Debriefing for Match 11.31: New England Revolution

DC UNITED 1 : 2 NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "' I'm so tired of him and the way he scores with his head,' United midfielder Ben Olsen said of Twellman."
The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "It was a truly disjointed night for United, which found an early attacking rhythm but failed to finish its scoring opportunities and got worse defensively as the game progressed."
MLSNet, Charles Beohm: "...two defensive slips led to opportunistic goals from Clint Dempsey and Taylor Twellman on either side of halftime, handing the Revs three valuable points and dooming D.C. to only its second home loss of the season."
Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Apa: "United controlled most of the midfield play, but was vulnerable in counterattack in the opening half. And the Revolution continued advancing in the second half, a Dorman move on the right wing setting up the deciding goal."
Mid-Atlantic Soccer Report, Ian Penderleith: "It's time for DC United to get its finger out of its nose."
DC Sun Devil: "Where do I start? In the first half, my girlfriend asked me why the Revolution players were faster than the United players. I didn't have an answer for her."
BlackDogRed: "If either team could finish, the score could have been 7-7."

The Good

1. DC United- 2006 Supporter's Shield Winners: Yes, this is the same thing as last week. I just wanted to point out that it was nice to see, especially with reps from each of the fan organizations on the field presenting the trophy.
   
2. First Half Creativity: DC showed some nice skill in the opening 45 minutes. Passes were generally sharp, and the pressure well sustained. Going into the interval at 1-1
   
3. Bryan Namoff - "Once your groin heals, you can run better": Bryan Namoff made four excellent overlapping runs, each of which led to chances for United (including the goal). This is partly because New England wasn't defending their left wing well (see below for a hint on why) but it was nice to see a defender get forward, overlap, and then walk the line. Good stuff.
   
4. Clint Dempsey: No, this isn't in the wrong place. Dude is flat out dangerous, and fun to watch, even when he's scoring against us. I hate him in the Revs uniform, but I enjoy watching him play and would love to have had him on our side.
   

The Bad

1. Freddy A-Uno: You got two feet there Freddy. If you're going to make the run to the corner of the 18, you need to learn how to shoot with the right foot. Enough with the stuttering to put it on the left every frickin' time.
   
2. Speaking of taking it first touch: Again, is anyone aside from Alecko Eskandarian (and perhaps Facundo Erpen) willing to take a shot if they don't have perfect posession of the ball? Yes, Jamie can bend some beautiful shots into the corners when he has three seconds to set it up, but good teams are rarely going to give you that much time. Jamie, Christian, Freddy, Rod... sometimes you must sacrifice accuracy for timing. I know, we blame people so often for "sacrificing accuracy for power"... But the one touch shot doesn't have to be perfect more often than not... it just has to be on-frame and not right at the keeper.
3. Come Together: Used in the presentation of the Supporter's Shield, the Beatles "Come Together" really doesn't jazz people up for a match. It's more, you know... groove-a-liscous. Also, remind me to tell you my theory about that song at one point.
   

Man of the Match

N/A

Final Thoughts

Again, I'd rather have rested starters than momentum. If we were to have had momentum, it had to start three games ago. Even a win next week does not equal momentum, and I'd rather have a fresh Jamie, Christian, etc... than three points. Of course, you can disagree.