Here in the Nation’s Capital today for the week and a couple of RSL matches with DC United..Tonight’s it’s the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. For the first time in meetings between these two team, RSL is the clear cut favorite both tonight and in the regular season match on Saturday night. Because of injury and national team call up’s look for many of RSL’s starters to be in the starting lineup tonight.  The only place you can catch tonight’s match is on KALL 700 Sports, with pre game coverage at 4:30 and kick from “legendary”RFK Stadium at 5:30.

Often times I joke about the “Legendary” status of some the buildings where I call games, but not tonight. While RFK is turning into a dump now…In it’s day it was one of the best venues in American Sports….

A bit of breaking news this morning. Real Salt Lake Forward Robbie Findley has been invited to USA Soccer’s Pre World Cup Training Camp. Findley is one of 30 players to get the call from Head Coach Bob Bradley. 23 players will make the World Cup Squad that travels to South Africa next month. Findley has 4 CAPS with the USMNT and hopes to add two more with exhibition matches against the Czech Republic and Turkey coming this month. Findley will leave for US Camp on Sunday. He will miss the Chivas match on May 22nd and the KC match on May 29th.

The Major League Soccer Season is slated to start in a little over a week, but after a conversation we had on the Radio Show this afternoon with Real Salt Lake Owner Dave Checketts, I’m not so sure the season will open or the league will ever open it’s doors again. If you’d like to hear the audio of the interview go to the “audio vault” at kall700sports.com

Checketts called the situation dire and quoted one fellow owner, Joe Roth, as saying if there is players strike, that it could spell the end of Major League Soccer. When I asked him at the end of the interview what kind of odds he would place on the League opening play next week, he said “less than 50%”…

The reason for Checketts lack of optimism is the brash and outspoken attitude of some of the players. Who said they were willing to strike if the owners didn’t give in to their demands.

My two cents worth on the subject is that I can’t believe that the Players Union would strike when it comes time to fish or cut bait. The players in the league are far from millionaires that you find in most American professional sports, in fact there are few few that can afford to miss paychecks, with the average league salary in the $75K range.  Their money making options in the sport they play are extremely limited.

My guess is that we will see soccer next week, but if we don’t it could be the end of Professional soccer in the States, or at least that’s what Management would have you believe.

Real Salt Lake is in the playoffs, this we know…We now know their opponent and game time for next weekend RSL will host the Columbus Crew next Saturday at 4pm at Rio Tinto Stadium. That game will be aired on 570 AM, due to the University of Utah football game. The return leg to Columbus the following Saturday isn’t yet set. Check back and I will have more details when the become available…