Is Freddy Adu Any Good?

As he heads off to Manchester plc this weekend for two weeks of training, I offer this appraisal of his first three years as a professional at DC United.

Soccer In The US Is Here To Stay

Today saw my debut on The Guardian website blog with this overview of the state of professional soccer in the US. Last time I looked there were 83 comments in response, which is 80 more in the course of a few hours than this blog has attracted in the past three years, and about 70 more than respond to my MatchNight columns on a good day (except the time I called Leeds United 'Dirty Leeds' and half of West Yorkshire took its time to send me some charming e-mails).

Not that I expect anyone to read this blog, because there's not much in it but links to my columns, and I mainly use it for myself as a reference point to find articles I wrote a year or two back. I'm unsure the world wants to read about what I had for breakfast (though if it is, for the record today I had Special K with bananas, black grapes, strawberries and plain yoghurt, washed down with freshly brewed coffee. You still with me?). And I rarely read anyone else's, because I'm not interested in what they had for breakfast either.

Still, it's all a bit terrifying, and simultaneously invigorating, to be catapulted into the medium of a national daily newspaper that people actually read. Later today I might even pluck up the courage to read the 83 comments.