Greetings From L.A.

D.C. United's practice at Home Depot Center was closed -- something we are going to have to get used to, I'm afraid. Seems the ballclub isn't happy with my vivid descriptions of training sessions and the formation and player information being revealed. I can't blame them. I could agree to essentially an off-the-record viewing of practices. I could, but I won't. I'm not going to pretend I don't see things transpiring in front of me. So it's come to this.

Anyway, still no sign of Gonzalo Peralta, who stayed in D.C. with his pregnant wife. He still could show up before gametime, I suppose.

As far as I know, Wells, Carvallo, Namoff, Burch, Martinez, Mediate, Zaher, Simms, Stratford, Dyachenko, Cordeiro, Gallardo, Quaranta, Moreno, Emilio, Niell and Doe are here. Not sure of the 18th player. Kirk, perhaps?

Meantime, Chivas is apparently going to be without six injured defenders on Saturday: Suarez, Talley, Thomas, Bornstein, Zotinca and Vaughn.