Here’s one Christmas wish list

It’s that time of year when I dig out the thick gloves and woolen hat and head off to visit the in-laws in the wilds of New England. Before I go, I’ll just hang up my annual list for Santa.

First, I would like to wish all the soccer fans in the area a Merry Christmas and then wish that …

• The U.S. Soccer Federation and the U.S. national team’s players union sort out their labor dispute before the team visits Trinidad and Tobago in a key World Cup qualifier Feb.9. Exhibition games against South Korea and Mexico already have been canceled because of the dispute, and a B-team could be sent for the Trinidad game. Come on, guys, think of the fans.

• Billionaire Phil Anschutz builds a soccer-specific stadium for D.C. United. If it isn’t in the District, why not in Columbia, Md., where we love soccer, concrete and strange street names.

• Baseball and soccer peacefully and respectfully co-exist at RFK Stadium for the next three years.

• United defender Mike Petke finally decides what color his hair should be.

• United defender Brian Namoff gets a giant pay raise in his Christmas stocking for all the good work he did this year.

• Mia Hamm and Nomar Garciaparra write and explain why I wasn’t invited to the wedding.

• Hamm settles down in Chicago and is blessed with lots of little Mia Hamms.

• Former United star Bobby Convey finally breaks through at Reading United, where he has spent a lot of time on the bench lately.

• United coach Peter Nowak allows the media to interview players on RFK Stadium’s auxiliary field after practice.

• United forward Santino Quaranta stays injury-free this season. The Baltimore lad played all of 23 minutes in regular play in 2004.

• U.S. women’s star Kristine Lilly, the most capped player in the world, never retires.

• U.S. striker Clint Mathis, who hopefully is returning to play for expansion team Real Salt Lake after a rotten time at Hannover 96 in Germany, gets his act together and produces the kind of soccer we know he is capable of.

• A women’s pro league will be revived. This time the organizers should seek advice from the guys who have been running Major League Soccer for 10 years.

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