For Openers...

Okay, so it's only a friendly (closer to a scrimmage, actually), but United will open its preseason schedule Tuesday afternoon in Bradenton, Fla., against Danish club Odense. DCU will still be missing four national team players -- Boswell, Namoff, Carroll and Gros -- but Perkins is back after not being named to the 20-man USA roster for Wednesday's match against Mexico in Arizona.

Here are a few things you should know about Odense:

-- They're on vacation (sort of). The Danish Superliga is on winter break, so the club came to Florida about a week ago for some warm-weather workouts. Their next league match is not until next month, but as one of 12 teams in the Royal League (comprising the top teams from Denmark, Sweden and Norway), they'll be back in action this weekend.

-- Odense, founded 120 years ago, hasn't won the league title since 1989 and the cup since 2002. This season they're in third place in the league with a 10-3-5 record (W-L-T) and third among four clubs in their Royal League group at 2-1-1.

-- Here's their home stadium

-- Most accomplished player: Gotta be defender Thomas Helveg, 35, who played in a couple World Cups (scored against Nigeria in '98) and for both AC Milan and Inter Milan. Second in Demark in caps with 104, behind legendary keeper Peter Schmeichel's 129. Helveg grew up in Odense and played for the club in his early years before heading off to Italy. Most recently he was a teammate of U.S. keeper Kasey Keller at Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Anyone want to add anything of note?