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The first half of last night's game was SO AWESOME. Then I watched something else. What happened in the second half? Someone fill me in.
The best part of that game, at least the AWESOME first half that I saw, was that it was on ESPN2 in prime time, so now THE WORLD can know all about how AWESOME DC United is.
posted by Bob @ 11:16 AM
16 Comments:
They were awesome for 45 minutes. You sure you want the world to see a team that's awesome only half the time?
Well, the team came back from the interval and gradually went from "good" to "decent" to "uh-oh, here-it-comes" to "completely-disorganized" to "Dyachenko."
Which is somewhat to be expected, I never thought they would come out and beat the Revs. Well, not before the game anyway. They suckered me into false hopes in the first half. Still, much improvement has been shown. I will grudgingly accept two steps forward, one step back and a point on the road.
Except Dyachenko. Does he has pictures of Soehn with goats or something? Seriously, he comes in like Mighty Thor with a bad haircut. If he were disruptive in the midfield, I would be more okay with it, but fouling someone who passed the ball 5 seconds ago isn't that disruptive.
Also, the day that Zach Wells keeps a clean sheet is the day I buy Rapture insurance. Although, it should be noted that Fred and Simms showed that for what they possessed in offensive prowess, they lacked in defensive.
I thought the lack of good leadership was evident particularly at the end, when they needed to rally; even Gallardo looked lost out there.
Got to agree. When TS pulled Jaime and put in a mid, I figured it for a good switch, go defensive, put someone out there to break up Joseph and Larenowitz's control of the midfield. Sounds like a job for Dan Stratford (or Brian Carrol). But he went with Hot Rod. And see what happened. The "fire the coach" chants sound less and less dissonant to my ears.
Even after the first NE goal I never thought they'd give back the points. And then Santino Quaranta neglected to get close enough to even smell Larentowicz, and Dube ran past two United defenders to nod home the 2nd. Disappointing.
I was not nearly as diappointed with the second half as most people are. I was predicting a 2-2 tie going in and got what I expected.
Would I have been happier if they were able to defend a 2 goal lead on the road? Yes. However, I am still pretty happy. I guess I am the victim of reduced expectations.
Most of the awesomeness of the first half was directly the result of Nicol's misguided formation experiment. As soon as we switched Nyassi back to wing, the Revs were able to regain some control of the midfield, which made it a more even game.
I saw good progress with this game. Wells was better. Not good, but better. Emilio came alive. Until they really started to shut him down, Gallardo was doing a great job of linking up with Emilio. Even in the second half there were chances. If Reis wasn't having the game of his year, it would have been a slaughter.
I am happy. I now require a win against Houston, with at least 3 goals to show for it, but I have one foot off of the Fire Soehn bandwagon.
Oops. Just noticed that i wrote "we" instead of "he" in a key paragraph about NE. I am NOT and NE fan!!!! Please don't throw things...
Just my luck, I missed most of the first half and just caught the second. Looked like they were too quick to call it a win, and paid once again from defensive break-downs.
Wells looked more aggressive in his box, which is better... I guess. He scares me when he's off his line, but not as much as when he's on it. The defense looks consistently panicked when the pressure is on. Not sure, but some of that could have to do with Wells' disorganization too.
Plenty of good play further up-field though. (And not just from Sharlie Joseph.) Emilio is waking up. The energy is building, and Gallardo seems to be getting to know the team a lot better.
Disappointing end; we should have taken three points here. But overall, I'm feeling more optimistic about DCU.
I'm not sure ALL of the good play in the first half was due to the Rev's formation. There was much better ball possession and pressure in the attacking third, rather than the broken passes and dispossession that has been standard much of the season. Though there were still usually two touches too many.
But I don't think that they tied is frustrating so much as the blowing a two goal lead. Even still, the most frustrating part I thought was that they really seemed unable to rally in the final 10 or fifteen minutes. All the good passing and good touches that had been part of the first 70 minutes evaporated.
So yes, this team is pretty much where you would expect them to be - showing signs of the team we thought they were but still hampered by some of the problems that have plagued them this season.
I will say this, unless Houston really turn things around, I expect (as in, "anticipate," not "demand") a win on Wednesday, though not a clean sheet.
Soehn's gotta go.
So, another good coach makes adjustments to good play on DC's part and those adjustments work. Where is the surprise here? Tactically, Soehn doesn't know how to make changes in a game that make the team better. If Soehn stays we'll see all the other coaches in MLS look brilliant when they play DC.
I agree with dcuinct , coach doesn't seem to make halftime adjustments , he certainly wasn't prepared for what the Rev did at halftime,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't see any real creative thinking from him , that being said , he doesn't have much to work with this year , with players like Quaranta and Dyachenko etc. you can only do so much,,,,,,,,,,,I guess this is the way the year will be , they better shore things up for next year,,,,,,,,,,never thought I'd be writing this year off so soon , but I just don't see it...............
I'd argue that Soehn has shown a bit of tactical flexibility lately. I like the changes he's made up top. Fred and Quaranta are switching sides nicely, Simms and Gallardo are pushing forward more. The whole possession game is happening further up-field for the last few games, which means more pressure, and more loose balls for Emilio.
Revs did make a half-time switch that worked, but that was a reaction to being trounced. Soehn was in a different situation -- his side was doing well. Can't expect him to make dramatic switches when things were looking good.
Granted, there's more that he could try. But he's willing to let situations play out, and doesn't knee-jerk into unfamiliar territory. If, as I believe, consistency is the key to bringing DCU around, Soehn's slow-and-steady experimentation is not a bad way to go. Could be we're singing his praises, come Fall.
(But I have no excuse for his bringing Dyachenko in again. Isn't there anyone else to draw on?)
bond: you seem to have it in for Quaranta. Not sure why, unless you are holding old grudges. The guy has some of the best skills on the team, and has been playing his butt off. He's not perfect, especially on defense, but he's absolutely pulling his weight (especially considering his current salary). One of the better American MLS players, I'd say.
Yeah, I'm a homer, but I think this team, under Soehn's (& Olsen's) leadership, is coming around. A few roster tweaks when the opportunities arise, and continual steps from "skilled players" to "skilled team" and we'll be looking like thought we should all along.
rke , I have never met Quaranta , don't really know much about him except he is from Baltimore,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I just don't see where he has the skills , and I mean more then kicking and trapping the ball,,,,,,,,,,,,,His field awareness is pitiful , he never wants to make the easy pass he would rather force it , he usually doesn't know when to pass and when to dribble , when he looses the ball he always hesitates to become a defender immediately , he seldom gets back on the defensive side of the ball and when he does often looses his mark,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I will stop now , I really don't see why he is on this team , unless you hit the nail on the head , money,,,,,,,,,,,,when you pay some large contracts like we have the peripheral players are sometimes less then desirable,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,just because he is always on the move and looks like he is giving it his all doesn't mean he is contributing positively to the team..............there are others on the team that are lacking but not as much as Quaranta , I just don't see how we can be serious with players like this getting so much pitch time , sorry , just the way I see it...........
O.K. guys , the U.S.mens team has a few friendlies the next few days , do any of you follow them , any comments ?
http://www.comcastsportsnet.tv/pages/unitedchampweek
This week Comcast is showing a live game as well as the previous championships
Dudes - I know you do this out of the goodness of your heart and your passion for the game and all, but I am checking this site less and less as content has tapered off!
I know it's rough writing about DCU when it's struggling, but your analysis and commentary is what keeps my perspective on the team in check and positive! Or is this a rebuilding year for the fans too?
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