If he watched soccer, Pat Buchanan would be very displeased. Major League Soccer has officially given up on becoming a venue for U.S.-born players in the prime of their careers. During the offseason, MLS replaced American-born players who left the league to play overseas with aging foreign-born players. While the media focus on David Beckham's injuries, they have overlooked the departure of Eddie Johnson, Freddy Adu and Oguchi Onyewu to England, Portugal and (gasp) France. Two teams involved in this soccer trade deficit open their MLS season Saturday, when the
Wizards and D.C. United face off at Community America Ballpark (1800 Village West Parkway in Kansas City, Kansas, 913-328-2255). The Wizards replaced Johnson with aging Argentinian striker Claudio Lopez, and D.C. United traded Adu to make room for a corps that includes the Brazilian midfielders Luciano Emilio and the one-named Fred as well as Bolivian veteran Jamie Moreno. Tickets cost $15 to $25.
Wizards
Sat., March 29, 2008
