manager Marcia McDermott and i are heading to Wheaton Academy this afternoon to see this guy train a team and meet with him for a bit.