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

D.C. United continue their long homestand while the Colorado Rapids continue their long Eastern swing when the clubs meet Saturday at RFK Stadium. United have a win and a draw against Western opposition in the first two games of this home stretch, coming off a scoreless result with FC Dallas. The Rapids have a win and a draw against Eastern teams to start their three-game trip, last a scoreless draw at New England.

REFEREE: Terry Vaughn. SAR (bench): Steven Taylor; JAR (opposite): Jason Cullum; 4th: Daniel Fitzgerald MLS Career: 142 games; FC/gm: 28.6; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 46; pens: 45

INJURY REPORT:

• D.C. UNITED ? OUT: MF Branko Boskovic (L ACL tear); MF Junior Carreiro (L ankle sprain); DF Devon McTavish (concussion); DF Jed Zayner (L hamstring strain)
• COLORADO RAPIDS ? OUT: FW Omar Cummings (R ankle sprain); FW Caleb Folan (R groin strain); FW Macoumba Kandji (L knee ACL tear); QUESTIONABLE: DF Eddie Ababio (R hamstring strain); PROBABLE: GK Matt Pickens (R groin strain); FW Quincy Amarikwa (L ankle sprain); FW Conor Casey (L hamstring strain); MF Sanna Nyassi (lower back strain)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DC: Conor Shanosky (U.S. U-20 national team)
SUSPENDED: COL: Brian Mullan (through June 26)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: COL: Conor Casey

HEAD-TO-HEAD

• ALL-TIME (35 meetings): United 16 wins (2 shootout), 58 goals ? Rapids 13 wins (1 shootout), 47 goals ? Ties 6
• AT RFK (17 meetings): United 10 wins (2 shootout), 35 goals ? Rapids 3 wins (0 shootout), 15 goals ? Ties 4
• The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Two goals from Caleb Folan and a late three-goal explosion (over the final 20 minutes) gave the Rapids a 4-1 win April 3 at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park.
• United?s 1-0 win at Dick?s Sporting Goods Park last year was their first in Denver in a decade, since a 5-2 win May 6, 2000. The Rapids won eight of the 10 home matches in between, with two draws.
• The Rapids? win at RFK Stadium on May 15 of last year was their first there since 1999. The teams also met on East Capitol Street in MLS Cup 1997, a 2-1 United win.
• The teams last played to a draw on Aug. 19, 2006, a 1-1 result at RFK Stadium.
• Coaches record: Gary Smith vs. DC: P6 W3 L3 D0 ? Ben Olsen v COL: P2 W1 L1 D0

LAST MEETING (MLS)

• 4/3: COL 4, DC 1 (Folan 38, 81; Smith 71; Cummings 90 ? Quaranta 70)
• Caleb Folan put the Rapids into the lead in the 38th minute when he latched onto a perfectly weighted ball from Jeff Larentowicz and feinted past the D.C. defense before connecting well with a left foot drive past Pat Onstad.
• United evened terms in the 70th minute through a Santino Quaranta first-time volley at the far post from a cross by rookie Chris Korb.
• But barely a minute later, Rapids midfielder Jamie Smith popped up in the box to head home an Anthony Wallace long-range cross to push the Rapids back in front.
• Folan then completed his double when he outjumped the D.C. defense to expertly head a Sanna Nyassi cross into the right hand corner of the net in the 81st minute.
• Omar Cummings, who was rested for the start of the game and did not come on until an early second-half injury to Conor Casey, finished off a header in injury time off an assist from midfielder Pablo Mastroeni.
• COLORADO RAPIDS (4-4-2): Matt Pickens ? Kosuke Kimura, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, Anthony Wallace - Brian Mullan (Sanna Nyassi 72), Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Jamie Smith - Conor Casey (Omar Cummings 52), Caleb Folan (Quincy Amarikwa 87).
• D.C. UNITED (4-1-3-2): Pat Onstad ? Chris Korb, Daniel Woolard, Rodrigo Brasesco, Marc Burch ? Kurt Morsink (Fred 83) ? Santino Quaranta, Dax McCarty, Branko Boskovic (Andy Najar 54) ? Blake Brettschneider, Chris Pontius (Josh Wolff 65).

D.C. UNITED

D.C. United finished off a week unbeaten, playing to a scoreless draw with FC Dallas on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United have 11 points from 9 games on the year, sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

LAST MATCH

• 
  The game's best chance came in the closing stages. A low cross from Josh Wolff found Fred dangerously open in front of the net. But his header couldn't get the best of lunging FCD goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, who steered the shot aside.
• Hartman was credited with three saves in the FC Dallas goal, while Bill Hamid made two saves for United.
• United coach Ben Olsen made two changes to the team that defeated Seattle Sounders FC 2-1 at RFK Stadium. Stephen King came in for Clyde Simms in midfield and Joseph Ngwenya replaced Josh Wolff up top.
• D.C. UNITED (4-4-2): Bill Hamid - Perry Kitchen, Ethan White, Dejan Jakovic, Daniel Woolard - Andy Najar (Santino Quaranta 72), Dax McCarty, Stephen King, Chris Pontius (Fred 81) - Joseph Ngwenya (Josh Wolff 54), Charlie Davies.

TEAM NEWS

• After eight goals over a two-game stretch, D.C. United has allowed just one goal in the last two ? that coming on a penalty kick.
• ?The positive is that we had a fairly good performance after a good performance on Wednesday,? Olsen said. ?That?s what we are striving for here. We are striving to play consistent soccer, and if we do that over the course of a year, it?s usually enough to make the playoffs.?
• It was a second game with a pair of rookies in the back four for United, with Ethan White at center back and Perry Kitchen at right back.
• ?Perry is playing probably out of position, but you wouldn?t know it,? Olsen said. ?Him knowing when to get forward still has a little work to do, but that?s to be expected when you don?t know that position. But defensively, he?s very committed.? Said Kitchen: ?It?s always fun to go forward since I?ve been sitting back at center back for a while now,? he said. ?I was just trying to pick my moments [against Dallas], and when I was going forward I wasn?t trying to do anything too crazy.?
• Stephen King made his first start of the league season, coming into the central midfield in place of Clyde Simms, who had started five matches in a row.
• 
  ?It?s a little bit of a different dynamic with [Dax McCarty] and [Stephen] King there than it would be with [McCarty] and Clyde [Simms],? Olsen said. ?King had a good understanding ? when Dax [McCarty] sits [King] is more comfortable going forward. They played off each other pretty well all night long.?
• Andy Najar also made a second consecutive game after going five league games without an appearance in the first XI. ?I thought he had a great game; he was special tonight, definitely the best player on the field,? said Olsen.
• United also kept a clean sheet for a second time on the season, something it took until July 10 to achieve a year ago. ?We?ve got a good mixture of athletic guys, guys who can win balls in the air, and a good mixture of guys who are smart and composed,? goalkeeper Bill Hamid said to the Washington Times. ?It makes a very solid back line.?
• Said United captain Dax McCarty: ?That?s progress ? those are things you can build from. Now it comes down to: You?re at home, can you take the chances that you get? And we didn?t do that.?

COLORADO RAPIDS

The Colorado Rapids continued on their three-game Eastern Conference trip, playing to a scoreless draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday evening at Gillette Stadium. The Rapids have 14 points from 8 games, opening the week in third place in the Western Conference.

LAST MATCH

• Ryan Cochrane and Benny Feilhaber each had chances find the woodwork for the Revolution, while Rapids goalkeeper Matt Pickens was called upon to make two saves, including a point-blank stop of a Shalrie Joseph header.
• Matt Reis made one save as the Revolution recorded their first shutout of the season.
• Rapids head coach Gary Smith made three changes to the team that beat the Houston Dynamo 2-1 at Robertson Stadium. Marvell Wynne came in for Jamie Smith, and Caleb Folan and Quincy Amarikwa made an all-change strike pair in place of Andre Akpan and Omar Cummings.
• COLORADO RAPIDS (4-4-2): Matt Pickens - Marvell Wynne, Tyrone Marshall, Drew Moor, Scott Palguta - Kosuke Kimura, Pablo Mastroeni, Jeff Larentowicz, Wells Thompson (Jamie Smith 73) - Caleb Folan (Andre Akpan 30), Quincy Amarikwa (Ross LaBauex 85)

TEAM NEWS

• For the first time since 2008 ? and just the second time since Conor Casey arrived at the club ? the Rapids played a game without either Casey or Omar Cummings in the scoreless draw at New England. The only other previous occasion was a 3-2 loss at the LA Galaxy on Oct. 12, 2008.
• "There were moments that we might have made a little bit more of," Smith said. "But we've got so many bodies changing in and out now because of injuries it's very difficult to find serious fluency here."
• The Rapids recorded a shutout for the first time since March 26, and after three consecutive losses, now have two draws and a win in their last three games.
• ?All and all, it?s a clean sheet. It?s three unbeaten, it?s another point to the tally, and it?s the end of a very, very long week,? Smith said. ?We?ll all be very pleased to get back home.
• The club learned Cummings will be lost for 2-4 weeks with a grade II sprain of his right ankle. Caleb Folan was also forced to leave the United match after just a half-hour with a right groin strain, after suffering from a strained quadriceps leading up to the match.
• "I have to say we're going through a difficult period," Smith said. "But we have two very promising and bright individuals. Those bodies will be back, and we will be in a good position and all the better for it."
• The visit to United and a return trip to the East Coast is a third consecutive game against Eastern Conference opposition. The Rapids are in a stretch of playing four out of five games on the road.
• ?We were well organized (against New England. We had) good shape and showed discipline as a group, and that?s not easy when you?re playing your third game in seven days,? Smith said. ?These guys have gone through an awful lot. We?ve gone to two different time zones. We?ve managed to play on a level pegging with a good team, a competitive team.?

Photos: Jaime Owens
We went out with Nick Garcia and Julian Davidson a few weeks back to film a session to go with their full interview coming up in the next issue of Skateboarder. They tore up the El Dorado park even though it's been invaded like a virus by scooter kids. Here's just a few photos to show you what went down. Check back for the video of this session going up soon. Thanks to Nick and Julian for a great day of skating.

Nick clears the channel.

Nick, wallie backside tailslide.

Julian, backside 180 fakie 5-0.

Nick sky high.

Nick, nosegrind.

Julian got some air time too. Nosegrab.

Nick closes out the session with a switch nosegrind.

Gilbert Melendez thinks he's the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. Is he right? I don't think so, not yet. But I sure would love to find out.

The best thing about the UFC buying Strikeforce is that it means we'll eventually see the champions of the respective promotions fighting each other. For now the mantra is "business as usual," but we all know it's just a matter of time before we see the best of Strikeforce inside the Octagon. And there might not be a better fight out there than Melendez taking on the top of the UFC lightweight division.

It will probably be 2012 before we get to see that: UFC lightweight champ Frankie Edgar has to fight Gray Maynard in May, and the winner of that fight is expected to fight the winner of the June Anthony Pettis-Clay Guida bout after that. But it sure would be fun to see Melendez retiring the Strikeforce belt to his trophy case and fighting for the UFC gold.

Find out where I think Melendez stacks up in the lightweight division below.

(Editor's Note: The fighter's rankings the last time we ranked the lightweights are in parentheses.)

1. Frankie Edgar (1): The UFC champion remains at the top of the heap at least until he fights Gray Maynard at UFC 130. The third meeting between the two will, I hope, tell us once and for all which one of them is really the superior fighter.

2. Gray Maynard (2): Maynard could certainly make the argument that he actually deserves to be ranked ahead of Edgar, since Maynard beat Edgar the first time these two fought. I'll stick with Edgar for now because Edgar's overall lightweight resume is more impressive, but these two are basically equals.

3. Gilbert Melendez (4): Now that Melendez has destroyed Tatsuya Kawajiri, I think he's behind only the UFC lightweight champion and No. 1 contender. I love watching Melendez because he's so active and tenacious: He took the fight to Kawajiri and showed off a great killer instinct in finishing him with the recently legalized elbows to the head on the ground. The question now is whether any lightweights on the Strikeforce roster can even be viewed as credible threats to Melendez, or if he's going to have to start fighting guys in the UFC.

4. Kenny Florian (3): For now, I'd pick Florian to beat just about any lightweight in the sport. But Florian has lost two lightweight title fights and doesn't appear close to getting a third chance, so he plans to drop down to featherweight and pursue the belt there. When he does move down to featherweight, I'll take him down the lightweight list -- and I expect him to quickly rise up the featherweight ranks.

5. Shinya Aoki (5): There really wasn't any question that Aoki would make quick work of Lyle Beerbohm, but there are a lot of questions about Aoki's future: Will he stay with Strikeforce and keep fighting second-rate opponents? Will he go back to Japan and try to be a part of revitalizing the MMA scene in his homeland? Will he finally step into the Octagon?

6. Jim Miller (8): It's time for Miller to take a major step up in competition: His 20-2 record consists of wins against a bunch of guys who aren't even close to the Top 10, and losses to the two best in the world, Edgar and Maynard. Ideally I'd love to see Miller against Melendez or Aoki, but if we're not going to get UFC-Strikeforce crossover fights yet, Miller probably will continue fighting overmatched opponents outside the Top 10.

7. Eddie Alvarez (7): The Bellator champ is a lot of fun to watch, but it's going to be awfully tough for him to move up in the rankings as long as he remains in Bellator, which just doesn't have any elite opposition for him to face. Alvarez may have the talent to beat anyone at 155 pounds, but he's probably going to have to sign with the UFC if he wants to prove it.

8. Anthony Pettis (10): The thing that's so exciting about Pettis is that he's doing so many new things at such a young age. It's not just the "Showtime Kick," although that's obviously what he's best known for: It's a combination of creative striking and an aggressive ground game, especially off his back, that makes Pettis different from any other fighter in the lightweight division. The 24-year-old Pettis is the youngest fighter on this list and is only getting better.

9. Clay Guida (NR): Guida has always been a fan favorite because of his brawling style, but it's been somewhat overlooked that his technique, especially on the ground, has noticeably improved in the last year. Guida is now on a three-fight winning streak, and if he makes it four in a row against Pettis, a title shot could be next.

10. Tatsuya Kawajiri (9): Kawajiri has had some great wins in his MMA career, but he was simply no match for Melendez. At age 32, he appears to be on the down side of his career, but there are still some fun fights for him: I'd still love to see a rematch of the classic 2005 Pride fight between Kawajiri and Takanori Gomi.

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. 

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.)

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..

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 Rowley, Andrew Reynolds, Dennis Busenitz accompanied by a rich pool of young talent. No shortage of talented skaters will be on display in New York and DC.

But what will be missing from the Maloof Money Cup are mainstream names like Ryan Sheckler, Paul Rodriquez, Chas Ortiz, Sean Malto, and Eric Koston who all appear to be competing in Street League.

The biggest surprise to this list has to be the absence of Chris Cole, a defending three-time winner of the MMC 100,000 prize purse. One would assume his loyalties would be with the Maloofs, after all, the contest has definitely been good to him.

Last year as the rumors about the exclusive contract began to make news; Joe Maloof offered a $1 million bonus to any skater who won four straight Maloof Money Cup contests. That was an obvious statement toward Cole who has won the past three contests.

Dyrdek the founder of Street League as since come out and said, Cole will be the exception, he'll be allowed to compete in NYC at the Maloof Money cup for a shot at four in a row and the million dollar bonus. "We're not going to stop Chris Cole from getting a million dollars, and then he's right back in Street League, and all the other skaters are for it," Dyrdek said.

After glancing over the initial list of riders for both contests, the real winners are the fans. The sport continues to grow and we are all benefiting from it. We now have the chance to watch two different contests with different skaters with different formats all push their skateboarding for huge prize purses.

Sounds like a step in the right direction.

Here's a list of the first 24 invited skaters:

Alex Olson
Andrew Reynolds
Anthony Van Engelen
Arto Saari
Austyn Gillette
Bastien Salabanzi
Brandon Westgate
Brian Anderson
Bryan Herman
Chris Haslam
Chris Pfanner
David Gravette
Dennis Busenitz
Garrett Hill
Geoff Rowley
Grant Taylor
Greg Lutzka
Justin Brock
Leo Romero
Lizard King
Sierra Fellers
Tom Asta
Tony Trujillo
Vincent Alvarez

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..

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..