The DCenters

An Open Letter to DC United

2010-05-15T23:13:00.007-04:00

There are two possibilities... either I am the foremost football tactician of our day, or Onalfo is watching a different game with different players doing much different things. Because I am seeing very obvious things that I would think can be easily fixed. Benching Castillo, for example...

On the terrible heels of a terrible 2-0 loss, terribly, I offer these thoughts on what should be a much better team.

1. If Castillo can't challenge the keeper, or even kick the ball over the head of the first defender, he shouldn't be taking the free kicks. Week after week his efforts are embarrassing.
2. The Allsopp/Cristman type of forward is the future of DCU, if not the MLS. Connor Casey, who is a terrible soccer player, is at least a hard worker and a physical presence up top.
3. Troy Perkins isn't a bad keeper. Please stop saying so, Sacho Cirovski. (That was from last week...)
4. Why does the defense have so much creativity with their fouling but none with their offensive crossing or passing?
5. Ben Olsen off the bench? Not really, but let's rally around the hard workers: Morsink, Cristman, Allsopp. Castillo, Simms, Wallace: these under-performers need to sit on the bench for a week or two and ruminate.

Share your own thoughts in the comments.

Welcome Home

2010-01-14T09:46:00.004-05:00

Troy Perkins is returning to the USA, MLS and DC United!

Awesome.

I know that some of you will be happy that he is returning at the expense of Fred, who is moving to Philadelphia.

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Interesting Fact

2009-11-03T12:14:00.005-05:00

I just watched the 11+ minute video of all of the GOTY nominees. I noticed that no GOTY nominees were scored against DC United. On the face of it, that makes me happy. It is good to know that DC United didn't get poster-ized to wide renown this season.

Thinking about it more, however, one may be able to make an argument that for keepers like Rimando or Reis, who seemed to figure prominently in these highlights, if the only goals that they are giving up are the fantastical, flooky goals or the once-in-a-career one-timers out of midair, maybe that's not so bad.

The corollary to this argument would be that all of the goals that DC United surrendered this season were plain, boring tallies that were breakdowns in positioning or marking and shouldn't have been given up at all. So maybe it would have been nice to see DCU getting beat a few times in this video reel? Your thoughts?

Also: Soehn...

STEVE CRONIN!

2009-10-18T11:08:00.006-04:00

D.C. United 1 : 0 Columbus Crew

Six Word Novel Recap

A decent team, with terrible supporters.

Let me just start by saying that Steve Cronin impressed the hell out of me last night. He played confidently, and he did not hesitate to come off of his line or even out of the box. At one point last night, he ran almost to the corner flag to shield a Crew player off the ball until it ran out for a goal kick. He was completely alone in the corner, the goal mouth was empty and the wet conditions at RFK meant that if the ball had not rolled out, he would have been in a position needing to play the ball with his feet 1 v 1 against the attacking player. I wouldn't say that it was a nervous moment, because it worked out fine, but I mention it because it was the type of heads up, proactive goalkeeping that you don't see very often and with it, he made things a lot easier for himself. The score line shows him earning a 6 save shutout and he earned Man of the Match honors as a result of a text-message poll of fans there at RFK. I think it was well deserved, even more so than Emilio, your goal scorer, and Khumalo, the assist man.

I can't decide whether the Crew played like the best team in the league last night. On the one hand, they spent virtually the entire 2nd half in the United end. But on the other hand, they got shut out by a team struggling to even make the playoffs and only had 2 or 3 decent chances. One thing that I know for sure is that their supporters should definitely stay at home next time.

The most experience I've had with supporter's groups is with Barra Brava, Screaming Eagles and La Norte and so I've always thought of these groups as positive things. They support their team. It seems that these assholes from Ohio only came to RFK last night to unleash a barrage of senseless profanity. And don't get me wrong, I love me some profanity, but as my wife pointed out, the Crew supporters (does anyone know what their are known by? Massively Terrible?) were seated in a section directly above the VW Garage area, which was filled with little kids getting their faces painted and getting free VW t-shirts. So when Cronin took his first goal kick of the night, the Crew supporters responded very clearly with "FUCK YOU ASSHOLE!" My wife and I were still down there getting our VW t-shirts at that point and the looks of complete puzzlement on the 10 year old faces was saddening.

So I hope you guys enjoyed your visit to your nation's Capitol, but please, don't let Emilio's boot hit you in the ass on your way home. I hope your team loses the Supporter's Shield.

Oh yeah, hilarious story of the night: when GBS came over to the corner for an early corner kick, under the Crew supporter's section and right next to the VW Garage area where my wife and I were still standing, watching the first few minutes of play, the supporter's greated him with an ongoing chant of "Guillermo! Guillermo!" HAHAHA Because it sounded exactly like they were chanting, "Terrible! Terrible!"

CONCACAF Champions League - Cruz Azul @ CLB

2009-09-23T20:47:00.004-04:00

It is a good thing that I am not a CLB fan right now. In the 41st minute of this CCL match, play is getting chippy as hell and C.A. just scored a second goal a few minutes after one of those stretches when the commentators say, "Uh, the ref really needs to get control of this game soon or someone is going to get hurt."

So I would really have lost it if I was a CLB supporter. Good thing...

In a personal note, I just got the FiOS hooked up today so in addition to this game I'm waching now, and the CD Marathon @ DCU I'll be watching tomorrow, I got to watch the Serie A: Udinese @ AC Milan early this afternoon.

Sweet.

Cheers all.

Simple Things

2009-09-16T10:42:00.004-04:00

I watched the DCU @ SJJ match last night and said to my wife, "These guys are professional soccer players. You would think that they wouldn't need to be reminded that in order to score, you need to shoot." But I find myself screaming at the TV (or at the players, when I venture to RFK) "SHOOT IT!" "SHOOT THE BALL!"

The pointless back passing has to stop. It is a real momentum killer. If you don't think you can do anything with the ball when you receive it while posted up on a guy at the top of the box, for example play it square or turn on the defender and go to goal, then why are you posting up there in the first place? Just get out of the way; you aren't helping.

And the settling... These guys are professionals, I am not. But even I remember from when I was like 8 years old that the most important part of receiving a pass is to settle it, to control it. When Emilio or Gomez or whoever it is receives a pass and then they pop it up over their head with their first touch and then it is taken away from them, that is unacceptable. What is it that they practice in these training sessions of theirs?

These seem like silly things to focus on, but I'm not sure why we'd talk about anything else until these things are remedied.

17,329

2009-09-03T06:17:00.008-04:00

The last 10-15 minutes of regular time and stoppage time was amazing. It was totally frantic and United supporters were rewarded with a goal at the end of regulation. I was actually telling my wife that the set play off of that free kick should have been to fake it at goal and just slot it to Simms who was faking that run anyway. But the way that it went down was good too. I remember an absolutely brilliant goal that Etcheverry scored in that exact manner several years ago. If someone can find me that highlight on the intertubes, I will buy you a hamburger on a Tuesday.

By the way, there were some Sounders fans there...

Overall, I thought the team looked decent. Pontius was dangerous, Jaime was hustling, Gomez was making aggressive runs at the defense. The problem, of course, was the finishing.

The most interesting thing to report from the stadium was what a horrible idea $2 beers and $2 hotdogs were. The lines were AMAZINGLY long. It was almost worth giving up alcohol because of those lines. It is completely possible that some people missed the entire 1st half standing in some Ouroboros-like line, winding around and back upon itself. The whole idea was a logistical nightware. There seemed to be only one Miller Lite rep running kegs back and forth to the various outposts and by early in the second half, just after halftime, they had started substituting Yuengling, because all of the Miller Lite was gone.

Comment away!

United reaching out to DC Sports fans

2009-08-26T15:26:00.002-04:00

Its nice to see the team trying to reach out beyond the usual fans. But will it work? I guess we'll know in a week.

Open BLECH for DCU v LAG

2009-08-23T23:56:00.005-04:00

CSN is letting me down. My wife and I are on a reduced entertainment budget, so we can't necessarily afford the trip to RFK and the ~~inevitable beers~~ cotton candy. And we have Comcast basic cable... I guess we are grandfathered in on that; is that even offered to new subscribers anymore?

Subsequently I don't get Fox Soccer Channel. Not like I'd want it; f**k Fox, in any formation or configuration.

I want Dave Johnson. I want Garth Lagerway.

Actually, I prefer listening to Tony Limarzi.

Anyway, it sounds like Emilio played his ass off and didn't get any satisfaction, so everyone tell me whether I'm right or I'm wrong in the comments.

And pass along free tickets and other stuff to me when you have it, since my wife will be in school for 16 months and we'll be on only one income. Thanks in advance.

Open comments for DCU at TFC

2009-08-16T18:36:00.002-04:00

I might be prompted to build an argument for a change at manager around this game.

Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. Terrible.

Ugh.

Mouth off in the comments.

Fun Link Thursday

2009-08-13T12:31:00.003-04:00

http://wesellenergydrinks.com/

AWE. SOME.

Make sure to read down the the bottom, including the bit in red.

And just in case you don't get the parody right away, check this out.

First Impressions -- San Jose Earthquakes 2 : 2 D.C. United

2009-07-26T01:15:00.003-04:00

Test yourself for self-delusion: "A point on the road is a good thing." Right?

No, none of us are that deluded. How about this? "The most frustrating thing about this match was giving up a two goal lead." Any buyers? I see a few hands out there.

But, of course, that's a comforting delusion as well. The fact is, United could have been down two goals at half time, and a point would still be a disappointment. San Jose is not a good team. San Jose is an awful team. If it weren't for a certain franchise in Jersey, you could say things about them being the worst team in the league. It is not as though their talent was superior to United's in any way. They are scrappy, yes, I will give them that. They hustle. They have some speed. But on the ball there is nothing that impresses me.

No, if you're mad about United dropping a two goal lead, it is because you don't want to face the fact that United didn't beat a team that has 13 points this year. That's less than a point a game. And that's a really bad team.

What's so upsetting to me is that they beat a United team using a tactic that normally United can exploit: Close marking and high pressure. Normally that allows United's short passing game to warp an opposing team out of their shape, but instead United in the second half was bewildered on how to break out. After connecting on some long diagonal switches in the first half, it seemed United has fallen in love with the tactic and couldn't let go of it. And so suddenly they found themselves bottled up, incapable of setting up possession in midfield, and looking to hit the perfect long ball. They had the talent. They know the tactic. But they failed in putting it out there.

The absence of Clyde Simms should be noted here. You may not see him as excelling in distributing out of the back, but his strong positioning in transition helps move the ball around side-to-side. When Ben Olsen was gone, it seemed that United's midfield consisted of Szetela and Wallace in the middle. That's one player who has his first game with the team, and another who I think has played more minutes on the wing and at left back this season (though the left back thing seems to have stopped). Chris Pontius moved from forward to wide midfield to center mid and back to forward all in one match. And this constant shifting meant United never really owned midfield the way a five man midfield should.

So, I can whine about the giving up the lead, but I'd much rather whine about losing at all. United lost points that teams in 10 other matches did not drop. And even on the road, it is a bit unforgivable.

I am on the road in Buffalo for the CONCACF match, so if anyone knows a bar with FSC, let me know.

Game Recap FAIL

2009-07-21T14:12:00.003-04:00

Sorry folks. At this point it may be too late... Consider this an open thread for your comments on Saturday night's impressive win over Colorado.

1. The At A Glance stats have been updated on the sidebar. Gomez has provided three goals and two assists in the past 5 MLS matches.
2. Namoff is leading GOTW voting, 38% to 34% over Alecko of LAG. Honestly, in terms of a combination of Gomez's hard work along with Fred's patience, I thought the third goal was more impressive. Emilio continued his run and gave Fred a good option as he was holding off (!!!) the keeper. You don't see that everyday.
3. No goals for Casey, so, yay.

US Open Cup tonight at some place called Boyds, MD and then the teams travels to San Jose for a 10:30pm EST matchup on Saturday. I wonder if my hotel in Corning, NY will have FSC.

First Impressions: DC United v Colorado Rapids

2009-07-19T01:55:00.005-04:00

I know this isn't how D does it. He races home from the match and types 5 thick paragraphs of analysis about how United performed and why the outcome was the way it was. He probably begins his compositions on his Blackberry while walking along E. Capital on his way to the Metro. It is very impressive.

Me? I went to Trusty's straight away with my wife and my BFF (Bendt) to celebrate United's win. And I just got home.

The goals? OMG - this thing called the "Volkswagon Game Nav" (way cool BTW) is showing Namoff as scoring twice - 14th and 56th minute. Which is awesome because it exactly highlights what BFF Bendt said about Namoff's game winning goal:

He made up for his mistake.

Seeing it at the bar, I wasn't so sure that it wasn't just a bad giveaway. But now watching it on TiVo at home, I guess it was an own goal. I haz a sad.

But I feel compelled to point out something to all of you out there on FB. I started a group a few days ago called Marc Burch needs a right foot! Please join me. We need this group (about this IMPORTANT ISSUE) because in the 33rd minute, the one and only Marc Burch switched the ball back to his right foot from his left foot and unleashed one of the softest, ugliest shots that we've seen from him.

Freedom win 1-0. I didn't see any of it; I was too busy getting free beer from my WAFC peeps.

What did you guys think about the frisbee exhibition? Totally cool, right? Sweet! The best part was when that dude hucked that one disc into the trashcan! Am I right?!?!

The Game Before The Game: Washington Freedom v St. Louis Athletica

2009-07-18T15:51:00.002-04:00

I'm ashamed of myself for not even mentioning this at all in my two prior posts, but the event at RFK today is a doubleheader. As I'm writing this now, I'm wearing an old school, WUSA-era Abby Wambach tee, back from when she was Mia Hamm's understudy.

Freedom takes on St. Louis Athletica at 5pm, in just over an hour. However, the Freedom will be without powerhouse Wambach, who plays with the Lady Nats tomorrow in Rochester, NY, against Canada. Rochester is Abby's hometown, so it will be great if she can score a goal or three in front of family and friends.

National Team duty also means that the Freedom will be without Cat Whitehill and Erin McLeod (Canada) and that St. Louis is missing Lori Chalupny and Hope Solo (sorry fellas).

Preview 2: W2W4

2009-07-18T13:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday's preview post wasn't much of one, in that it only talked about what I wanted to talk about and probably nothing that you wanted to read about.

Basically, I hope that United can contain Conor Casey tonight.

I feel like there have been several times this season when United has allowed big-name, franchise players to score to easily and as a result have dropped points on the road or had to battle back to pull a point back. Most notably, I keep thinking about Shalrie Joseph's easy header back in April when the Revs were carrying about 14 players on their roster and we failed to punish them. In mid-June, United came back from two goals down against Seattle to take a point on the road. That's good, except the good guys were only down by two goals because Nate Jaqua had somehow scored and that guy hates to score.

I don't think Casey is as good as his stats are saying, but then again, you can't really argue with 8 goals in 12 games. So I hope the back line is ready for his bald, bulky, bouldering brand of soccer.

Also, Danny Szetela.

UPDATE: I just watched the "Crossbar Challenge" on dcunited.com's Access United. Yes, they were practicing hitting the crossbar... I hope that doesn't come back to haunt them. The good news is that out of the 5 competitors (John DiRaimondo, Andrew Jacobson, Boyzzz Khumalo, Ange N'Silu, and Milos Kocic) your winner is the Serbian GOALKEEPER. The forwards just couldn't keep the ball out of the back of the net.

Preview: DC United v Colorado Rapids

2009-07-17T17:27:00.003-04:00

when: Saturday, July 18th, 8pm
where: Estadio RFK
why: Ultimate Frisbee

huh?

Bob here, now and through the weekend. I love watching soccer and supporting DC United. But when I am actually going to get outside and run around, Ultimate Frisbee is my game. And at halftime of tomorrow's match, two local club teams will put on a demonstration of the sport that actually has quite a bit of support in this area. WAFC, the Washington Area Frisbee Club, is the local organizing body for the sport. They worked with DC United to arrange this opportunity to showcase these teams and this sport on the pitch at RFK. If you aren't stuck in the beer lines at halftime, and I sincerely encourage you to make an effort to see this, you will see some great athletes pulling off some amazing throws and some amazing catches. See you there.

Also, Facundo Erpen.

Wait a minute, what??? No Facundo? Why no Facundo?

First Impressions -- Columbus Crew 1 : 1 D.C. United

2009-07-05T13:36:00.003-04:00

I don't believe in the "win at home, draw on the road" theory, but that doesn't mean the idea doesn't have value. It has value, occasionally, it just shouldn't be a mantra. Columbus has come on recently, but the single significant win was a 2-1 victory over Chivas. The other four wins include 2 wins against Kansas City (including a nice 2-0 road win), a win at home against San Jose, and a win at home against New York. At home, Columbus has not beaten Chicago, D.C. or Toronto. Compare that to United, who at least can look at their home record and cite with some satisfaction home wins against the Fire and Dynamo. These three points were more valuable to Columbus than D.C., and yet D.C. looked like the more likely team to walk away with it.

Yes, Schelotto made Columbus a capable team at any moment, and yes, Columbus were not toothless. Yes, that's how this team seems to make its living, by picking chances and going through. But I was pleased with United's play, with their attack. Columbus was at home, facing a United team down Emilio, Moreno, and Quaranta, and if nothing else had to feel that failing to get the full points would be significant. Yet United, after a shaky opening 10 minutes, exerted more control on the match as it went on. Columbus never played like a team that felt it was going to win, it played like a team that was looking for a single chance, which they got.

There is much to be said for United's performance. Janicki, who looked somewhat miserable a few weeks ago, played well in the center of the back three. If anything, the concern I had was that Burch and Namoff both seemed to be losing touch with him, opening large gaps on either side. Boyzzz was acceptable as a starting winger, and showed that he deserves the occasional start in the future. Importantly, he didn't run himself out in the opening half hour, he played well for the 55 minutes he got. Pontius and Gomez both seemed to get stronger as the match progressed. N'Silu was far too deep back given his ball control skills in this match, his touch was off and he surrendered a few too many balls when he tracked back for them.

Ben Olsen was in his rightful position, and showed why the term is "Holding midfielder." He would hold possession, cutting the ball back with reason to extend United's midfield strength. He held position on several key tackles. When all else failed, he held a huge chunk of jersey from an opposing player. I don't know how long Ben can go this year, but this was a solid match from him.

United got a solid result against a conference opponent on the road. How can I be angry about that? More importantly, they denied points to Columbus. It is a strange feeling having to take Columbus seriously, and I don't particularly like it. So I'd rather have to take them seriously with them looking up at us then the other way around.

Spotted: Jaime Moreno at AT&T National

2009-07-03T17:53:00.004-04:00

My wife was wearing her DC United hat:

Oh yeah, Tiger Woods was there too...

OT: Vuvuzela

2009-06-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

Please forgive my two non-DCU posts in a row, but you must understand what with the horrible display by our club last weekend and the interesting things happening on the world stage.

I personally don't understand the vuvuzela haters. I guess some people have no ability to filter out these quiet buzzing sounds from the ubiquitous noisemakers in the stands during the Confederations Cup matches. Apparently, they are called vuvuzelas. I want one.

From the very first seconds of the very first Confederations Cup match that I watched this year, New Zealand v Spain, I thought, "what is that interesting sound?" and then promptly filtered it out. In a similar way, when I lived in Rosslyn, under the flight path of the planes approaching National Airport, the noisy planes bothered me for about a week. Then I didn't hear it anymore.

Anyone who has been to a live soccer match knows that it is an event of experiences. There is the game itself, but there are songs, Roman Candles, smoke bombs, drums, horns. Oh yeah, and drunk supporters too.

People are upset about these horns.

The world football governing body, FIFA, wanted to ban the use of vuvuzelas during the World Cup 2010 because of concerns that hooligans could use the instrument as a weapon and that businesses could place advertisements on vuvuzelas. However the South African Football Association (SAFA) made a presentation that vuvuzelas were essential for an authentic South African football experience, and FIFA decided in July 2008 to drop the ban. Vuvuzelas will be allowed at matches during Confederations Cup 2009 and World Cup 2010 in South Africa.

Ban?!?!

I think Deadspin's take is reasonable. You may think they are annoying or whatever but GET. OVER. IT. because when a bunch of Europeans come into SA and start bossing the "riff raff" around, uh, no. They close their commentary with this:

Why can't South Africans enjoy soccer like normal folks—with racist songs and flare guns!

But be warned before you check out the comments, there is some ignorant shit in there.

Soccer in America

2009-06-26T15:19:00.004-04:00

I'm going to gingerly set this down in the middle of the room, careful not to make any sudden moves, and then slowly back away from it so that I can get as close to the door as possible before anyone realizes what I've done. By the time someone notices it sitting there, and wanders over curiously to sniff it and poke it with a paw, I'll have a thick door between us and will have already bolted 3 of the four padlocks.

The Not-so-beautiful game.

You may also enjoy Wonkette's take on this.

First Impressions -- Colorado Rapids 3 : 0 D.C. United

2009-06-20T23:40:00.002-04:00

I suppose the major debate is whether United lost this match or Colorado won it, and the easy answer is both. Fatigue was a factor, altitude was a factor. It showed up in obvious ways like tired legs and players running out of gas. It showed more poignantly mentally: United could not execute this match at all. Colorado's second and third goals resulted from some lapses, from Avery John's back pass/through ball to Cummings, and to Jakovic missed trap that forced him the wrong way. That being said, Colorado's first goal was well executed by Cummings, as he makes a strong run, stays on his feet over Janicki's tackle, and fires far post by Wicks. And once Colorado had that edge, all else was preordained.

There are bright things to consider. It was nice to Olsen on the field in something other than a token role. Boyzzz again showed life and energy in exactly the way N'Silu did not. But the match itself was like watching a tax audit -- it was tedious and you felt at some point United would pay through the nose, and sure enough Cummings would pop up with the ball at his feet saying "now, about this receipt here..."

The shift to start the match in a 4-4-2 was interesting, but it felt like a line-up that may have been more suited to the previous match against Seattle. Throwing Olsen on the right in his first match back seemed to ask a great deal, and Simms and Gomez found linking up difficult. We can complain about Janicki if you desire, but I can't imagine that any other back four performs better in this match.

Write it off, pay the bill, and cross out the footnote that said "United has yet to lose after conceding the first goal."

First Impressions -- Seattle Sounders FC 3 : 3 D.C. United

2009-06-18T00:51:00.000-04:00

Every time I watch Seattle, I'm entertained. Seattle is essentially an ADHD afflicted six year old, dosed with caffeine and sugar, put on the tea cup ride at Disney World. Then you hand him a morning star and tell him to run around in traffic. It's not beautiful soccer, though at times it approximates beauty the way a swarm of wasps approximate ballet. When I watch Seattle, I feel like an arsonist at a bonfire.

So United comes to Seattle, and proceeds to play a match that manages to maximize that feeling. It was chaotic and ridiculous affair. Two own-goals, one from each team, sums up the natural state of this match. United's defense was vulnerable to shot, sharp passing that pushed them away. Rodney Wallace showed he is not a long term solution at holding midfielder. Seattle scored the first goal on a pure shooter's goal, the second with a chance deflection off of Marc Burch, and the third another with smart ball movement springing an attacker who then finished perfectly. United's first goal took advantage of a nice far post run by Pontius combined with poor marking on Seattle's part, the second was a shooter's goal from Gomez, and the third had a dangerous Pontius cross meet a fortunate Tyrone Marshall head for an own goal. This match had everything you love about football, and everything that exasperates.

When United played Chivas, I may have mentioned that I felt comfortable that even down two goals, United could recover. I did not have that feeling this night. Even after Gomez pulls the team to within one goal, it felt that Seattle could have tacked on three more goals and put the match easily out of reach. Namoff and Burch may have had moments, but far too often seemed poorly placed to handle Seattle's attack. Jakovic ran all over the field, a testament to his will but also to how disorganized the back line seemed all night. Fred, and later Tino and Chris both tracked back, but never fit in seamlessly. If United's defense had a shape, it requires higher order mathematical topology to describe it. United looked its best for stretches in the first half, where they played some smart possession football, simply because that meant United was scrambling its defenders all over the field.

I'll admit it, I wondered if the cardiac kids might finally have died on the table. That they didn't... well, it shocks me like a defibrillator to the groin. I'm not sure this was a good game. The more I think about, this game seemed like a bloody, horrible mess. Then again, that's how I like my omlettes. But if we think about this rationally, this game was a barely contained disaster, right? Hooray for saving the point, but does anyone feel comfortable taking this style into a road trip?

@Seattle

2009-06-18T00:32:00.003-04:00

Sorry to step on your toes (Touxs?) D, but I had to say this before I went to bed...

I hope the dude that threw the beer bottle at Wicks deep into stoppage time, got his ass kicked by the 29,103 other fans at Qwest Field. Because he just ruined it for all of them.

What a match.

Goalkeeping Impressions

2009-06-15T10:04:00.006-04:00

With the win against the Chicago Fire, Josh Wicks should solidify his claim as D.C. United's starting goalkeeper. He made a huge stop on the McBride penalty, plucked a lot of crosses out of the air, and has had, not just in this game, excellent reaction stops. Subjectively, its hard to argue to bench him, and I'm not going to try that.

But, as I was looking at the standings and individual stats this morning, I was a little surprised. With fourteen games played, Wicks and Crayton have bopth played 540 minutes (540, and have identical 2-1-3 records. Wicks does have a statistical edge in goals allowed (6 versus 8), goals against average (1.00 vs 1.33), PK's saved (1 vs 0), and shutouts (2 vs 1).

I know statistics in soccer are less meaningful than in other sports, but I'd say that both quantitatively and qualitatively, Wicks is a better option in goal than Crayton. Once you factor in the salaries of both players, and if Kocis is a credible backup option, then you have to wonder if and why Crayton would be picked up again once his contract expires. Freeing up his salary and roster spot would allow the team to pursue another international player.

What do you think? If Crayton leaves, who would you like to see the team pursue?

First Impressions -- D.C. United 2 : 1 Chicago Fire

2009-06-13T21:52:00.002-04:00

This post was going to begin with an apology to Chicago for having the misfortune of being the first team to face United after US Soccer apologized for ridiculous penalty awarded to New England. Center official Baldomero Toledo seemed to want make amends immediately by awarding a just as atrocious penalty to United in the 23rd minute. Still, Toledo promptly turned around again, awarding a penalty to Chicago on a Dejan Jakovic foul that seems, well, not particularly worthy itself (though, to be fair, much more worthy than Twellman's.) United's other goal came on a free kick by Gomez outside the box, and the symmetry of the halves was reflected again as Chicago got a similar free kick which rattled off the woodwork. It was as if Toledo was so impressed by Dave Gibbons work in Watchmen #5 ("fearful symmetry") that he decided to see if he could officiate a match in symmetry.

That being said, the halves were not symmetrical. For all the goals of the first half, the second felt somewhat more engrossing, as Chicago pushed for an equalizer, and United looked to possess for time, strike on the counter, and bunker when necessary. If all games United had played with a lead this year ended like this one, it would not be the frustrating nail-baiting soccer we had earlier in the season, but the high tension engrossing soccer that makes even 45 scoreless minutes fascinating to watch.

I was not ready to award Josh Wicks the starting job after the match against RSL, or after the match against New York. But a PK save on MacBride and two other point blank stops, well, now I am late to the party but willing to say "OK, even if he has a bad match, it's his job for now." He did the best a keeper can do tonight -- he gave his team a chance to win the game they might otherwise have drawn or lost. His command of the box on corners was also the best it has been this season, as he took at least three crosses out of the air and held them. It was beautiful to watch.

For all the praise being heaped on the defense, and 1 goal allowed is a decent result, I am uncomfortable with their performance here. Every defender had a moment, but Chicago was able to play long balls forward a tad too easily. More damning, once played forward, they were able to start to set up possession, buying time for players to run up behind the ball and support the attack. Clyde Simms and Rodney Wallace were both being bypassed, which would be okay for one or the other at times, but not both. The back line was immediately under pressure, and Chicago's goal resulted at least in part on Fred not coming back fast enough to help out on the perimeter of the defense. Of course, the rest of Chicago's goal was the result of good ball movement, a neat dummy move that forced Wallace out late, and a hell of a shot that left Wicks with nothing to grab.

I do not like Fred on the wing, his skill in the middle is minimized in that position. I understand Christian getting the start, and he certainly had, for the first game he started that I can recall this season, more than one moment where he neatly kept the ball at his feat, ate up a ton of ground, and finished his possession with an intelligent pass. Tino was decent, but not astounding, and Moreno/Pontius/N'Silu were also competent, but the first half saw a significant number of possessions in the final third result in general bafflement.

Boyzzz looked his most credible ever as a late sub, no?

In general, this was a match where I enjoyed the second half much more than the first, and love the result more than either. Your man of the match is Wicks, but Jakovic was coming close until that penalty.

Lack of Quality

2009-06-08T09:59:00.004-04:00

Commentor Kenobi in my "Post Tease" post almost had the right answer. He quessed,

"The ability to serve in a decent ball off a free kick/corner kick?"

Actually, I was going to say just the opposite.

In the USA v Costa Rica match, Landon Donovan couldn't get his corner kicks over the 1st defender, and yet he continued to take them. If I had been Bob Bradley, I would have yanked LD from set piece duty immediately. That is unacceptable from a supposed world-class player. He did a bit better in the Honduras match.

Gomez has an ongoing similar problem. His service from the corner is often low and short. It is almost as if he is more concerned about the location of the advertising signage than accurately striking the ball. Tino and Pontius are doing a better job, I think.

And then I watched the SJE @ FCD match yesterday and witnessed two of the most atrocious set pieces I've seen in awhile. DvdB just straight up put the ball into the 14th row. I only put an asterisk next to A.A.'s name because shortly after a botched set piece, he scored a golazo in the run of play.

These are SET pieces. The minimum result should be a ball on frame or into the mixer that necessitates a clearance or a save or a ball that bounces in the box. If you can't do that, if you can't get the ball past the first defender or over/through the wall or if you can keep your attempt from just going into touch - after practicing it all week - then I, as the coach, will find someone who can. There are 9 other field players out there.

Post Tease

2009-06-07T23:53:00.004-04:00

I have what I feel to be some insight into all the bad soccer I've been seeing lately and I want to write something about it for tomorrow. But it is almost midnight, so I'll ask you this for now.

Night Owls: what do the following players have in common?

Landon Donovan
Christian Gomez
Dave van den Bergh
Arturo Alvarez*

???

Guesses in the comments, please.

First Impressions -- D.C. United 2 : 0 New York Red Bulls

2009-06-04T22:42:00.003-04:00

Serious question: If New York were to win the Atlantic Cup one year, would they know what it looks like? I mean, we could give them used Big Gulp with the remains of a red slushy in it, and would they know it wasn't the real thing?

Immature trash talking aside, this was a nice night where D.C. United got the result they deserved. Perhaps not in the way you'd think, but it was a just feeling all the way around. Fred in the middle looks much better than Fred on the side. Quaranta continues to work, Gomez and Moreno both looked decent off the bench, Wicks made a key save on Angel, and everyone had at least one moment in this match to be proud of. Sure, New York has a right to feel hard done that they weren't awarded a penalty when Bryan Namoff tackled Father Ted inside the box on a free kick, but that neatly balanced with the non-call on Tino getting clipped.

Wallace as a holding midfielder seemed problematic early on, in that he didn't know how to drop in with the back three and pick up runners. That seemed to get better as the game continued.

Tom Soehn again fielded a credible line-up, and played the right substitutions at the right time, Emilio's red carded histrionics aside. And that was deserving of a straight red, no doubt. If anything, it reinforced that Soehn was absolutely right to take Emilio out of the match with a yellow.

It wasn't that United outclassed New York... New York had their moments of possession, their moments of attack. But it never became the shooting gallery the way it was in New England. It was a game that would have been a deserving 1-nil win, and the second goal was simply comforting.

I'm seriously thinking of Fred for Man of the Match. Really.

Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want

2009-06-04T18:21:00.003-04:00

After Saturday night's game-deciding PK call in the match against the Revs and then last night's drubbing of the USMNT, my insides have gotten a bit queasy today whenever I have thought about soccer.

I certainly don't want to encourage anyone to look past RBNY, but since we lit them up to the tune of 5 goals two weeks ago in that USOC play-in game, the prospect certainly exists of settling my stomach. I'd like to see Moreno, Pontius and Tino all strike tonight.

Thoughts? We are just about an hour out from game time, so let's hear what you have to say!

First Impressions -- New England Revolution 2 : 1 D.C. United

2009-05-30T21:41:00.003-04:00

I have generally been impressed by the jobs of the center officials in MLS this season. While there have been quibbles and complaints, for the most part the officiating has been iffy at worst, and more often than not decent.

Which is why I hope that Hilario Grajeda was misled by his AR on an atrocious penalty kick decision. If the AR said he saw the foul in the box, then the Center Official should give lee way to that call. It doesn't matter if the AR apparently has the eyesight of a guacomic puffer-fish, supposedly he has the angle.

And it was on a travesty of a penalty kick call that New England won this match. To be fair, Bryan Namoff helped things along. His reaction to Taylor Twellman going down in the box in front of him was that of a blood covered throwing away a knife when the constable walks in the door. "A body? What body? Oh, that body! It was here when I got here. So was the knife. And that letter that says 'I'll get you Mr. Twel, see if I don't!' I'M NOT GUILTY!!!"

And while New England undoubtedly stole this match, they at least brought the lockpicks with them for most of the second half, and United did put a pile of money in the front window under the lamp before casually announcing "We'll be out for the next forty-five minutes, I sure hope no one takes this" and then strolling away.

Still, why I can rationalize that New England certainly had the second half far more their way than United had the first half in its favor, it doesn't feel that way at a visceral level. This feels like a match taken and gift-wrapped for the other team. I laugh when I hear stories from Europe of referees being smuggled out of the country after a controversial call, but a game like this makes me feel a bit more sympathy for the hooligans and has me checking the major thoroughfares out of Foxboro.

What a punch in the balls.

First Impressions -- D.C. United 0 : 0 Real Salt Lake

2009-05-24T11:13:00.002-04:00

They say some nil-nil draws can be exciting and dramatic as a scorefest. This was not of them. Tedium was an ever-present blanket at RFK, draping fans and players alike in a humid embrace. It was a game where even Clint Mathis running his mouth like a deranged poodle defending his turf from a mastiff was more a pleasant diversion than a source of interest. Forget Tony Limarzi's excited inflections, this game should have been called by Garrison Keillor. "Well, the news at RFK is of the languid summer, the trees venturing towards green. In soccer at RFK, it is considered impolite to score, since most of the forwards are Lutherans and that sort of excitement might lead to rock and roll."

Even Fred's misses were not as exciting as normal. This match was a volley over the bar, a routine miss instead of the glorious and epic miss from last Wednesday. The Barra was displaying a "Sing or Leave" sign to its faithful, and the match made the second option a serious consideration. Part of this was the lack of engagement from United's attack. Jaimo Moreno was silent for 13 minutes. I had utterly forgotten he was in the game until the 14th minute, when he kicked off a stretch of multiple bad giveaways in the defensive third. The great addition of Moreno was his ability to the hold the ball, right? Not so much.

Similarly, Emilio seemed reluctant to pull the trigger on a shot, passing up chances to try and put the ball right on his foot only to find his momentum had carried him to a difficult angle. Christian Gomez showed a few scant signs of passion, at one point pulling off a classic forty yard sprint with the ball that ultimately went wanting. The only first half player demonstrating any desire to score was Santino Quaranta, and even he ultimately was disgusted but what he saw, even rightfully yapping at Jaime after Jaime never made a run on a nicely headed through ball played by Tino.

That being said, the defense was better. While RSL dominated the shots category in the first half, most of these were distance affairs with little traffic to bother Josh Wicks. At the end of the half he made an excellent stop to preserve the deadlock. In the second half, Wicks came alive, pulling out three excellent saves. Wicks is the first keeper to have a game where the presence of the keeper ultimately saved whatever hope United had for points. Similarly, Marc Burch's game defensively was strong. While his marking off the ball remains a little suspect, his tackling was excellent and timely, and was ultimately crucial in thwarting some RSL advances.

Tom Soehn deserves credit for pulling Moreno at half-time and replacing him with Pontius. The addition of Rodney Wallace two-thirds through also at least added someone willing to make the runs Fred was not. But tactically, this team was consistently trying to play over the top against an RSL back line that seemed content to handle it, boxing Fred or Tino to the side and then turning the play back.

If you decided to pass on the Freedom game and only watch the United match, you made the wrong choice. This game is forgettable, a waste of a strong defensive and keeping effort by an attack that seemed to thing their three day weekend had already begun.

Your man of the match is quite rightfully Josh Wicks. Merit awards to Burch and Tino. Censure to Moreno and Emilio.

Good-bye Mr. MacFarlane, Congratulations Mr. Chang

2009-05-22T09:42:00.003-04:00

The news that Mr. Will Chang has bought out Mr. Victor MacFarlane is, of course, being analyzed for any implication of stadium politics. That's healthy, and I can understand some people's optimism along those lines, but while a simplified stadium approach from Mr. Chang may make it easier, it may also make things more difficult. I'm not sure how this plays out. Yes, there's less of a specter of "look at that give-away of mixed use land to that rich guy" but there's also more of a question of "so what does this stadium actually do for the city/county/locality when it is built? What does it anchor? Why invest in any of this?"

If you had any hope of a more soccer-specific, less entertainment multipurpose stadium, you can shelve that right now, though to be honest, you probably should have shelved it a year or two ago. And by "you", I, of course, mean "me."

However, while I have the greatest regard for the engagement and enthusiasm of Mr. Chang, I am sad that United will no longer have an African-American majority owner. Perhaps we really all are post-racial now, and such concerns shouldn't bother me, but it felt good that MLS was able to be inclusive to the African-American community at the levels of players, coaching, and ownership without it having to be a major drama. And, the longer we go in professional sports in general, or MLS in particular, without African-American ownership, the more you sense the smell of cigars and leather chairs in the old boys room. We know that MacFarlane was in this primarily for the real-estate, and that is a fine motive for me, and that once that opportunity looked to dry up, he moved on. We know he wasn't forced out. But part of me mourns this passing anyway.

Yes, I realize that this is probably ridiculous nonsense, a sort of failed utopian vision of racial harmony, or perhaps the illusions thereof. And yes, I recognize that Mr. Chang, not to put too fine a point on it, is not exactly lily-white and that the Asian American community in D.C. is a vital constituency. So what am I missing then? I don't know, but I feel that something has passed on.

Still, to Mr. Chang, I congratulate you on your rise to majority ownership. You are a fan of the team, a man willing to dedicate your heart, your mind, and your hair to this club's success. Get us a stadium, and I could ask no more of you as an ideal owner. Good luck sir.

Only Impressions -- D.C. United 5 : 3 New York Red Bulls

2009-05-20T22:55:00.004-04:00

There will be no debrief, as this game isn't even a U.S. Open Cup match. It's a play-in, and frankly that's crap. I want games against the Islanders (of Pennsylvania), against the Battery, against some team called Ajax that's from Baltimore. That's the U.S. Open Cup I love. This play-in system against MLS teams that I see twice on other occasions just doesn't move me. So no debrief, as a note of protest.

That said, if you did make it out to RFK, it was a lovely night for a game. The weather was perfect, and the game was bizarrely fascinating. I suppose I'm supposed to say something about how even with the 4-nil lead, I was nervous, but it ain't true. Even when New York pulled within two, I wasn't particularly worried (had they managed to get it within one, I might have been frustrated.) But it was a fun game to watch. It opened with N'Silu and Khumalo putting on a clinic, a series of runs and passes that carved the defense. It featured Fred's most amazing miss of the year, if not this century. After Pontius brilliantly breaks through the back line and received a well weighted ball, he draws out Cepero with amazing patience, and sent the ball square to Fred, who managed with all the space and time in the world to put it over the bar from within the six yard box. If a miss could be a thing of glory, it was that miss. It was epic. Soaring. Pontius promptly gets one in the net on a corner kick (!), Boyzz drops in the goal, Barklage converts on a play entirely set up by N'Silu's doggedness on the left side, and Fred then manages to dribble one into the goal (!!). It was a lovely display of goals you may never see D.C. United score again this season. The only thing missing was Brandon Prideaux being signed at half-time to put one in the net as a second half sub.

And yes, the team was sloppy, and yes, New York got as close as two goals. But if there was a match with a pseudo-exhibition feel that makes you glad to watch it, it was this kind of a match.

So how did they look? N'Silu was strong until he ran himself out. Boyzzz seemed engaged and smart the entire time. Brandon Barklage quietly put together a wonderful game, especially taking the ball away and then beating Jorge Rojas on two occasions. Chris Pontius would easily have had man of the match status if I were to award such a thing for his strong work in midfield, well timed runs, and his two goals which were well deserved.

Problems? Sure. Avery John was exposed at left back on more than one occasion and had to be bailed out by Janicki or Namoff (including one Namoff snap header on a dangerous close cross.) Janicki himself got beat, only to recover well. Wicks was not at fault for the three goals, but was caught out of position on some set plays and high crosses. Center Official Mark Kadlecik apparently left his cards in his other pants and seemed powerless to stop the game from getting chippy at the end. Marc Burch did not look comfortable as a second half sub. And while we used all four substitutions, for which Soehn deserves credit, we did let Chris Pontius and Bryan Namoff, who could both use a little more rest, run more than 60 minutes.

Still, all in all, a fun, enjoyable night out. Could they have made this a little more meaningful? Yeah, it should have counted for the Atlantic Cup. OK, you're right, that would have changed nothing. But man, I enjoyed it.

Now let's see if after running out Gomez, Pontius, Namoff, and Fred for a half or more, if they have enough against RSL.

Crabcakes and Football

2009-05-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Or, Rodney Wallace May be a Dick, and That's Okay

I'm going to be terribly unfair to Rodney Wallace and take one comment from the Patrick Stevens profile in the Washington Times completely out of context:

Wallace lived in Costa Rica until age 9, when work brought his parents to the D.C. area. But he was already instilled with a disdain for losing, even in loosely organized games when there was little on the line.

Now, there's a difference between "Wanting to win" and "disdain for losing." Wanting to win is that healthy competitive nature I can handle, but playing, even at, say age 11 with someone who hated losing always kind of sucked. They'd whine about sides, berate their teammates, call phantom fouls. Maybe it's just the people I played with growing up in Maryland, and perhaps Rodney isn't that way at all, but it does touch on something I've been thinking about.

There's a sort of public persona that many soccer stars, especially rookies, adopt, and trot out for any half-time "talk to a player" segment. It's that sort of quiet, one-game-at-a-time, we need to play tighter, the team out here is real good sort of thing. As if they were all Nuke LaLoosh reading a teleprompter programmed by Crash Davis. As you get more time in the league, you are allowed to develop your own personality that deviates from this standard template. Ben Olsen, for example. But plenty of players stick to the basics. It's safe.

Which brings me to this -- if you were to learn, or see, another player in public acting like a complete prick, would it really bother you? I don't know. If it was a manager, or a front-office type, or a captain of the team, it probably would. Those are probably the only people for whom Character with all that the capital C implies matters. But if Rodney Wallace was someone who hated to lose so much that he would only play Scrabble with the official dictionary next to him so he could challenge "INALIENABLE" when you played it on the double word score, then I don't think I mind. As long as it doesn't affect the team, do I care if someone is overly competitive, or full of themselves, or whatever? Probably not. In fact, to be a professional player, I imagine you would have to have a ton of self confidence, you would have to be someone who others go "Damn, that guy is full of himself" after you meet him. And so the template interview personality is created to counteract a situation that probably appeals to a lot of Type A people.

Debriefing for Match 14.10: At C.D. Chivas USA

2009-05-18T17:30:00.001-04:00

C.D. Chivas USA 2 : 2 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

"Way to avoid losing!" Now win.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "United staged another stirring comeback Saturday night, scoring twice in the final 13 minutes to earn a 2-2 tie with Chivas USA and extend its unbeaten streak in league play to six. "
Goal.Com, Zac Lee Rig: "A goal and an assist from Santino Quaranta leveled the game at 2-2 after Chivas USA took a first half lead and looked to have all three points wrapped up."
LAist, Angel Magana: "Galindo broke in on the United goal after a missed offside call and easily beat D.C. 'keeper Louis Crayton to give the L.A. side the lead at the 25th minute. "
DailyBreeze.Com, Phil Ball: "In the 43rd minute, after Crayton had knocked away two crossing passes - including one off Braun's head - Harris sent in a cross from the left. Lillingston, charging in, beat defender Marc Burch to the ball and headed it in before Crayton could reposition himself, making it 2-0. "
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "United subbed in midfielder Fred to start the second half and right away the team started to press the issue. United was unable to take advantage of their new found confidence as Chivas USA’s defense held firm. Christian Gomez was the next sub to come in and he too injected a bit of life into United only to see Jaime Moreno’s semi-breakaway fall away easily when he decided to try and lay off to Emilio instead of taking the better option of going straight in on Thornton."
MLSNet, Luis Bueno: "Quaranta and Emilio combined on D.C.'s first goal as Emilio re-directed a shot from Quaranta off the left post and across the goal line. Quaranta took care of the second goal himself as he fired a shot from nearly an identical angle."
MLSNet, Jeffrey King: "'Once again, we showed the character that we've shown all year,' said United head coach Tom Soehn. 'No matter what happens, we're going to fight through adversity. Sometimes the adversity is the officiating, sometimes it's the opponent. You have to fight through it and today we did a great job of doing that.'"
DCUMD, Shatz: "The more I watch Dejan Jakovic, the more he looks like a top level MLS center back. Yet we give up two or more goals in virtually every match. It sure feels like our back line is better than what we had last year, but that isn't showing in our goal's against column."
Fullback Files, Fullback: "...questions will have to be asked of Soehn about starting Olsen. Maybe if Jacobson was fully fit, he would have started regardless, but you just hope Benny didn't set himself back a couple of weeks by trying to go for this match."
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "Stirring comebacks are going to end eventually. I'd like United win 0-2 on the road for a change, win 2-0 at home for a change. Stirring comebacks give a team confidence, give ruby fans like me enthusiasm, but needing a string of stirring comebacks is as bad a sign as good, yes? "

The Good

Going for it all the way: If, in the past, I have written in anguish about Tom Soehn packing it in, especially on the road, I must take it back here. United did come out to play this match, perhaps knowing that Chivas was too good not to score at some point, and knowing that it would be damned difficult to come from behind. That United managed to come from behind anyways is, at least, partially a product of attacking early. This team knew what was working in attack, and pressed it harder the second half.
Santino Quaranta: A goal and an assist is a good evening, but the nature of both were excellent. The cross in to Emilio was a classic dangerous ball even had Chivas been able to get a foot on it. The goal, which despite Gomez's protestations I'm pretty sure was Tino's alone, was excellently placed. Tino's season seems to get better as time goes on.
Dejan Jakovic: Really, he was placed in intense pressure, and held up. It is very conforting to see. I want to see more of Janicki, but I also realize that Dejan was won the role he has now, and you just can't sit him down.
Fred: It could have been coincidental that his substitution for Pontius (who had a decent, but not stellar match) led to start of United turning the heat back up. It could have been, but Fred was doing quite a bit of good posession and short passing work. He was holding balls exactly where Pontius was having trouble, and for that alone he deserves a rare call out this season on the good side.

The Bad

Louis Crayton, You're Not Getting that Call: Mark Geiger was more than willing to let incidental contact go from the first whistle. So even after legitimately taking an elbow in the box that should have been ruled a foul, you need to get back up again. Which Louis did, but only after flopping for a good four seconds, a four seconds he needed back.
The Ben Olsen Start, and the Ben Olsen Injury: Bootsy from the comments: "Put simply, even if Klestjan was playing, even if playing w/o Olsen meant we had only a 1% chance of coming away with any kind of a result, you *still don't play him*. Getting a result in this match was never so important that it was worth sacrificing Olsen for a month or more -- something eminently predictable from past history." This is not even old history, this is last season. United had a dependence on old players at pretty much every position. And the injuries and missed games killed United. If anything, this entire season has been somewhat of a reaction to last season, and rightfully so. To miss that for this game is utterly ridiculous. And, what's more, this comes after the Clyde Simms substitution debacle from earlier in the year. At this point, it's hard to see how this doesn't become a running trend.
Christian Gomez: Just as I wrote above how it wasn't coincidental how Fred improved United, I think it is something coincidental for Gomez. He didn't seem to provide anything that hadn't previously been on the field. Yes, you see the substitution, and yes, the minute marker for the sub is before the two goals, but I don't see any causation there.

Officiating Watch

So, we know the AR missed the call that led to the first Chivas goal. And Mark Geiger didn't call Crayton getting fouled in the box. So I should be livid, but I am not. Geiger's call was completely consistent with the rest of his match officiating, so his own performance would rate a "3 - Average" I'm knocking it down one point based entirely on the AR performance.

Likert Scale Grade: 2 - Below Average

Karma Bank

According to my unpublished notes, United burned one karma in Toronto when the hand ball against Wynne was called. Not that it wasn't the right call, but it is a call that United was still fortunate to receive. Now, United could have lost this match, or won it, so the karma is pretty much free to go in any direction. But given how the first goal of the game so clearly shook things up, it's hard for me to say that it doesn't merit the full change from a 1 point draw to a three point win, so I'm going to say that Karma bit us for two points in this match. With a 2 point defecit, we have paid back the previous fortune received. +2 for the game, EVEN for the season.

Man of the Match

You want me to pick to Tino. I do too, but ultimately I'm not awarding a MOTM for this game. Yes, Tino had moments, but the defense also did well in conceding only one legitimate goal. The comeback was spurred throughout the field, so I will instead award Merit to Tino, Jakovic, Fred, and Tom Soehn for the style of play and second half moves. Notes of Censure to Crayton, Burch, Namoff, and Soehn, for the move of starting Ben Olsen in a bad position.

Final Thoughts

What does depth for this team truly mean? There was a long discussion at the Untied Mania podcast on whether Tom Soehn knows what his Best XI are. In my mind, he should purposefully never think that way until August. Injuries, suspensions... something will change it, and if you get set on a best XI you may not have the mental flexability necessary to adjust to adversity. Instead, keep the rotation on, keep the roster moving. It may alienate someone at some point, but the wheel turns all the time. By the playoffs you can have the luxury of determining of the best XI, but not now.

Further, while United has depth in terms of numbers, I'm not sure that equals depth in terms of talent. We have a lot of players that are viable starters, but not a lot of players that you can consider prime players at any position. Moreno has had both good and bad games, Emilio may be less streaky than in years past but can also be taken out of a game, our midfield, much as I love Benny, does not strike me as fantastic, our backline is acceptable at best, people are worried about the keeper situation, and our rookies are fine, but not worldbeaters. We have depth in terms of players that are average to good, but no one I would say is in the top 5% of MLS players right now. We may see more players at positions because no United player is truly dominant at any position, to the point of being an everyday starter. I think that's important to remember. It isn't, to may way of thinking right now, a bad thing at all. But we see competition, in part, because our best is not as clearly better as other teams, either within the squad or in comparison to those teams.

As for resiliency, well, if nothing else I will take it. Keep the ridiculous stat going:
UNITED HAS YET TO LOSE WHEN CONCEDING THE FIRST GOAL

First Impressions -- Chivas USA 2 : 2 D.C. United

2009-05-17T01:42:00.003-04:00

This is officially ridiculous. United down two goals with 15 minutes remaining, and for the first time this season I actually am thinking "Yeah, but they've come back before from this." Which, if one believes in tempting fate and what not, is exactly when United shouldn't come back. Except, of course, Emilio flips one to the far post, then Tino screams one in from long distance, and United come out of L.A. with a point. And United is the first team to hang a crooked number on Chivas all season.

What's more, of any match this season, this was the match for United to pack it in and throw the pity party. Chivas's first goal was offside. Close? Sure, but we pay linesman to get the call right when it is close, not to screw it up. Then, United has a second goal when Mark Geiger does not call what should have been a clear elbow to Louis Crayton. Two goals that could be put on the officials (the first clearly, the second debatable). Isn't that when you just throw in the towel? Last year, I would have watched the second half in stony faced depression, knowing that we were screwed and there was nothing to be done. Yet this United team fights it all the way back to square. Amazing.

I don't think this can continue all season. Really, I don't. But it's there when we need it, and that's enough.

Now, a word on the officiating. There's a theory that on officiating that "all I ask is that the referee is consistent." Consider this an acid test, as Mark Geiger was fantastically consistent, and very, very loose. To me, it was an acceptable officiating job over all. But is that the right standard? Not sure.

We now have another U.S. Open Cup match, and the match I consider the key to this month against RSL. It is a team that is worth watching all the way through, for every minute. Make sure you pad those TiVo times by 30 minutes... just in case.

Pontius's goal

2009-05-10T22:46:00.007-04:00

I can't stop watching this goal (starting at 2:05). Not only is it a quality cross from Wallace, but Jaime's dummy is almost diabolical in its simplicity! It is absolute magic from 99 to let that ball go through and how that isn't an assist requires a rewriting of the rules. The main thing that I can't get over is how slowly the ball is moving when Jaime lets it go through. How could Jaime have possibly have imagined that someone, anyone, would be in position to better strike the ball than he was in. I can't get over it.

OK, so, great goal, right? And this is our man Pontius, who could have easily skyed it over the bar, like he did in past weeks. But he didn't; the way he opened his foot and buried the shot was quality. That is why I love the goal so much.

Consider this an open thread for comments.

First Impressions -- Kansas City Wizards 1 : 1 D.C. United

2009-05-06T23:31:00.000-04:00

It's funny. When you don't have wins, draws don't feel particularly good, but if you win two in a row, a draw feels okay. To me, at least. It's not that I am particularly overwhelmed by United's performance, but there was good in it. And if you're offering me a draw, on the road, on short rest, without Ben Olsen and starting left back Marc Burch, well, I'll take it. Tom Soehn threw out a starting XI that bought rest for several players, including a second half only showing for Emilio, and that team was still respectable.

My general rule this year is that if the defense surrenders one goal (or less) than I am happy with the job they did, and so it is here. While Kansas City did look dangerous, and had some nice moves on the counter, their goal was on a deep turnover by Rodney Wallace and then a nice tip by Josh Wolff. And Kansas City did manufacture some chances, but not an overwhelming number. Louis Crayton made the saves he needed to make, and on a few he was careful not to spill the ball. Greg Janicki had a very strong game in his first start since he and Devon McTavish attempted a hair and skull transplant. Avery John was capable in his first minutes, but I will say that we missed Marc Burch on some set pieces later in the match.

If there is a complaint, it has to be with the offense. After Rodney Wallace and Moreno combined to bust down the middle of the Kansas City defense, our attack was well kept in check for most of the night. Part of this must be attributed to some strong work by the Kansas City midfield and backline, but part of it just seemed that United couldn't find the right way to manufacture the chance once position was gained.

Still, all-in-all, I will take this result. A 1-1 draw, and while United grew cautious (and indulged in a great deal of time wasting at the end), they never forgot that they could still attack. Good.

I'm leaning towards awarding a Man of the Match to Janicki, Certificates of Merit to Jacobson (who had a decent start for Ben Olsen), Quaranta (who was displaying wonderful vision for the first 60 minutes), Avery John (who at least proved that #5 on the depth chart isn't a gaping maw, and that would be a wonderful thing for this team), and Louis Crayton (he did his job right).

Priority

2009-05-06T09:50:00.002-04:00

I understand, I really do. Like many folks from these areas, I rooted for the Caps before United existed, and since I've been alive and aware of my fandom, the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team that quickly became associated with playoff angst and agony. So it would appear that tonight, with Penguins v. Caps on the "VS" network and Wizards v. United on CSN, that there might be some form of conflict. "What should I be watching?"

Folks, there's no conflict. Tonight, you watch United. If you can, you flip over to the Caps games at halftime, or tape it on TiVo, or whatever, but tonight is a United night. It's that simple. This is our second match on CSN, and if we want away games to get televised, you need to do your part (especially if you're a Nielsen family). Watch tonight's game, catch the Caps later. It's not even an elimination game, and Alex Ovechkin timely supplied his highlight hattrick for Game 2. No, tonight is a United night.

Saturday? There may not even be a game Saturday, but we can talk about dispensation for Saturday later.

Debriefing for Match 14.07: F.C. Dallas

2009-05-04T11:39:00.002-04:00

D.C. United 2 : 1 F.C. Dallas

Six Word Novel Recap

Ponce de Leon should check Bolivia.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Dallas Morning News, Frank Servalli: "Despite being outshot, outmuscled and outplayed, FC Dallas somehow managed to escape the first half Saturday night against D.C. United with a 1-0 lead.Rather than take advantage, FCD (1-5-1) coughed up the lead in the first minute of the second half and allowed another goal 10 minutes later and fell, 2-1, at RFK Stadium."
The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "[Moreno's] goals 10 minutes apart and all-around brilliance helped United (3-1-3) overcome a halftime deficit and validate a mostly dominant performance by the home club in front of 14,225 spectators. "
The Washington Times, Patrick Stevens: "It was Moreno's first multigoal game since April 26, 2008, against Real Salt Lake, and came on a night he was honored for becoming the first player in MLS history with 100 goals and 100 assists."
DCist, Aaron Morrissey: "Moreno was far from the team's only contributor on the evening. Add Milos Kocik to the long list of rookies who have played a vital part in the opening salvo to D.C. United's 2009 season. The 23-year-old Serbian-born keeper -- who recorded 29 shutouts in his last two seasons at Loyola (MD), and had an undefeated record in 2008 -- made several key efforts in the last fifteen minutes to preserve the victory, his second over Dallas in two weeks."
Washington Examiner, Craig Stouffer: "Moreno... put in a vintage performance even before he settled Bryan Namoff’s long ball at the top of the box, beating Dallas goalkeeper Ray Burse with a left-footed shot to tie the score, 1-1, in the 56th minute. Ten minutes later Christian Gómez, who came on as a substitute immediately after D.C.’s first goal, put Moreno through once more. This time MLS’ all-time leading scorer executed a deft chip over the onrushing Burse for the game-winner and his 124th career goal."
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "United continued to pour on the pressure and almost scored the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute. Luciano Emilio was sent through all alone on Burse. The Brazilian pushed the ball to the right of Burse in an attempt to round the keeper but his touch was too strong. Emilio got to the ball before it rolled over the endline and managed to get a good shot at goal but it too was blocked off the goal line.
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "United's 2009 squad seems to grow in confidence and fluidity with every passing week and against Dallas the Black-and-Red controlled play from the opening whistle, carving out one scoring opportunity after another and eventually directing 11 shots on goal."
DCSportsBox, Abram Fox: "D.C. tried to get out to a quick start, attacking Dallas relentlessly in the first half. They notched 4 shots in the first 10 minutes of play, but connected on none. The trend continued for much of the half, with the ball remaining on Dallas’ side of the field much of the time. Despite the power of their attack, D.C. was unable to score on any of their 10 shots. In the 28th minute, a Dallas corner kick from Dave van den Bergh set up midfielder Andre Rocha to head the ball past D.C. keeper Milos Kocic, giving Dallas the 1-0 lead. They held the lead going into halftime."
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "'I'm not surprised; not surprised at all,' said McCarty about giving up the early second-half goals. 'It's pretty much the story of our season so far. I think we have gone into halftime tied or in the lead in most of our games and in the second half for whatever reason we come out flat. We don't bring the needed energy or desire to get the three points.'"
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I felt like I was watching blond #9 Jaime again..."
DCUMD, Shatz: "That wasn't quite as productive of a match as Chris Pontius is used to, but I just like the fact that we've got a guy who can fill in at central holding midfield when necessary, in addition to also playing on the wing, CAM, and withdrawn forward."
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Emilio, on the other hand, didn't exactly justify his DP dollars tonight. He had two golden opportunities, a one-on-one with Burse and a point-blank header. Neither of which were finished. And finishing is what we pay him the DP bucks for. Those are the goals we need to kill off games that the opposition has no right still being in as we come down the final stretch... The question becomes: if this is indeed the start of another frigid streak from Emilio, do we have the depth in attack this year to overcome it?"
3rd Degree, Jay Brownlee: "FC Dallas Head coach Schellas Hyndman would attempt to counter DC United’s 3-5-2 by playing David 'the Gnat' Ferreira deeper, effectively positioning Dallas into a 4-5-1, leaving Kenny Cooper alone up top. It didn’t work. Dallas was throttled in the midfield all match long as United kept possession and kept pouring on chances."
The FCD Blog, [FCD] Front Office: "[Hyndman] on goals coming early in the second half: 'I think the opposition is trying to play quicker balls through the center. They are trying to unbalance us with the diagonal balls. It doesn’t take a lot to figure out where are weaknesses are; I think right now we are not able to handle pressure real well.'"
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "Burch and Wallace are the side every team will attack until it's not the best option, every team will cross to the dot until United proves it can mark in the box, and good teams are going to score on United until the defense better communicates and coheres, but lordy, a 3-5-2 clicking on offense is a beautiful joy. Koton, Craycic, oy. I've read criticisms that United should have taken Stefan Frei instead of Rodney Wallace, and Wallace has so far justified his selection, but United has a keeper problem, yes?"

The Good

9/99/123/124/100+/100: Use whatever numbers you want, we simply must begin the good with Jaime Moreno. I am glad so many people also noticed that Moreno was involved in this match from the whistle, and playing to his strength. A 3-5-2 is easily victimized if a team can't hold that pivot point in midfield, and Moreno was essential to that mission early. There would have been no talk about United's dominance in the first half if he didn't play that role.
3: Any game where United's back line surrenders no goals in the run of play is a good one, and Burch, Jakovic, and Namoff played strong defense, complemented by some truly determined digging in by Ben Olsen (at one point winning a ball flat on his stomach) and Clyde Simms, who had a technically strong match. Namoff's assist on the long ball to Moreno was a nice addition, but it should not detract from the team defense.
Soehn v. Hyndeman: Let's not gloss over this fact - Tom Soehn outcoached Schellas Hyndeman in this match, regardless of any personnel issues. Dallas was maligned for playing a 4-5-1, but rightfully so, as United pretty much all service out of midfield to Kenny Cooper. Further, it is a difficult thing to go to the halftime talk after dominating a half but finding yourself behind. You know the opposing coach should try and change things around, but what do you tell your players to change? Instead, Soehn kept his powder dry and his subsitutions and sideline tactics were well played. He bunkered properly and at the right time, he used Gomez effectively, and the flow of attack was dictated by events on the field and not theory.
Rodney Wallace vs. Dave van den Bergh: Again, I was impressed by Rodney Wallace's defense on the wing, and he was even better when the shift to the 4-5-1 United employed at the end of the match occurred. I almost don't quite worry as much about Terry Cooke. Almost. Wallace and Burch still are, as BDR notes, the weak flank for this team, but there are signs of improvement, no?
Resiliency: Commenter Jeremy in the first impressions: "When was the last time that you felt confident that United would come back from a deficit?" To be honest, I still don't. Really, I thought we would lose this match at 1-0, or give up another counter goal. I find my own lack of faith... disturbing.
Beat the Bad Teams: Commenter RKE: "A caveat: Dallas really sucks." True. The thing is, I wasn't sure that United was much better than a mediocre team at the start of this season, and losing to a team that sucks seemed, well, something I should expect. I'm still getting used to the idea that United might, might, be good.

The Bad

Rodney Wallace on the Corner Kick: With Wallace's speed, either he has to beat Rocha to the spot where Rocha notched the first goal of the game, or at least be goal side. I wasn't thrilled by Kocic's positioning on that goal, but even if he was where I thought he should be, that ball still finds the net. That being said, does anyone think Fred defends that better?
Chris Pontius: DCUMD has a nice category of "The Rail" for games like this, where you want to talk about things that aren't quite right, but aren't truly bad. So this is a misnomer, it wasn't truly bad, but it wasn't strong. I am concerned about our willingness to throw a rookie into so many positions. I worry that he won't acquire the comfort with any position should he encounter difficulty, and that will make things difficult down the road.
Milos Kocic: Very nervy start. While I appreciate his ability to punch each ball, I think a friend of mine had the right observation. If you are upset because Kenny Cooper bumped you, then you weren't making him pay enough. Wreck some havoc when you get off your line. Kenny bumped you? He'll stop when you go through him and make him pay a price.

Officiating Watch

Center ref Ricardo Salazar seemed to be playing a "no foul or a card" type of match early on, a style of officiating I am not particularly enamored with. That being said, he blew the whistle more frequently when things started to boil over, and that seemed right to me. The ARs were on top of the match.

Likert Scale Grade: 3 - Average

Karma Bank

So a win means only a potential karma burn, and I don't see much in that respect. If anything, we would have been owed karma with a lesser result, so no change for the game, and we're still in debt at -1 for the season.

Man of the Match

Jaime Moreno. You don't need me to explain this.

Certificate of Merit to Marc Burch, Bryan Namoff, and Dejan Jakovic. Grunthos has this exactly right: "Let me give a shout-out to the defense, which played well as a unit for the first time in 18 months or more."

Honorary Certificate of Merit to Simeon Varlamov.

Final Thoughts

I'm not ready to start buying post-season game plans yet, but I am starting to believe this team could be a better team than I thought. The Eastern Conference, even without an expansion franchise, does appear to be the weaker conference, which is both good and bad. It means we may have to face easier competition more times, but it also would not surprise me if the East sent fewer teams to the playoffs.

All of this makes May a very interesting month. After the Kansas City and Toronto matches, United gets a strong RSL team at home and plays the current alpha dog away. Those will be very interesting matches to watch. I'm not even assuming strong results in the first two. But if United does manage, let's say, 4 points from Kansas City and Toronto, I'm not sure it will tell us much more about where we think this team is.

So with all this in mind, we're agreed that the U.S. Open Cup match against Red Bull should again be allocated to the reserves, right?

First Impressions -- D.C. United 2 : 1 F.C. Dallas

2009-05-02T21:46:00.002-04:00

In the realm of statistics that ultimately mean nothing, but are none-the-less fun to write, I give you this: D.C. United has not lost a match in which they have conceded the first goal. Again, there is a difference between consistency and resiliency, but D.C. United have the second trait fully demonstrated in the early matches.

The major storyline from this match has to be Jaime Moreno's two goals. That was impressive. Even more impressive was the fact that this wasn't a case where Moreno was quiet for most of the match, and suddenly snuck free for his two goals. Instead, Jaime had been active the entire match. With no Gomez in the starting lineup, Moreno was very effective coming back to midfield and distributing the ball. United's attack looked potent. Quaranta, Pontius, and Moreno all put balls low and hard and just beyond the far post in the first half. United's possession was purposeful and intense, but ultimately unrewarded when Dallas took the early lead. Still, it was clear that United's midfield had Dallas flummoxed for the most part, and the two goals in the second half were both beautifully executed by Moreno and exquisitely set up by Namoff and Gomez respectively.

Tom Soehn did look to lock down the match, but unlike previous matches where it seemed a switch was flipped to "bunker," this match featured a more gradual transition starting around the 70th minute. It began with Wallace sliding back, then the substitution of Jacobson And as a result, it seemed more effective and easier for United to accommodate. Furthermore, it was clear that United's defense was starting to lose its shape and confidence as the half wore on, and the injection of defensive support was called for. This is the right way to try and lock down a win.

The start of Milos Kocic was a surprise, and he did seem a bit nervy in the first half. However, while he never dominated his box with full control, he does earn points with me for getting to all of his punches.

My first impression is that this was the best match that Jaime Moreno has had all season, even without the goals, and the best coached match Tom Soehn may have ever put forward. We will look at some of the bad in the debrief, but I am overall pleased with pretty much every facet of this match. Man of the match is Moreno. Certificates of Merit to Marc Burch, Bryan Namoff, Santino Quaranta, and Christian Gomez. Or at least that's what I'm thinking as we approach debrief.

The Strange Perils of Collective Action

2009-05-01T10:01:00.003-04:00

Over at Match Fit USA, Jason posits an intriguing idea, but is it a good one?

"Keep United in DC" Day would work like this: fans attending matches all over MLS, in that aforementioned spirit of solidarity, would display signs or banners showing their support for the march efforts in DC. No matter if you're attending a match in Columbus, Chicago, or Houston, show your support for Barra Brava and all of the other United fans as they rally for their club. If it was your club being threatened, wouldn't you feel better knowing that fans around the league have your back?
...
Let's be clear: I realize that what people in other cities do will have no effect on DC and their stadium issues. Local politicians aren't really going to care if a few fans in Columbus wave around "Keep United in DC" signs.
But that's not the point. Attention needs to be paid to the United's plight, and the wider the message goes, the better. Don Garber has made statements indicating that the team could be moved, and while many people believe those statements were idle threats (for the time being), the fact remains that United supporters feel the need to rally in support of their club.

Now this tends to be the sort of independent minded call to action I normally would wholeheartedly endorse, but I do have misgivings. As Jason rightly notes, this action would not place any pressure on local leaders, but it might indicate a certain collective voice to MLS and DC ownership. Which is my concern. We've written before that the only real leverage either the league or United ownership has is team relocation. That's it. And so if this action has any positive outcome other than fostering fandom solidarity (which is a useful thing in and of itself), it will be to undercut the bargaining power of V-Mac, Will Chang, and Don Garber. In other words, there's a bit of a zero-sum game at work here. Any power taken away from the owners means that localities have an incentive to be more intransigent, to dare to call a perceived bluff. And I, for one, think that bluff would eventually get called. Maybe not this year, or next, but within five years? Certainly. So the threat of relocation must be real, and perceived as real, a process that Garber just began.

Given that a long term viability plan for United must involve a stadium, we now have a strange paradox: The only way to ensure United's survival is to threaten United's survival.

QUICK UPDATE: This logic, applied the same way, explains why I do support the May 9 rally to keep United in DC. In this case, the pressure would be applied at least to both the ownership and local political power, in a way that a collective league wide action might not.

April 2009 D.C. United Debrief

2009-04-29T16:00:00.000-04:00

March 2009: 0-0-2 (2pts, 1p/g, 3GF, 3GA, 0GD, 1.5 gf/g, 1.5ga/g)
April 2009: 2-1-1 (7pts, 1.75p/g, 6GF, 5GA, +1GD, 1.5 gf/g, 1.25ga/g)

We're going to chunk every month of the MLS Season, to see what, if any, insight we can derive from examining a series of games rather than focusing on an individual game. So let's begin...

What Have We Learned?

United has more talent than I thought they did. I will admit that I expected almost nothing from our draft, so the positive contributions of 2009 draft picks Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace combined with the work from N'Sulu (new signing), Jacobson (2008 draft pick), and Jakovic (new signing) have pleasently been a surprise. My feeling was a new three man back line would take significant time to work the kinks out. There have been kinks, but United has not been victimized for the 2 goals a game I though we would see. Add in the attacking contributions, and suddenly this team can at least give the illusion of depth.
United made a smart move in releasing Francis Doe for Avery John. It may not be a move that sees any minutes on the field, but United needed something for a backline that seemed very, very thin when Janicki and McTavish collided. I'm not saying Avery John is an average level MLS Defender. But I'd rather have a fungible defender than a fungible striker.
There is a difference between resilience and consistency. D.C. United is not yet a consistent team. There have been two matches where they put together more than 45 minutes of solid play (New England and New York). But those are the same two matches where they demonstrated resiliency, coming from behind to salvage points.

The Month Was Good To...

Luciano Emilio (3G): It used to be we could tell how Emilio was playing by watching him execute a turn and shoot at the top of the box. Low rocket? Things look good. Weak dribbler? Hoo-boy. That may not be the case for two reasons. His goals are opportunistic, but smart goals. He pursues Boswell in Houston, he positions himself smartly in Salt Lake, and he makes a well timed run in New York. Those goals don't require an Emilio that's feeling the luck, but an Emilio that's smart and involved in the game. Add to that the best forward pressure I've ever seen him exert, and he had a tremendous season. Commenter Rob proposed that Emilio is the most improved player on the team, and I think he has a point. He's more involved, and may have found a way to be involved that doesn't rely on the streaky Emilio.
Rodney Wallace (1G, 0A, 4GS, 343 mins): His first MLS goal helps keep him out of the "When will Rodney Score" type debates. He shows himself to be dangerous enough to attract criticism when he is moved out of a midfield role and into the back line, a role he has taken willingly. His midfield defense needs a little work, as it is more hack than position right now, but I will accept that. His backline defense needs a lot of work. But a rookie has proven himself this month that he has something to offer.
Chris Pontius (1G, 2A, 4GS, 360 mins): In March, Chris looked good for the team as a forward. In April, he has demonstrated versatility far beyond any expectations. I still don't like him as a playmaker in the middle, but he has not been an embarassment there. After some atrocius shooting in New England, he recovered with his 1 goal, 1 assist game in New York that fully redeemed those missed shots.
Dejan Jakovic and Bryan Namoff (combined: 0 cautions in April): Dejan is learning the ropes, more and more each day, and at least has made a three back setup seem plausible. What's more amazing is both players took cautions in March, neither has one in April. Consider that Rodney Wallace, Ben Olsen, and Marc Burch both have 2 cautions at this point. This isn't an imtimidating defense, but the ability for both players to learn to cover one another has meant few opportunities for them to find themselves in positions where they have to make a cynical foul.

The Month Was Unkind To...

Jaime Moreno (0G, 1A, 2GP, 96 mins, 1E): Moreno played only 27% of the available minutes in April. The worrisome thing is that both Santino Quaranta, Chris Pontius, and Ange N'Sulu have shown the ability to push for Moreno's spot accompanying Emilio. I do want to credit his effort against New England after he could not sub out, but in a dream world you'd want more production from Moreno.
Louis Crayton (2-1-1, 5GA, 78.3% save percentage): I should note that MLSNet believes Crayton has a 72% save percentage in the same period, but it doesn't seem to equal the game by game totals which I am using. Anyways, the save percentage would seem to be fairly decent for an MLS keeper, and it is. The concern right now isn't the save percentage as Crayton has only allowed perhaps one bad goal. The concern is the control of the box, where Louis has shown an inability to get to a few crosses in more than one match.
Fred (0G, 1A, 193mins): The emergence of Wallace and Pontius and Fred's rehab have meant he did not play a full 90 minute game for United yet. What's more shocking to me is that United has shown a preference to place Pontius in the center attacking role instead of Fred. I am not a Fred hater, and I do want him to get into a consistent role with the team, but it is not happening for him so far.
Clyde Simms: Still thinking about that "fouls=good defense" line we occasionally see floated, it is interesting that Rodney Wallace has exactly twice as many fouls and cautions and Clyde. Add to that a game where he gets called out by his coach, and it has not been his best month in black. I think he can recover, and I'm hoping that part of what we've seen was him being affected by his illness and the New York turf. The Red Bull game was especially difficult, as Olsen comes out, Jacobsen and Simms are both on yellows, so they are essentially forced to drop off in the midfield more than I'd like. I will predict that Clyde is back in form soon.

Emerging Questions...

With Janicki recovering, MacTavish available, and Avery John signed, is the three man line of Namoff-Janikov-Burch a constant? I would think that this is not a first team set-up yet.
At some point, Rodney Wallace and/or Chris Pontius are going to have games that show they are still rookies. I'm not talking about missing a few sitters over the bar, I mean games where they are mostly invisible, and then noticed and cause despair. How will Tom Soehn react?
How many minutes does Jaime Moreno see in May? Fred?

May Briefing...

May has the most matches in a month yet, with the fixture congestion front loaded.

Scheduled:
5/2 FC Dallas
5/6 At Kansas City Wizards
5/9 Toronto FC
5/16 At Chivas USA
5/23 Real Salt Lake
5/30 At New England

Key Match:
May 23's Real Salt Lake is the game that I think deserves a significant attention. Given a tough road match the week before against Chivas, and a return trip to a probably more healthy New England side a week later, this is a team DC has been known to struggle against no matter what the location is. The worry here is that United could end up with 0 points in the last three games of May, and that would certainly be worrisome.

Expectations Guide (30 possible points):

Expecting United to improve on the April 1.75 p/g rate strikes me as ambitious, so let's say that anything of 12 points or more is a success. I reasonably think 10-11 points is decent, 9 points would not be a disaster, but the fear would that end of the schedule providing nothing for us, and United managing perhaps only 5 points from this month.

Quote from the Art of War...

Selected at Random:
(2-14) "while government expenses for broken chariots, worn-out horses, breast-plates and helmets, bows and arrows, spears and shields, protective mantles, draught-oxen and heavy wagons, will amount to four-tenths of its total revenue."

Draught-oxen?

Announcing Our adidas Contest Winners

2009-04-29T11:39:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to Brendan and Josh who won have been adjudged the winners of our adidas contest. Brendan will getting a nice D.C. United long sleeve t-shirt, and Josh will be getting a D.C. United jersey.

Now, it is easy enough for me to give away other people's stuff, which is basically what we have done here. So let me also throw in something to all of the people who submitted an entry that I reproduced in our Finalists post, you have earned publication of a six word novel or special guest post at the DCenters in the future, plus a free beer or non-alcoholic beverage of choice if you manage to catch me at the stadium. To redeem your posting rights, simply send me a six word novel or guest post (not more than 500 words please) at any point this season from the same email address you sent, and I'll put it up with the usual editing caveats (which, although I always express them, I don't think I've ever used.)

My thanks and congratulations to all who participated, and my thanks to adidas and their PR people for allowing us to do this.

And yes, I meant to this Monday, but logistics conspire, no? And, opportunity allowing, I would love to do something like this again someday.

Debriefing for Match 14.06: At New York Red Bulls

2009-04-27T11:06:00.003-04:00

New York Red Bulls 2 : 3 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Good day for DC in Nuyawk.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The New York Post, Brian Lewis: "The Red Bulls _ and the MetroStars before them _ have specialized in heartbreaking defeats in their history, but few have been as stunning or as maddening as today's collapse"
The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "A 90-degree afternoon on unforgiving artificial turf had taken its toll on mind, body and soul, and considering United's futility on the road the past year, a draw with the New York Red Bulls might have been sufficient...Pontius had just enough left to pounce on a loose ball and score from seven yards in the first minute of added time -- United's second goal in 1 minute 42 seconds -- to cap a stirring comeback and provide a 3-2 victory before 10,303 sun-scorched spectators. "
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "...when the game needed some drama, United stepped up and delivered a goal in the 21 minute. Bryan Namoff played a long ball up from the back, and Quaranta was able to beat the New York offside trap. After controlling the ball in the box, Quaranta sent a cross to the far post, and Wallace was able to slide in and finish the cross, for his first ever MLS goal, which gave United the 1-0 lead."
NY Daily News, Michael Lewis: " ...the Bulls rebounded behind second-half sub Jorge Rojas before an announced crowd of 10,303. Rojas set up both goals - Angel's header in the 68th minute and Dane Richards rebound conversion off a save of Angel's header in the 74th minute. 'Then the wheels came off,' Conway said. "
MLSNet, Dylan Butler: "In the 90th minute, Pontius switched fields, finding Quaranta, who played a sublime first-time volley across the goal where Luciano Emilio tapped home the equalizer...Less than two minutes later, D.C. struck for the winning goal, capitalizing on a defensive breakdown between Jon Conway and Alfredo Pacheco, who both froze as Thabiso (Boyzzz) Khumalo pounced on Marc Burch's long ball and attempted a shot. The ball found Pontius, who knocked it into the open net for the winner in the first of three minutes of second-half stoppage time."
MLSNet, Dylan Butler: "'I've got no words to describe this defeat,' Red Bulls midfielder Jorge Rojas said through a translator. 'We are professional soccer players. It can't be. We weren't smart to hold the ball, put the ball on the ground, kill the pace of the game, try to slow down.'"
Soccer By Ives, Ives Galarcep: "If there were a crisis prevention hot-line for New York Red Bulls fans (and let's face it, there should be one after 13 years of agony), the phones would be ringing off the hook after Sunday's embarrassing late-game meltdown. The Red Bulls were winning 2-1, in complete control, then they let up and D.C. United made them pay."
UnitedMania, Rafael Crisostomo: "Hasta allí todo era jorgorio y festejo de victoria adelantada en la escuadra newyorquina y lo peor sin mirar que los minutos no se acababan. Craso error taurino, DC United habiá puesto mucho sudor en este reto y sin duda no iba a claudicar hasta el pitazo final.. DC United se fue arriba con todo el aliento que les quedaba y el resto es historia con sabor a hazaña capitalina. ¡Qué manera de voltear un partido en el aliento final! Dos goles sacados de quién sabe donde con esa alma de ganador que solo infunde el amor propio."
DCUMD, Shatz: "I would have started Pontius at forward and Quaranta at CAM, Tom Soehn did the opposite, and it seemed to work out perfectly. Two of his substitutes Barklage and Khumalo made a big impact. But we gave up two goals during the fifteen minutes that Soehn switched the team from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2. In that formation, with Burch at LCB and Wallace at LB, and without Olsen on the field anymore, DC was at its weakest."
The Offside: New York Red Bulls, Dave Martinez: "Let me tell you a story. It was hot out. Really, really hot. I was sitting 2nd row midfield the entire game. 89th minute hits and I say to myself, 'Dave, you have suffered enough. Why not retreat yourself to the shade by the exit door, take in the rest of the game from there, and mad dash to the car once the Bulls win it?' And a plan was hatched. No sooner that I get half way up the section, I here a collective groan from the '10,000' fans in attendance. Yup, that was Emilio juking Pacheco on the flank, and sinking one past Conway. Seconds later, when a cross finds space in the area, and ultimately, a home in the Red Bull net, I downed my water and head to the door. What more can be done at that point?This is one of the most painful losses the Bulls have endured in quite some time."
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Not a match for the purist. Follow the bouncing ball. So should we blame the basketball court surface? The 100+ degree temps on the field? Both? There was an awful lot of head tennis and long ball madness, though that much had to be expected. Any time either side attempted to get the ball down and play, they surface conspired against them. No wonder every goal came from balls over the top or crosses."
We Love DC, Tom Bridge: "What’s that, New York? Is that the sound of crying I hear? Perhaps gnashing of teeth for ruining your weekend? Excellent. Just what were going for."

And finally...

BLCKDGRD, BDR: "But Wallace on the left-wing is a revelation offensively - this is the widest United team since Josh Gros." [Um, is that damning with faint praise? Whatever, the thought is sincere, and true.]

The Good

Keep in Touch I: The concern, for me, was about the first ten matches of this season. With nearly 2/3 of that stretch done, United is still within 3 points of the top of the Eastern Conference. As a big picture view, that's closer than I expected them to be, and a reminder that draws are better than losses, and wins cover a lot of ground.
Keep in Touch II: Chris Pontius seems adept at managing to head a long ball, say, from a goal kick, forward in midfield onto an attacker like Emilio. I do not recall the last time United was actually able to execute this play with anything like consistency. It amazes me every time I see it, and it happened on at least three occasions. This is a small thing, but in a game that was dominated by what happened with long ball over the top distribution, a critical one.
Santino Quaranta: Since his return to DC, this was his most threatening match to date. He tried to set up Olsen, he set up Emilio and Wallace, and while his attempted lob of Conway in the first half ended up not particularly close, it was the right decision. His assist to Wallace was almost a reproach to Chris Pontius. Tino may have been shooting, but if so he made the right shot again by putting the ball low and to the far post, where Wallace or even Pontius could have a chance at it.
Those Who Have Legs, Used Them: The final goal, which was all about a very long run from Boyzzz, whose errant shot fortunately found a similarly long sprint from Chris Pontius, was exhausting to watch in the 92nd minute. That anyone on the team could even think about that sprint was something I haven't seen from, say, Jamil Walker in 2005. That Chris, as tired as he was, finished without putting the ball over the crossbar is a huge relief. Can you imagine the howl if he hand't. By finishing, he regains the status of co-golden boy rookie with Wallace.
Go to the Net: On the first two goals, we saw a lot of players making runs at the net. The first saw Wallace and Pontius both making runs (Wallace to the far post, Pontius as a late arrive coming to the spot). The second goal was more impressive. As Pontius switches fields, Emilio starts to make his move away to the net. Normally, I would expect to see United settle a ball like that, but Quaranta volleys the cross to Emilio, who started his run at the right time to nudge the ball by Conway. Easily the best team goal of the match, but also a surprise to see how well United was making those runs.
Rodney Wallace's Midfield Defense: It was hacktastic, but at the same time, it was tight. He should have had a yellow for persistent infringement by about the 20th minute (about the time he got the "No More" signal) but it was nice to see him playing his marker so tough. If he can improve the technique, I feel a lot more comfortable with him there in front of Marc Burch.

The Bad

Those Who Didn't Have Legs, Didn't: The heat was affecting a lot of players. Clyde Simms looked beat about 2/3 of the way into the match. Emilio was intensley exhausted (though he did fight through it). The back line also seemed to slow up.
Louis Clayton Off the Line: Grunthos wants to caution against too much Louis Clayton bashing, and he's right. But Anonymous later gets to what the concern is. Crayton's keeping was generally solid when it came time to make a save, but his control of the box was extremely suspect. He missed two crosses, once even making the correct decision to punch the ball out of the box but then missing by a good two feet. His save on Angel's free kick early in the game was not easy, and the decision to push the ball over the ball rather than risk a hard rebound was right. Still, there always seems to be at least one aspect of Crayton's game that's concerning in each match. His control is good, but his saves aren't. His saves are good, but the control is lacking. He's got both down, but his distribution is strange and he's wandering out 40 yards. All the aspects of a great game are there, but have yet to combine.
Moving up the Field: I wrote about this yesterday, and still feel the same way. United, when attempting to transition, frequently pushed the ball wide before attempting to move forward, rather than using a wide ball to open up a defense. I'm not sure if this was a tactical decision, to bypass midfield in some way, or a result of Pontius not being where Gomez normally would be, or what, but as a result with the ball on the flank in United's defensive half, the high pressure from New York was more effective as it constricted potential mobility and passing lanes.
Rodney Wallace's Defensive Defense: I'm not sure how this is a long term plan. While I understand wanting to make room for a Boyzz or a Barkledge, Wallace does not make me comfortable at left back, seeming to be indecisive on when to go at an attacker and when to simply contain him.

Officiating Watch

Aside from Wallace escaping yellow for persistent infringement, referee Steven DePiero's calling was mistifying. Again, I was not sure what a fould was, and to me the bias was in favor of New York on the majority questionable calls. However, he did let play continue when Ben Olsen stood his ground in the box like a Duke center looking for a charge (a play that ultimately ended with a United shot off the cross bar.) While I was happy with the result, it seems clear to me that while Olsen was clearly standing his ground, he made no effort to play the ball, and I've seen calls given for less. I think the right call was to play on. Still, that call in favor of United pales to the noncall on Emilio being pushed from behind in the box, which should have resulted in a penalty. Ultimately, I am left unsatisfied.

Likert Scale Grade: 2 - Below Average

Karma Bank

We have a neutral karma balance entering this match. And in a match that could have resulted in a loss, win, or draw for United, it seems like karma burn could be all over the place. However, United gets the win, which means there is no chance Untied earned any karma, so what do we do? United earned one point on the second goal, and that goal was a strong play all the way around, so no karma burn for going from 0 points to 1. So how about from 1 to 3 points? Well, the collapse of New York was fortunate, so that should be a burn of 2 points to get us to the win. But I'm going to say that United was previously owed one karma for the combination of the shot off the post in the first half combined with the outstanding hustle from Pontius and Boyzzz for the goal. In my mind, we burn 1 karma for this game, putting us at -1 for the season.

Man of the Match

Santino Quaranta was extremely dangerous. Two assists, two near goals, and a strong performance up top as a legitimate forward option. Certificate of Merit to Chris Pontius and (2 assists), Rodney Wallace (1 goal), and Bryan Namoff. Censure? Hmm... Clyde Simms is a bit worrisome and the yellow he took seemed unnecessary, Ben Olsen's Left Foot is not about to put anyone in trouble, Fred was provided opportunties but seemed unsure about what to do with them, and while people are talking about the how Barklage made an impact, I'm not sure I understand what it was. So no note of censure to Barklage, just if someone can tell me what he did as a sub that was so good, as I apparently missed it.

Special Certificate of Merit to Tom Poti.

Final Thoughts

There are games that you steal that you have no business winning. One of the thing I was trying to write in the first impressions was that this was not one of those games. New York never, at any point, had a consistent game going for them. This was a game of moments, not a game of cohesive narrative, and as a result New York was providing moments for DC. So while DC does steal this match, it is only because New York practically invited them to do so. I mean, you're in New York, right? Who goes around leaving the keys in the ignition of their Aston Martin DB9, with the door open, and loudly announces "Well, I'm off for a few hours, I know I can trust you fine fellows of the boroughs not to try anything. Toodles!" You know better New York. Or you should. I'm glad you didn't.

And let's see: National take down the Mets in a rout for the Nats first road win. Caps take down the Rangers in a must win game at MSG. And United gets its first road win against New York. This is not likely to happen again, so I am happy it happened at all.

First Impressions -- New York Red Bulls 2 : 3 D.C. United

2009-04-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

You're here? Quick, inside. Shut the door. Quick! Now down the stairs. Turn on the light. It's just us here, right? Did you bring it? Good, good. Let's see it then, open the bag.

Ahhhh, and it is ours now. What do you mean, what do we say to people? We'll say we earned it. If we all back each other up, no one will give us away.

Yes, I know it's stolen, but if we all agree to ourselves that it isn't stolen, then people will just assume we earned it. And, to some degree, we did. Theft takes work. It may not be the kind of work that others respect, but it is still work.

Tino, we needed your quick reflexes on the passes to gain entry to the area. Boyzzz and Rodney, we needed your speed to race through the guards. Luci, we needed your strength to break down the door. And Chris, we needed you at the last moment to unlock the safe and take the prize. Three points, stolen? Yes, but ours unless others catch wise...

Since it's just us United fans here, we can admit that this was a game that United stole, that through 89 minutes New York had certainly done enough to win the match, let alone draw it. But it was also a very sloppy game on both sides, and when a game is as sloppy as that one is it lends itself to moments. And these were moments where individual talent could, and did, play the critical role. If there is one thing to take from this match for me, it is that this United team, even without Moreno and Gomez, does have attacking talent that can win a match. And they did. That doesn't mean that the talent was successful for the entire match. Consider that of United's three goals, only one (the second) was the result of any sort of sustained possession. The rest were opportunistic play combined with players not surrendering on a moment. At the end, as Boyzzz Khumalo raced in on John Conway to feed the ball to Chris Pontius, there had to be a feeling that Chris was going to put the ball over the crossbar again. And yet he didn't, and United comes back with two goals in the final five minutes to rescue a match that they arguable deserved to get nothing from.

The point, though, is that New York and DC had a sloppy match the entire time. Part of this may have been the turf, which exaggerates the spin on the ball at contact as though Phil Mickelson were playing most shots. But part of it was the willingness of both team to play long passes that would occasionally be brilliant but far more often would fall to a defender stepping up at the right time. This game was made to provide the unpredictable chance, and United simply capitalized on two very late. To that extent, as much as New York felt cheated, they also contributed to a match that allowed this to happen.

Your man of the match, for me, is Santino Quaranta, who played two excellent balls on assists. We'll hit in the debrief about Chris Pontius's skill that isn't his shot, Rodney Wallace hacking people on the sidelines and what it may mean, and we'll have to analyze this match in terms of the flow on the field. To me, without Gomez in the middle, United relied far too heavily on the flanks at the midfield stripe, which constrained their forward options. We'll also talk about Louis Crayton, who did not look good, and discuss how we feel about, yes, Tom Soehn.

A strange match, one that requires me to sleep on it and think about some more. Drop off your comments as well, we'll hit things in debrief.

Debriefing for Match 14.05: New England Revolution

2009-04-21T16:05:00.000-04:00

New England Revolution 1 : 1 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Olsen's head(er) backs up his mouth.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "The statistics are there for all to see. D.C. United out shot the visitors 20-4, including 8 shots on goal to just 2 for the Revs. However, when you play Steve Nicol and his New England Revolution, statistics go out the window..."
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "D.C. United dominated the game against rivals New England Revolution statistically, as the home side out-shot the the Revs 20 - 4 on the night. But a Shalrie Joseph header in the 50th minute gave New England the lead and forced United to come from behind to earn a point in the 1-1 draw."
DCist, Aaron Morrissey: "United -- in a game that unluckily got away from them -- had the sweetest kind of tie there is."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "This should have been an easy United win. Its strong lineup faced a depleted New England team missing six potential starters. The home team outshot New England 20-4, but a loss of concentration just after halftime allowed the league's all-time assist leader, Steve Ralston, to set up Shalrie Joseph to head the Revolution into the lead. "
The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "...after squandering several opportunities and yielding an unforgivable goal early in the second half, United needed a late header by Ben Olsen to earn a 1-1 tie before 14,441 at RFK Stadium last night."
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgans: "The goal was the culmination of a second-half battle between Olsen and Thompson, one Olsen told reporters later he was happy to partake in. It boiled over briefly when the two stared toe-to-toe with only an official between them...Thompson also had a couple run-ins with United's favorite referee, Jair Marrufo, regarding fouls and/or cards that should have been called.' He’s a good kid...' Olsen said. 'I figure I’d try to start a fight with him to get things moving. It’s a heated game. He’s a competitor – there are no hard feelings.'"
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "'It's just one of those games where you can outshoot them 20-4 and they can come away with a win -- they've just got to put one ball away,' said United rookie Chris Pontius, a downcast figure after missing several scoring opportunities. 'They put the ball away first, which gave them a little bit of momentum, too. We didn't finish our chances, especially me.'"
MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: "'We have to do a better job of killing the game off,' Ralston said. 'There was one stretch where we kept the ball. Instead of trying to go, go, go, we brought it back out and passed it around. It was great, but then we didn't do it again.'"
DC Sports Box, Abram Fox: "That [New England Revolution] defensive-minded formation offered D.C. plenty of room in which to operate, and midfielders Christian Gomez and Rodney Wallace relished multiple opportunities to work the ball down the pitch as the Revolution defense collapsed in front of back-up goaltender Brad Knighton. For much of the first half D.C. was forced to take outside shots on Knighton, but nonetheless the Black-and-Red had several fantastic opportunities off the feet of Olsen, Gomez and Luciano Emilio among others."
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Tommy lays the blame on Simms for the double swap at halftime, claiming he wouldn't have made the Quaranta for Burch move if he knew Simms couldn't go in the second half. Fine, that gets you off the hook for not having a sub available when Jaime came up gimpy ... But that still begs the question: why Burch?...We'll never know."
DCUMD, Shatz: "This looked like Jaime Moreno's best match of the season. Even when playing the final 20 minutes with an injury, Moreno became the first player in league history to score 100 goals and 100 assists, and will probably be the only player to do that in the next 20 years."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I was glad to see that it was Thompson who Olsen beat to score the goal, and I was even happier to see that after Olsen and Thompson fell to the ground and slid out of bounds, Olsen got up and stood over a prone Thompson, delivering a verbal message even as Santino Quaranta tugged at him in celebration. Just desserts for Thompson, and the last laugh for Olsen. I don’t know who was elected as man of the match for United, but if it was anyone but Ben Olsen then there was an egregious error."
You Are My Minions, Landru: "Gesticulating wildly at the sideline with the 'sub me' motion, Moreno showed that he was so unaware of his surroundings that he didn't realize that he was on the field with three guys who weren't there when he started. Niiiice. There's a talent shortfall on this team, and I'm beginning to doubt the heart of an awful lot of players not named Benny. And I'm damn sure doubting the testes of any coaches named Tom..."
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "...maybe Gomez will round into form (instead of just being round), maybe that was his best game back, but what does that say? It's interesting that after his awful CKs last week he didn't take (m)any last night, certainly none early. And it can't be good that as soon as Soehn made the two half-time substitutes, we turned to each other in 232 and said, uh-oh, Gomez knows there's only one sub left - when does he pull up lame?"

The Good

United Plays, then Plays Some More: It is nice to have questions answered in the course of the game, and one question we had written about more than once in this blog was "What happens when United gives up the first goal?" While United certainly didn't play as well as their first half showed, they still did try to fight back and get the draw. And the result was a game that, as a whole, was the best of the season.
Come out Firing: Ben Olsen from distance twice. A score of shots fired in the direction of the net. United was trying to score. Possession, as is often noted, is a means to an end, and in this match United looked like a team using possession to find different ways to attack the Revolution. Without the shots from distance, does Rodney Wallace get behind the Revolution back line to nearly link up with Gomez? I wonder.
Jaime Moreno Soldiers On: Sub me? Please? What? No subs? Really? Aw... I have quoted Landru's complaint with Moreno above, and I can't disagree with anything he says, except that he stops at the 70th minute. Jaime did appear to be cramping up, and he did fight his way through it, which leads us to...
The Machivallian Tom Soehn: There is an interesting discussion over at UnitedMania's podcast about whether Moreno felt too entitled to "start when he wants, leave when he wants." Ed Morgans wrote a fantastic analysis of Tom Soehn's calling out players, and whether it is good or bad. BDR has repeatedly at his site and in our comments wondered about how the players react to Tom. Now, I am putting this in the good section, but it is not necessarily a good thing, just that if we wanted, we could ascribe a very cynical motivation to Tom. Given the subbing theories that we knew of, even if Tom Soehn only makes one sub at the half (pick Burch or Simms, it doesn't matter) then in essence he still felt comfortable not subbing at least one of the propspective fatigue candidates (Moreno, Gomez, Olsen). Earlier in the season we wondered if Tom Soehn would only sub for fatigue, as opposed to tactics. We can see that, at least in this match, Tom was willing to let at least one player (and ultimately two) go the distance whether they wanted to or not. Perhaps that sends a message -- be ready to play. Don't be comfortable with your spot. That is, perhaps, the best interpretation I can come up with.

The Bad

New England's Possession: Yes, you can argue that New England's B-Team can't be held to the same standard as the A-Team, but even with that caveat, the Revolution consistently made things easier for United by giving the ball away. Further, I would expect a B-Team to be somewhat scrappy in the way they tried to get the ball back, but this team consistently fell back in the midfield. Pressure can't start just outside of the box, it must start, even when bunkering, at just over the midfield stripe.
Chris Pontius: To his credit, he acknowledges that he was awful at finishing. That's all well and good. And to his credit, he was very good at finding ways to put himself in threatening positions. Also well and good. And I have applauded his willingness to shoot many times in the past. But Chris, if you're going to do all that work, you must put the shot on frame. If nothing else, you know how sniffy people get, and soon the rumors will start that people aren't passing to you because you can't finish. Do you want that? Yeah, me neither.
Crediting the Goal: It was an own goal. You and I both know it. Moreno shouldn't have his 100th assist, and we should remember the goal as coming from Ben's effort, but not one that he, as I understand how goals should be credited, should have the notch for.
Tom Soehn Calling Out Clyde Simms: He is right on the facts, but Tom Soehn's comments did strike me as something much better kept in the locker room. It wasn't that he revealed why he made the sub, which was fine, it was the editorializing on "Clyde needed to tell me earlier." It's true, but what benefit is there to talking to the media about that than just having a quiet word with Clyde? Do we have any indication that Clyde isn't mature enough to handle that conversaiton? Not that I know of. If you don't think that Clyde Simms will listen to you in this conversation, haven't you essentially admitted you lost the locker room? Probably not, I think it was, as Morgans indicates, a case of oversharing, but c'mon...

Officiating Watch

New England may feel more sinned against here than others, and that's the point. We try to evaluate the officials without bias, and Marrufo's standards for what constitutes a foul were a mystery to me the entire game. While there were no atrociously bad calls I can cite (Marc Burch's fouling Thompson in the corner could have been on Marrufo if the AR weren't a few feet away) I had no idea what a fould was. A heel clip would be called, then wouldn't be called. It was a complete mystery.

Likert Scale Grade: 2 - Below Average

Karma Bank

Bryan Namoff's handball in the box was enough to make sure the draw was within reach. That's one point we would not have had otherwise, so karma change -1 as we burn the favor we were owed earlier. That means we have a neutral (0) karma balance for the season.

Man of the Match

Oh, is there any question? Ben Olsen had the textbook game to show how to be the player that fans of your team will love, and all other teams will hate. We hate yapping and jawing like Olsen does... except when he does it. We can rationalize this as "He's earned it" or "Heart of a Lion" or whatever, but if any other player did the same, we'd want them flayed for our amusement.

Still, he is on our team, which means he's man of the match. Certificates of Merit to Jaime Moreno for fighting through the pain, or at least the exhaustion. To Rodney Wallace for dicing up the right flank of the Revolution midfield in the first half. To Andrew Jacobson, for filling in the second half and recovering his confidence after that goal he helped allow. And to Dejan Jakovic, who had a solid game in the backline.

Final Thoughts

That there is a great disparity of thought on this match is, I think, a good thing. We don't know what to make of this team yet, and certainly that's reflected in this match. I also wonder if this match doesn't have a disparity between watching from home and in the stands. In stands, as all about you share in a mass exercise of depression as the minutes tick away, perhaps the negative feedback was intense as people felt the weight of the team not scoring. On television, at a remove, it was perhaps easier to be appreciate what the team looked like.

It is likely that the above theory is false, but if you want to leave a comment along the lines of "thought United looked bad - was at the game" perhaps we can test it.

We now face Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup. I enjoy the US Open Cup, but feel that again this should be turned over to the reserves at this round. No, there is not the same fixture congestion, but I hate the idea of sending the message that the U.S. Open Cup is the same sort of target that the playoffs, MLS Cup, or Supporter's Shield would be. Let the kids have the playing time and the chance to impress.

Vote for Benny

2009-04-20T15:27:00.003-04:00

Just in case you didn't see it, Benny's near decapitation is up for GOTW and is currently running 2nd to Ching's improbable, looping header.

Vote now!

Our adidas Contest Finalists

2009-04-19T11:44:00.003-04:00

OK, our contest finalists are presented here. We will announce winners on Monday, and certainly if you have any strong opinions about who should win, please let us know. Remeber, ultimately this is a matter of taste. I want to thank everyone who submitted entries (we had about 20 total entries). Submitted for your consideration:

First, a few non-finalists that I enjoyed. RKE gave us this:

"Lured by swag, D sells out."

Damn straight! If I can get you guys adidas swag, and they're cool about providing it, then hell yes.

Kevin G, our old friend, gave us these two:

"DC United make Celtic Look Good." -- Right, like at that friendly a few years ago?

"Go Washington Freedom. Oh. Wrong Blog." -- No my friend, the right blog indeed.

Also, I admit that "Fenty, Fenty, Fenty, Fenty, Fenty ugh." from Anonymous K had a simple beauty, but I am going to disqualify it because it isn't quite D.C. United explicit enough.

There were also a few adidas themed entries, and since adidas and the PR folk were kind enough to do this thing, I want to let them know how much they were appreciated. Here are some of those:

"Winners wear adidas and watch soccer"

" adidas, soccer unite; take over America" - Kelly

"adidas sells DCU stuff, sales skyrocket." - Anonymous K

So I wanted to share those notes of thanks from our readers to adidas for sponsoring this contest. And now...

The Finalists:

"Mortal enemies: Ben Olsen, razor blades." -- Anonymous K (Personally, I can imagine Ben staring a Gilette Mach 3 Turbo in his bathroom, then challenging the blade with "Oh, you're in trouble boy")

"mozart music shakespeare drama United soccer" - Fabian (Truly, the finer things in life)

"First, adidas store. Second, United stadium." - Kelly (setting a timeline I hope to agree with.)

"Freddy Plays. DC Wins. Pops smiles." - Josh (The backstory? Josh tells us " San Jose @ DC - April 3, 2004. This was my father's last game in person before passing away from cancer on April 13, 2004. We had season tickets together for the previous 7 years." Even at my most cynical has to admit that I, well, got a bit sniffly. Allergies, no doubt.)

"Pontius Scores. Party Boy Celebration Ensues." - Erik (who thinks that this captures the "relation to 'Jackass: the Movie' and goal scoring." Certainly I hope so.)

"Cups and glory, that's our story." - Brendan (as nice a summation as you will see, and a rhyming couplet.)

Those are your finalists. Feel free to share opinions in the comments. Winners will be announced on Monday.

First Impressions -- D.C United 1 : 1 New England Revolution

2009-04-17T23:07:00.003-04:00

If I am willing to accept ugly wins, such as the one against Houston, then how am I to feel about beautiful losses? Fortunately, the question need not be answered yet, but we were within a few minutes of that scenario, and the answer was: I was willing to accept it. If this match represents the ambitions of D.C. United for this season, then I say give me more.

United played its most complete match of the season. While the Revolution occasionally had moments, they never stretched longer than five minutes at a time, and United ran this match. Now, in this they were aided by a Revolution side that was ineffective at maintaining possession, especially in midfield. So while I want to toast the United effort, we must also acknowledge that it was abetted by the Revolution. But still, the nightmare scenario of the Revolution scoring the first goal occurred. And in a fantastic demonstration of irony, when the Revolution decided to lock up shop and sit on the one goal lead, to play for the oles in our defensive third as opposed to putting in the second goal, it was United that managed to find a way back into the match. It was a match that United played beautifully in everything but the scoreboard.

My fear was that a loss might send the opposite message, that the strategists and generals would look at the result and say "ah, clearly we took to many shots and pushed too hard, and thus we neglected our defensive toughness and lost." The fact that the draw was maintained hopefully sends the opposite message: That this is the kind of game we should play every night.

Debrief is coming, but the Man of the Match is Ben Olsen. Certificate of Merit to Jaime Moreno, Christian Gomez, Rodney Wallace, Andrew Jacobson, and Marc Burch. Demerits to Chris Pontious and Bryan Namoff as a duo, Chris Pontius when he got on his own, and to John Harkes. Harkes? Yes, John Harkes, for his theory of "giving up goals after personnel changes." The changes happened on United's left flank, and yes Wallace seemed pinched too centrally defending a cross that stranded Jakovic between two attacking players on the left, but the breakdown leading to the cross was entirely on the right flank.

We will also discuss Tom Soehn's strategy that lead to Moreno fighting through his pain, for which he deserves all the credit in the world. You may not agree with the move, but it was damn interesting, and when was the last time you can say that? Certainly Rodney Wallace did not seem out of place at left back for the final thirty minutes. And once you made those two substitutions, you knew that between Gomez, Moreno, and Olsen, that two of those three would have to go the full ninety minutes.

Other open questions: Do we pay a karma penalty for the Bryan Namoff handball? Is Jair Marrufo the new Abbey (and Revolution fans, I think you may have been more sinned against by him that United were)? And Avery John -- really? Really?

But overall? I was prepared to be grimly happy, if such a thing is possible, with the 1-nil loss. A 1-1 draw makes me pleased with a touch of wistfulness for the full three points. But you have to take this effort, right? Right.

Contest Extension

2009-04-17T14:19:00.001-04:00

We've gotten a few last minute entries, so we're going to extend the deadline just a bit (say, until midnight tonight). So our posting schedule is going to look like this:

Tonight: First Impressions DC v NE
Tomorrow Afternoon: Contest Finalists
Sunday: Debrief
Monday: Contest Winners

Just so you know, we take care of you.

Don't Forget, We're Giving Away adidas Stuff

2009-04-16T15:44:00.002-04:00

We're still running our contest for the best six word novel related to D.C. United. Right now, we've gotten a few entries (but only a few!), but I know that many of your haven't sent in your ideas. Click this link for the contest rules (or guidelines, at least). And all this because we're willing to plug the new adidas store opening at Tyson's corner, featuring L. Emilio, C. Pontius, and R. Wallace. Plus other stuff. So get those entries in, and we'll let you know. Entries will be accepted via comments, but that may make it a bit harder to confirm your identity if you win. And below, the details on the adidas store opening:

DC United players Luciano Emilio, Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace will be on hand to celebrate the opening of the new adidas store at Tysons Corner Center on Saturday, April 18. The athletes will meet and greet fans, sign autographs and compete with costumers in a free throw shooting and penalty shot contest.
It is going to an exciting day at the adidas store and I thought your readers would be very interested in this special event. See schedule of events below and attached media alert. Thanks for considering.

Saturday, April 18
12 P.M. – Grand opening and ribbon cutting
12 P.M. – 1 P.M. – Gilbert Arenas autograph session and free throw contest
2 P.M. – 3 P.M. – DC United autograph session and penalty kick competition

adidas Store
Tysons Corner Center
1961 Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA 22102

What We Do, We Do Rationally (We never ever go off half-cocked, not we!)

2009-04-16T11:57:00.002-04:00

Or, "In Defense of Tom Soehn"

It is a general rule that I tend to give links and space to the pessimistic, the cynical, and the doubting. The worst thing you can be is the chump, the easy mark, the naive idealist. In many ways, this sort of behavior sets in at high school with its faux-jovial pep rallies, school spirit weeks, and armed robberies outside the old gym. How can someone not conclude that the entire concept is flawed in this environment, that only the airheads smile. No, much better to sing along to Bela Lugosi's Dead. Right?

Regardless, let's list the things that are going right this season, including with Tom Soehn. I have given, and will continue to give, space to the "Fire Soehn" crowd. Tom's got no goodwill carryover this year, and everything must be about his results. But his results are not uniformly bad. In fact, here's a list of the things going right:

Rationing: We were an old, old team last year, and injuries were a natural outgrowth of United's reliance on veterans. Tom has regulated the starts of Ben Olsen (and regardless of the result, the impulse to give Ben a break is a good one) and Jaime Moreno, and regulated the minutes of all of the above as well as Christian Gomez and Fred. While we can bemoan the lack of Olsen's presence against Real Salt Lake, I'd rather him miss the occasional start if it improves the liklihood of us keeping him all season.
Depth Management: We're not deep in the back, we haven't been in years, but Tom has recognized this and moved to deal with it. We seem to have at least three options and defensive midfield, so if we swap out a back for a CDM, that seems to be a logical move to improve the quality of the team we put out every week. Moving Olsen back to the middle also helps.
We're Trying New Things: I consistently railed about Tom Soehn not trying out new ideas from week to week to see what best can happen, but United has shown an ability to vary its attack style (we've gone long, through the middle, and down the wing at various times) as well as its line-ups (Forwards have included Emilio, Moreno, Pontius, N'Sulu, and Doe this season). These are not moves of desperation, but of a coach tinkering, more comfortable in his style and trying to fine-tune. This should be applauded. Furthermore, Tom has identified what he sees as weaknesses, and tried to address them to the team. Not finding Gomez, not involving Pontius enough, these are both criticisms Soehn made after performances. These criticisms are related to overall strategy, not, for the most part, in selling out one player. To that effect, they are also self-criticisms, since Soehn is ultimately responsible for directing the players on how to interact as a team on the field.

The complaint about us looking for a draw remains valid. I still share the concern that Tom looks for one goal victories that he can lock down with the talent to do so. But even here, there is some indication that he's aware of the problem. His comments post RSL indicated that he wasn't happy with the passivity of United. It looks like he hasn't told Chris Pontius "Hey, look for a better shot" but instead wants the team to fire a little more.

So, after four games, I am not in the Fire Soehn camp, even if we all think that such a decision won't take place until the end of the season. If anything, I am a little more optimistic that United is not doomed, that Tom Soehn can find the right players, right tactics, and right strategy for the year.

Of course, I reserve the right to utterly change my mind after Friday night's match against New England.

Proxy

2009-04-16T10:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you face the principled opposition. Certainly there are and will be principled opponents to whatever stadium deal comes forward. But it is also a useful reminder that some stadium opposition will simply be "We're against it because they are for it" people. Citizens whose anger searches for an issue, the same way I simply search for a drink when I'm thirsty. It's not about the particulars, it's about generalities. It's worth remembering because there will no doubt be opposition to whatever stadium deal United arrives at next, and politicians may fear a grass-roots backlash of some sort. But the people lining up at the microphones may not hate the deal so much as the politicians, and without a stadium to complain about, they're still going to line up.

Just a reminder.

Contest for Free D.C. United adidas Stuff! Really!

2009-04-14T17:17:00.000-04:00

Oh, this is very cool. Here's the deal: The new adidas (all lower case, they're big e.e. cummings readers over there) store is opening in Tyson's Corner, and a representative from Adidas has offered to give away free stuff to our readers if we'd help promote the store and its opening. Now, normally I shy away from being a corporate shill, but this is a special offer to our readers, it is D.C. United related, and they're serious about promoting United as part of this deal. That's all good stuff.

So, here's the deal. I'm going to promote the store opening on this blog, and I'll try and make it out there on Saturday. You should go out as well. Talk to the MLS MVP and the two rooks. Get that kit signed.

And, we've got loot, merchandise, prizes to give away. Which we will do in a contest format. Details on the contest after this message on the D.C. United stuff going on, and where to go. Per the e-mail I got:

DC United players Luciano Emilio, Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace will be on hand to celebrate the opening of the new adidas store at Tysons Corner Center on Saturday, April 18. The athletes will meet and greet fans, sign autographs and compete with costumers in a free throw shooting and penalty shot contest.
It is going to an exciting day at the adidas store and I thought your readers would be very interested in this special event. See schedule of events below and attached media alert. Thanks for considering.

Saturday, April 18
12 P.M. – Grand opening and ribbon cutting
12 P.M. – 1 P.M. – Gilbert Arenas autograph session and free throw contest
2 P.M. – 3 P.M. – DC United autograph session and penalty kick competition

adidas Store
Tysons Corner Center
1961 Chain Bridge Road
McLean, VA 22102

Got all that? You going to go? Good. Now here's the contest:

You are familiar with our six word novel recaps. Well, we want you to write one. Select a topic, and write a six word novel for it. For instance, here's Bob's six word novel:

On what should happen at the Adidas Store Opening: "Gilbert, Emilio new BFFs. Go drinking."

You can pick any D.C. United related topic for your six word novel. Here are the rules:

All entries to be e-mailed to thedcenters(at)gmail(dot)com, so we have an email address we can mail you back at. Entries must be received by Friday, 1PM. Please put the phrase "adidas contest" in your email subject line. We ask that you limit yourself to five submissions. Include any details of how you'd like your name to appear, and any links to websites you'd like to accompany your submission, in your email.
We will post our finalists, and our winners, on Friday. Which means that by submitting you agree that we can publish your entries.
We hope to give our one or two prizes, one for our winner and a runner-up. Not sure what'll be in them, it is whatever the adidas PR people decide, but they have said things like "jerseys" and "t-shirts." Winners will be chosen by, well, us here at The DCenters by whatever process we decide. Yes, it's totally subjective.
Winner(s) will be contacted by email, and we will ask for mailing addresses for your prize packages or figure out if we can actually give them to you at the adidas store opening
We reserve the right to edit your submissions for grammar, punctuation, spelling, or taste. Not that such a right means our grammar, punctuation, spelling, or taste is any better than yours.

Since this is a kind of neat thing for the adidas PR people to ask us to do, and it's nice of them to volunteer to give away stuff to our readers, I beg your indulgence as I may revisit this over the course of the week. Let's see those novels.

Everybody Talking to Their Pockets, Everybody Wants a Box of Chocolates and a Long Stemmed Rose

2009-04-14T14:12:00.000-04:00

The question is not whether you are cynical, the question is "are you cynical enough?" In revisiting Don Garber's exclusive interview to Steve Goff, the natural cynical reaction is to start the countdown clock to St. Louis United. However, if you move your cynicism from a detached worldview in which the Laws of Man are dominated by the Law of Murphy to a more bitter one where the world is one where those of power have all been handed a script, and play their parts, and no one bothered to let you know that you were an extra, then the Garber interview takes a new perspective. The Don has come forward, in media res, and performed his role as the exposition fairy to try and bolster MacFarlane and Co.

Now, some people are calling this sort of thing "extortion." I disagree with the word choice, but the point is well made. What Mr. Garber has done can best be understood by considering what would happen if he had said, well, the opposite. If Garber comes out and says "Well, we're disappointed in the progress on the stadium front, and if something can't be worked out, we'll just have to keep United in D.C. anyways," can you imagine how MacFarlane and Chang and all would react? Garber would have completley cut them off at the knees. Instead, he says the only thing he can say to plausibly bolster United's posiiton: That the league thinks relocation is a viable option. But the relocation is theoretical, not actual. In essence, Garber has produced his firearm of choice, but left it conspicously unloaded. There are no good relocation options, even in St. Louis at the moment. For Garber to really make this a reality, he needs to have one of two things -- Either another city proposing a stadium deal acceptable to ownership on the table, or a new ownership group with a stadium deal in another city who would be willing to take United instead of an expansion team.

Both couses of actions face problems. The first would be negotiating a stadium deal for a team that does not necessarily exist. In essence, these would be contingent negotiations, which is an awkward situation to be in. So it seems that having an ownership group that has their own stadium deal would be an easier position, but this too has a problem. MacFarlane paid $33M for the rights to United as an IO team, and an expansion fee is around $15M to $20M. So any ownership group might face an addition 50% more in costs to get into the door than otherwise, assuming MacFarlane simply would sell at a break-even point (a dubious proposition at best).

So, while you may panic at Garber's comments, to me they change nothing other than making explicit the only leverage MacFarlane has, and only when you don't really think about it. For us to really panic, we need to see the depleted uranium bullets laid on the table. Otherwise, all Garber has done is state what everybody knows already.

Am I optimistic? No, not hardly, but I am far from pessimistic. Either a new stadium deal gets worked, or it doesn't. But if it doesn't, MLS needs a good option on how to deal with the team in another city, and I don't see that yet.

Debriefing for Match 14.04: At Real Salt Lake

2009-04-13T12:50:00.000-04:00

Real Salt Lake 2 : 1 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

United plays to not win. Doesn't.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, The Goffather: "United showed promising signs again Saturday, going ahead for the fourth straight game, but by halftime the lead was gone, and when Javier Morales scored in the 80th minute, D.C. was headed for a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake before an announced crowd of 11,793 at rainy Rio Tinto Stadium. "
Desert News, James Edwards: "RSL was forced to fight for 90 minutes against a quality opponent in sloppy conditions, but somehow the players found a way to get the job done even when a draw or even a loss seemed inevitable"
Examiner.Com [DC], Ed Morgans: "United got a goal in the 38th minute from Luciano Emilio - his third of the season - when he headed home a well-placed cross by Chris Pontius from the right side. The goal was one of just two shots on target for United all night long."
Examiner.Com [Utah], Brian Shaw: "Real Salt Lake would answer quickly, however, doing the only thing that seemed to be working offensively for them in the first half, and that’s swinging the ball wide to onrushing midfielders. Will Johnson raced down the left flank, crossing a perfect ball into the middle of the six-yard box, where Jamison Olave awaited, redirecting the cross past the wobbly hands of D.C. goalkeeper Louis Crayton to tie the match at 1-1 going into halftime."
Goal.Com, Randy Davis: "In the 62nd-minute defensive substitute Raphael Cox whipped in a cross from the left wing that Findley was able to get his head on, but the ball popped straight up in the air. Findley was able to head the ball again as it came down, but the ball went well wide of the goal. Findley had another great chance off of a pass over the top by Nat Borchers a minute later, but couldn’t get a shot off with any power as the defender caught up to him and nudged him off the ball. Real Salt Lake was the aggressor from that point on as DC United appeared content to play for the draw."
MLSNet, John Coon: "RSL finally found its game-winner in the 80th minute when Kyle Beckerman tried to find Robbie Findley on a long pass to the top of the box. The ball deflected off Findley somewhat, but Javier Morales -- who trailed him -- managed to track it down. He sliced a shot right past Crayton to give Real their first lead -- an advantage the team never relinquished."
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "United didn’t mount much of an attack after that energy draining goal and their game long tactic of playing for the draw fizzled out and resulted in United’s fourth loss in a row in the state of Utah (three of which ended in 2-1 losses)."
MLSNet, Jeremy Horton: "Early in the second half, D.C. enjoyed a fair amount of possession, but had trouble turning that possession into scoring chances... Added Soehn: 'I don't think we created enough in the final third.'"
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Gomez looked more active than in the previous matches, at least in the parts of the match I saw. That's encouraging. Where he fell flat on his face for me was in dead ball situations. I'm well and truly aware of the DC United Corner Kick Curse, but come on! At least get the ball high enough to clear the first defender, won't you? By contrast, RSL always looked like they were a danger from corners and free kicks."
RSLBoz, Truhlk: "With the rainy conditions and the ref not making much of an effort to keep up with the run of play, the second half turned into a very ugly game of soccer."

The Good

Luciano Emilio, Starting with a Streak: At four matches into the season, Emilio is currently sitting second in the league with three goals. The thing about Emilio is that you can tell when he's feeling good, and you can tell early when he's feeling bad. Right now he looks very good, and a combination of Pontius and Emilio on United's best worked goal as a team this season was a very nice move.
Christian Gomez Will Pass to X, Where X is a young D.C. United player: Remember the "Jaime won't pass to Freddy", "Christian won't pass to Freddy" discussions of yesteryear? There was always some truth to those arguments, though not as much as the makers of those arguments pretended. What I like this season is that I don't have any sense of that at all, this team is willing to play everyone in at the appropriate time. Which is good, since the last thing we need is to tie one or two hands behind our backs. Bootsy in the first impressions wondered aloud at "Why the merit for Gomez?" This is why -- if his job is to run the offense, this is the first match where he really seemed involved at using all of the tools at his disposal.
Marc Burch: After criticizing him early in this season, a more stay-at-home Burch did well against RSL. Both goals had attacks down United's right flank, and while Burch perhaps should have helped cover on the first goal, his blame is tertiarary as opposed to primary. For the most part, this was his best game as a defender (as opposed to a set piece taker) that he's had. Part of that was the quality of opposition, but overall I was pleased.
Jakovic = Erpen: My poor spelling from the First Impressions decide, remember that one thing Erpen did very well was recover. I frequently remember him making a ridiculously poor pass to an opposing defender, but then recovering with a difficult tackle to atone for his mistake. Jakovic has that same ability to recover.

The Bad

Christian Gomez, Dead Ball Specialist: Several places will note that Christian Gomez's corner kicks were fairly atrocius. They were. I count three that didn't clear the first defender, your count may vary. Also, how does Gomez pick up a yellow for dissent? Shouldn't that be the Captain's job?
Louis Crayton: Ah, we were all worried about him wandering about on the field like an absent-minded greek philosopher in a bath towel, and now he gives up a goal by pushing a ball into the side netting (that'd be the wrong side netting from our perpective).
Playing for the Draw: Here's what I want you to think about, and it's important that you do. Playing for the Draw is a Conventional Wisdom tactic, one that United fans that lived through the Rongren and Hudson years can well remember. If Tom Soehn decides to not play for the draw, but to go for the win, then he is likely to give up more goals, and consequently may lose several games where we can say "Why didn't Tom Soehn play it safe?" So if we're going to criticize the play for the draw, or play safe with the one goal lead strategy, we must be willing to accept the consequences of letting some games, and some points, get away from United. Now, there's a potential compromise -- Play safe with the lead, but don't be happy with the draw. I can get behind that. Just so long as we're consistent, right?
Jakovic = Erpen:Where Erpen would simply distribute poorly, Jakovic tends to have difficulty on anything in the air, a huge liability for the single central back of a 3-5-2. Now, he's young, which helps, so perhaps Jakovic's huge problem can be tought out of him. This is a positioning problem, not a brain-fart problem. I tend to think training can help more with the former, and a psychologist more with the latter.
Rodney Wallace: While I've been mostly positive, his poor touch on Emilio's back heel made me cry. What I think excites people, including me, about Rodney are his attacking instincts, his willingness to make some smart runs off the ball. What's frustrating is the execution of the same when the ball comes.
Francis Doe, Santino Quaranta, Come from Behind Subs: One thing that we still haven't seen this year is what happens to United if they give up the first goal. Now, ten minutes is not a particularly long time to see how a team will respond to being down a goal, but can you say you were comforted in any way? Doe for Gomez (and moving Pontius back into the middle) did not seem to be particulary effective. Tino seemed marginally better, but if I rate players, I doubt I would have rated either. There just was nothing going on.
Clyde Simms, On-Field Leader and Captain: There is a place for a cerebral leader, typically on a young team that's impulsive and undisciplined. However, on a team with Moreno up top, earnest rookies like Pontius and Wallace who seem to be focusing on keeping their heads down, and Bryan Namoff in the back, Ben Olsen's fire seems like the appropriate leader, one who'll yap and step up and play the role of a larger ego on the field. Clyde, and I love Clyde, is just too quiet. He needed to be the one yapping at Kevin Stott, not Christian Gomez. He needed to be the one to bring the fire with Ben Olsen out. Clyde's a capable player, and I can see him credibly as a leader, just not sure he's right to be the leader on this team at any given point.

Officiating Watch

I was all set to give Kevin Stott a positive rating, but the more I think about it, the more I think he may have been a tad trigger happy on the early yellow to Javier Morales. The Wingert and Borcher yellows both seemed legitimate as cynical fouls. For the most part, I feel pleased with the officiating this season. Really. That's kind of stunning.

Likert Scale Grade: 3 - Average

Karma Bank

Was United unlucky to lose the point at any time? Not particularly. In fact, United may have been fortunate that Salt Lake didn't notch a second or third goal earlier. As a result, had United earned a draw or win, there would have been a karma transaction, but with the loss the account was settled in the game. No change, +1 for the season.

Man of the Match

N/A

Final Thoughts

It is interesting to think that a DC fan with Fox Soccer Net will now have seen twice as many Washington Freedom games on TV than United games. I have no commentary on whether this is fitting or not, it's just a side note. I'm sure others have noted this already. CSN is, I am sure, keeping their schedule open for the Caps post-season run, and more power to them.

I still feel the same about this match as I did when it occured -- Ah, there you are 2-1 loss. You're overdue.

The interesting thing about New England this Friday is that New England seems to be the kind of team that United wants to be. Get a goal early, lock it down. They probably will do that better than anyone else in the league this year. When looked at it from this perspective, the idea of giving up an early goal is chilling.

So, as a fan, here's what I say. If United starts cautious, then so be it. But if they get an early goal themselves, or the match stays level, it is time to throw caution to the wind, right? I mean, really, do we want to be the Revolution?

And doesn't this make the Revolution the most poorly named team in the league? If anything, they conservativeness is shocking, it would be like the people rose up and asked, no demanded, that khakis and polo shirts be our national uniform and that we all allocate 6% of our pre-tax earnings to our IRAs. A revolution of young Republicans. Steve Nicol, as played by David Spade.

Everyone calm down...

2009-04-12T00:05:00.006-04:00

I didn't get to watch or listen to tonight's match, but here's what dcunited.com is telling me when I just got home...

I don't know what all the negativity is about, because apparently we scored twice as many goals as our opponent. Sorry RSL, but you get the "L".

First Impressions - Real Salt Lake 2 : 1 D.C. United

2009-04-11T19:59:00.002-04:00

Call it the opposite of last week. This was a more entertaining match, with United having stretches of strong possession and creative attacks. At the same time, Real Salt Lake had the edge over the course of all ninety minutes, and the result is a fair reflection of a game where RSL was one goal better than United. This was an enjoyable match, for a neutral. We are not neutrals. Therefore this match is an abomination.

Seriously, if you want to know, this is my nightmare, but this is also my expectation. Part of me felt that this game will be precisely the kind of match I expect to see this year: A game with moments for United, but ultimately a goal down. In some ways, United was fortunate that they surrendered the one goal lead as quickly as they did, as it forced them to play a little longer into the second half to try and get the win. However, once the decision was made to settle for the point on the road, then it fell apart. The final goal is not so much as result of bad marking, or a great shot, though certainly you may wish to argue both of those. No, in my mind it was presaged by the United midfield falling back as RSL took position down United's right flank. United midfielders drifted receded like seaweed pulled in the undertow. We were looking to find our shape in defense, not pressure the ball. We wanted to build the bunker, not stop the enemy from coming to our door. And so it went.

Where there other options, better options? I am a fan, not a coach, so for me the concept of settling for a point on the road is inherently abhorrent. As a coach, I suppose there is a certain attraction. Gregg Easterbrook has frequently made the argument that coaches play the conventional wisdom because they don't get fired for it. Fair enough. And Tom Soehn's choices were inherently conventional, safe choices. Without Ben Olsen and Jaime Moreno, he elected to throw McTavish into midfield and pull Pontius back into center when Doe arrived. Quaranta was a move only after United found itself down, and that too was conventional (a more aggressive move might have been to move Q to withdrawn forward, as opposed to wing, and play a 3-2-2(bucket)-Q-2, but that would not have been conventional play, and to be fair would easily have opened up United's flanks to a third goal.)

So we arrive at United's first loss of the year, and it feels as if an annoying acquaintance has shown up to your party, but an hour late, just as you were hoping that he might not remember the invitation you extended out of some strange social obligation. But in your heart, you knew he was coming, and he'd tell his bad jokes, and hit on your friends, and double-dip into the guacamole. All we can hope is that he didn't bring a sleeping bag, and leaves next week at RFK.

No man of the match. Merit to Pontius, Emilio, Gomez. Censure to Clyde Simms (who deserves the armband, but needs to add more fire), Crayton (some nice saves, but if you thought the odd rebound disappeared with Wicks, well, this game would change your mind), and Wallace. We need to discuss BDR's assertion that Janicow = Erpen (a theory that gained some support tonight, but there is good and bad in that), and we need to talk of Andrew Jacobson as well.

Did I make this happen with my mind?

2009-04-09T23:20:00.006-04:00

Oh wow - this is so awesome...

I do not like Chad Barrett. It goes something like this on my list of most hated MLS players:

Chad Barrett
Landon Donovan*
Taylor Twellman*
C. Blanco

...etc

Anyway, I saw this on ESPN Soccernet's weekly MLS Power Rankings and about lost my sh*t.

Toronto's strikers still fail to show any signs of a threat. With Chad Barrett leading the way, this isn't exactly a surprise.

Thank you ESPN.

* Step it up in South Africa and we'll be alright...

Oh Give Me a Home

2009-04-08T11:03:00.000-04:00

The news that United has lost its stadium suitor in PG County will no doubt be greeted with gnashing of teeth, a pre-millennial apocalyptic foreboding which, once descended, can not be lifted by any sort of rational thought. I can understand this frustration. United simply can not continue to pay the rent at RFK with MLS footing the bill, the other Investor/Operators/Owners-in-all-but-name won't simply let that continue. But, well, the absence of a good plan right now doesn't equate to doom and despair and St. Louis United. So when should we worry?

Quite simply, we worry when St. Louis or another non-expansion city announces they are putting a stadium deal on the table and backing it up with legislation. At that point, we can assume the back channel deals have gone down, the pieces are in position, the threat is real. While United can not stagnate in stadium limbo indefinately, MLS also can't risk alienating a reasonably faithful fanbase without a certain stadium deal in place somewhere else. In a way, expansion benefits United, as most potential locales are working with expansion groups for stadiums.

The other concern would, of course, be indications that Mr. MacFarlane intends to sell the team, perhaps to a consortium that thinks they can get a stadium deal together. Most believe V-Mac intended to use the United stadium deal as an entry point into a commercial real-estate development in the greater DC area, and I'm not sure he has an interest in real-estate development in, let's say, St. Louis. His focus is on this region. But he is, ultimately, a business man, and if this area is telling him "no deal that way" then we're a sunk cost, and he knows how to deal with sunk costs.

So, while I'm not concerned now, either of these developments would concern me. Significantly. And that's when I cover myself with a burlap sack and dust off my "THE END IS NEAR" sign.

Debriefing for Match 14.03: Houston Dynamo

2009-04-06T07:45:00.000-04:00

D.C. United 1 : 0 Houston Dynamo

Six Word Novel Recap

The answer, Mr. Webb, is "Undefeated."

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "Luciano Emilio scored less than two minutes into the second half and, despite playing short-handed for the final 19 minutes because of Jaime Moreno's red card, United upended the Houston Dynamo, 1-0, in an MLS game before just 12,594 at RFK Stadium...In the 47th minute, Namoff dropped a long ball over the Houston defense. Emilio maneuvered around crossed-up defender Bobby Boswell, the former United standout, and cleverly chipped the ball over on-rushing goalkeeper Pat Onstad...'I just tried to play into that space and luckily Bobby missed it, which created a one-on-one for Emilio,' said Namoff, who preserved the lead five minutes later with a goal-line clearance of Ricardo Clark's stab off a corner kick. "
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "Namoff returned to his area of expertise five minutes later, clearing a well-struck Ricardo Clark half-volley from 11 yards off the goal line, after it somehow had got through a maze of players during a mad scramble in the United penalty area."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "United goalie Louis Crayton played in his first competitive game since late October and made four saves, including three in the last 10 minutes...Forward Ange N'Silu made his league debut in United's starting lineup. The Frenchman showed confidence on the ball and got behind the Houston defense a number of times in the first half. He was replaced by Moreno in the 65th minute. Moreno's night ended six minutes later when referee Baldomero Toledo issued him a straight red card for a tackle from behind on Brad Davis. "
DCist, Aaron Morrisey: "For the first forty-five minutes at RFK Stadium last night, it felt like there was something missing. Maybe it was the team's shooting boots, maybe it was the initiative. Possibly that little extra oomph which the team usually comes out of the tunnel with. It might have been the intricate touch and innovation in front of goal."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Seventeen minutes in, D.C. right winger Chris Pontius cut inside and almost set up his roommate and fellow rookie Rodney Wallace with a deep, teasing cross to the far post, but Wallace's angle was too tight and his touch floated harmlessly above the goalmouth. Such scoring opportunities were all too few and far between in the early going, however, as both teams struggled to settle the ball and build sustained possession."
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "After a first half failed to produce many chances for either side, the teams displayed more energy in the second. "
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgan: "Moreno’s red card: The play started in the midfield, with Moreno being dispossessed. Moreno, having been on the field just six minutes after Ange N’Silu started in favor of him, then raced back to defend (which is good), but when Houston midfielder Brad Davis cut to the left to try and set up the attack, Moreno caught him with a tackle that looked to be mostly from behind. Live, it appeared to be a yellow card infraction, and that Toledo was harsh with the red. Certainly, it’s rare that a player comes into the game as a sub and his first tackles results in an ejection. In watching the replay at MLSNet several times, Moreno makes contact with his left shin on Davis’ right foot. Moreno’s right foot may have also made contact with Davis as the Houston midfielder was falling to the turf, but it’s difficult to tell. While Moreno can argue he was attempting to play the ball; but the way Davis had it controlled, Moreno was never going to win it or even so much as get a touch on it. What’s worse is, the tackle came barely 12 yards inside the United half. A common foul is fine there, it’s too far out for the free kick to present much danger. But a sliding, lunging go at an attacker from behind with no chance to win the ball is going to be seen harshly by many an MLS referee. Put it this way. If Davis had fouled Moreno like that, I would have wanted Davis sent off." [Note: Sorry to steal so much of this Ed, but your analysis of this is about as good as it gets (and happens to agree with mine.) One other thing I would add is that seconds before, Ben Olsen had slid in on a tackle which was neatly avoided, and Moreno may have felt that with Ben out of the play, he had to do something. Which doesn't make what he did any smarter, but still...]
DC Sports Box, Abram Fox: "Houston came within inches of tying the game in the 82nd minute when Davis unloaded a booming shot from straight on, about 20 feet above the penalty area. The line drive kick nailed the crossbar and went up into the air and back down in the goal box, where Crayton punched it away and was fouled in the process, ending the Dynamo threat. Three minutes later, Houston had another excellent opportunity when midfielder Stuart Holden got a centering pass at the top of the penalty area and fired a low shot just a couple feet wide to the left of the net, and two minutes after that midfielder Ricardo Clark got a clean shot off from just above D.C.'s penalty area but sent it about five feet wide right.
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Another MIA week for Gomez. Marked out of games or past it?"
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "Gomez, who knows? He isn't getting the ball, whether denied by marking or service I'm not sure. He calls for the ball, waves his arms, flaps them when he doesn't get the ball, and the few times he gets the ball his touches are good. His free kicks are still terrific."
The Offisde: Houston Dynamo, Jeremy: "The Dynamo may have been better served by starting Corey Ashe and giving Brian Ching extra time to rest after national team duty. But hindsight is 20/20. Maybe Dominic Kinnear, had he not been suspended, would have pulled the plug on Ching a little earlier in the match."

The Good

A Clean Sheet: I seem to recall waiting a long time for one of these last year, so it was nice to see one, especially given recent history.
Everyone has a moment: Certainly, some performances were better than others, but everyone other that Jaime Moreno had a moment on the field that made me think "Yes, this person can belong out here." N'Sulu, Wallace, Pontius all had moments of goodness, although none of them sustained it. Gomez had some nice touches and flicks early in the match before fading. Namoff had some good tackles plus an unwitting assist, Jakovic nearly misplayed the same ball Bobby Boswell did (although he misplayed it in a completley different way) but settled down nicely. Burch had one nice ball in (more on this later).
Louis Crayton, the Anti-Weeble Wobble (all he does is fall down!): He kept us in the game with the key save at the death. Oh, and while people may complain about Josh Wicks, plan on seeing him again at some point. Louis will miss a game for accumulated yellows at some point, all for delay of restart. Man, dude looked like a dying flounder the way he would flop to the ground with a ball.
Luciano Emilio: The revelation, for me, was watching Emilio run for 80 minutes in this match and do everything, on both sides of the ball, that you can ask for. The final 10 minutes he was sucking wind, completley beat, but he had earned that fatigue with excellent effort.

The Bad

Marc Burch: His body of work from the back line was the weakest of all three. I know some criticize Namoff's distribution (See last week) but Marc's first crosses were miserable, and his free kick never made it over the first defender. I will forgive all of this for good defense (see last week) but of all three starting defenders, Burch's body of work was the weakest, though perhaps it didn't have the near highlight gaff Jakovic had.
Jaime Moreno: Dumb tackle, we'll address in the officiating watch.
Christian Gomez: BDR wrote above about the lack of service Gomez was getting. This is true, but I don't recall Christian showing for the ball after about the first 15 minutes. That I think was the difference. Early in the game, he was checking back around the midfield stripe. Later, he was looking to put himself in space. Part of this denial may have been Houston, but not all of it.
Pontius in the Middle: After Fred's introduction, where the entire stadium thought it was a straight up swap for Gomez, I was stunned to see Pontius slide into the middle, and then function as a combination attacking-mid/withdrawn forward. It was awkward looking. Maybe they're still feeling out what they have, but I want the kid to have a chance to settle into a role.
The Bunkering Prior to the Red Card: Hard to argue with the decision later, including keeping Fred as almost our fourth defender on the back line, but man, we were looking like a team trying to lock it down before that. Maybe my mind is tricking me, but that's what I recall.
Clyde Simms: After he took the Captain's armband from Ben Olsen, I don't think he made another tackle. While it is not in his temprament, is it wrong to wish for more bite from Clyde? If he had that, I think he'd be everything I want in his role.
Houston Attacking Tactics: Yes, Holden is no DeResario, but I don't understand Houston's final 15 minutes. The idea, from what I can tell, was to attack Fred and United's right. But given Holdern's natural tendancy to drift to his right, why not attack United's left more? Burch is still out of position, Wallace is a rookie who is improving, but far from intimidating, and you've had some success down that flank.

Officiating Watch

Baldomero Toledo called a fair game, and I love Ed's breakdown of Jaime's red card above. At the time, and in the first impressions, I thought it was a harsh red, but not entirely undeserving. After a rewatch, I can say that it was a tough red, but not harsh. He had the rest of the match under control. The ARs seemed to have missed an off-side or two, and Toledo missed one hand ball and called another phantom, but overall I was pleased.

Likert Scale Grade: 4 - Good

Karma Bank

No change in the karma. The red is legit, the saves were real, the lucky breaks were evenly distributed.

Man of the Match

Luciano Emilio. Certific of Merit to Mr. N'Sulu, Rodney Wallace, and Ben Olsen. Mild note of chastisement to Mr. Pontius for not putting more of his shots on frame, but I am glad he took the shots.

Final Thoughts

A win is a win. Straight up, if you offer me 15 more of these types of games, complete with the dreary first half, bunkering, and all of that, but United gets the same result, I take it. Hands down. We have a win, a clean sheet, and more points then I thought we'd have at this time. Good stuff.

First Impressions -- D.C. United 1 : 0 Houston Dynamo

2009-04-05T00:02:00.003-04:00

Pick your cliche: you have to crawl before you walk, you have to win ugly before you win with style. I'm not sure that either of these are true, but as a comforting and convenient fiction, I will take United's 1-nil victory over Houston. It was not a pretty affair, it had a fairly dreary open for both sides, United never looked as good as they had looked at moments in LA or hosting Chicago, but unlike those two matches, United finished up at the end of the game. And if you offer me a season of 1-0 victories like this, I will take them. Win ugly, fine.

There are a lot of things to digest in this match... far too much for a first impressions post. There was Emilio's play and his pressure for 85 minutes (until he ran himself out.) There was the return of Fred, who subbed in for Gomez, but in a strange move Fred remained on the right and Chris Pontius took Gomez's role in the center. There was the debut of Ange N'Silu, who shows moments of intriguing skill and intelligence, but also drifted out of the match for stretches. There was Gomez who had a strong opening to the match, but seemed to fade just before half-time.

And, of course, there was a red card shown to Jaime Moreno just six minutes after he entered the game. I think it was a harsh red, but it was a red I have seen before (though not in any MLS game in my memory). Still, if I have this right, it was a tackle from behind (dangerous territory) and the studs were somewhat up, so while I can whine about center official Baldomero Toledo, I can also admit that from my initial vantage point in the stands, it seemed like a defensible call.

Two things stay with me. The first is that United wins this match, and won it even as their play was frustrating to watch, even as Tom Soehn and the team bunkered down from about the 60th minute onward. The second thing was that I forget how nice it is to watch a match with friends (I got to see this guy, and this one, and this one, and several of our commenters, and it reminds me that even when the soccer is ugly, the people are beautiful. Cue string orchestra). And so I return home, pleased with three points, disquieted at my own ungrateful nature for not being satisfied with just the win but also demanding sometime more, but ultimately reassured that somehow, even in a mass of red cards, red faces, and black shirts, the world is a good place.

Man of the Match will likely be Emilio (just as much for his work applying pressure as for the goal, a goal partially gifted to us by our old friend Bobby Boswell). We'll talk about Clyde Simms and his tackling, Luis Crayton and his flopping, and United's overall bunkering in the debrief.

Coming Clean on Everything

2009-04-02T09:39:00.003-04:00

APOLOGY 1: To everyone who played along with the joke yesterday, my thanks. If there is some chance you didn't recognize this post for what it was, my apologies. I'd like to think that in misleading you, I pointed at a greater truth, a truth in spirit. Or not.

APOLOGY 2: I suppose I owe an explanation for my absence? Yes, I do. The truth is that my job overwhelmed me for several months, and by the time I started to surface for air I realized that the season was a few months away, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue writing. Bob kept things going, and perhaps it was time for me to move on? Then, well, I realized I needed to talk about this team, had to, would go crazy if I didn't. And thus...

APOLOGY 3: I have a hard time supporting the various efforts for the United Stadium in PG County. Not that I don't want United to get their stadium. I do, and if PG is the only place it can happen, then so be it. I spent much of my youth growing up in PG. But I feel in my bones that I want United in DC. Irrational as that may be. It's like this -- there's a hot friend of yours that you're interested in. You know that if things moved beyond friendship that there'd likely be too much drama and angst and things could very well end badly, but hey, you still have hope, right? Then the friend comes to you and asks you to set him or her up with someone else. You think that someone else is a pure "I'm settling" move, but you do it, because you're still friends with this person and you are smart enough to recognize all the potential pitfalls that are being avoided. But part of you is crushed, right?

That scenario, of course, has never happened to me.

A Faster Way to Win Games Now

2009-04-01T11:28:00.001-04:00

I am still tabulating up some info on the fouls analysis, but I can provide some interesting insight into home field advantage, and how it may work to United's benefit this season. If you read the press releases, you know that United has recently signed a new concession contract with Sodexo to provide concession services at United's games. Now, being the kind of person I am, I sent random emails to Sodexo to talk about the concession deal, and was eventually put in touch with Avril Bufon, the Director of Beverage Utilization and Nutritional Consumption at Sodexo. Our conversation was brief, and related to the discussions about the new fan experience at games, but what was more interesting was a discussion about the team's performance and beer sales.

I had begun by asking if it seems that fans purchase more beer when the team is losing (to drown misery) or winning (to celebrate). Now, Avril had statistics on beer sales for the entire 2008 season "to serve as our throughput benchmarks for the upcoming season, to see if we are exceeding previously established rates of return from the prior vendor coordinator." While gross beer sales seemed to be all over the place, she did note that they internally adjust sales based on attendance. And here there was a definite trend: There were more beers (and lemonades) purchased on game days where United won the match.

Now, I didn't think of this much, until yesterday, whenI received from Ms. Bufon some very interesting data. At first, I dismissed correlation between Goals Scored and beverage consumption as a manifestation of the weather: United had a very strong August and June in its home matches last year, which is also when it gets pretty hot at RFK. But more interesting was the correlation between first half beverage sales (they track this data to "maximize the deployment of vendor resources) and goals scored, even when most of the goals are in the second half (this game, for instance)

Even more, check out this quick analysis I through together of some of the data she gave me (consumption statistics are for pregame and in house+vendor sales until half-time)

There seems to be a very strong positive correlation between consumption in just the first half and overall team performance. When I e-mailed Ms. Bufon, she was not surprised, "Oh, it is a well known phenomena. Crowd intensity, which can be increased by drinking and the associated lowering on inhibitions, is a far more potent factor than crowd size. United fans tend to have a reputation for increased intensity, and we hope, increased thirst. It's one of the reasons we bid on this contract." She then sent me a long list to what appear to be psychological studies of this factor. "Drinking helps people believe, and the sooner they are drunk, the faster their belief affects their support at matches. If you drink enough, you can believe anything."

So there you have it. If you want to have an enjoyable United season, then start drinking, and the earlier the better.

A Look at Fouls and Defense

2009-03-31T14:39:00.006-04:00

Perhaps I am incorrect to do, but I sometimes get the impression that Tom Soehn believes you can evaluate the toughness of a team by how willing they are to foul. Now, I am somewhat skeptical of this idea, but my skepticism should not be taken as Truth. So I'd like to examine this question in a little more detail.

Let's call this the Theory of Hack'em. I'm thinking the rational is that the closer your mark and the more frequently you challenge an attacker. As a result of this, you may have more free kicks conceded to the opposing team, but the overall effect is to blunt your opponent's attacks. When worded this way, it doesn't sound as ludicrous as a surface reading might suppose.

Now, as I said, I'm not sure I believe this theory at all. To me, fouls are far more likely to be a indication that a players is beating you on the ball, and so fouls indicate a weak defense, not a strong one. But this is a hypothesis that we should be able to test. I don't think I do so here, but I wanted to at least provide the overview before we went further, to give people an opportunity to say "I think you're barking up the wrong tree here."

Let's look at 2008. We have a full season's worth of statistics, so let's compare Goals Allowed per game against Fouls Committed per game. If we plot that, we get something that looks like this:

United, for your reference, committed 12.63 fouls per game (7th most in the league) and allowed 1.57 goals per game (2nd most in the league). Chivas led the league with over 16 fouls a game, and LA of course let in the most goals. Now, from this look, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between fouls committed and goals allowed. If anything, there's a weakly positive correlation.

So on a league wide basis, at least confined to the 2008 season, this seems to be bunk. But here's how I propose to really look at this (and it will take me some time, so if you think this is a fool's errand, speak now): This could be something we can only see in a season. Let's take a look at United's games only. We know that, on arithmetic average, they committed 12.63 fouls per game. So on games where they did more than that, did they allow fewer goals? This allows us to control for just the Tom Soehn system, plus we should be able to pull out 30 or so good data points for 2008. Make sense to you? Any takers on what we will find? Because honestly, part of me hopes I am wrong about thinking this entire theory is bunk.

Debriefing for Match 14.02: Chicago Fire

2009-03-30T11:22:00.001-04:00

D.C. United 1 : 1 Chicago Fire

Six Word Novel Recap

Is "Nyarko!" a Three Stooges exclamation?

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "After taking an early lead and playing a strong first half, D.C. United fell victim to some lax goalkeeping and was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie against the Chicago Fire in its home opener Saturday night."
The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "Although this draw lacked the drama and controversy that overshadowed last Sunday's opener at Los Angeles, it was equally disappointing for United, which took the lead in the seventh minute on Luciano Emilio's strike but faltered defensively in the second half and yielded a 53rd-minute equalizer by former Virginia Tech star Patrick Nyarko. "
DC Sports Box, Abram Fox: "For the first 45 minutes the Black-and-Red dominated the pitch, controlling the flow of the game and winning a majority of loose balls. D.C. outshot Chicago 5-1, with Emilio’s marker the only ball to find the back of the net."
DCist, Aaron Morrisey: "The Black-and-Red's first major move of the game was a sign of that pressure: a nice through ball from Namoff found it's way to the now longer-coifed Luciano Emilio, but his cross through the box to Moreno was neutralized. A few short minutes later, Emilio applied a clinical finish at the center of the Chicago end after a great effort to wrestle possession by Ben Olsen. Calmly shooting from 20 yards away, Emilio struck firmly and beat keeper Jon Busch to his right..."
United Mania, Chris Webb: "The tide indeed did change as the Fire came out guns ablazing to start the second half. A number of defensive mistakes nearly cost United the game-tying goal but it only took eight minutes after the restart for the match to be level. Patrick Nyarko collected a fine pass from Marco Pappa and drove past defender Dejan Jakovic towards goal, but at a severe angle. United keeper Josh Wicks, filling in for injured starter Louis Crayton, mistakenly tried to come out and smother the play and the second-year striker from Virginia Tech easily passed the ball into the empty net. 'The goal that they scored, you know, he should’ve stayed in his goal,' acknowledged Soehn of his netminder."
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgan: "United's best chance to regain the lead came early in the second half, when Pontius was played in behind the Chicago defense for a 7-yard effort. But after nicely chesting the long ball down, his shot went right to Busch, who saved well. Earlier in the game, Pontius had missed high with a straight-on one-time shot in the penalty area. Pontius had an up and down game. Playing a wing in a 3-5-2, he had to get deep on the flank at times to play crosses in, but he seemed to struggle a bit in this role."
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "The Fire adjusted nicely to United's five men in the midfield, effectively marking the dangerous threesome of Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio out of the game in the second half."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "'It was a tale of two halves' surely ranks as one of the stalest clichés in the game of soccer...Much like the 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Galaxy that evaporated into a 2-2 final last weekend, Saturday night's result offers Soehn plenty of teachable moments for his younger players. Dejan Jakovic endured several erratic moments in his first start at center back, but for long stretches he and his fellow newcomers supplied vigor and athleticism that complemented the savvy of veterans like Gomez and Olsen." [NOTE: I applaud any writer that recognizes a cliche is being used before then going on to use it. This is not laziness, it is self-awareness. There's a difference. Charles Boehm, I salute you.]
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "Despite having dropped 2 points in each of its first two games, United's hopes for the season have not been lost yet. As United midfielder Clyde Simms put it, 'we are undefeated, so you can look at it that way.' So while the team may be struggling to win the games in which it is taking the lead, Simms noted that the performance was better this week."
The Fullback Files, Fullback: "Some questions for Tommy. What did you say at halftime? United were on top of the game going into the half. Chicago had only had a couple of looks while DC were controlling possession. But from the whistle to start the second half, we simply failed to answer the bell."
The Offside: DC United, Jon: "Bryan Namoff. What were you doing? I counted at least 4 or 5 times where Namoff carried the , ball way up into the attack and was caught in possession. I apologize to Bryan if Tommy was asking him to do that, but if not…c’mon."
DCUMD, Shatz: "The returns of Fred, Quaranta, Janicki, and McTavish will be a huge help, and Soehn is going to have some real tough decisions to make when he's got all of our regulars available. How do you bench Pontius after the opening he's had? I'm also thinking that we may see Jakovic fall behind Janicki, McTavish, and Burch on the defensive depth chart in no time."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I actually felt that Olsen should have been subbed, not out of fatigue, but because he was on a yellow card and seemed like he was toeing the line between staying in the match and leaving on a 2nd yellow, especially after his exchange with Cuauhtemoc Blanco where Blanco positioned himself to allow Olsen to collide with him and went down like a ton of bricks. Center referee Mark Geiger, who seemed all night hesitant to call anything on a player in red (see: DC United fouls - 13, Chicago fouls - 6, plus 3 yellow cards for United and 0 for Chicago), motioned for Blanco to get up, and later talked to both players, presumably as a warning. Should Andrew Jacobson not have been inserted for Olsen at that point?"
And still blocked, but I will find a way, and slightly modified from the quite readable original...
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "Dig this Soehn quote: 'We gambled a little bit and were too confident in the second half. We took some chances instead of playing it safe. That shows signs of a young backline.' Sounds like a coach hanging his players, yes? Fire Tom Soehn...in an email 'Die. Die, die, die, die, die. This line confirms that, in Soehn’s fat [rutting] head, breaking out to try to score is, in fact, gambling. His implicit approval of the utter lack of “gambling”, of the game of playing it “safe” by backpassing every time they crossed midfield in strength, is [Initially, Knights of Christrianity Unified in Faithing reversed] reprehensible.' He’s a [slang word for kitten]. I’m [intercoursing] done with him."

The Good

Peter Tomarken Has Good Advice: "Press Your Luck." United's first half was as truly excellent as the media reports look above. Now, we must caveat that the Fire was well and truly into their depth chart, but just because a third to a half of a team is subs is no reason to think that United will automatically have an advantage. Indeed, I seem to recall United having many games where they were owned by bit players who rarely see the field. But this United side made a lot of opportunities, especailly in the first half. And these opportunities were spread out. Gomez, Emilio, Pontius, Olsen and Doe all had decent looks at some point. We need goals, and the early indications are we should see them.
Jilted McBride: While there's legitimate Angst about the back three vs. Nyarko, Brian McBride was marked out of the game. Which, if nothing else, provides some hope given that United has often been troubled by people who have a tendency to show up, relax with a lime cooler for 85 minutes and then head one or two into the goal.
Wallace, Pontius: Look, I'm not ga-ga over the kids yet, but having seen them twice, do you feel bad if you see their names on the line-up next week? Not me.
Wicks as a backup: Look, with Crayton out, I am willing to take Josh Wicks as a substitute. The argument that he is responsible for the goal is well made, and upon review I agree with it, but I also blame the D for letting Nyarko get behind them a few times. And yes, his muff in the dying minutes was bad and very fortunately put over the bar. But as a backup, he'll do.

The Bad

Speed Kills: Mr. Nyarko is fast. Our fullbacks, all of them, are not. You can probably have changed the name of the given opposing forward for most of the last three years, and this comment is true. Mad libs, the soccer writing of the future. To be written with Dippin' Dots.
Dis/join/ted: Anon from the First Impressions: "Our players seemed unfamiliar with each other. Clyde is learning to play with another defensive Mid and a rusty one with a heavy touch at that. Both are learning to play with a center back who got off the plane two weeks ago and has not seen a lot of minutes on the field in a long time. The fullbacks are working with rookies on the flanks." True, but as long as it continues, it must be noted.
There is a difference between gambling and attacking: I want to point out the comments from BDR and Landru above, and agree with the underlying sentiment. This team will give up goals, no matter if they bunker and play conservatively as a Savile Row three-piece (Mr. Namoff, you get to be the coat and watch chain. Mr. Burch, you get to be the best. Mr. Janicki, you're the pants. At least for this match). This team must attack, must gamble if you want to use the term, and must score goals, because we're going to give them up. If he's referring to gambling in terms of odd tackles at midfield, then he has a point, but a point more applicable to the first half than the second.
Wicks as a starter: I would like to see Louis Crayton again. You'd think the media would be asking questions about this. What's that? Ah, right. Forgot.
Free Christian Gomez (By Using the Wings): Right now, I'm attributing this more to Chicago's approach to taking him out of the match than anything else. And yes, Chris Pontius should have seen the ball more, but so should Rodney Wallace, and the fact is that while Gomez seemed clearly willing to pass the ball to Chris (who was making the right runs and showing well) Rodney isn't quite as there yet. Rod, time to join the posse.

Officiating Watch

Referee Mark Geiger is getting some flack for the fould distribution. You could reasoable say it should have been 15 fould on United after a double advantage in the 29th minute. Yet here's the thing: He was right. Sure, he missed a fould here or there, or called a few things a bit sensitively, but all-in-all he was consistent and strong and I actually enjoyed all aspects of his officiating. He didn't fall for Blanco's dives, but did note when Blanco was legitimately fouled. One of the best officiating performances I have seen. If you want to complain about the foul disparity, then perhaps the reason might be that we have a coach who seems to think we can redeem 10 fouls for a goal. And here's my bet. Any match where United fouls less than their opponents, expect to hear a few words questioning the effort of the players.

Likert Scale Grade: 5 - Excellent

Karma Bank

A nice even balance transaction, as both teams traded good opportunities for balls over the bar, so we're keeping it as +1 for the season (we're still owed a lucky break at some point.)

Man of the Match

Just to piss off Jon from The Offside, I'm going Bryan Namoff. Yes, the point that he was caught in posession too often is well made, but he handled his defensive responsibilities pretty well, and how many times will I have to award MOTM to a defender this season. Mr. Namoff, step on up.

Final Thoughts

Grunthos has an excellent breakdown of the match in the First Impressions, especially looking at what Mr. Hameltt did right in terms of tactics.

Our confused play in the early second half was directly attributable to the Fire suddenly getting in people's faces and hounding the ball. We had many more turnovers in our own end, and they tested our defense pretty hard. We caught a break, oddly, when they brought on Mr. White, who clearly isn't match fit and basically killed the energy of their press and the speed of their attack.

True true true.

In terms of my final thoughts, I am still reasonably pleased by how we've come through things right now. Despite the propensity of team focused blogs to always pick their team as a winner by one goal in close matches, if I had offered predictions it would have been LA by two over DC, and Chicago by one. Houston looks to be struggling now as well, and I would love to see United finally notch all three points, but at least I feel reasonably confident in predicting a non-scoreless draw. Since I resumed my duties here, I have written that United as a team will need a third of the season to figure itself out. If nothing else, it feels that process is continuing. If, by the end of the year, we're out of the playoffs, then yes, sign my name on the FIRE SOEHN list and let's move on. And that's still a reasonable possibility. But I also am willing to accept that things might truly get better.

And not just in St. Louis.

First Impressions -- L.A. Sol 2 : 0 Washington Freedom

2009-03-30T08:59:00.003-04:00

Okay, yes, I do plan on writing about the Freedom whenever I have a chance to observe their games. And let's set the ground rules on how covering women's soccer will be different than covering men's soccer -- there will be some differences based on media coverage and availability (Debriefings may not happen for that reason), but I intend to evaluate Freedom games with the same eye I use for United games. Which brings us to last night's FSC debut. It was bad.

Let me rephrase. The quality of soccer issue is a canard, the question is whether the games are enjoyable (they seem to be) and whether the Freedom look smart. The answer is that Abby Wambach should prepare herself for a long season. The Freedom midfield provided the quality of service associated with a Best Buy Extended Warranty. Brianna Scurry gifted LA's first goal by failing to either punch the ball out of the box on a free kick (her best option) or holding on to the ball for the save (what she tried, and failed, to do). The defense had difficulties with Marta, but otherwise was decent.

But, oh, the midfield. Couldn't pass, couldn't carry, couldn't create. Maybe it was being on the road, maybe it's the lack of time for the team to gel, but this loss is theirs and theirs alone.

First Impressions - D.C. United 1 : 1 Chicago Fire

2009-03-29T13:48:00.000-04:00

Every fiber of my being says to be taken seriously, I should embrace the cynical. And yet, well, I can't. If, like me, you consider United to a perpetual work in progress for this season, then while the picture remains incomplete it does seem like a few corner bits were filled in during this match. Yes, United took a lead. Yes, United gave it up. And yes, United emerged with a draw when a win seemed within reach. I know, this all argues for me to be annoyed and frustrated. I know all the cool kids right now are writing their FIRE SOEHN posts. But to me... To me, here's what I saw that makes me happy to look for the next episode of our favorite running melodrama.

First, the defense. They were embarrassed on the goal surrendered to Nyarko, and they gave up some chances, but... they only gave up one goal. And yes, to me, that's as much as I hope for from this defense in any season. Namoff has an exceptionally good game (exhibit 1: An excellent tackle in the box on Nyarko in the 29th minute), Burch didn't look abused, and Jakovic was beaten by Nyarko's speed but was otherwise better than what he was against L.A. This was a better performance by a defense. Simms and Olsen seemed more comfortable in midfield, though this in part may have been the home field advantage. Wallace and Pontius were not run at all night on the wings, but part of that seems to have been the way Chicago was running their offense. Still, they weren't a defensive liability, which I think you might have wondered about. I'm not expecting a consistent upward trend from night to night, but if this is what we get on any given match with the defense, then one goal allowed will be enough.

Let's talk keepers. Last week I was happy with Wicks, but wondered about his ability to actually make a save. Perhaps he should have done better on the goal he allowed, but in general this game showed good things. When he came off hish line, he got the ball. And in the 89th minute he saved a point for United with a quality save. A difficult save. So as a keeper, I don't feel like all is lost if I see his name on the roster sheet.

United generated chances. Emilio scored one nicely, Olsen's header, had it been about seven inches to the left, might have iced the game, and Chris Pontius skied a shot over the bar. I would have liked more finishing, but I'm willing to accept only one goal provided United generates some chances, which they did.

Do I have concerns? Yes, I do. Despite the results to date, to my eye United looks like a team that players better with a lead. Really, I know I'm writing this after two leads have been squandered, but in both games United's best stretches of play came after their goal was recorded. With the match level, they seem more nervous, tense, and less creative. I worry about how this team would respond if they were to go down a goal in a match. Of course, that would be a situation to never see tested. But it does concern me a little. How will they respond?

I know. It's a draw, and that feels ugly, and United has yet to win a match this season. But this is a team that had the fewest number of draws in the league last year (only 4). In my mind, these are games that United lost last year, not drew. If we are drawing games instead of losing them, and working towards winning instead of drawing, then I think there's a reason for hope. Of course, this mean's I'm a sap for the man, an easy mark, but given that my expectations were to be wallowing in darkness, dread, and despair, I will accept being the patsy. For now, it feels nice to risk naivete.

Request for THE FUNNY

2009-03-28T07:25:00.003-04:00

D's last post was rich with visual aids that informed and enlightened.

For me, I'd prefer a photoshopped Rodney Wallace playing that ball with a third hand coming out of his thigh. Or reaching out from inside of his shorts. Or even creepier: a Rodney Wallace covered with hands.

If anyone has the skillz, you can send it to me at rmontcal AT thegeemailz.com and I'll post it here. (Although you might need to standardize that e-mail address a bit.)

Let's hope that tonight's match isn't as wet as that one last year...

Valuable Football Tools: The Angst-O-Graph

2009-03-25T10:24:00.000-04:00

As promised, I give you the wonderful innovation that shows you concisely how to map the depths of your despair. See, when analyzing United, it's helpful to remember that there are two dimensions to the nihilism that threatens to overwhelm any football fan. There's the depths of the abyss to which you've fallen at any given moment. But this game can be a game of moments, so just as important is the duration through which this existential angst must be endured.

Now, if we were to indulge our dorkier sides, we might create a graph upon which to plot the angst we feel. Let's have a semi-logarithmic scale for time, and a normal Cartesian scale for the angst. Time is self explanatory, but let's set the boundaries for angst: No angst is the equivalent of running through a magical meadow where the bees sing songs from Rogers and Hammerstein and the flowers bloom $100 bills. Ultimate angst is having an eagle arrive every day to tear out your liver, which regrows overnight, while Diane Rehm yammers in your ear about the delightful new tea cozy on which she embroidered the greatest blog comments appearing at FireDogLake. Ok, that's settled. So if we were to graph that, this is what it might look like.

Neat enough, but let's throw some examples on there to get the hang of it (the Real Salt Lake game in question is this one):

Now, wouldn't it be useful to actually use this graph for something? Indeed, I think it would be. So let's introduce the concept of the Fire Line. This is the line above which a change must be made, but it varies depending on the nature of what we're talking about. Angst about players is really based on game performance, and they can be benched before they're traded, so the tolerance on a game-by-game basis is lower, with some variation (and leeway) for your established leaders on the field. Coaches don't get fired over an individual game, but within a season if things get bad enough then a change must be made. There's a little leveling off around the season mark (reflecting the desire to give a coach a chance to remake a bad team that was inherited, or to fully implement a season) but after that the decline is steep. Ownership matters have an even longer time scale to consider, and we're all fairly impotent in dealing with them, so it would have to take a lot to have fans rebel on ownership related matters. So, here's my shot at mapping out those lines...

See, this is how I think I tend to view matters when writing about them. Game-by-game decisions rarely discuss coaching matters other than tactics, and when they are discussed it is in the scope of the longer season (reflecting where the Fire Line for coaches exist). Ownership matters are even bigger in scope. But in terms of player performance, the biggest change in their Fire Lines is within a game to a series of games. Which is why talking about effort and ability makes sense here. It doesn't discuss the methodology behind putting a team together, that's not a players responsibility. And during a game, I am not rooting for the ownership, or the coach, but for the players on the field. Over the course of the season I may have a rooting interest in a coach, and over multiple seasons the ownership issues.

So, for me personally, here's how I have plotted my Angst-O-Graph. Please feel free to use the blank provided to create your own, and certainly I do not perceive my opinions as the ultimate arbiter (at least, not in this matter. Angst must be a personal matter, or what else is the point?)

Towards a Unified Theory of Blame

2009-03-24T10:36:00.000-04:00

I'm thinking there should be a good way of separating one's feeling while watching a game, and figuring out the breaking point of fandom at any given moment. To that end, I will debut the "DCenters Angst-O-Graph" in the next day or so, maybe even later today depending on how things go.

The problem I am attempting to factor is this: How does one properly direct the feelings of antipathy that a moment may evoke. I bring this up to continue the discussion with the Anonymous ranter regarding the Hudson era. It's my feeling that players can probably only be held accountable for feelings within the scope of a game or two. For the players, we can only ask that they perform as well as they can. If the players aren't the right players, that is of course the fault of coaching and management. But the players aren't at fault there. Similarly, if the players screw up a play, that's the fault of a player, but not the ownership (it's the fault of a coach only if the coaching has put the player into an untenable situation.)

So my goal, ultimately, is to create a fancy graph that tells us stuff we already know. But hey, isn't that the point?

Debriefing for Match 14.01: At L.A. Galaxy

2009-03-23T12:45:00.001-04:00

Los Angeles Galaxy 2 : 2 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Two heads not better than one.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "D.C. United's season opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy was progressing nicely Sunday at Home Depot Center....But in a bloody and chaotic sequence late in the match, United's afternoon took a terrible turn and, two Landon Donovan goals later, theclub had to settle for a 2-2 tie..."
The Washington Times, Joseph D'Hippolito:"Though Los Angeles dominated possession early, United used an unusual play to force a successful penalty kick...Gomez took the penalty kick one minute later and drilled it inside the left post for his first goal...In the 62nd minute, Wallace and Pontius combined to give United a 2-0 lead. Pontius took Wallace's pass, dribbled to open space and curved an 18-yard shot into the upper-right corner of the net for his first professional goal."
L.A. Daily News (et al), Phil Collin:"The first Galaxy goal had United seeing (more) red. The hand must have been quicker than they eye because referee Jair Marrufo ruled that a pass from Chris Klein toward the goal was knocked out of the air by defender Rodney Wallace's hand instead of his thigh. "
L.A. Times, Grahame L. Jones: "When Donovan headed home a deep cross from Kyle Patterson in the 85th minute, it tied the game and earned the Galaxy a point."
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgans: "Going into the match, if you are a United fan and you were told you’d be guaranteed a point at Los Angeles to open the season, you might well have taken it - especially given United’s horrific away form in the league last season (2-11-2, 8 points of a possible 30)."
MLSNet, Simon Jude Samano: "The fact that United went on the road and played the LA Galaxy to a 2-2 tie on Sunday at The Home Depot Center -- despite holding a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to play -- didn't sit well with either the coach or his players."
Goal.Com, Zac Lee Rig: "[Soehn] cited a clash of heads between two of his players as a major turning point. Devon McTavish and Greg Janicki collided craniums as they both went for the same ball. As they lay sprawled and bleeding on the ground, Galaxy continued their attack. According to new FIFA law, only referees are supposed to stop play for injuries, and are to use their discretion about the severity of injury. 'They both have big cuts, deep gashes,' explained Soehn. 'That's why I was so disappointed in the reffing. They've talked about not kicking the ball out of bounds, and it's referee's discretion as to when to stop the game. You could hear that clash. You've got to use common sense and stop the game when there's two guys laying down with bleeding heads.'"
Goal.Com, Andrea Canales: "Noting that both teams were missing key players due to injuries, Arena concluded, 'Maybe at the end of the day, the result is fair.'"
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "DC United played this match with four of their regular starters out of the lineup. Louis Crayton, Santino Quaranta and Fred didn’t even make the trip to California while Jaime Moreno did not get into the match basically because of the late game injuries to McTavish (who eventually subbed out) and Janicki."
The Touchline, Mr. Luis Bueno: "As Goff and others were talking to Chris Pontius, Soehn and Goff had some more words, though it was more Soehn unloading on Goff. Soehn told him to talk about the positives and then dropped this on him: 'Focus on the fucking game,' Soehn said before he stormed off into the coach's office." [NOTE: I'm going to take this with a grain of salt, but it is out there to be read.]
The Fullback Files, Fullback: "Let's face it, Wallace was pretty miserable, and Pontius well-nigh invisible in the first half. But from the opening whistle of the second, both started playing with aggression and confidence and increasingly became influential in the match."
DCUMD, Shatz: "All things considered, a point on the road while missing 3 or 4 of our regular starters is nothing to cry about. But in a season where we are bound to be in the middle of the pack among Eastern Conference teams and fighting for a playoff spot, those extra two points sure would have come in handy. I guess United should have thought about that before drafting a guy with a hand growing out of his thigh."
The Offside: LA Galaxy, NathanHJ: "One last note on the game. Despite have the run of play for the majority of the game, the Galaxy rarely put shots on goal."

and finally...

BLKDGRD, BDR: Is now apparently blocked at my work. Hmmm.... Dissent still carries a price, apparently. I will check in again later.

The Good

The Pieces Aren't Spare: United is going to need players to fill in at times this year. So anything that indicates any sort of depth at any position is a needed positive. To that end, Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace both showed well in the latter half of the match. They both need work. Chris needs to be more confident in his pressure. Rodney needs to learn how to hassle an opposing wing player better on defense. But they didn't look like they needed to be hidden by the rest of the team, and if both get better, as rookies should in an ideal world, then both look to have more than enough opportunities to contribute as the season goes on.
Chances Can Be Created: I'll get to the defense in a bit, but United will have to score goals this season to have success. This team is not going to post a lot of 1-nil victories. So even if United only managed one goal in the run of play, they still did enough to have made 2-3 goals in the run of play look possible. Yes, this is against an L.A. defense that I would not hold up as an example of the best in the MLS, but that's the point. There are more mediocre and poor back lines in MLS than there are truly elite teams, and United was able to attack from the wing (as on Pontius's goal) and down the middle (Emilio's breakaway off of Olsen's off-side dummy run, the Gomez penalty.) They will need to do this against every team that doesn't boast a top tier defense.
Ben Olsen: The captain's armband looks nice on him, and he will try to lead by example. His play did not lack for effort, though I will say more about this later.

The Bad

Getting to Know You: A new three-man backline is going to have some problems in the beginning. Namoff, Janicki, and Jakovic aren't exactly the most intimidating line-up you can put out there. In this match, it felt each had their moments of being exposed with not enough cover behind them (though, in order, I'd say it was Janicki, Jakovic, and Namoff in terms of culpability.) Distribution from the back line was a consistent problem in both halves. The hope is that they will learn to play together, and whomever is behind them will help keep them organized. However, I should also note that Simms and Olsen aren't quite on the same page yet. Clyde still seemed to have a single holding midfielder mentality, and Olsen as a result wasn't sliding to cover as well as he should have when Clyde was moving forward.

Similarly, both McTavish and Wallace had difficulty closing down the wings, with Wallace being the more noticiable problem if only because of Chris Klein's consistently dangerous crosses. The hope is that this will get settled after seven to ten games, but that's a hope, not a projection. Still, it is something to be prepared for.
Josh Wicks, Keeper: Josh seems like a nice guy, and he did seem to at least communicate with his defense, but two notes: As active as he was coming off his line, I felt that he could have been even more active. Also, if you are coming off your line and Alan Gordon is bearing down on you, you must get to the ball even if it means going through one of Gordon's ears and out the other. Finally, I can't think of any actual good saves he made. He was woefully mistimed on the penalty, making it far too easy for Landon to go the other direction, and while he may not have had a chance on Landon's second goal, I'm not sure he can make saves at any point. He's in the bad for now, but it wasn't atrociusly bad. Just unconvincing. His distribution was at least not awful, and sometimes decent.
Defensive Depth: Let's inaugurate this feature for yet another year. I remain skeptical of Devon McTavish, especially as a fourth option for a three man line after spending most of a game on the wing. Marc Burch, poor man, is a left back, and it showed on the way he was fed to the wolves off the bench.
Makeshift LA: While I am pleased that United was able to compensate for its injuries, all joy must be tempered by the fact that LA faced the same problems. Chris Pontius's shot even against proper marking is a goal, but with proper defensive pressure from L.A. it is doubtful he's able to shape that shot. With call-ups to the national side, Chicago may not even show a test of United performing agianst another team's Best XI. Still, take these opportunities to ease into the season, and hope we use that time productively.

Officiating Watch

Jair Marrufo is not my favoirte official. Ever. And the penalty to Donovan was a tad ridiculous, but as awful as that call was, he got most of the other calls right. If we was truly looking to settle the score, he could have given penalties twice earlier (on Olsen's tackle in the box, or on Gomez's tackle at the top of the box.) So it's a tad unfair to say he was looking for a way of balancing the ledger. That being said, the call he missed was a howler, and the AR should have called him off of it. At the time, I thought the AR was in his ear that he had seen the handball, so I was even willing to cut Marrufo some slack, but the post-game reporting indicates that Marrufo made the call himself. For everything other than the penalty, he was a good official, even as it pains me to write that. But that call ruined his performance.

Also, I would prefer is MLS officials would understand that the ability to execute a back pass does not constitute an advantage after a foul, but this worked to United's advantage more than against it. Still...

Likert Scale Grade: 2 - Below Average

Karma Bank

We're owed by the gods. The penalty call gives us a pure favor owed to us. +1 for the season.

Man of the Match

Chris Pontius, as a rookie, notches a goal, and assists on the play that led to the Gomez penalty. Much more than I hoped for.

Final Thoughts

From the First Impressions:

"Great! I remember this kind of heady bullshit talk back during the Hudson era. Sure we were crap, but we were a "fist of a team" as Ray used to call that pathetic but headstrong excuse he trotted out week after sorry week. And now I read from you that at least we're "fearless" and "that's plenty"? No, I will continue to hope for more - even if that hope must be expressed in weekly tirades against the mismanagement of this excuse." - Anonymous

This is fair, but I have to draw a distinction between the team on the field and the off-season moves. I am bewildered by some of the off-season movement, so when I look at this team on the field, what I am hoping for is something that makes me think that this team is something other than a bunch of dead men walking. My concern regarding players on the field is that they push themselves to the limit. We can, and should, debate the front office decisions. But the players are not the ones I hold responsible for the front office.

D, you seem to agree with the general commentariat that DCU will be essentially uncompetitive this year. I'm no blind optimist, but I still don't see how we've moved backward overall since the end of last season. The offseason basically traded Guerrero for several unknown players... which is what you have to do in MLS if you want real depth, keep churning the roster with fresh faces until you find people who can stick. Perhaps the total sum of Pontius, Jacobson, Janicki, Jakovic, Wallace, N'Silu, and Peters will equal zero... but much as I appreciated what Guerrero brought to us, if even one of those players becomes a respected regular by the end of the year, then we will have lost nothing on aggregate. -- Grunthos

This is sage and wise. I do not think United will be uncompetitive, but I do not see them as a prohibitive favorite. This team should make the playoffs in my opinion, I just think it won't be a dominating run, and I can't imagine them being a favorite for any trophy this year. Still, New England looks beatable to me, New York appears to be a bigger shambles than DC, Columbus remains a giant question mark, and Chicago look formidable, but hardly unimpeachable. That makes me think 2nd in the east is not out of reach, and 3rd to 4th are more than reasonable.

Still, I have two overriding concerns that will shape my thoughts this season.

On defense, will the team learn a system that works, and how long will that take? We're younger, which is a good thing, but that also comes with a price as we have to allow for mistakes. Add to that a defense that will probably get into card trouble, and we know it's going to be a tough slog later in the year even if the players do get the system down after the first third of the season.

On the attack, Gomez isn't going every match, Moreno isn't going every match, Fred and Tino both can pick up knocks, and Emilio is streaky as high quality bacon. This team needs to score goals, and will have to do it with various players coming into the system. Can it work? I think while I am at least pleased with what I have seen now, I'm not sure we'll have a good sense as to how the season is wearing on players until match day 20. And right now, I'm still more worried in terms of potential success than hopeful.

First Impressions - LA Galaxy 2 : 2 D.C. United

2009-03-22T19:00:00.003-04:00

Can I see an entire season in one game? Maybe.

This entire off-season, I have been confused. I had no grasp as to the big picture of United's team building. Gomez back, but how can he handle the entire season? A 3-5-2 with a defense of backs that will likely take 10 games to even figure out how to play with each other. We let Ivan Guerrero go, and did we get anything in return?

This game seems to provide a blueprint on all that United offers this season. There's good stuff, as the second half of this match saw long stretches of United looking very dangerous, as young players Rodney Wallace and Chris Pontius threw themselves forward. It saw a first half where United barely threatened other than a Luciano Emilio shot low and wide of the far post... until Gomez earned a penalty and put it away.

Defensively, my entire expectations for the first half of the season were neatly encapsulatedin the collision of Devon McTavish and Greg Janicki. It would have been slapstick and comical if not for the fact that both players looked like Mick Foley taking an insane bump. It was sad, but at the same time, it was inspirational. We can take it as a given that this defense will not be great, but if I have a choice between confused and pathetic, and confused but fearless, give me the latter every time. If I have to see United give up two goals, then at least let one of the goals be on a piss-poor call from the center ref. This season may not offer much hope in terms of silverware, but it offers great hope in terms of watching players give their all. And if that is the best I can hope for, that is plenty.

I don't have high hopes for this season in terms of results. But the players on the field gave me a compelling reason to watch. If nothing else, the willingness of Chris Pontius to look like an idiot by shooting three balls over the crossbar shows me that he's willing to shoot, and I will gladly take his three misses for each goal like the one he scored today. I mean, for goddsakes, we want players to shoot more, right? And he did, so let's hope he never learns to dribble it into the net.

If nothing else, let this be a season where even when this team loses, or gives away a lead to a draw, it is a team that I can none-the-less love and cheer and cry for. Let this game be a good encapsulation of all that is to come.

Apparently the MLS season has begun...

2009-03-19T22:33:00.007-04:00

And what a better night for MLS First Kick than also the first day of the NCAA tournament. A day that friends of mine have marked the beginning of, "The most wonderful time of the year." Yes, to the same melody as the Christmas carol...

After all MLS, you've got a brand new team to debut... With a previously successful coach... In a brand new stadium... Against a team with a big sponsor.

I suppose I might have received an e-mail about all of this. But I was probably distracted by the prospect of Sunday's DCU away match and also, um, the fact that I didn't figure the first match of the season would go tonight. Because, um, for lots of reasons that I mentioned before.

Congrats Seattle.

Stadium Rally

2009-03-17T14:17:00.003-04:00

Dear United supporters,

Earlier this week, Kevin Payne asked for your support in e-mailing and calling state and county lawmakers with messages of support for our stadium proposal in Prince George's County. You responded with a deluge of e-mails that has dwarfed anything Annapolis has ever witnessed. It is truly moving the needle for us and we'll forever appreciate the passion, the creativity and the effort you all continue to display in support of our organization on the field and off.

We're again asking for your support next Tuesday in Annapolis. While we know that many of you have work obligations, we're asking our supporters, that are able, to join us at hearings before the House Appropriations Committee and Senate Budget and Taxation Committee. Our fans will gather at 12 noon at Annapolis City Dock, which is the harbor front park at the end of the boardwalk in downtown Annapolis. People should park at meters or the city garage on Duke of Gloucester Street. Typing Susan Campbell Park, Annapolis, MD into google maps will give you the exact location.

The hearing mentioned is the first and, perhaps, most important step as the state legislature considers the bills that will enable D.C. United to contract with the Maryland Stadium Authority to build a new stadium in Prince George's County. The hearings begin at 1:00 p.m. Our collective presence is hugely important.

Those wishing to travel en masse to Annapolis may gather at RFK Stadium. A caravan will leave Lot 5 at 11:00 a.m. In the meantime, please click here to continue to send e-mails. They do make a difference. We're also encouraging fans to write and call Governor O'Malley, Lt. Governor Brown, and the Secretary of State's office.

What: D.C. United Stadium Rally
When: 12 noon, Tuesday, March 17
Where: Annapolis City Dock, 1 Dock St., Annapolis, MD
Who: D.C. United stadium supporters

Thanks again for all that you do. D.C. United's great strength is the collection of players, staff and fans that make up our family. Together, we achieve great things.

Sincerely,

Doug Hicks
Vice President, Communications

I've included this letter to DC United supporters (from dcunited.com) here in its entirety, for reference. The emphasis of bold and italics in the first paragraph is mine.

My legitimate question is this: What did these e-mails say? I need to understand this issue better and hence this post. I'm hoping The DCenters readers will sound off in the comments with what they think about the "stadium in PG Co." issue. For me, personally, a new stadium for its own sake is not as important as a stadium that makes sense. The "makes sense" part means different things for different people. For me, it is a stadium in DC; a stadium that bounces and prominently features the supporter's groups on the sideline.

So why would I go to a stadium rally in Annapolis? This makes no sense to me. If I were going to e-mail the organization about this, it would say something along the lines of "screw off". The rally has probably ended by now, so it will be interesting to hear from Goff or others about how many attended and what they had to say. It occurs to me that trying to organize football fans on St. Patrick's Day is a bad idea...

TIA for your comments.

AGAIN!

2009-02-09T18:26:00.004-05:00

Gomez back in DC!

I really liked Ivan Guerrero's work ethic and pace up the wing last season, so he will be missed.

Off-season Freezer

2009-01-06T11:26:00.008-05:00

Pop quiz: This man is:
A. the next Senator from Illinois
B. Santa Claus
C. one half of the newest detective team on NBC's Law & Order
D. some guy that used to play for DC United

Looks like he's the starter for his Norway team??? Who knows... I keep forgetting to order my Rosetta Stone software so that I can translate the Valerenga site.

Another question: when is the DC United store going to get some of this kind of merchandise?

I don't think it was quite that bad...

2008-12-08T12:33:00.005-05:00

2008 was a disappointing season for sure. But I don't think it was as bad as Luciano Emilio says here in this quote from after United's last match of 2008, a 4-2 loss to Marathon at RFK in October. [I just read the article today...]

"We wanted to put on a good performance and finish the season on a good note, but as always, we had a bad result."

Emphasis mine.

The Woodwork! I just want to remind everyone...

2008-11-23T18:48:00.004-05:00

I'm watching MLS Cup 2008. I'm watching it on TiVo and I'm a tad behind. I guess that part doesn't matter. Anyway...

GBS of Columbus Crew, your league MVP, was just denied by the crossbar. He had the RBNY keeper clearly beaten. This lead to a quick discussion of how the woodwork had played such a large part in NY's road to the MLS Cup. BTW, at press time, the score is 2-1 against with 10 minutes left in regulation. I didn't watch it, but apparently RSL was denied three times in their semifinal match against RBNY and paraphrasing JP, if it hadn't been for the woodwork, RSL would be in the finals instead of NY.

Which, of course, left me screaming at the TV... "DOES NO ONE REMEMBER THE LAST REGUALR SEASON MATCH BETWEEN DC UNITED AND COLUMBUS CREW?" "AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED BECAUSE I LIVEBLOGGED IT?" Yes, my friends, my fellow supporters, if it hadn't been for three brutal woodwork saves in that last match against these Columbus Crew, DCU might be in the finals instead of RBNY.

The season wouldn't have ended... we would have had a chance of More Glory and more than anything, I WOULD KNOW WHO THE HELL TO ROOT FOR! Ugh.

DC United mention on Deadspin

2008-11-07T12:17:00.006-05:00

Over at Deadspin, there is a post about some Fire fans in attendance at Chicago's second leg, 3-0 (3-0 on aggregate) drubbing of New England. Funny pictures.

In the comments, DC United supporters got a shout-out, so I thought I'd let you know about it.

Those guys in Section 8 are crazy. Not the good kind of ferverent [sic]-cheering crazy you might find at a DC United game, but the strange kind of not-all-there crazy.

Also: Goal of the Year. I called this a long time ago, actually. There are other good goals on this list, but nothing coming close to Gallardo's. Robbie Rogers' is probably next best, but he is dribbling and facing the goal. Gallardo one-times his from an impossible angle.

Goff has a link and you can debate it in his comments.

Do not despair; rather, find a hobby!

2008-10-27T09:17:00.005-04:00

A comment from grunthos after the live blog is worth its own post. It is appropriate. It is funny. It may be of help to some of you who see a long winter of hard drinking to bridge the gap to next season.

Which soccer god did we offend?

Although I have to say, while we played well, I didn't feel like we were dominating Columbus. And after the Crew scored, you could see the weight of all those games played come crashing down on the team. The last 15 minutes we were tired, deflated, and didn't want it enough. Not that I can blame them.

I'm unclear as to what sacrifices I should offer this winter. Should I clip out anti-soccer rants from Kornheiser and Wilbon, shred them, and burn them with incense? Should I buy an authentic Bobby Boswell Dynamo jersey, and cheer them to another cup? Should I buy an authentic Zach Wells jersey, bury it (respectfully) at midnight in an unmarked grave, while chanting seven Hail Marys, seven Our Fathers, and every song on the Barra Brava playlist? Or perhaps I should buy a medical model of every injury sustained by a United player, grind them all into powder, and mix that into a concrete that I can then use to build a shrine to the spirit of El Diablo?

Help me, I'm confused. So confused...

*sobs*

All good suggestions. Does Jim Zorn know anything about soccer?

LIVEBLOG: DCU @ CLB

2008-10-26T16:43:00.047-04:00

4:43 Arlington Daylight Time: Behind The Badge has the starters. Looks like it is Emilio and Doe up front with Jaime available on the bench.

4:45pm: Until the match starts, we'll be going with clock time but when the match begins, I'll switch to game time tags so that there is no confusion when I begin to fall behind by a few minutes with TiVo pauses and slow typing. Who knows - maybe it will be confusing anyway. But I hope that it will be enjoyable for everyone and add an extra dimension for you. This won't be a play-by-play, but I hope to chime in now and again with a comment or a wisecrack or suggestions for what the ref should go and do. Please join me in the comments section and let me know where you are watching. Feel free to make suggestions, criticize or laud. Enjoy the match!

4:54pm: Washington Caps got a late result last night when Alex Semin put one in in the 5 minute period of extra time. Caps beat Dallas Starts 5-4 in OT. But after the Stars opened the scoring, the score went 1-0 to 1-2 to 2-2 to 2-4 to 4-4 before the end of regular time. Earlier today the Skins dispatched with the Detroit Lions 25-17 after coming back from 10-6 at halftime. So we may be in for a wild ride.

5:00pm: I can hear Dave Johnson talking to me! And when are we, my fellow CSN viewers, going to get a Cheeburger Cheeburger in DC or VA?

5:04pm: Oh my. Dave and Thomas are discussing the importance of goalkeeping in this match. I just saw that goal that Crayton surrendered with some dangerous ball handling (was it against Chivas?) I hadn't seen that yet. But I know a lot of people were predicting something like that. I'm really happy that I wasn't watching that live. That would have hurt.

5:07pm: Bench players are 15 - Dyachenko, 17 - Khumalo, 23 - Martinez, 99 - Moreno, 2 - Peralta, 3 - Vide, 1 - Wells

00: WHISTLE - Let's do this.
01: Free kick for DC in offensive third. Good early chance. Burch puts it up in the sun, but Hesmer takes care of it. 'Tino with some early hard D that is allowed by the ref (Mark Geiger), but let's hope his aggressiveness doesn't catch up with him. Although I guess this is do-or-die, so play on!
05: Doe to Emilio who leaves it for Guerrero who unleashes a bomb, but it goes over the bar. They should have done better with that, but it is good to see early chances and that they are communicating and seeing each other.
09: Janicki with a great sliding tackle to break up a nice Schelotto ball for A. Moreno.
11: McTavish just beats Moreno for a ball played through. Nice D.
12: Emilio thwarted IN THE BOX by Brian Carroll. Corner kick is OFF THE POST by Namoff. Are you kidding me? Two fantastic chances - good to see!
17: Overlapping run by Namoff and then his cross just sucked. Right now DC is dangerous and the CLB defense looks shaky. They are poorly clearing stuff and turning the ball over in dangerous places. We need to convert one of these SOON!
22: If CLB scores, it is coming from A. Moreno. They keep playing him balls over the top and he's doing well with them but so far has been turned away by Janicki and McTavish.
25: Amarillo caution for Emilio for persistent fouls. Is he frustrated already?
32: McTavish gets yellow after a tackle on Eddie "That's So" Gaven. If you don't get that reference, don't worry. It is REALLY stupid.
34: Ref gives a horrible free kick outside DC's 18 when DC defender interferes with Gaven who had NO CHANCE to get to that ball. Luckily offside on the free kick.
36: Very good counterattack involving Fred, Emilio, Doe. Nothing doing. Encouraging, though.
39: I was just about to say that Quaranta had been quiet so far when he just teed one up from outside the 18. He was off balance from the start though and put it over the bar.
42: Namoff steals it, drops it for Emilio and he BLASTS it, just wide.
stoppage time: HOLY SH*T - Emilio off the post, cleared by Hejduk. Subsequent corner is headed over and that the first half whistle.

Breathe. 0-0.

HALFTIME THOUGHTS

Just as the match was beginning, Dave Johnson mentioned that the expansion draft for the Seattle Sounders is coming up. Advice to DCU: if Seattle takes Dyachenko, do not make a trade to get him back. Just consider it as a "meant to be" situation.
In response to reader comments, yes, I think we are controlling the match. Lots of good chances for us, lots of awkward clearing by their defense and the post saves them TWICE. Very frustrating.
As much as I'd like to see Moreno come in for the second half, both Emilio and Doe are playing well up top and working well together. Maybe Jaime can take over for Simms and try to distribute from the midfield.

SECOND HALF
45: Whistle. GOALS! Lots of them. No lineup changes at this time.
46: Namoff involved in a collision with A. Moreno. He's trying to walk it off (knee to his thigh), but DCU is down a man right now.
47: Namoff reenters. He'll be sore tomorrow.
51: Was that Crayton's first save? Free kick for DCU outside CLB's box.
52: Burch drives the ball into the wall and creates some confusion but CLB clears and then Burch takes out GBS for a yellow.
53: JAIME MORENO in for McTavish!
55: Not sure where the free kick for CLB came from (I was getting that first beer), but Chad Marshall almost got a head to that. Whew.
57: Quaranta finds Emilio with a through ball that CLB manages to clear for a corner
58: Corner is cleared but Burch's placement was good.
59: Another chance is wasted. Doe centers, Fred steps over (dummies) and Jaime puts it over the bar. He should have buried it. FAIL!
62: Fred has a nice chance and tries to bend it with the outside of his foot but Hesmer gets it no problem.
63: Corner for DC - uneventful.
65: BC carded for interfering with Jaime's attempted restart.
68: Khumalo looking to come in - he's in for Doe.
71: Khumalo's first time in the offensive third results in a good cross and a quality chance, but Emilio puts it over the bar.
72: Moreno controls and leaves it for Emilio who touches to Guerrero who RIFLES it on frame and Hesmer makes a crazy good save. Corner.
72: Jaime takes it and Khumalo puts if off the crossbar from almost point blank. Jeebus, this is craziness!
74: Peralta is getting ready to enter.
75: Peralta for Namoff.
76: Columbus scores - guess how - off the post. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! 1-0 for the home side. Someone named Brad Evans.
80: Columbus supporters are chanting "No More Playoffs!" I am angry. Trying to prevent myself from turning into the Hulk.
83: Running out of time. We need 2 goals. The frame of the goal should be sufficiently weakened due to repeated stresses that any shot will collapse the goal frame and the ball will roll over the line.
84: Set piece for United. Top of the box.
85: Off the wall and went JUST wide. Corner. Good centering by Fred and headed out for another corner. Meh. Goal kick. There is so much action right now that I am not doing it justice, but bottom line, still 1-0.
88: Pat Noonan for GBS.
89: Crayton just put a long goal kick into touch. Ugh.
90: Jaime just dribbled around in a circle and then evaded 2 defenders. That man is magic. 3 minutes of stoppage.

FINAL WHISTLE. Red Bulls are through. :(

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Rongen just said, "The better team did not win today." I totally agree. Top marks to Doe, Janicki, Moreno, Fred, Namoff. Everyone gave everything they had for the entire match and no one should hang their head over the effort and the quality on display. Except for the result and the implications of that result, that was actually a really awesome match. Marks to both teams and good luck to CLB in the playoffs, despite your supporters. On the other hand, commentor jrnail23 said...

When Peralta came into the game, I turned to my girlfriend and said... "watch, we're about to give up a goal... I don't know why, it's not always his fault, but when this guy comes into the game, the defense turns to crap."

Am I psychic, or what?!?

Ugh. I have to agree with that too. Evans simply had too much space and hit a beauty shot... off the post and in.

Debrief to come. I'm kind of drained right now. I hope you enjoyed following along with me. Leave your six word recap suggestions in the comments.

Liveblogging today's match at 5pm-ish

2008-10-26T11:05:00.003-04:00

OK, so The Black & Gold Standard finally deigns to mention today's match. Even though the previous post was them already looking past us to the first round of the playoffs. Let's hope that is the theme of today's match. Their post today attempts to jinx us by recapping our last match against the Revs and by mentioning that Twellman scored the first goal against us. I'm surprised that they didn't somehow mention - uh, what's his name - Chad Barrett.
The Marine Corps Marathon is currently in progress and the runners went right past my condo building this morning in Mile 3. I saw two runners wearing DC United gear. Vamos!
While liveblogging the match later, I'll be watching the Moreno v Moreno matchup. Looking back, Alejandro scored both goals in the two clubs' last meeting. I'll have my Bolivian National Team jersey on under my DC United jersey.
I'm hoping for a WHITEWASH tonight!

DCU @ CLB, Sunday, Oct 26

2008-10-25T21:58:00.007-04:00

The final DCU match of the regular season, just like FREE BEER advertised at Hunan Number One Chinese restaurant in Clarendon, is TOMORROW. DC United needs a stone cold victory tomorrow to grab the last playoff spot.

COLUMBUS CREW vs. D.C. UNITED
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
Oct. 26, 2008 | 5 p.m. ET (ONN*; CSN-DC)

(*Does "ONN" stand for for the Onion News Network? Is the DCU match being broadcast by the Onion News Network?")

For all of your match preview needs, see dcunited.com, Behind The Badge or The Black & Gold Standard.

That last one is actually a huge joke, because as of 9:34pm EDT Saturday, there is NO MENTION of tomorrow's match on the official Columbus Crew blog. I guess that's the luxury of winning the supporter's shield - being able to look past your last regular season match to the first round of the playoffs. Never fear, however, because their blog does address issues such as: "celebrity bartending [...] with Frankie Hejduk, Duncan Oughton, Jason Garey and the Crewzers at Brewsky’s Sports Bar, the Crew’s official away game viewing headquarters", "Pat Noonan on CD101" (whatever DC101 wannabe radio station that is...) and the "2008 Team Awards Ceremony" complete with "Casino Night" at someplace called the "Lifestyles Community Pavilion". hahaha: Lifestyles.

So what's the point of all of this? I'll be LIVEBLOGGING the match tomorrow starting sometime around 5pm. I hope you will follow along with me during the match from your computers (since we don't really have an official away game viewing headquarters) and join me in the comments section to let me know when I type something stupid or possibly something hilarious.

Guest bartender Frankie Hejduk's hair is just as nice as some of the Crewzers'...

DCU @ Cruz Azul

2008-10-21T22:41:00.005-04:00

0-0 but down a man already in the 32nd minute. Ridiculous. Who is this hack ref? Can't a 3rd string keeper catch a break?

UPDATE: 1-0 against. Crayton. Halftime.

UPDATE 2: OMG - I'm so glad I was on the record w/r/t this ref. WTF?!?! This guy is a maniac. Two keepers get red carded in the same game for those infractions? Wow. This guy needs an intervention. I've been watching on Telefutura but I wish I had been listening to Limarzi. I'll review his audio tomorrow and report back.

Ruminations going into this week

2008-10-19T23:32:00.003-04:00

Despite how busy we've been too write, it would really be poor form to not comment on the week that we just finished, and the final week of the regular season. Watching the team come from a goal down to score twice in the second half, reminded me of what kind of football we expect them to play, and how little of it we saw this season. That sounded a bit harsh. I think what I'm trying to say, is that we saw a glimpse of the team we expected to have the whole season - a skilled and patient attack, grit and determination, and solid, if not spectacular, defense.

I was ecstatic after they scored each goal, and more so when the camera panned to show Ben Olsen celebrating. This team certainly dug themselves a hole, and at least they're still fighting to get out of it. Honestly, who would have expected Francis Doe to pull us back from the brink with his first 2 goals of the season?

Some thoughts abou the players follows. Emilio had good chances to score, but still looks a little troubled by his injury. Quaranta, looks to me like he's feeling the need to do a lot on his own when the other "regular" starters aren't there. He's ambitious with his passes and attempts on goal, when he pulls it off its really something and credit him with the assist on the 2nd goal. More often than not, he shanks a shot or gives the ball away. Francis Doe may have earned himself more time on the roster with those two goals, enough to give him more time to develop. The injection of Moreno in the second half, and the immediate dividends it paid off, shows he's still an impact player and a vital part of the team's offense. However, we have to seriously start thinking of who's lining up to fill his shoes when he can't go a full 90 and/or decides to retire.

Looking ahead, Behind the Badge does the playoff calculus for us, because math is hard, let's go shopping. The scheduling gods have been for once, kind. The team will go into the Columbus game on Sunday knowing what result they need - or if its a meaningless game.

New York plays Chicago on Thursday, and with homefield advantage on the line, and the need to recapture some winning mojo, I don't expect Chicago to take this game lightly. Can New York count on more fluky goals to help them out? I hope not, although its a funny game.

On Saturday, Kansas City travels to New England to take on a Revolution team that is not following their usual playoff script. Like Chicago, I think NE will want to go into the playoffs with a victory in their final game, and they're jockeying with the Fire for home field advantage. If there is any justice, the Revolution should be able to beat a team who counts amongst its leading scorers Jimmy Conrad.

That leaves us United taking on Columbus to cap the weekend on Sunday. If both KC and NY win, start the drinking early, and tune in to see what should be Tom Soehns last game as head coach. If either team ties or loses, we're still in the hunt for that final wildcard spot.

To sum it up, we want both Chicago and New England to win this week. And not just win, but set new franchise records for margin of victory, in case it comes down to a tie breaker. Its gonna be a long week for United fans.

On the Houston Louis Crayton Incident

2008-10-14T09:18:00.003-04:00

On many occasions, this blog has written about teams getting highly charged situations horribly wrong. Real Salt Lake with the Piotr Nowak/Atiba Harris incident and Chicago with the Blanco punch both come to mind. Which brings us to the Louis Crayton incident in Houston. There was a way that Houston, in a short minded way of trying to save face, could have played the incident with their fan using racial taunts: "We didn't hear the incident, but it doesn't excuse players going into the stands and endangering our fans." Put out some faceless spokesperson for the team. That sort of thing. And, you know, they might have a point -- Crayton shouldn't go into the stands, no matter what the provocation. That would have been the right response. If you have the tolerance of a saint. Now, if my position was swapped with Louis, well, I think we would have responded similarly.

That being said, Houston is currently running a top of the website headline apologizing to Louis, and condemning the action of one bad apple. And for that, we should recognize that they have got this exactly right. Dynamo President Oliver Luck has not tried to play some silly PR game to save face. He manned up and took the high road. Houston reported the incident to MLS, without waiting for United to take some action. We can argue about details here and there, but this is a refreshingly honest and strong denunciation:

"The Houston Dynamo would like to apologize to Louis Crayton, the Liberian goalkeeper for D.C. United, for the stupid remarks directed at him after the conclusion of Sunday's D.C. United-Houston Dynamo match.
We condemn in the harshest terms the comments made by one of the 17,000 fans in attendance on Sunday. With the highest level of certainty we can state that this individual, who has been banned from attending Dynamo matches indefinitely, does not represent in any way the vast majority of fans who are part of the Dynamo family, nor do they represent the position of the franchise or the league.
...I would encourage all Dynamo fans to express to Louis Crayton and the D.C. United organization that we are an open, welcoming, and tolerant community. Please take a minute or two and send a short note to Louis care of the following e-mail address: DHicks@dcunited.com.

Really, that's about as stand-up a position as you could possibly hope for. While I am not the aggrieved party in this situation, as a United fan I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way in which Houston has approached this situation from the point of view of an organization. They think it's atypical of their fans, but they're not using that as an excuse to ignore it. They've confronted it, they've made their actions clear, and we should applaud them.

As for the fan in question, there's no doubt that he's a fuckwad of the highest order. Racism in soccer is something that we've kept mercifully far from our games for years, and now to have someone not just use racial epithets, but also to cop the language of La Liga style slurs with "Monkey" just proves what a racist, anti-american, euro-poseur this dick is. Thrice damned over. Houston may have lost a fan, but they're a better organization for it.

Dispatches from the Front

2008-10-06T10:26:00.002-04:00

My real life job involves the mortgage banking industry at the moment. As you can imagine, it's been ridiculously busy, and I've spent much of the last two months on the road or drowning in work, which meant less time for my love here. That does not excuse neglecting a lover though, and it is clear my lack of attention is straining this relationship. As I have been on the road, and have followed the matches from afar. The news has been negative, and it seems to me that each game could have been a letter from a series of battles each worse than before...

[CUE: Ken Burns Civil War Music]

My beloved D,

Our brave campaign has taken us to Honduras, where we face a battle that we must win to keep hope alive of an international success. I do not question the Rightness of our most Noble Cause, but the men around me are tired. We must rise again and go forth into the grassy pitch to wage our war, but it is a long journey we have undertaken. To rise is imperative, but even now our provisions seem dark. I remain,

D.C. United

My beloved D,

Having lost Honduras, we move to Mexico, a last gambit to reclaim a hope of glory to the Noble Cause. In such circumstances it is easy to desire a long respite from this struggle, but still we fight. I can only hope that you remember the long sacrifices we put forward, and pray that deliverance from this long night will soon be at hand.

I remain,

D.C. United

The international campaign is lost, though certainly there are battles left to be fought, it is merely a matter of how we are seen to quit the field. We hope now to retain our hopes domestically, but the provisions are scarce, the men wounded, and our ability to mount an offensive blunted by the exertions to date. We shall be resolute in our defense, but these men have suffered much, and time is an enemy more tireless than the tide itself. Even now the southern generals shall press their advantage, and I can only hope that we can repel such monsters of hell that they throw at us.

I remain,

D.C. United

It seems now that all is lost. Generals Moreno and Emilio have been taken from the field, though perhaps the return of the little Doll can revive our fortunes. Still, the enemy has come to our very borders, and the hope of retaining the Capitol seems slight. There is a vast storm at work, and it is dark. I am reminded of the poet Whitman, who wrote "Does the tide hurry, seeking something, and never give up? O I the same." But even these forces may pale when the day is done. All that is left is honor in our remaining battles, for nothing else of consequence remains to be won or retained. And that must be enough, to one day regroup and reaffirm our place in this dark, dark firmament.

I remain,

D.C. United

Well, at least they'll be home by Christmas. Or much before.

First Impressions - L.A. Galaxy 5 : 2 D.C. United

2008-09-21T20:25:00.003-04:00

The Jordan rules for the NBA were well now. But with Donovan and Beckham on the Galaxy, it is perhaps fitting that MLS adds its own twist, going for the more extreme version. Enter the LA Starfucker rules...

If it were the red card to Burch alone, that would be one thing. Burch probably was guilty of a foul, but given that you see the same thing along the touchline and goal line in every match, a yellow would have been harsh, let alone a red. It came after a yellow to Clyde Simms for a tackle on Donovan, which was harsh yellow. What's more, Terry Vaughn was not applying the same standard to both sides, which meant the officiating was utterly, utterly fucked for this entire match.

I'm not saying DC gets a win or even a draw if the officiating is a bit more rational. Hell, L.A. certainly could still have put five in the net given that our central defense is a gaping maw of suck, and that Clyde Simms was easily outmatched by Donovan (Clyde was burned on Donovan's first goal, and lost on the second). But I do know that after Terry got a few choice words from Beckham, he folded what was left of his spine into a small paper sack and decided to pass around cards like cucumber sandwiches in a Wilde play (or perhaps just Stoppard's Travesties).

There's more to be said about United, but accepting the fact that we're a mediocre at best team makes it difficult to judge. How do you evaluate against mediocre? If the team's upper limit was higher, it is easier to be critical, but if a 100% United effort is an average output at best, what more can be said? This team was better, despite the scoreline, than the Saprissa team. But our defense is shoddy, our attack is patchwork, and there's just not much there to be hopeful for anymore.

Your goat is Simms. Merit awards to Khumalo and Guerrero.

Debriefing for Match 13.D.01: Deportivo Saprissa

2008-09-17T10:19:00.000-04:00

D.C. United 0 : 2 Saprissa

Six Word Novel Recap

Pity those sent out to fail.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Undermanned because of injuries and playing with only 10 men for 50 minutes, D.C. United fell 2-0 to Costa Rican champion Deportivo Saprissa at RFK Stadium on Tuesday night."
The Washington Post, the Goffather: "With the injuries and 12 MLS and Champions League games scheduled over six weeks, Soehn could not utilize his best lineup last night. The back line and central midfield remained the same and top scorer Luciano Emilio made his first start in two weeks, but Soehn also inserted rookie Ryan Cordeiro onto the front line, newly acquired Thabiso Khumalo on the right flank, rookie Craig Thompson on the left and Zach Wells in goal. "
SoccerAmerica, Ridge Mahoney: "United contributed to its own demise when Devon McTavish waded into a midfield tussle that prompted referee Marco Rodriguez to call a foul on Santino Quaranta. McTavish barreled in and kicked the ball as well as Alexander Robinson, apparently after Rodriguez had blown the whistle, prompting the official to send him off and caution Quaranta as well in the 35th minute."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "While the decision mystified United's players and coaches, their frustration was tempered by fatalism as the team ponders its long-running string of misfortune. Despite the Costa Ricans' numerical advantage, D.C. hauled themselves back into the game in the second half, only to see Saprissa netminder Keilor Navas produce two scintillating saves to deny well-hit free kick blasts by Marc Burch."
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "It was plain to see why Saprissa are 5-time champions of CONCACAF with their abundant skill and speed all over the field. United were no match and only after falling behind by 2-0 early in the second half did United begin to attack the Saprissa goal."
Goal.Com, Shane Evans: "A bright spot for the home team was the play of recently signed Thabiso Khumalo who showed spark and dedication down the flanks. He also played well defensively, tracking back to the ball on numerous occasions, most of the time all over the pitch."
Caught in Possession, Charles Boehm: "...it makes me angry at league suits who treat the first touches, challenges, hard running etc. of these living, breathing human bodies like just another digit in an equation, a vector on a spreadsheet alongside capital investment, tax incremental financing, advertising revenue and the like. "
Fighting Talker, Aaron Stollar: "United never once stood a chance of winning last night’s match. Nearly thirty percent of this ostensibly Major League team was made up players too inexperienced to even be described as “spare parts.”"
DCUMD, Shatz: "The league needs to set its priorities straight. If the priority is still to make the league and the teams profitable as soon as possible, then I understand the cap restrictions, but then why play so many damn games? If the priority is make the league better respected internationally, then the league needs to give the teams more incentive to try to do so in international tournaments, instead of just rolling out the reserves, and needs to give the teams the tools (cap space, increased roster spots) to do it. "
The Fullback Files, Fullback: "...let's address that "built for international competition" issue a bit. It seems funny that the FO's emphasis has been on success on the international stage, and yet so far we've (1) dropped three matches at home in SuperLiga and (2) pretty much sacrificed our Champions' League advancement for an MLS playoff push. I've got a couple of thoughts on that. First, it seems that SuperLiga and the CCL both fell prey to the injury crisis. An injury crisis that's now almost entering its third month! Ridiculous. If I may, I'd like to make the humble suggestion that perhaps we sink some of Gallardo's $1.9 million into fitness staff. I know, I know, it's all MLS's fault for the pathetic size of rosters and the salary cap and blah, blah, blah. Whatever. The fact is, any craftsman knows you've got to take care of your tools if you want to get the job done."
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "I'm fighting the urge to be reasonable. I'm fighting the urge to give United the benefit of a doubt. I'm fighting the urge to excuse another dismal international failure through the evocation of rinkydinkism, the belief that United's lameness is forgivable by dint of its financial constraints (and concurrent rube's pride at personal loyalty to such a rinkydink institution). I'm fighting and losing."

The Good

Giving it all: I don't disagree with Tom Soehn's comments that the team put out its all. While I can complain about any number of giveaways, botched passes, and meandering moments of possession, every player on this team who started went out and gave a good effort. They did not surrender, they did not roll over. They just weren't cumulatively any good.
Zach Wells: If you want to be cruel, you can say he was slow getting over the line on the first goal, which ignores the fact that his view was obscured when Marc Burch lost the ball at the top of the box during what should have been a defensive clearence. Other than that, he did make two big saves, and only had one "Moment of Panic" when he completely misjudged coming off his line to take out a through ball. The most recent starts for Wells have been, really, not that bad.

The Bad

Devon MacTavish Sees Red: Yes, the red card was harsh, but not undeservedly harsh. If the whistle blows, and you take out someone's legs, red is a completley legitimate outcome. It doesn't matter if you didn't hear the whistle. It doesn't matter if you took out the legs softly, like a kitten marking someone's shins. It's a red, and even if it had happened in the run of play, it would have been a yellow.
D.C. United Contingency Planning, Defensive: Let's say a few things about injuries and forced subsitutions. The idea is that you'd like to have at least one credible player extra for each position. Tino has actually managed to do well once Gallardo went out. It's early, but Khumalo has done well as the third option after Jaime and Emilio. Vide and Guerrero have done well filling in for Fred and Olsen. But on defense... well, we've got nothing. Right now MacTavish and Burch are not particularly great CB options, and Burch is playing out of position for the position he usually plays out of (please, diagram that sentence). MacTavish should be a last resort, not a starter. And right now, we have one defensive injury that is forcing two difficult decisions in the center of defense. That's simply not acceptable.
The worst successful season ever: As I said, any season that you get silverware is a success, but this may be the most pyrrhic victory in United's season long campaigns ever. Reading the blogs, you get the sense that people are finally losing it. It may be bad luck, and injuries, and roster restrictions from MLS, but it has finally come due. You can play above your head for only so long.

Officiating Watch

N/A for international matches, but I will say that it was interesting to see what a very, very tightly officiated game looked like. It was consistently tight, as well. This is almost the referee I think that would benefit United in league play, provided United had their starters. Just something to keep in mind before blasting away.

Likert Scale Rating: N/A
N/A

Final Thoughts

I write first impressions posts, in part, to capture the moment of feeling just after a game ends, and to examine if that feeling changes. Also, to force myself to write something, anything, on every game.

I was angry last night, and after writing the First Impressions post, it was a bit cathartic. Okay, not really. Anger has been replaced with sadness. An overwhelming feeling of "So, this is what it has come to for this team." A team that stitches the word "TRADITION" on the back of their jerseys, a tradition that includes credible efforts in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup, instead decided to play the tactical retreat card. It may be sensible, but how can this not be galling? How can you possible be reasonable after this? If this match doesn't upset you, at some level, then I credit your powers of zen-like imperturbability.

I wrote earlier that this team reminded me more and more of the 2005 L.A. Galaxy. And that's a best case scenario. This season, even if United manages an MLS Cup win, is not a great season. It might be a testament to grit, or determination, or duct tape improvisation, but to place it in the TRADITION of the great United teams is to dishonor those teams.

First Impressions - D.C. United 0 : 2 Deportivo Saprissa

2008-09-16T22:46:00.000-04:00

I will never be ashamed of being a D.C. United fan.

I have never been ashamed of a D.C. United team.

However, I am ashamed at this game. Not even at the players, and how they played it, but rather ashamed that it has come to this. With a home match that is crucial to United getting out of the group stage of the CONCACAF Champion's League, D.C. United put out a line-up more suitable for the opening rounds of the U.S. Open Cup. You might even argue that Tom Soehn didn't really have good options, that he had to focus on keeping a rotation for the MLS league matches and a playoff bid, but that still means that this team that brought in Gallardo for international aspirations is now sacrificing everything. And if you want to argue that right now D.C. United needs to keep people fresh for points in the league, then perhaps they should have gotten 10-15 points in the first ten matches of this year, as opposed to 9. That might have made things a little easier at this point, no? Every game matters...

As I said, I don't begrudge any player their individual performance in this match, but it was hardly a team. These players didn't know where each other were, and when they did they couldn't always get a pass out in the right area. They were outclassed by Saprissa at almost every position on the field. They were sacrificed like Nick Van Sicklen against Pumas in 2005. Despite that, they still managed with 10 men to generate some good chances on goal: Clyde Simms header, the two Marc Burch free kicks... that wasn't bad kids.

If I do have a problem with a player, it is Devon for getting sent off. Go ahead and make the argument that the red was harsh. Really, I understand where you're coming from. It doesn't matter. Apparently Martin Kove walked up to Devon after the referee had halted play and said "Sweep the leg." And while you might have given a yellow, it was such a blatant challenge to the order of the game that I can see the red as a fair, if tough, decision. It was insanely stupid.

Still, I am ashamed of what happened in this match. Ashamed on behalf of the fans who were more dedicated than I and got out and paid money to sit in the stands, only to see United field the reserves. Ashamed on behalf of the players who were stranded in a situation that primed them to fail.

This match was a betrayal, and it's just a matter of figuring out who the traitors are. Was it Tom Soehn for putting out this line-up and having this team in a point where we're scrounging for points for a playoff run? Kevin Payne and Dave Kasper for getting so many of the early season acquisitions wrong? Lady Luck for damning us with injuries to Olsen, Peralta, Vide, Gallardo, Guerrero, Emilio, and Fred recently? The League with its unmanageable roster rules when it comes to international competition? Pour a shot for each of them, and down them all, and maybe it'll make tonight feel better. Or, at least, more difficult to remember in the morning.

First Impressions - D.C. United 2 : 2 F.C. Dallas

2008-09-13T21:46:00.002-04:00

This is a frustrating way to drop two points that were well within grasp. United had a 2-1 lead, and looked marginally the better side. Still, Dallas was finding moments of slicing through the defense, and so it was that Eric Avila slipped down the left side of the defense and send the ball outside of the diving Crayton to Rocha, and United found themselves settling for one point instead of taking all three.

Still, I suppose, it's important to remember that if Zach Wells was in goal, United loses this game. It's not much in the way of comfort, but it is something. What I find somewhat mysterious was the final substitution of Dyachenko for Guerrero. Guerrero can actually provide some defense on the flank, he's been showing more in every game. Rod... not so much. Why not sub in someone more defensive minded? Let's take a look at the bench:

Cordeiro, Doe, and Thompson. Yikes. Okay, so that explains it -- there isn't any defensive depth to sub in and help lock the game down. Which is pretty damning. At this point, Perralta and Vide were scratches, but Pat Carroll and Mike Zaher were both unavailable? What would have happened had Martinez or Namoff gone down early?

Which says something. Even with new acquisitions, the need for defensive depth has never been so clearly demonstrated as in this match. It cost us two points today. And, perhaps, a playoff spot in the future.

First Impressions - San Jose Earthquakes 2 : 1 D.C. United

2008-09-07T00:25:00.000-04:00

So Moreno is hanging out with Butch and Sundance, and Emilio's hurt, and I'm thinking, "Well, with Crayton in goal and the steadying presence of Bryan Namoff, Peralta and the new infusion of energy from Joe Vide, perhaps we can eek out a goal on a counter while keeping San Jose at nil." Except, of course, we have neither Namoff nor Vide nor Peralta, and Martinez was clearly watching his "Best of Facundo Erpen" highlight reel. Well then, perhaps some creativity in the midfield from Fred? No, he's gone too? Well Gallardo is back. Sort of. And Tino has been playing well... and... we're going to get killed, aren't we?

And to be fair, San Jose did everything they had to do. They got up two goals, and were almost on the verge of turning this into a rout. One more goal from either O'Brien or Huckerbee, and I think San Jose could have put up five on us. But instead, United kept trying to withstand their own mistakes, and San Jose's occasional surges, and claw their way back. Rod Dyachenko, who really I rarely talk about except to talk of how useless he is... well, he had a good game. Really. So did Tino. And right now I'm higher of Zaher than McTavish (of course, I'm vindictive that way. When the analytical part of the mind kicks in, I realize that Martinez caused the first goal, but Zaher didn't help to cover the second run into the box.)

So United lost. And the rest of the season will not be an easy fight for the playoffs. Craig Thompson was perfectly adequate, if not exactly good, coming on for Francis Doe, who was also mediocre in the same way. Ryan Cordeiro, Pat Carroll, and Mike Zaher made good use of their time, the same way some bit actors on Law and Order actually manage to make you remember their acting while someone like Roy Scheider or Michael York chews the scenery. Ivan Guerrero and Luis Crayton continue to demonstrate that they were good acquisitions (you can fault Crayton a bit on the second goal, where it seems he was fooled by a bouncing changeup of a shot.)

I will say this: Frank Yallop has proven exactly how good a coach he is. He's worked San Jose from a joke to a threat in half a year, something that RSL is just now becoming. He knows how to shape a team. And whatever he paid Mo Johnston for Darren Huckerby, it was a bargain, as Huckerby has now had great games every time I've seen him on TV (which, admittedly, is only twice now, but the stats from the other games make it seem like that's enough to get the picture.)

It's a loss. It sucks. But unless we fired Tom Soehn and replaced him with George A. Romero, this team was doomed simply because of the losses of personnel, and the fact that San Jose is a better team than either Chivas or RSL were in their first seasons. So we've got two goals right now: Make the playoffs (doable) and make it out of the Champions' League group (also doable). Give me those things, and we'll call the season decent enough, right?

What should Coach Soehn say at halftime?

2008-09-06T23:28:00.005-04:00

I'm a bit behind at halftime on TiVo. But what can Coach say to the team at halftime that is down 1-0 with no offense on the field?? What good is defense at this point?

I'm brainstorming:
1. "Martinez - push forward at will." Thompson for Doe is confusing me.
2. "Simms - shoot from anywhere." It is like a 10% chance.
3. "Guerrero - stop passing. Just shoot." In the first half he played a brilliant ball to Dyachenko and it if it weren't for replay... ugh, OK, I guess it wasn't as bad as it looked in real time.
4. "I know he missed several easy chances in the first half, but please don't let Huckerby
embarrass us in the second half."
5. "Rod - hit the showers; we'll play with 10 men."

Is this really a 5-5-0?

First Impression - D.C. United 2 : 1 Charleston Battery

2008-09-03T22:33:00.002-04:00

D.C. United Wins the U.S. Open Cup

Well, all along I said the U.S. Open Cup was an important trophy for United to win. Okay, except for that time when I said that I wanted them to start reserves so we could keep a focus on the season. Or the other time when I called it the least important trophy we could win this year. Or...

Okay, I was wrong. The fact is that with any season you get to add a major domestic trophy (even though I admittedly rank it third on the list) to your stash can not be considered a failure of a season. The bonus of international play makes it sweeter, and even worth winning. This may end being the least successful of D.C. United's successful seasons, but it doesn't matter. The fact is the team won something. Not (yet) the international success that this team was supposedly built for. That won't matter when United's website has a graphic saying "Now the winner of 13 major trophies."

But the fact is United came out for the win this game, and earned it. Wholeheartedly. They even dealt with a referee who gave them every reason not to play physically (I personally thought the cards issued to both Simms and Martinez were incorrect, since I thought both were fair challenges.) They played through Charleston's shots with forearms. They kept tackling all night. They did not play perfectly, and Charleston could have gotten a goal or two against the run of play, had not one post been nicely placed. United didn't finish their chances, but they got just enough of them. And that, at the end of the day, is what I wanted to see. United won this game with skill, with passion, with drive, and yes, a bit of luck. And what more can you ask for?

Ah, right. This:

Yes, that will do nicely. You can drink Whisky or Coffee out of it. That's one useful cup.

(Image shamelessly stolen from WashPost)

CONCACAF Champions League - what a shame for MLS so far.

2008-09-03T14:06:00.003-04:00

Much like the Open Cup, I wouldn't be surprised if the New England Revolution did NOT want to advance in the CONCACAF Champions League, so as to focus on the playoffs and MLS Cup. But its pathetic that the two teams who topped their respective divisions last year, were bounced by teams from Panama and T&T.

For all the crowing about MLS being a top regional league, its nigh on inexcusable to have teams knocked out at this stage. In the near future, the league must address the limits it places on roster size, and the number of games some teams are asked to play - let's start by canceling SuperLiga. I'd also like to see them take a break during FIFA international dates so that teams aren't forced to play without players who are called up by their national teams.

Out of Their (Champions) League - Goal - Soccer - New York Times Blog

Both New England and Chivas, like several others in M.L.S. (D.C. United and Houston) have been involved in a number of competitions this year. For New England and Chivas, that list includes the regular M.L.S. season, SuperLiga, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the Concacaf Champions League. Fixture clutter has come to M.L.S. and it is especially insidious because the teams have limited rosters that are further constricted by an odious salary budget that hogties coaches and puts incredible strains on the players.

First Impressions - D.C. United 0 : 0 New York Red Bulls

2008-08-30T21:47:00.000-04:00

I predict that this match will be an easy pessimist/optimist test for our fans out there. And since I try to stay away from equivocation, let me come out and make the optimistic case. D.C. United owned the majority of this match, but didn't totally dominate it. There was about five minutes in the first half, and the last ten minutes, when things looked dicey for the home side. However, United has lost several of those matches this season. You'd hear things like "We make two mistakes, and get punished for both." United had more than two mistakes this game, and the Bulls took their shots, but this time United survived to take at least a point. Yes, Moreno's PK miss may make this feel like two points that slipped away, but Louis Crayton's performance in goal with two big saves combined with Joe Vide starting to imitate the look and heart of a Ben Olsen make this feel like a point earned. Simply put, there was every reason to feel that this team could make a hash out of a five piece lego kit early this season, and now I feel like I'm looking for more times when this team will win, than find new ways to lose.

And the effort, from pretty much everyone, was there this match. Devon McTavish looks outmatched by pretty much everyone right now, but I can't and won't fault the effort he put forward. The team lost Emilio at the half, but still found way to work the ball around. They are a scrappier, pushier team than I recall from two months ago. Hope is the order of the day, even in games that might otherwise bode for disappointment.

First Impressions - D.C. United 3 : 0 Colorado Rapids

2008-08-23T21:50:00.000-04:00

Given this season, it's probably presumptuous to admit this, but I was fairly confident at 1-0. United looked like a team in control, like a team that wasn't going to commit some insanely stupid maneuver and let Colorado back into the match. I was relatively positive at 1-0. The fact that United then added two late goals, including that great strike from Tino, to get to three goals was a bonus. United was calm on the ball, slowly morphed their tactics to take advantage of Colorado, and kept the midfield of Colorado off balance for pretty much the entire game. I have been critical during many wins of United, and certainly there are things to wonder about in this match, but this was a solid, professional victory.

It was a match that existed in a perfect state of zen. As a fan, you could watch this match in the lotus position, your third eye opening as Quavas Kirk scores the third goal. It was a Japanese rock garden of serenity and scoring. A quiet bijoux of a match. Refreshing, at this point of the season. Let's play two.