Debrief for Match 11C - Open Cup vs NY

DC UNITED 3 : 1 NEW YORK RED BULLS

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "'We are disappointed because we really battled well in the first half,' said Harkes, a former United captain. 'We don't have the depth. D.C. has -- [Jaime] Moreno and [Ben] Olsen coming off the bench, which is a luxury, and we just don't have that depth.'"
The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "Walker was among five reserves to start last night. Fiercely competitive as he is, Coach Peter Nowak realized his regulars needed a break during this taxing stretch of the summer."
MLSNet, Charled Boehm: "It was a dramatically different scene in the early going, when United's frantic, muddled play gave little sign that they would stroll to victory in the manner they eventually did."
Mid Atlantic Soccer Report, Jimmy LaRoue: "The Red Bulls, who had six shots on goal to United's three in the first half, did not get a shot on goal in the second half until Guevara's meek free kick was saved by Rimando in the 90th minute."
Mid Atlantic Soccer Report, Jimmy LaRoue: "The Red Bulls, who had six shots on goal to United's three in the first half, did not get a shot on goal in the second half until Guevara's meek free kick was saved by Rimando in the 90th minute."
The Far Post: "It was a high school reunion tonight at RFK. All the former DC United players came back, but older and fatter."
Passion they name is Soccer: "one would hope Bruce Arena, even starting mid-season with someone else's players, would be able to get the Red Bulls into the playoffs."
Screaming Eagles Podcast: "Nowak 2, Bruce 0"

The Good

1. Depth: DC Rested Gomez, Adu, Olsen, and Moreno against the starting lineup from New York (sans Kovalenko who was serving a red card suspension).
2. Walker's Brace 2 Goals have to give our super sub much needed confidence, which he should translate into more goals down the regular season stretch.
3. Dychenko & Stokes Dychenko showed some nifty footwork and wasn't too shy to attack, should check him out during a reserve game. Stokes was fast and hungry on the right and directly contributed to the final goal. Plus, you gotta love hearing "You got schooled by Stokes" from the fans.
   
4. RFK on a Wednesday Is there a better way to spend time after work in the middle of the week?
   

The Bad

1. Rimando: Not very high on the list but Nick is a keeper who needs regular games to get to peak form. He gifted Guevara a goal by punching the ball to the center and constantly gave away possession by punting the ball out of bounds. Will he be with the team in 2007 - a story to follow in the off season.
   
2. Eskandarians Right foot (or lack thereof): It's maddening to watch Eski line up a shot for his left foot when he should get a quicker one off with his right. If he's going to be this left footed, Peter should put a mullet on his headgear and give him the #10 jersey. At least, he should do that during practice.
   
3. MLSLive TV (or lack thereof): D's got this covered but its worth mentioning here.
   
4. NY's Free Kick: Awful bite on a dive by the referee gave New York an opportunity to tie the game
   

Man of the Match

No debate this time, Jamil Walker's first goal made the difference, and he goes ahead and gets a second one in the net to put the match away.

Final Thoughts

O: D wrote that "But there is no doubt that DC is off of its form. A win in the USOC against Arena and Bulls won't change that. A win over LA won't change that. What would change it is if DC could put up a series of games with more than one goal." While its tempting to read more into this game, it could be a start. A loss would have hure more than this win helps, but our 2nd string (1.5 string?) held their own against New York. Key players got much needed rest and the team is still in the hunt for all 3 domestic titles.