Ajax makes title challenge ahead of United clash

UNITED TO FACE POTENTIAL CHAMPIONS

As league championships across Europe roll to a close over the next few weeks, the Dutch First Division - or Eredivisie - will be the first major competition to crown a champion. This weekend Holland's most successful club, AFC Ajax, will play host to reigning Dutch champion FC Twente at Amsterdam Arena in a winner-take-all season finale. If Ajax claims the contest, it will mark the legendary side's 30th Eredivisie title. The match will be played on Sunday, May 15, at 8:30 a.m. ET, and fans can watch live via ESPN3.com.�

Currently Ajax sits on 70 points in the Dutch table, a solitary point behind first place Twente. Both clubs are coming off crucial victories from the previous weekend, with Ajax coming from behind against Heerenveen to earn a 2-1 win, and Twente thrashing Willem II 4-0 at home. D.C. United will face Ajax on Sunday, May 22 in an international friendly at RFK Stadium (5:00 p.m. ET). The meeting will mark the first encounter between these two historic sides.

WHAT TO WATCH

Ajax is known for producing some of the top players in world football, and this year's team is no exception. The Dutch giants are littered with young talent, including 19-year-old Danish playmaker Christian Eriksen, 23-year-old defender Gregory Van Der Wiel, and rising star Jan Vertonghen. Dutch forward Monuir El Hamdaoui leads Ajax this term with 13 goals in 26 League games.�

United fans will also recognize American defender Oguchi Onyewu in this contest, as the U.S. National Team defender has started seven matches for The Reds since coming on loan from AC Milan.�

UNRIVALED EXCELLENCE

Ajax's history of youth development is unrivaled, with top players such as Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart, Edwin van der Saar, Patrick Kluivert, and Clarence Seedorf all coming from the club's academy. Current goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg is a member of Holland's National Team.

Stekelenburg has recently been linked with a summer move to the English Premier League, following in the footsteps of former Ajax winger Luis Suarez, who has been a sensation at Liverpool since joining the Merseyside outfit in January. Eriksen has also been linked to a move across the North Sea to Anfield.�

Since the time of Ajax maestro Johan Cruyff, the Amsterdam club has been known for revolutionary attacking football, and this brand of soccer will be on display in Sunday's contest against the fast and direct style of FC Twente. Ajax's Total Football approach has resulted in the capture of four European Cups/UEFA Champions League trophies.�

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Nick Diaz Beats Paul Daley in Wild Strikeforce Brawl

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

In one of the best one-round fights in the history of mixed martial arts, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley pummeled each other for just under five minutes of back-and-forth action, with Diaz surviving multiple hard shots from Daley and eventually rocked Daley himself and finished Daley off by technical knockout with only three seconds remaining in the first round.

It was a great main event, and Diaz retained his Strikeforce welterweight title with his 10th consecutive victory.

The fight was an absolute thriller, and one that showed once again just how tough Diaz is: Daley is an incredibly powerful puncher, but Diaz took the best Daley had and answered every time.

---

---

Diaz taunted Daley in the early going, sticking his chin out, holding his hands down and practically begging Daley to hit him. Daley obliged, knocked Diaz down and appeared to have Diaz in trouble for a moment in the first minute of the first round, although Diaz recovered nicely.

And once Diaz had recovered, it was his turn to go to town: He battered Daley against the fence, landed some hard shots to the body, and ended up on the ground with Daley inside his guard. That was exactly where Diaz wanted the fight to be, but Daley managed to pull free and get back to his feet, and in the next exchange on the feet it was Daley who landed a hard punch that knocked Diaz down.

But once Diaz recovered, with the California crowd was chanting Diaz's name, and they continued to trade hard punches. Eventually Diaz landed one that sent Daley tumbling to the ground, and Diaz punched and landed a couple more hard punches before referee Big John McCarthy stopped the fight. The stoppage was questionable, although Daley didn't appear to object.

With the win, Diaz improved to 25-7 in his professional MMA career. Daley falls to 27-10-2.

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Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Fight Night Photos

Nick Diaz punches Paul Daley en route to a TKO victory at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Esther Lin, Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Esther Lin, Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Nick Diaz punches Paul Daley en route to a TKO victory at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz takes a knee from the stomach against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Paul Daley tries to defend against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz pounds out Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz raises his arms in victory against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez punches Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez elbows Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez retains his Strikeforce lightweight title against Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gegard Mousasi punches Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gegard Mousasi lands a kick to the body of Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

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Skateboarder's "Straight to the Internet" with Ryan Sheckler

See who's on the list, more importantly see who's not on the list

The Maloof Money Cup released the first set of 24 skaters invited to compete at the New York and DC stops with some skateboarding legends headlining, but also some very notable names left off the list. ??Since Rob Dyrdek announced last month they were having skaters sign an exclusive compete contract to only skate in Street League and X Games, the questioned remained which skaters were going to choose which contest.

The first invite list from MMC includes legends like Geoff..

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Sports News and Opinion on The Huffington Post

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

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Brazil's Barboza vs. England's Pearson Set for UFC: Rio

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

The UFC's August 27 fight card in Rio de Janeiro is continuing to fill up with fights featuring a Brazilian fighting on his home turf against an opponent from another country.

The latest fight announced for the card features undefeated Rio native Edson Barboza taking on Sunderland, England's Ultimate Fighter winner, Ross Pearson. The fight was reported by Pearson's hometown paper in Sunderland and was confirmed on the UFC's official UK Twitter account.

Pearson has gone 3-1 inside the Octagon since winning The Ultimate Fighter, and those wins include one-sided unanimous decisions over a couple of very good opponents in Dennis Siver and Spencer Fisher. At age 26 and with his background on the UFC's reality show, Pearson is one of the prospects the UFC really wants to push.

But the 25-year-old Barboza may be an even better prospect: He's a perfect 8-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a Fight of the Night-winning performance against Anthony Njokuani last month. Barboza is one of the best lightweight strikers in the UFC and will be a tough match-up for Pearson.

So far, every fight slated for UFC: Rio features a Brazilian taking on a foreigner. In addition to Pearson-Barboza, the card looks like this:

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami
Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin
Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher
Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov

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Paul Shier Keen on Remind Insoles

A great way to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd

Words & Photos: Jaime Owens

What a great weekend to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd. It all started Saturday morning in Lake Forest at the Etnies skatepark where Etnies was hosting an Autism Speaks/ A.Skate Foundation clinic which allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding. With the help of many dedicated volunteers including many Etnies team riders and Sole Technology employees, the clinic went off without a hitch and..

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Recap: Pontius penalty saves DC a point versus Rapids

WASHINGTON ? A second-half penalty kick from D.C. United?s Chris Pontius canceled out Drew Moor?s first-half goal, as United battled back for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.

The result means the Rapids finish a three-game road swing with a win and two draws. United, meanwhile, also stretched a recent unbeaten run to three games.

� Vote for the Lenkersdorfer Fine Jewelers Man of the Match

The Rapids entered the match missing several injured forwards, including Omar Cummings and Caleb Folan.� The return to fitness of Conor Casey, though, gave them optimism. The big striker started on the bench after missing several matches, and came on late in the second half.

PHOTO GALLERY

Saturday, May 14, 2011 - RFK Stadium

The regular D.C. frontline of Josh Wolff and Charlie Davies looked active early. The former nearly sent the latter in on goal in the 10th minute. But Davies? touch let him down, as the Colorado defense bent without breaking.

Their sternness set the scene for the opening goal from Moor in the 23rd minute. Jamie Smith?s in swinging delivery from the left side wasn?t cleared by D.C.?s defense, and Moor pounced on the loose ball, sliding a shot past United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

As D.C. struggled to get back into the game, coach Ben Olsen was forced to sub out his starting forward line before the half was out. Davies and Wolff both picked up injuries, and Santino Quaranta and Joseph Ngwenya came on in their place.

Ngwenya?s speed proved to be mettlesome for the Rapids defense. Early in the second half, he carried the ball into Colorado?s box and as he lined up his shot, he was dragged down by Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. Referee Terry Vaughn, however, waved play on.

D.C. continued the pressure, and their efforts were rewarded in the 62nd minute.

Working on the far left side of the Colorado area, Pontius collided with Rapids defender Kosuke Kimura. Both players went down, and this time Vaughn pointed to the spot.

With normal United penalty taker Davies off the field, Pontius stepped up and beat Pickens to level the score at 1-1.

A gritty and physical encounter unraveled over the game?s final 30 minutes, and both sides had chances to win it.

In the 87th minute, Rapids? substitute Sanna Nyassi?s cross was tipped by D.C. defender Dejan Jakovic, but it fell right to Wells Thompson, who blasted his shot way over at the top of the box.

In stoppage time, United nearly earned all three points but Ngwenya fired wide after Pickens made a good save from a Pontius effort.

D.C. now have a two-week break from league play before facing off with the Portland Timbers on Sunday, May 29. They take on Dutch side Ajax in a friendly next Saturday.

The Rapids return home to play Toronto FC on Sunday, May 22.

LINEUPS

D.C. UNITED: Hamid; Kitchen, White, Jakovic, Woolard; Najar, Simms (Fred 80'), McCarty (c), Pontius; Wolff (Ngwenya 44'), Davies (Quaranta 34')

Unused substitutes: Brettschneider, Burch, Korb, Cronin

Colorado Rapids: Pickens; Kimura, Marshall, Wynne; Moor, Thompson (LaBauex 94'), Larentowicz, Mastroeni; Smith, Akpan (Nyassi 75'), Amarikwa (Casey 67')

Unused substitutes: Ceus, Earls, Palguta, Nane

BOXSCORE

SCORING SUMMARY:
Colorado Rapids - Drew Moor 23'
D.C. United - Chris Pontius 62' (PK) | VIDEO

SHOTS:
D.C. United - 11
Colorado Rapids - 7

SHOTS ON GOAL:
D.C. United - 4
Colorado Rapids - 2

SAVES:
D.C. United - 1
Colorado Rapids - 3

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
Drew Moor - caution 45'
Matt Pickens 92'

FOULS:
D.C. United - 15
Colorado Rapids - 7

Referee: Terry Vaughn
Assistants: Steven Taylor, Jason Cullum
4th official: Daniel Fitzgerald

Attendance: 12,499

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Georges St. Pierre Works on Striking, Gymnastics to Prepare for Jake Shields

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

With just a week and a half to go before UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre puts his title on the line against Jake Shields at UFC 129, the Official GSP YouTube channel is offering up some inside looks at St. Pierre's preparation.

Some of the videos, like the one above of St. Pierre working on his striking, are about what you'd expect from any MMA fighter. But a few of the videos show how unique GSP is when it comes to his strength and conditioning work.

St. Pierre is a longtime admirer of gymnastics, frequently saying that he thinks young athletes should learn gymnastics before any other sport, and he has extolled the virtues of using gymnastics, rather than traditional weightlifting, as a means of building functional strength. But until I saw these videos, I didn't realize the extent to which St. Pierre is an accomplished gymnast himself.

In the video above, St. Pierre does some parallel bar techniques while just a couple inches off the ground, which requires a tremendous amount of strength, endurance and balance.

In the video below, GSP gets on the rings and demonstrates a technique known as a muscle-up. This is an explosive movement that combines a pull-up and a dip, and it's incredibly difficult, even for a professional athlete. Take a look at St. Pierre in the gym, and you're looking at one of the most finely tuned athletes in the world, in any sport.

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Ramsey Nijem on Winning His Fight, Painting His Toenails

Ramsey Nijem stepped into the cage and won his fight against Charlie Rader on this week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter, using his solid wrestling base to control Rader, take him down and finish him with a rear-naked choke.

But this week's episode of the UFC's reality show focused almost as much on Nijem's personality outside the cage, where his habits -- including painting his toenails and watching Glee -- make him something very different from the stereotypical cage fighter.

In his weekly interview with MMAFighting.com, Nijem talked about his victory over Rader, shed a little more light on his personality outside the cage, and shared his thoughts on advancing to the next round of this season's Ultimate Fighter tournament.

Michael David Smith: How did you feel about the matchup when Junior told you he was picking you to fight Charlie Rader?
Ramsey Nijem: I was really confident. Junior was really confident and everyone on my team was. I was excited to go out and put on a show. I really thought I could finish the fight and I was happy be the first one on this season to finish a fight.

You were pressing him against the cage in the early going and then looking for a takedown. Was that your game plan?
Yeah, [assistant coach Lew Polley] really wanted us to wrestle. It was kind of boring at the beginning to put him on the fence and keep him there. I'm usually a more fun fighter to watch than that. But as soon as we hit the ground my plan was to get his back and choke him out, like what happened. I wasn't worried about him because I knew I could take him down.

Once you took Charlie's back on the ground you got the rear-naked choke in quickly. Is that a signature move of yours?
I think it would be any wrestler's signature move. it's not a hard move to pull off, especially since I'm good at back control. I'm good at grinding guys and eventually the choke will come -- it was easy.

You didn't seem to have much trouble with Charlie, but you looked like you were breathing hard afterward. Was cardio an issue, or was bronchitis still affecting you?
I was still a little sick. I was congested and not really feeling good, so I think that's what it was. I also think sometimes people don't realize how exhausting it is to jostle for position against the fence like that -- it might look boring but it's really tiring to wrestle for control on the cage.

Both Dana White and Brock Lesnar said they were disappointed in Charlie and thought he quit. Did you feel that way?
Once I had the choke in he quit and tapped out right away. I don't know what else he could have done, but I guess Dana would have liked him to fight a little more. But it was just a matter of time before I won the fight.

After the fight Lesnar said he saw the look in your eyes like you knew you were going to win, and he looked in Charlie's eyes and didn't see that confidence. Did you notice that?
Yeah, Charlie did look a little flat and tired, like he didn't want to be there. He was talking beforehand about how he really wanted the fight but sometimes people say that when they don't really want the fight.

We also learned more about you in the house. Guys were making fun of you for painting your toenails and watching Glee. What was that about?
I'm a quirky, weird dude. I've accepted that. I started painting my toenails as a tribute to John Hackleman, one of my coaches, because he does that. And I love the show Glee. It's an entertaining show. A lot of guys in our profession feel that they need to be hard asses all the time, but I like singing and dancing and having fun and being happy. That's the kind of show I like.

There was actually a segment on The Daily Show just last week in which Jon Stewart mentioned that Chuck Liddell paints his toenails. You're in good company.
That's Hackleman -- he got Liddell to paint his toenails. At first I didn't want to do it but Hackleman got me to do it too. But now that I've given it a try, I like getting pedicures. Me and my girlfriend will do it together, go out and get a pedicure and see a movie.

At the end of this episode, you had advanced to the next round of the tournament. Were you starting to think about who you might fight next?
Mostly I was just trying to get more comfortable, more acclimated to living in the house and more acclimated to the way we do things in the gym -- being on the show is a lot different than being at home and having a normal training camp before a fight. I felt like I performed well, but I wasn't really myself yet, and I was just looking forward to doing better, whoever I would fight in the next round.

(Editor's note: Ramsey Nijem will join us each week during Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter to share his thoughts on that week's episode. Follow Ramsey on Twitter @RamseyNijem.)

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Nick Diaz Beats Paul Daley in Wild Strikeforce Brawl

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

In one of the best one-round fights in the history of mixed martial arts, Nick Diaz and Paul Daley pummeled each other for just under five minutes of back-and-forth action, with Diaz surviving multiple hard shots from Daley and eventually rocked Daley himself and finished Daley off by technical knockout with only three seconds remaining in the first round.

It was a great main event, and Diaz retained his Strikeforce welterweight title with his 10th consecutive victory.

The fight was an absolute thriller, and one that showed once again just how tough Diaz is: Daley is an incredibly powerful puncher, but Diaz took the best Daley had and answered every time.

---

---

Diaz taunted Daley in the early going, sticking his chin out, holding his hands down and practically begging Daley to hit him. Daley obliged, knocked Diaz down and appeared to have Diaz in trouble for a moment in the first minute of the first round, although Diaz recovered nicely.

And once Diaz had recovered, it was his turn to go to town: He battered Daley against the fence, landed some hard shots to the body, and ended up on the ground with Daley inside his guard. That was exactly where Diaz wanted the fight to be, but Daley managed to pull free and get back to his feet, and in the next exchange on the feet it was Daley who landed a hard punch that knocked Diaz down.

But once Diaz recovered, with the California crowd was chanting Diaz's name, and they continued to trade hard punches. Eventually Diaz landed one that sent Daley tumbling to the ground, and Diaz punched and landed a couple more hard punches before referee Big John McCarthy stopped the fight. The stoppage was questionable, although Daley didn't appear to object.

With the win, Diaz improved to 25-7 in his professional MMA career. Daley falls to 27-10-2.

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Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Fight Night Photos

Nick Diaz punches Paul Daley en route to a TKO victory at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Esther Lin, Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Esther Lin, Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Nick Diaz punches Paul Daley en route to a TKO victory at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz takes a knee from the stomach against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Paul Daley tries to defend against Nick Diaz at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz pounds out Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Nick Diaz raises his arms in victory against Paul Daley at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez punches Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez elbows Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gilbert Melendez retains his Strikeforce lightweight title against Tatsuya Kawajiri at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gegard Mousasi punches Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

Gegard Mousasi lands a kick to the body of Keith Jardine at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz vs. Daley Photos

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Harley-Davidson Blackline Test Ride Video

Our friends over at Harley-Davidson invited us to test ride their new Blackline motorcycle this past January and we brought along Ben Gilley, Slash and Jamie Thomas to get their thoughts on this new bike before it was made available to the public. Check this behind the scenes video from our Rolling Thunder article in the latest issue. Photos are below it.

Skateboarder Magazine Harley-Davidson Test Ride from Skateboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

Photos: Jaime Owens

The new 2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline.

2011 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight.

2011 Harley-Davidson XL 1200 Nightster

Slash shows up.

JT and Gilley arrive.

Skate bikes.

Check out more photos at Skateboarder Mag

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Twins

A great way to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd

Words & Photos: Jaime Owens

What a great weekend to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd. It all started Saturday morning in Lake Forest at the Etnies skatepark where Etnies was hosting an Autism Speaks/ A.Skate Foundation clinic which allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding. With the help of many dedicated volunteers including many Etnies team riders and Sole Technology employees, the clinic went off without a hitch and..

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Recap: Pontius penalty saves DC a point versus Rapids

WASHINGTON ? A second-half penalty kick from D.C. United?s Chris Pontius canceled out Drew Moor?s first-half goal, as United battled back for a 1-1 draw with the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night.

The result means the Rapids finish a three-game road swing with a win and two draws. United, meanwhile, also stretched a recent unbeaten run to three games.

� Vote for the Lenkersdorfer Fine Jewelers Man of the Match

The Rapids entered the match missing several injured forwards, including Omar Cummings and Caleb Folan.� The return to fitness of Conor Casey, though, gave them optimism. The big striker started on the bench after missing several matches, and came on late in the second half.

PHOTO GALLERY

Saturday, May 14, 2011 - RFK Stadium

The regular D.C. frontline of Josh Wolff and Charlie Davies looked active early. The former nearly sent the latter in on goal in the 10th minute. But Davies? touch let him down, as the Colorado defense bent without breaking.

Their sternness set the scene for the opening goal from Moor in the 23rd minute. Jamie Smith?s in swinging delivery from the left side wasn?t cleared by D.C.?s defense, and Moor pounced on the loose ball, sliding a shot past United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

As D.C. struggled to get back into the game, coach Ben Olsen was forced to sub out his starting forward line before the half was out. Davies and Wolff both picked up injuries, and Santino Quaranta and Joseph Ngwenya came on in their place.

Ngwenya?s speed proved to be mettlesome for the Rapids defense. Early in the second half, he carried the ball into Colorado?s box and as he lined up his shot, he was dragged down by Rapids midfielder Jeff Larentowicz. Referee Terry Vaughn, however, waved play on.

D.C. continued the pressure, and their efforts were rewarded in the 62nd minute.

Working on the far left side of the Colorado area, Pontius collided with Rapids defender Kosuke Kimura. Both players went down, and this time Vaughn pointed to the spot.

With normal United penalty taker Davies off the field, Pontius stepped up and beat Pickens to level the score at 1-1.

A gritty and physical encounter unraveled over the game?s final 30 minutes, and both sides had chances to win it.

In the 87th minute, Rapids? substitute Sanna Nyassi?s cross was tipped by D.C. defender Dejan Jakovic, but it fell right to Wells Thompson, who blasted his shot way over at the top of the box.

In stoppage time, United nearly earned all three points but Ngwenya fired wide after Pickens made a good save from a Pontius effort.

D.C. now have a two-week break from league play before facing off with the Portland Timbers on Sunday, May 29. They take on Dutch side Ajax in a friendly next Saturday.

The Rapids return home to play Toronto FC on Sunday, May 22.

LINEUPS

D.C. UNITED: Hamid; Kitchen, White, Jakovic, Woolard; Najar, Simms (Fred 80'), McCarty (c), Pontius; Wolff (Ngwenya 44'), Davies (Quaranta 34')

Unused substitutes: Brettschneider, Burch, Korb, Cronin

Colorado Rapids: Pickens; Kimura, Marshall, Wynne; Moor, Thompson (LaBauex 94'), Larentowicz, Mastroeni; Smith, Akpan (Nyassi 75'), Amarikwa (Casey 67')

Unused substitutes: Ceus, Earls, Palguta, Nane

BOXSCORE

SCORING SUMMARY:
Colorado Rapids - Drew Moor 23'
D.C. United - Chris Pontius 62' (PK) | VIDEO

SHOTS:
D.C. United - 11
Colorado Rapids - 7

SHOTS ON GOAL:
D.C. United - 4
Colorado Rapids - 2

SAVES:
D.C. United - 1
Colorado Rapids - 3

MISCONDUCT SUMMARY:
Drew Moor - caution 45'
Matt Pickens 92'

FOULS:
D.C. United - 15
Colorado Rapids - 7

Referee: Terry Vaughn
Assistants: Steven Taylor, Jason Cullum
4th official: Daniel Fitzgerald

Attendance: 12,499

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Training notes: United ready for Colorado

MLS CUP CHAMPIONS COME TO RFK

D.C. United (3-4-2, 11 points) hopes to remain unbeaten in its three-game MLS May home stand as 2010 MLS Cup champion Colorado Rapids (4-3-2, 14 points) come into RFK Stadium following a scoreless draw against the New England Revolution on May 7. United remained unbeaten in two outings last week, after battling FC Dallas to a scoreless draw on Saturday, May 7.

The tie came only four days after defeating Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 on Wednesday, May 4 behind goals from Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff. A victory on Saturday night could see United climb as high as second place in Major League Soccer?s Eastern Conference, as Colorado looks to vault into first place in the Western Conference table with a win.

LAST TIME OUT

Colorado defeated D.C. United 4-1 at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park earlier this season on Sunday, April 3 in League action. The Rapids were the beneficiaries of two goals from newly-signed Caleb Folan. After Folan?s first goal in the 39th minute, United squared the game in the 70th minute on a volley by Santino Quaranta, but Colorado?s Jamie Smith answered immediately with a header that beat goalkeeper Pat Onstad.

Folan then scored his second goal in the 81st minute, followed by an Omar Cummings strike in the 92nd minute to preserve the home victory. Niether Folan or Cummings will play tomorrow, as both are out through injury, leaving Conor Casey as a likely frontline threat for the Rapids.�

LINEUP CHANGES

D.C. United?s current starting lineup looks far different from the lineup that played in the loss to Colorado on April 3. Most notably, United was without the services of current MLS goal leader, Charlie Davies, who missed the first match due to a groin injury, as well as goalkeeper Bill Hamid.

The Black-and-Red?s backline has also changed, as the club has enjoyed strong performances of late from rookie defenders Perry Kitchen and Ethan White, along with veterans Dejan Jakovic and Daniel Woolard. Three of those four did not play in the last Colorado match, as Kitchen was on duty with the U-20 U.S. National Team, Jakovic was suspended, and White was still being implemented into the lineup.

ALL-TIME RESULTS

United is 16-13-6 all-time against Colorado in MLS regular season play, with a significant 10-3-4 advantage at RFK Stadium in those contests. In the all-time series, the Black-and-Red have scored 35 times, while only allowing 15 goals in Washington, D.C.

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Straight to the Internet: Anthony Schultz & Ernie Torres

The second edition of Skateboarder Mag's new feature "straight to the internet."

Straight to the Internet: Anthony Schultz & Ernie Torres from Skateboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

Thanks to Anthony Schultz and Ernie Torres for spending the afternoon clocking some footage for us and extra special thanks to Nilton Nieves for letting us show up unannounced and skate his sick ramp. And don't worry, we bought Nilton a new window.

A few photos from the session: Jamie Owens

Anthony Schultz, frontside ollie

Ernie Torres, backside noseblunt

Skateboarder's Marketing Director, Jamey Stone, crail-block

More photos at Skateboarder Mag

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Ramsey Nijem on Winning His Fight, Painting His Toenails

Ramsey Nijem stepped into the cage and won his fight against Charlie Rader on this week's episode of The Ultimate Fighter, using his solid wrestling base to control Rader, take him down and finish him with a rear-naked choke.

But this week's episode of the UFC's reality show focused almost as much on Nijem's personality outside the cage, where his habits -- including painting his toenails and watching Glee -- make him something very different from the stereotypical cage fighter.

In his weekly interview with MMAFighting.com, Nijem talked about his victory over Rader, shed a little more light on his personality outside the cage, and shared his thoughts on advancing to the next round of this season's Ultimate Fighter tournament.

Michael David Smith: How did you feel about the matchup when Junior told you he was picking you to fight Charlie Rader?
Ramsey Nijem: I was really confident. Junior was really confident and everyone on my team was. I was excited to go out and put on a show. I really thought I could finish the fight and I was happy be the first one on this season to finish a fight.

You were pressing him against the cage in the early going and then looking for a takedown. Was that your game plan?
Yeah, [assistant coach Lew Polley] really wanted us to wrestle. It was kind of boring at the beginning to put him on the fence and keep him there. I'm usually a more fun fighter to watch than that. But as soon as we hit the ground my plan was to get his back and choke him out, like what happened. I wasn't worried about him because I knew I could take him down.

Once you took Charlie's back on the ground you got the rear-naked choke in quickly. Is that a signature move of yours?
I think it would be any wrestler's signature move. it's not a hard move to pull off, especially since I'm good at back control. I'm good at grinding guys and eventually the choke will come -- it was easy.

You didn't seem to have much trouble with Charlie, but you looked like you were breathing hard afterward. Was cardio an issue, or was bronchitis still affecting you?
I was still a little sick. I was congested and not really feeling good, so I think that's what it was. I also think sometimes people don't realize how exhausting it is to jostle for position against the fence like that -- it might look boring but it's really tiring to wrestle for control on the cage.

Both Dana White and Brock Lesnar said they were disappointed in Charlie and thought he quit. Did you feel that way?
Once I had the choke in he quit and tapped out right away. I don't know what else he could have done, but I guess Dana would have liked him to fight a little more. But it was just a matter of time before I won the fight.

After the fight Lesnar said he saw the look in your eyes like you knew you were going to win, and he looked in Charlie's eyes and didn't see that confidence. Did you notice that?
Yeah, Charlie did look a little flat and tired, like he didn't want to be there. He was talking beforehand about how he really wanted the fight but sometimes people say that when they don't really want the fight.

We also learned more about you in the house. Guys were making fun of you for painting your toenails and watching Glee. What was that about?
I'm a quirky, weird dude. I've accepted that. I started painting my toenails as a tribute to John Hackleman, one of my coaches, because he does that. And I love the show Glee. It's an entertaining show. A lot of guys in our profession feel that they need to be hard asses all the time, but I like singing and dancing and having fun and being happy. That's the kind of show I like.

There was actually a segment on The Daily Show just last week in which Jon Stewart mentioned that Chuck Liddell paints his toenails. You're in good company.
That's Hackleman -- he got Liddell to paint his toenails. At first I didn't want to do it but Hackleman got me to do it too. But now that I've given it a try, I like getting pedicures. Me and my girlfriend will do it together, go out and get a pedicure and see a movie.

At the end of this episode, you had advanced to the next round of the tournament. Were you starting to think about who you might fight next?
Mostly I was just trying to get more comfortable, more acclimated to living in the house and more acclimated to the way we do things in the gym -- being on the show is a lot different than being at home and having a normal training camp before a fight. I felt like I performed well, but I wasn't really myself yet, and I was just looking forward to doing better, whoever I would fight in the next round.

(Editor's note: Ramsey Nijem will join us each week during Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter to share his thoughts on that week's episode. Follow Ramsey on Twitter @RamseyNijem.)

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Food trucks for May 14 match vs Colorado Rapids

Supporters are encouraged to follow each of the five food trucks on Twitter. Ticket plans and game packages, as well as individual game tickets, are available for purchase at dcunited.com/tickets

Tailgate drink prices: 16oz PBR $3, 24oz Corona $5, 24oz Modello $5, Bottle Water $2

BBQ Bandidos

twitter.com/bbqbandidos

Menu:

American BBQ sandwiches - all served on Kaiser roll with country slaw on the side

• Carolina pulled pork - vinegar based Carolina ?Q'
• Memphis brisket - dry rubbed and long smoked
• Texas grilled chicken - sweet & tangy red sauce

Mexican cemitas - all served on Kaiser roll with avocado, lettuce, queso fresco & pico del gallo

• Carne asada - grilled marinated steak with cilantro & lime
• Carnitas enchilada - slow roasted spiced pork with enchilada sauce
• Pollo con salsa verde - fire grilled chicken breast with salsa verde

DC Slices

twitter.com/dcslices

Menu: available both by the slice and as a pie

• Cheese
• Pepperoni
• Veggie
• Sausage & onion
• Buffalo Chicken
• Bacon & Cheddar
• Also available: Tasty tater tots, Mozzarella sticks

Doug the Food Dude

http://twitter.com/Dougthefooddude

Menu:

• Traditional Main Lobster Roll (except in a Wrap) with Lettuce, Cucumber and Red Onion
• Cajun Shrimp Wrap with Lettuce, Cucumber and Red Onion
• Parmesan Crusted Salmon Fillet over the Dude's Cabana Rice
• Garden Wrap with Mozzarella, Tomato, Leaf Spinach, Black olives in the Dude's special sauce
• Caribbean Pork - Slow roasted pork over Cabana Rice drizzled with the Dude's Mango sauce
• Chaisson's Salmon Wrap - Parmesan Crusted Salmon Fillet Lettuce, Cucumber, Onion and Chipotle sauce
• Chipotle Chicken wrap - Sliced Chicken Breast with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion and the Dude's Chipotle sauce
• Italian Sausage Albanese - Italian Sausage grilled onions, red & green pepper in a red sauce over the Dude's Cabana Rice
• Veggie wrap - Cucumber - Lettuce - Onion - Tomato Black Olives - Cheese and the Dude's Chipotle sauce
• Courtney's Pork Wrap - Slow roasted pork - Cucumbers Lettuce - Onion and the Dude's Chipotle sauce

Food trucks interested in partnering with D.C. United should contact Kyle Sheldon directly at ksheldon@dcunited.com.

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Analog at Ashbridges Skatepark

A great way to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd

Words & Photos: Jaime Owens

What a great weekend to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd. It all started Saturday morning in Lake Forest at the Etnies skatepark where Etnies was hosting an Autism Speaks/ A.Skate Foundation clinic which allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding. With the help of many dedicated volunteers including many Etnies team riders and Sole Technology employees, the clinic went off without a hitch and..

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Analog at Ashbridges Skatepark

A great way to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd

Words & Photos: Jaime Owens

What a great weekend to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd. It all started Saturday morning in Lake Forest at the Etnies skatepark where Etnies was hosting an Autism Speaks/ A.Skate Foundation clinic which allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding. With the help of many dedicated volunteers including many Etnies team riders and Sole Technology employees, the clinic went off without a hitch and..

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Brazil's Barboza vs. England's Pearson Set for UFC: Rio

• Michael David Smith
• Lead Blogger

The UFC's August 27 fight card in Rio de Janeiro is continuing to fill up with fights featuring a Brazilian fighting on his home turf against an opponent from another country.

The latest fight announced for the card features undefeated Rio native Edson Barboza taking on Sunderland, England's Ultimate Fighter winner, Ross Pearson. The fight was reported by Pearson's hometown paper in Sunderland and was confirmed on the UFC's official UK Twitter account.

Pearson has gone 3-1 inside the Octagon since winning The Ultimate Fighter, and those wins include one-sided unanimous decisions over a couple of very good opponents in Dennis Siver and Spencer Fisher. At age 26 and with his background on the UFC's reality show, Pearson is one of the prospects the UFC really wants to push.

But the 25-year-old Barboza may be an even better prospect: He's a perfect 8-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a Fight of the Night-winning performance against Anthony Njokuani last month. Barboza is one of the best lightweight strikers in the UFC and will be a tough match-up for Pearson.

So far, every fight slated for UFC: Rio features a Brazilian taking on a foreigner. In addition to Pearson-Barboza, the card looks like this:

Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami
Shogun Rua vs. Forrest Griffin
Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher
Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov

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Analog at Ashbridges Skatepark

A great way to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd

Words & Photos: Jaime Owens

What a great weekend to celebrate World Autism Awareness day on April 2nd. It all started Saturday morning in Lake Forest at the Etnies skatepark where Etnies was hosting an Autism Speaks/ A.Skate Foundation clinic which allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding. With the help of many dedicated volunteers including many Etnies team riders and Sole Technology employees, the clinic went off without a hitch and..

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Straight to the Internet: Anthony Schultz & Ernie Torres

The second edition of Skateboarder Mag's new feature "straight to the internet."

Straight to the Internet: Anthony Schultz & Ernie Torres from Skateboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

Thanks to Anthony Schultz and Ernie Torres for spending the afternoon clocking some footage for us and extra special thanks to Nilton Nieves for letting us show up unannounced and skate his sick ramp. And don't worry, we bought Nilton a new window.

A few photos from the session: Jamie Owens

Anthony Schultz, frontside ollie

Ernie Torres, backside noseblunt

Skateboarder's Marketing Director, Jamey Stone, crail-block

More photos at Skateboarder Mag

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NASCAR - Sporting News

College football recruiting 2012

2011 NBA draft

Western Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

Offseason reset: Position-by-position

Skeptics Vs Believers

NFL labor dispute

2011 NFL Draft

Eastern Conference semifinals

Western Conference semifinals

NBA labor talks

2011 NBA draft

Stanley Cup conference finals breakdown: NHL's final four

Eastern Conference finals preview: Boston Bruins vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Reports have Rangers at Flyers for NHL's next Winter Classic

Bettman snipes at reports of Thrashers migrating to Manitoba

College football recruiting 2012

Ohio State NCAA violations

Spring football 2011

2011 NFL Draft

College basketball recruiting 2012

Jimmer Fredette

March Madness 2011

College basketball polls

FedEx 400

Kyle Busch's Nationwide wins

Danica Patrick

Goody's Fast Relief 500

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Skateboarder Magazine's intern Justin Nguyen Has Got Rhymes

See who's on the list, more importantly see who's not on the list

The Maloof Money Cup released the first set of 24 skaters invited to compete at the New York and DC stops with some skateboarding legends headlining, but also some very notable names left off the list. ??Since Rob Dyrdek announced last month they were having skaters sign an exclusive compete contract to only skate in Street League and X Games, the questioned remained which skaters were going to choose which contest.

The first invite list from MMC includes legends like Geoff..

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Harley-Davidson Blackline Test Ride Video

Our friends over at Harley-Davidson invited us to test ride their new Blackline motorcycle this past January and we brought along Ben Gilley, Slash and Jamie Thomas to get their thoughts on this new bike before it was made available to the public. Check this behind the scenes video from our Rolling Thunder article in the latest issue. Photos are below it.

Skateboarder Magazine Harley-Davidson Test Ride from Skateboarder Magazine on Vimeo.

Photos: Jaime Owens

The new 2011 Harley-Davidson Blackline.

2011 Harley-Davidson Sportster Forty-Eight.

2011 Harley-Davidson XL 1200 Nightster

Slash shows up.

JT and Gilley arrive.

Skate bikes.

Check out more photos at Skateboarder Mag

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