The Clean Sheet: Back in the saddle

are you kidding me -- but this Sunday is setting up to be smashing. Can anyone stop United? Is Mile High Club really a game away from the Cup final? Lots to talk about ... let's get to it.

Hey, did ya see who is going to be in the booth for Revs-United on the Deuce? Yup, none other than The Bruce! Soccer's most outspoken personality is joining Dave O'Brien and Waldo to call the game. Here's hoping Arena has his honesty boots on and is the same guy that just called parity "stupid" and has always shot from the hip. If he does, MLS's television folks might have just made the best move of the season.

Speaking of the Red Bulls, congrats to Seth Stammler for finally getting it right. See, our boy had made a couple of big-time magazine appearances, but had done so in Vogue and Vanity Fair. No, seriously. Apparently someone tapped Stammler on the shoulder and sorted him out, as he now will appear in an upcoming issue of Maxim. Welcome back to the pack, son.

If you've never watched NASCAR, here's your excuse: check out the #84 car in the NASCAR race this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, it'll have the RBNY logo on it as part of a soccer-themed paint scheme. Hope driver A.J. Allmendinger (how great a last name is that?) has better luck than the Bulls. If the Queen has her way though, it'll finish somewhere after Jimmie Johnson's car does. Yup, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Maddux and your old pal, Tino. Wow, does she have bad taste. Anyway, set the TiVo and check it out.

Back in the summer of 1990, I was on a plane somewhere between Italian cities during the World Cup and during the quick flight they showed highlights from the previous day's games the whole time. I remember thinking I was in footie heaven, being able to watch soccer during an entire flight. Fast forward to two weeks ago, on a Jet Blue flight across the country. In the departure lounge, caught part of the Fire-Revs game until I boarded. Once on, watched the Cosmos documentary start to finish, then watched the entire Goats-Dynamo game. Are you kidding me? I think Toto Schillaci just scored again.

OK, I am not making this up. After writing that last line, I googled "Italy Toto World Cup" to check the spelling of his last name. In the first page of hits there were three different spellings on reputable Web sites.

OK, I'll just say this once in response to the emails about the playoff setup. If my office door said "Commish" on it, I would still have the playoffs, but would probably cut it to just four teams. If I left it at eight, the first round would definitely be just a single game - the first games of the first round seemed a little anti-climatic, plus only the top teams should get to host a game.

I wasn't there unfortunately, but the RFK crowd on television last weekend looked as passionate an atmosphere as I remember seeing maybe ever. The stands were packed and rocking and colorful and I don't need to tell you how much that adds to the feeling of a televised sporting event. Well done, United supporters.

Our man Steve Davis says Colin Clarke is in trouble. And if Sigi Schmid leaves to take the national team gig as Jurgen Klinsmann's assistant, we got us some hot stove league action on the coaching front.

Speaking of the national team, I am psyched about the Copa America decision, but anxious to see how U.S. Soccer balances the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Copa America, which are literally back-to-back. Which one would you rather win?

Loved the story about Spartak Moscow getting stuck in traffic on the way to their UEFA Champions League match - at home - and jumping off the team bus and taking the subway, on which the coach gave the pregame talk. The team made it, but barely.

Have you caught Jimmy Conrad and Sean Wheelock's MLS Radio broadcasts? Man, between that and Jericho on CBS which takes place in Kansas, suddenly that area is like the new Planet LA. OK ... not so much.

REMEMBERING MOOCH

OK, for those of you who asked about my recent absence, no I did not get fired. Sorry.

Truth is, I wasn't sure how to get back to writing this column after the death of Mooch Myernick. For those of you who don't know me away from this column, I worked for the Colorado Rapids from 1997-2000 and had the pleasure of calling Mooch not only a co-worker but a dear friend (and that list is countless, by the way, that's the kind of guy he was).

While my relationship with Mooch began with soccer when I was hired by the team, that is hardly where it ended. As much as he taught me about the game, I remember Mooch - and I still can't believe he is gone as I write this - for what he taught me about being a good person, a good father, son, brother, and friend. I hope my son turns out like that. We all do.

Mooch was the kind of guy you didn't want to let down, even though he wouldn't hold it against you anyway. I once lost 30 pounds and got in the best shape of my life with his inspiration and guidance, and my motivation was literally to make him proud of me.

When I finished my first half-marathon soon after his death last month - a full 12 minutes better than my aggressive goal for the race - I did so knowing I never could have done it without him getting me started way back when. That was for you, Mooch. You have to go easy on the fat jokes, now. Don't worry, I'm still short, Jewish, a hick from Minnesota and really, really slow ... so all the other ones still apply.

To know how many people Mooch touched, all you had to do was read the outpouring of emotion from the media and fans in the papers and online after we lost him. Incredible. Back in Denver after he fell ill, I went to the Rapids-Red Bulls game that Saturday night and had the pleasure of talking with fans who had taken the time to make homemade signs supporting Mooch. Most of them had maybe met him once or twice, but he had made such an impression that they were moved to act somehow. Exactly.

Ironically, soccer coaches often push their players to "play faster," but Mooch was always about taking an extra moment, no matter how busy he was. One of his pet sayings that I have absolutely stolen to this day is: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time." He was all about that extra moment.

An extra moment to talk to a kid as he signed an autograph. An extra moment to hold the door open for someone coming behind him. An extra moment to ask you about your family. An extra moment to brag about his kids. An extra moment to crack a joke, even in a tense time. An extra moment to enjoy how lucky we all are.

And now, while we are left with memories and lessons from all those moments, there is no way of writing this gracefully: it absolutely sucks what happened.

But for those of us who were graced with his friendship, it's really a time to be thankful. Thankful that we had a friend to learn so much from. To bring it back to a soccer reference, he was someone who -- like a really good player -- made everyone around him better.

So I apologize for being away for a few weeks; it frankly took a while for me to try and be light-hearted again when it came to soccer. And the funny thing is, Mooch wouldn't be happy about that all.

All he'd want me to do is go home, crack a nice bottle of wine, sit down and put my arms around my wife and son, flip on a game ... and take a moment.

Now that's what Mooch is all about. How great is that?

During the season, The Clean Sheet runs each week on MLSnet. Views and opinions expressed in this column views and opinions are the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com. Send any questions and comments to tcsresponses@yahoo.com