Back in 2000, the (New York) MetroStars, the team we have the unfortunate luck to follow in Major League Soccer, wanted to sign a young player named Kyle Beckerman. But MLS being MLS, Beckerman couldn't be simply signed. He had to go through a lottery.

The MetroStars lost the lottery, and Beckerman went to Miami. We didn't think it was a big deal at the time; countless youngsters sign with MLS only to fall flat on their face.

Beckerman didn't play much in his time with Miami, and the team folded. So he went first to Colorado, and then to Salt Lake. Fall flat on his face? Hardly. He is a team captain, multi-time all-star, MLS champion, and US national team player. As for the MetroStars, they are now branded as Red Bull New York, and still looking for that first league title. (Of course, if they did manage to sign Beckerman, they'd probably trade him for a bag of peanuts. Such is their incompetency.)

Oh, and now Beckerman is starring for the US at the World Cup. And, yes, he is Jewish.

We're happy for him... but this one hurts.