Happy Holidays from The DCenters!

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year. May all of your Supporter's Shield-dreams come true!

I wonder if we could get Andrew Lloyd Weber to write a musical with everyone signing "Veron, Veron, Veron" waiting for Juan to appear on a balcony?

...and then the female part of the chorus would sing "La Brujita" as a coutnerpoint...

...and if we could get him to do that, would it still be overrated kitsch? (Yes.)

Regardless, the first major US media report that Veron has been signed is out from Sports Illustrated:

Juan Sebastian Veron and D.C. United have agreed to a $3-4 million a year deal that will be signed and officially announced next week, SI.com has learned.

Goff counters this report with "no, nothing is certain yet," and I am inclined to believe Goff on this. While many of the details in the SI.COM report match the rumors that we've seen publicly and have been emailed to us, and the salary details seem about right (in fact, exactly what we predicted), my (informed) guess is that an agreement exists in principle between United and Veron, including a timetable on final decisions and scheduling, but the deal is not yet fully consummated.

(UPDATE: Yes, reports like this or this, saying Veron is not coming, are pretty much treated the same way as reports like the ones that say he is coming. It is not yet confirmed one way or the other. I maintain that an agreement in principle was in fact reached, but until everything is final, it can go anywhere.)

Now, over on the Hello/Goodbye list on the right, I'm only putting in the confirmed news. Right now both Josh and Troy are still with the team, and I will hold off until there's an official announcement before updating the board. Still, looking at the key personnel changes, the big picture including probable (though perhaps not highly probable) moves is like this:

OUT: Boswell, Carroll, Gomez, Gros, Perkins

IN: Veron, Wells, 1 Attacker from Argentina (Lopez?), 1 defender, 1 more player?

Five starters out, five starters in... Yeah, perhaps 2007 was a rebuilding year, it just happened to be December when the rebuilding happened.

Tuesday's Tryptophan Fighting Coffee

So The DCenters is awakening from our turkey slumber and we are realizing that we missed some news bits the past couple of days. If you joined your friends and family in giving thanks and skipped out on your DC United fix for some good home cooking this is the post to get you (and us) caught back up.

Carroll No Longer with DCU: Yeah, we saw this one and probably should have said a few words. San Jose taking Brian was expected, what was not expected was that he would be traded to Columbus for Kai Kamara. Either way we would just like to echo Dave Kaspar's comments,

"Brian has been a model professional on and off the field for D.C United, and we thank him for his five terrific years at the club."

Carroll was never a fan favorite at United but when he was on he made every other players job easier and made it possible for them to wow the crowd and please the fans. Clyde has basically been the starting D-Mid since the 2007 All-Star break, and Carroll was never as good in 2007 as he was in years past, but his service to DC United has been crucial to the success they have had since 2004. Only Moreno, Etcheverry, Olsen, Williams, Pope, Agoos, Namoff and Prideaux have played more minutes for United than Carroll.

Veron Rumors Pick Up Steam: Goff is hearing reports that a decision might be coming by December 15th. This would be an interesting move for United. I don't know how it will play out, but it could have interesting ripple effects in player moves, locker room cohesion and goals for next season.

CONCACAF Champions Cup: Six of the eight teams in the 2008 CONCACAF Champions Cup are set. CD Montagua, Deportivo Saprissa, Harbour View, Pachuca, DC United and the Houston Dynamo are already in the competition. CSD Municipal and LD Alajuelense are fighting for the third Central American spot which will be decided on December 4th, while the second Mexican spot will go to the winner of the Apertura. The Apertura season is down to four teams as Santos will play Pumas and Chivas will meet Atlante in the semifinals. So DC United could face Chivas yet again, though betting money has to go to Santos at this point. Goff is reporting that the dates for the first leg of the CCC are March 11-13 (first leg) and 18-20 (second leg). So that is when the off season ends.

DC United 2007 Player Grades: UnitedMania has given out player grades for the 2007 season. For the most part I agree with these grades. The grades seem to be given out based on expectations, making Burch one of the two people with an A, but overall it is a solid analysis.

Joe Machnik Interview: Kenn.com has a great interview with MLS’ Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner for On-Field Competition (wow, thats a long title) Joe Machnik. Basically Dr. Machnik is the guy in the MLS' organization that deals with the referees. The interview covers the entire officiating gamut and every MLS fan should read it.

MLS Blows Decision by Blowing the Galaxy: Ives reports on the decision by the honchos at MLS HQ to grandfather the contracts of Landon Donovan, Eddie Johnson and Carlos Ruiz so that their teams would not need to make them Designated Players to keep them. Basically they changed the rules halfway through the game...again. Frankly I thought MLS was beyond this, but I guess not. More than anything else in US Soccer, tampering like this is the thing that pisses me off the most.

2010 World Cup Qualifying: The draw was held on the 25th. The US will play the winner of Dominica and Barbados. Assuming they win that game they will be drawn into a group that will probably consist of themselves, Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago and Guatemala. Assuming no upsets the Group B will be Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica and Canada while Group C will consist of Haiti, Panama, Guyana and Costa Rica.

2007

The Post is writing up the most memorable moments of soccer over the past few decades, but I prefer my nostalgia in a targeted, concentrated form. And I think now, a week after elimination, it's time to start writing the first drafts of history. So I offer you the best and worst moments of the 2007 season, starting with...

The Best

#4: 9 August 2007 ESPN pulls out all the stops to cover the debut of Marc Burch on National Television, and their faith is rewarded as he assists on Emilio's goal.
#3: 22 August 2007 Jamie Moreno sets the MLS All time goal scoring record with a penalty, and Christian Gomez has the game winner as United defeats New York 3 to 1.
#2: 5 August 2007 United breaks away from a season of mediocrity with a comprehensive victory over New England, dominating them throughout the game. Josh Gros with a goal that may typify his career, never giving up on a ball that Matt Reis bobbles, and Emilio with a brace.
#1: 10 June 2007 Ben Olsen grabs a hat trick in the process of single handedly demolishing the Red Bulls. Each goal prettier than the one preceding it. I can't recall a regular season game where I left RFK feeling any happier, and if I had one game from 2007 to stick in the DC time capsule, it would be this one.

The Worst

#3: 14 April 2007 United follows up a lackluster opener in Colorado with a 4-2 drubbing at the hands of Kansas City. This seems like a lifetime ago, when people were starting to mumble about firing Tom Soehn and wondering how long this season could get. You can tell it was a long time ago because Eddie Johnson scored a goal.
#2: 3 April 2007 The game that no one would let Troy Perkins forget. A late goal in the rain that slips between Perkins hands is the difference as Guadalajara advances past United in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
#1: 1 November 2007 Watching from a bar in Buffalo, United seems to have completed the impossible comeback, only for the series equalizer to be disallowed. Whiplash of emotion is understatement.

First Impressions - Chicago Fire 1 : 0 D.C. United

In the middle of the country, where I am, it is a cold and dreary looking night. I felt alone in the bar where I sat. Around me people played Buzztime trivia and gazed half-heartedly at the Red Sox-Rockies game. They were kind enough to put the game on the TV closest to my table, and for a moment I was glad. Until I saw that we had no Emilio, and no Moreno. Kpene can not be held responsible for 40 minutes of few chances... our midfield simply didn't know how to play the ball in. A cross? A play up the middle? Denied the comfortable views of Moreno and Emilio, they were confounded. It wasn't that Chicago stopped the United attack, but that the United attack never found a way to coalesce. We needed them in the game just to have a way to figure out what to do.

As for the goal, I believe a certain blog pointed out that one thing we get from Bobby Boswell is a good defensive presence in the air. Tonight feels like we payed for not having that presence, as Vanney was flat out beat on the header that put Rolfe in alone on goal. If this game is frustrating, it is because we saw all of the things that we've seen all season in one game. Vanney slow and out-played in the middle. Burch getting the ball taken from him while hesitating over the ball. McTavish a shade too loose in his marking. Gomez vanishing at the start (although he did find a way to assert himself later). Carroll meandering around the field. All the things that annoyed us at one point or another were there tonight, but the real problem was that I never felt like we were trying to come out with a lead. Maybe Tom Soehn had a good tactical plan he felt he could execute, but when you bench the best attacker in the league this season, and the all-time greatest goal scorer, you have to wonder if that doesn't send some sort of message. To me, it certainly spelled doom, but I knew I was tending toward the overly dramatic. Still, when the rain came, it seemed like a test of mojo. We win in the rain, but we lose to Chicago, which mojo is stronger? Sadly, we know now.

The Joy and Sorrow of Thursday Night Soccer

So, for various reasons, I'm on business travel this week and next week, which means I will not be at RFK for the second leg of our series against Chicago. There's an outside chance I may make it to the first leg, which would be nice, provided I can make the trip to Chicago in time from my hotel. This annoys me, but c'est la vie. The schedule makers chose to put United on National television, where I don't think they've fared particularly well since the 2004 home opener (does someone have stats on ESPN games and records?). Whatever. At least, out here in the middle of the country, I can at least see this game without the use of MLSLive.TV. That's something. I can see the game. And I packed a jersey in my bag. These things matter.

The middle part of the country is much different than the East Coast. You may think Boston, DC, and New York are different, and you're right, but there's a fundamental city/suburb/rural balance that is similar in all cities along I-95. No such situation. From Dallas to Houston to Detroit to Tulsa, there are small pockets of urban city and vast, gridded expanses of suburb. It's different. It's like MD-355, but instead on one line of strip malls, it extends outward into two dimensions. After a while, the sameness starts to get to you, and you feel like just kicking someone for fun. This may explain the choice of defensive tactics for the Fire.

But I am glad DC is facing Chicago tonight. If you must have disturbing issues from your past, immersion therapy is a legitimate option for getting over them, and that's what I hope to see. BDR is content with a grinding game tonight, and so am I, provided that we grind out a goal. Coming back to DC at nil-nil might be a bit too much of a 2005 parallel for me. If anyone must spit on CJ Brown, please do it tonight. Just do it after we've got one in the net.

Debriefing for Match 11.30: Columbus Crew

D.C. United 2 : 3 Columbus Crew

Six Word Novel Recap

Not with a bang - a whimper.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, The Bog Man: "With little at stake in its regular season finale last night, D.C. United's grand plan was to avoid injury and build momentum before the MLS playoffs start this week. United failed miserably on both counts. "
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Argentine star Guillermo Barros Schelotto found Robbie Rogers with a pass, and the former Maryland standout tapped the ball through the legs of United goalie Troy Perkins, who had run out to the edge of his box in an attempt to stop the Crew striker. Brian Carroll was also at fault on the goal, having allowed Rogers to get past him."
UnitedMania, Jimmy LaRoue: "Gomez, though, took advantage of a Crew handball in the box to convert a penalty, cutting the lead to 3-2 in the third minute of stoppage time. That was it for a depleted, and disappointed United, lamenting the loss of two of its playmakers, and for losing its end-of-season momentum going into the playoffs."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "The visitors ran out in a 3-5-2 formation that seemed to confound the Black-and-Red at times..."

The Good

1. Kpene: For all the talk about him not scoring, the real problem with his play was the way he was allowing himself to get manhandled in many of his recent performances. Quite simply, he just wasn't strong on the ball, and he wasn't strong off the ball, which means he was... well, quite weak actually. No, he didn't finish, but we saw more toughness from him, and better holding abilities, plus the ability to turn around a few players. His best performance in the second half of the season.
   
2. Ben Olsen: Tired Ben Olsen and Rested Ben Olsen will still run around. They'll both throw themselves at players with abandon. They'll both yell at people, and recently Ben Olsen seems to be borrowing a few pages from How to Attract the Attention of Your Midfielder When You're Along on the Wing by Bobby Convey. Here's the difference between tired Ben Olsen and rested Ben Olsen -- Rested Ben Olsen has so much more energy it spills over into the other players, and clear across the field, making players like Fred even more dangerous. That's a good thing.
   
3. Fight all the Way: I do credit United for pushing the entire match, and even having some very good chances against Hesmer. They put a goal on the scoreboard late to make it interesting. And credit should also go to the Crew, who played an entertaining game. Some times your team sucks, some times their team is really good, and in some moments in this game both were true.

The Bad

1. The Pain:Moreno getting hurt is problematic. Emilio getting hurt could be downright disastrous. Both of them carrying knocks into a playoff match on Thursday night (i.e. Short Rest) does not make me feel good about executing an attacking strategy on the road. More on that later.
2. Recovery Speed: Let me say something heretical: We missed Facundo Erpen last night. No one on United's defense the last few years has been better at getting back when an opposing player has been sent through than Erpen was. The point is not that we should get Erpen back, but rather that letting players come through on balls like that is a problem. Yes, Carroll is the one who was obviously seen as the guy getting beat on the first goal, but it didn't help that Boswell was pulled far from the center of the field to a Columbus player who ultimately ended his run on the wrong side of the touchline. We didn't have a good shape, and had nothing to bail us out.
   
3. Blog Fatigue: I'm not innocent on this, considering there was no debrief for Chicago, but the season seems to have taken its toll on United related bloggers. Few words written, even in anger, about the result on Saturday. Hey, I can understand that, time to refocus on the playoffs... sort of like the team. Okay, that's perhaps a bit of an aggrandizement. Okay, more than a bit.
   

Man of the Match

None assigned. We lost.

Karma Bank

+1 for the season entering the match. Not a whole lot of karma transactions in this one. Referee Terry Vaughn called a decent game, with few things that would make me upset. I'm going to say -1 for playing an ugly game on a night honoring the '97 team, and +1 for the unfortunate injuries to both Moreno and Emilio. That's no change for the game, +1 for the season, meaning we're owed one decent break in the playoffs.

Final Thoughts

When this game became meaningless, it was hard not to lose focus even as a fan. But more and more I'm upset that Tom Soehn didn't fully transfer this game to the reserves. That's what we wanted, and that's what we didn't get and may end up paying for.

So now we look to the playoffs, and we'll have Chicago on successive Thursday nights. Again, I don't believe the last game of the season has jack to do with momentum. The away game in Chicago is the real momentum builder game, and that could be a tough game. Even if Emilio and Moreno play, in all likelihood neither will be 100% fit. Which is a problem, since it might encourage negative road soccer. It was getting away from negative road soccer that inspired this team when they went out and won against New England in the final third of the season, and truly sparked something for this team. Even a scoreless draw on the road will have some people talking about how United still can't score against Chicago in the playoffs.

We invent curses, to some degree. And then we ignore the counter-factual evidence. There was a time when "Only Chicago beats United in MLS knockout competitions" which was true until New England did it last year. And United will never win against Chicago in the playoffs, until they do. There will be a playoff match that features United defeating Chicago, although it may not be this year. Do I think we're a more talented team than the Fire? Yes, but I also think the Fire may be playing better soccer right now than we are. That can be reversed, but it will be difficult. I imagine some people may well pick the Fire as the odds-on choice for first round upset winners (A buck says Luis Bueno will make that choice.)

What's interesting is that considering late season results balanced against the entire year, there's no team that I feel is the odds on favorite to take the cup this year. Everyone has problems, or difficult paths. Honestly, with Kansas City shifting over the West's bracket, perhaps Chivas has the inside track.

All of that changes if United can make a statement in Chicago. Which they must do. Even if they manage to squeak by Chicago 1-0, I won't feel good facing New England or New York in the Conference Finals. This team has had enough time to regroup, and they've taken it. All of it. There is no more time left.

First Impressions - D.C. United 2 : 3 Columbus Crew

Concede.

So I come back from a week on the road to find out that Kevin Payne has had a small stroke, but is apparently recovered, to see that United's unbeaten streak is over, and to see the stadium situation has gone utterly charlie foxtrot. I mean, what the hell people? Can't you do this crap when I'm around to devote time to it? Bah...

We finish at 55 points, a Supporter's Shield to our credit (though potentially only won on a tiebreaker depending on results later tonight), and a team looking at the playoffs with another kind of streak: 0 for October. Add to that injuries to our two starting forwards, a somewhat fatigued Ben Olsen, a definitely fatigued Namoff...and yet...

Yet I don't think this is a point to panic. United was more creative than I recall, especially facing a team that wanted to bunker. The finishing wasn't there, but this team wasn't a team that looked desperate for a clue. They had ideas. Their defensive form wasn't excellent, but it wasn't as bad as the three goals suggest in the score line. They are out-of-sync, yes, but not out-of-gas.

It is somewhat fashionable for United fans recently to expect that worst. And certainly there is enough for you to look for along those lines. But part of me never buys the momentum theory (you can see what I wrote last year along those lines.) If there is to be momentum, let it come in the away leg of the playoffs. Winning against Columbus wasn't going to give this team confidence, not the way the '04 team took something form going up 2-nil on Metro in the Meadowlands. That's where momentum comes in. And you can see it one game, as you could in 2004. The moment where potential energy converts to kinetic. Where gravity is scorned, and static friction becomes fiction. I can feel that potential in this team right now. It isn't inevitable, but it is a possibility, and it makes the coming playoff games intriguing.

Rereading these previous paragraphs, it reads more like a Final Thoughts of a Debrief than a First Impression, so let me add this: Gomez had a good game, and Olsen proved once again that he is the heart of this team right now. McTavish and Namoff were both exposed again. As much as Boswell's positioning can be troublesome, he is easily the best defender in the air this team has, and that's a skill we need. Kpene had a decent game, let's not forget he is in his first year. I much prefer seeing him up top than Dyachenko. I still feel that we know Dyachenko's highest potential, but I think Kpene can get so much better. Mediate was a non-factor, which is not a good thing.

Part of me feels that Tom Soehn wasn't gunning for this game, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, yes, keep the starters healthy, but we really didn't manage that, did we? Why put Olsen in, as good as he is, when you know he may get hurt and you can use him next week. Why not start Dyachenko at midfield, Jeff Carroll, Justin Moose, and Nicholas Addlery? It seemed like an awkward compromise between resting people and still trying to get a result. I'd have preferred that we just concede the game outright to the reserves. But we didn't. Instead we were neither one thing nor the other. And I would expect a team like that to be out of sorts for 40 minutes or so. Which we certainly were.

MVP vs Newcomer of the Year

Luciano Emilio is up for two overall awards this year in addition to leading in the race for the Budweiser Golden Boot award. There has been some internal discussion amongst the DCenters about whether Luchi is more likely to win the Honda Most Valuable Player award or the MLS Newcomer of the Year award (or both!).

Here are some of the arguments, excerpted from e-mails.

The discussion began when I heard Rob Stone make a comment on Thursday Night Soccer a few weeks ago about Emilio v JPA for league MVP. Paraphrasing, he said that JPA would win the award because of the high quality of players on DCU versus the players on RBNY [snigger]. Essentially JPA stands head and shoulders above his teammates whereas Emilio is just another amazing player from DCU. At first I was confused, because I didn't think that had much to do with it, so I consulted with the DCenters.

D first answered with,

"Personally, I prefer [Ben] Olsen for MVP. If quality of support determines MVP, then Maurice Edu (Toronto FC) should be in the running."

and then Kinney chimed in with,

"It is a common argument among MVP voters. Do you vote for the best player, or do you vote for the player "most valuable" to their team. Take away Emilio and put in a decent striker DC United is still doing pretty well, take away JPA and what happens to the Metros? This is the type of thinking that leads to [Amado] Guevara being voted over [Jaime] Moreno, but without it [Michael] Jordan would have been MVP [in the NBA] for basically every year in the 90's instead of just four of them. This is especially the case in baseball or college football where the disparity is so huge; you usually don't see too many issues in leagues with parity. For example, looking at the history of MLS MVPs, the top scorer or point getter (MLS used to count points like hockey) has never lost out to another striker. This year might be the first. I think that is why Ives on his blog put Emilio as MVP but JPA as best newcomer."

Oscar responds thusly,

"It's an interesting dichotomy - I can see how a player could have one value to his team (Emilio) and have a different perceived value in the rest of the league. That is, while he might not be the MVP as a player for DC, drop him on any number of other teams, assuming he replicates his performance, and he'd be an MVP shoe-in, no problem.

I hate the Guevara/JPA MVP argument because in those cases, it's usually one player making a crappy team noticeably less crappy. If NY was #1 in the east, then you might convince me, but when they're losing to TFC..."

D finally decided we should define what to be the MVP actually means,

"Personally, I would evaluate the MVP of the league as "who had the most value to the league" instead of to the team. To me, Emilio's goal scoring has been more interesting and valuable on a league wide basis (since goals are highlights, and he's provided a ton of them). That also allows us, if we want to, to say Olsen is more valuable to the team, but perhaps less to the league."

Oscar then pointed out that D's definition could lead us down ridiculous paths,

"Umm, then you could argue that Sir David Beckham should be the MVP this year. It could work if you were crazy and insane, but it could be done."

Of course, no one is nominating Becks as league MVP. But also, no one is denying that his value to league is huge. RFK was sold out. The Meadowlands were at or near capacity. But what about longer term? As soon as the Galaxy left DC, attendance moved back to normal levels. But in the next few years, as more international players like Emilio, Fred, JPA, Denilson, C. Blanco, G.B. Schelotto, Beckham, etc) make their mark in the league and increase the overall level of play, isn't there an argument about these players having the biggest impact on the league, of being the "most valuable" to the league?

Two points here.

1. I'll answer my own question by saying, "of course". And that's why the league created the MLS Newcomer of the Year award. These players aren't rookies but their instantaneous value to the league has to be acknowledged.
2. Emilio, should he win the Golden Boot award, should be seen as the first player of his kind to come to the league and dominate it. Even if he is edged tonight by JPA against LAG, he's been leading the stat category for the whole season, and I think that other teams in the league have had to scramble to go out to sign internationals of their own. That's where Emilio's value to the league lies. Not only has he scored 20 goals this season, not only has he been named player of the week three times this season, but I consider him one of the first internationals to make other teams sit up and say, "hey - DCU might be on to something here."

Please add your own thoughts in the comments.

What is Ours, Again

With Colorado edging Chivas USA 1-2 this Sunday, it is now official: D.C. United becomes the first team in MLS History to successfully defend the Supporter's Shield. Yes, Kinney is right - we look for things to be first at. If there was a record for goals scored by defenders in odd-numbered years, we'd want United to set it. But this... this is important. This is taking on all comers, in a tough conference, and winning it. This is the result of a season where 29 of 30 games mattered. This is sweet, and it is ever thus.

It may feel like backing into a title given that we just experienced a lack-luster scoreless draw, but I prefer to think of it as a reward of all the games earlier in the season that we won. We will now compete in at least two international tournaments, the Champion's Cup and the Superliga, thanks to this finish. And, yes, now we can rest people.

For the story on how it went down, UnitedMania gets a snarky jump:

Omar Cummings scored in the 90th minute to give the Rapids the unlikely victory in front of dozens of spectators in Los Angeles. What made this result so improbable was that Chivas USA had not lost all season long at the Home Depot Center. What also made this unthinkable was that Colorado had former United defender Brandon Prideaux sent off early in the second half giving Chivas USA the man advantage.

It feels good personally, but I imagine it also feels good for a team. 2007 will not be devoid of major silverware after several disappointing cup exits, and the MLS Double is still in play. It is now clear that we should give next week's game to the reserves, get everyone healthy and rested, and drive to finish this at RFK in a month's time.

First Impressions - DC United 0 : 0 Chicago Fire

I had expected United to rebound nicely with an long week off, but it didn't happen. They weren't as tired as they were against Kansas City. That was the most fatigued United had looked all season. No, they looked uninspired. There was little creativity. Tom Soehn had moved the team into a 3-5-2 in the second half, and they just seemed lost in the final third of the field. It reminded me of... well, itreminded me of the end of the 2006 season. Not a happy feeling.

What's strange is that I have no idea who's in good form right now. Christian Gomez had a fairly decent run in midfield, and Clyde Simms had fully rebounded from some subpar play in Guadalajara by aggressively marking Blanco. My entire "McTavish/Vanney, or Boswell/McTavish, but not Boswell/Vanney" theory took a huge hit tonight, as Devon seemed to have difficulty shutting down runners and Vanney couldn't clear a ball with his head. Burch had a better game defensively, but teams have learned not to let him have any space when he goes forward. There were at least two times when he tried to serve up a ball only to see his marker deflect it back at him.

If there was a bright spot, it was Troy Perkins, who was called on multiple times. In addition to some fantastic saves, I was most impressed by his decision making. He had some tough choices on whether to leave his line, or stay back, to play the ball with his feet or smother it... and he was correct 100% of the time. One of his best games of the season, if not career.

Overall though, this was not an inspiring game. United's magic number is three (pending the Chivas game on Sunday) which means the match against Columbus could mean everything in terms of the Supporter's Shield. Which means I'm probably going to watch their win against New England. That Champions Cup spot is still not assured. The interesting question is what to do with Vanney, Carroll, and Namoff, all of whom would be suspended for the first playoff match if they picked up a yellow in the final game of the season. While yellows reset for the playoffs, a suspension in the final game of the season applies to the first match of the playoffs. My choice would be, if possible, to give Namoff the week off. He needs the rest, but with Gros not feeling well you wonder what the options are.

And, I don't agree with resting most of the starters for the playoffs unless Chivas loses Sunday. We have a one game chance to ensure Champion's Cup play next year. I want that.

Debriefing for Match 11.28: At Kansas City Wizards

Kansas City Wizards 1 : 1 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Draw makes it simple: Win out.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, The Bog Man: "Two starting midfielders were forced to miss the final leg of this trip because of injuries. Several players and members of the coaching staff were weakened by stomach ailments. And after a half, United trailed a Kansas City Wizards team that had not lost when leading at halftime."
The Kansas City Star, Bob Luder: "As United defender Bryan Namoff met him to challenge, Johnson stopped with the ball on the right side, near the top of the D.C. penalty box. He held the ball for what seemed like at least five seconds before centering a sharp pass to Sealy streaking in just outside the box. Sealy struck the ball with his right foot and sent a shot just inside the left post, cleanly beating goalkeeper Troy Perkins."
The Examiner, Criag Stouffer: "That held until the 56th minute, when Marc Burch found Gomez at the top of the Wizards' box. Gomez turned quickly and got off a shot before defender Tyson Wahl could close him down. His shot sailed past diving keeper Kevin Hartman and inside the left post for the equalizer."
UnitedMania, Mike Martin: "United now has a five point lead over New England, Houston and Chivas USA with only two league games remaining, both at home to Chicago and Columbus. However, Chivas USA now has an opportunity to run the table and win the Supporters Shield with 4 games remaining, provided United doesn't get maximum points from their last two matches."
MLSNet.com, Bob Rusert:" A midfield battle formed again as it had midway through the first half but the impassioned play did not. "
Booked for Dissent / Screaming Eagles Podcast, Dave Lifton: "...the dullest game of the season..."
Down the By Line, M: "As for the game itself, it wasn't the greatest performance from the Wizards, but it was enough to get part of the job done. The Wizards came out slow early, and DC almost made them pay a few times, but El Gato, Kevin Hartman, proved tonight why he was brought in to take Bo's place. Bo doesn't make all the saves that Hartman made tonight, and the Wizards likely lose this match if Bo is in net." [Note: I hold a special place in my heart for bloggers devoted to a single MLS team that use one letter for their name.]
QuarterVolley, I-66: "Well then, that was amazingly crappy wasn’t it? We didn’t necessarily look bad 44 minutes in. I felt we looked okay, but not bad. I mean, that was until Bryan Namoff had a tremendous brain fart and, with Clyde Simms 10 yards from him calling for a square ball, decided to send an errant pass back into the attacking third, sparking the Wizards counter which made the score 1-0 through Malik “I usually can’t even score on sitters in front of United’s net” Sealy of all people."
BlackDogRed, BDR: "The absence of Fred and Gros and the ankle knack of Jaime Moreno meant a middle defense of Bobby Boswell and Greg Vanney (with McTavish moved to midfield). United can win with Boswell and McTavish or Vanney and McTavish, but United cannot win silver with a back line centered with Boswell and Vanney. That the two sucked so badly on a field ten yards narrower than normal speaks as much to their disorganization as their combined lack of speed."
Fifty-Fifty Ball, Guy Franzen: "'The Kansas City Wizards prepared for tonight’s regular-season home finale by canvassing the city Thursday with thousands of free tickets for schoolchildren.' Unfortunately the doubling of the Cauldron's size, with the fifty tickets that they were able to give away to kids[the announced attendance was 14,353and I have no idea how many were given away] , was not enough to put the Wizards over the top. "

The Good

1. Get Set and Go: In the recent matches against Toronto and Real Chivas, United was sluggish out of the gate. This marks the first game in a bit where United came out firing, dictating play and pushing the game around. It wasn't even United at their best, but the mentality was correct.
2. Hide Your Weakness: No Fred and Gros was problematic, since that's a lot of our midfield gone, but Tom Soehn's modified box midfield was a pragmatic solution whose advantages I didn't understand. With Simms and the rest of the team ailing from food poisoning, the formation was a steadying influence. At first, I didn't understand why United would want to slow this game down, but now that we see the full story, it makes sense as a choice. My first reaction was wrong -- Soehn did the right thing. Try and put this game in a vice and squeeze, hoping Kansas City cracks first. It would have worked had any of our opening chances gone in the net.
3. Troy Perkins, Traffic and Weather on the 8s: As much as it has been said before, I still can't get enough of the way Perkins patrols the box in the air. United does let people get down the flanks and send in crosses too often, but Perkins mitigates that risk nicely.
4. Christian Gomez: Saves the point with the near post goal and plays credibly as a forward for the first time I can recall where we've tried that particular experiment. Of course, it helps that he was playing as a forward who was checking back into midfield a lot, so it wasn't too much of a difference, but he still didn't come back too often or too far, which is what you might expect.
   

The Bad

1. Defense: Awkward looking is an overstatement of the display. We've written before about the Boswell/Vanney pairing (most notably in this post) and how it doesn't work. Today, we had all of that plus a Bryan Namoff is still not right. If we had true defensive depth, I'd say Namoff is a major candidate to get a game off. He's taken a few knocks, and needs some good rest for a bit. Clyde Simms and Brian Carroll helped steady the midfield, but didn't really augment the back third that much. Boswell was slow, Vanney was slow, and Burch was caught out too often.
2. Ben Olsen: He just didn't have enough on Friday night. I'm totally willing to give him a pass for this game, but we do have to acknowledge that for most of the second half he found real difficulty getting into space.
   
3. TV Production: I'm going to take a guess on this, since I don't actually know these things, but it seems like Comcast was getting their feed from Kansas City's regular broadcast crew, and augmenting it with one sideline camera. Usually, even on the road, the game looks better than that. Dave Johnson remains one of the better home announcers, and he seems to genuinely like Thomas Rongren, but I feel that Rongren is, shall I say, a bit too much of a homer. Perhaps the penalty should have been given to Emilio when he was hauled down in the box, but there's no way Gomez deserved a penalty. The replay showed clearly that Gomez had a fistful of his marker's shorts in his hand, and I'm pretty sure that when they both got up from the turf, Gomez said "Machine Wash Warm, Tumble Dry Low".
4. Emilio: Now that I've complained about the TV production, let me say that the shots of Ryan Pore delivering double forearms to Emilio's chest told a great story. Teams are really collapsing on him, hacking him, pushing him, and while he was getting some of that attention, I'm sure he'll be getting more. Especially as he plays better than average defenses in the playoffs, or if not talented defenses, he'll be playing against backs with no scruples (rhymes with Bay Peeps).
   

Man of the Match

None assigned. Game too ugly to give a MotM award for.

Karma Bank

+1 for the season entering the game. +1 for Emilio not getting a borderline penalty, +1 for some good attacking soccer in the first half, -1 for some cynical fouls that didn't get cards, -1 for some ugly play on our half of the field. No change overall, +1 for the season.

Final Thoughts

At first, I was on-board with the "no excuses for that ugly a game" mentality, but over the weekend I changed my mind. There were some damn good excuses. The problem with excuses is that too often they are wallpapering over more fundamental problems. While Burch has been a revelation at left back, it is primarily for his non-defensive responsibilities. Namoff is not playing as well as he was earlier this season, neither Boswell nor Vanney seems capable of utterly marking someone out of a game, and I like Devon MacTavish just fine but wouldn't want to rely on him to be the focal point of a backline. I get the sense that the pieces to a really good defense are there, but I don't know how they fit together. I'm not sure Tom Soehn does either, which is fine for right now, but come playoff time you need to know who your Best XI are, and use them.

Otherwise, I think the excuses hold water. Tired, Sick, travel-weary: Those all explain much for the game we saw. But they can only explain that one game. The Chicago game still matters heavily for the Supporter's Shield, and I have every expectation we'll try and go for it. However, even if the Shield is in doubt, I would not be surprised to see Soehn sacrifice the Columbus game to the reserves. Home field is only a point away right now, and we could have it well in the bag by then, and I could see Soehn making the decision that getting everyone fresh and ready for the playoffs is a legitimate choice. While I wouldn't like it, I wouldn't call him an idiot either. Many of you have made your thoughts clear - If the Cup Final is at RFK, it needs to be a home game. I still disagree, but that's a matter of opinion, not soccer fact or lore or absolute truth.

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

If you want me to talk about the result, well, as I said, it would only be a small surprise to drop points in this match. A 1-1 draw seemed appropriate at the end of the day, for while United generated their share of chances, they also gave up several when speed overtook the backs. And yet, for all the chances that both teams had, there was something fundamentally ugly about this game. Not the play, but rather the speed and the angles and the passing... it was all a bit dull and uninteresting. Moreno may not have been effective at all times, but his insertion into the end of the match certainly made the play at times a little more aesthetically pleasing. Otherwise this was the dullest and ugliest game I've seen all season. That takes two teams to create, and both did it.

It should be said that fatigue is most definitely a factor. This team was tired. You could see it given how frequently the defense was a step slow to react. You could see it in Ben Olsen, who gives you everything he has. He just didn't have very much after about 40 minutes. I think even Emilio was a step slower tonight. We were a tired team. Kansas City was a team playing without two key players. The field was narrow, and the broadcast had the watered-down, faded colors of a 1980s TV movie. Add those things together, and you get a game that never really involved me at any level. Or maybe I'm just tired. Does anyone want to speak in defense of this match? I'm happy United didn't lose, but I'm more happy I'm don't have to watch any more of it.

GotW/PotW

When Emilio one-timed the crossbar-rebound of Gomez's free kick into the back of the net on Saturday night, I almost killed myself celebrating that goal. Those steps in section 471 are steep! But also part of my celebration, which I forgot to mention in yesterday's debrief, was that I was screaming, "GOAL OF THE WEEK!" "GOAL OF THE WEEK!" Currently Emilio's goal is in second place, 39% to 43% to C. Blanco's free kick from distance. Get on mlsnet.com and vote for Emilio.

Also, I just noticed that Fred has been named Player of the Week,

"after scoring one goal and adding an assist in United's 4-1 weekend victory over Toronto FC."

Nice. Fred's goal was actually the game winner. Fred's designation as PotW this week marks the 7th time this season a DC United player has been so been named.

Emilio (3), Olsen (2), Addlery (1), Fred (1)

Update: GotW designations, by team
DC United: 7
KC Wizards: 4 (Johnson, Sealy)
Chivas USA: 4 (Razov, Galindo)
RBNY: 3 (JPA, Altidore)
Houston Dynamo: 3 (DeRo, Davis, Holden)
RSL: 1 (Cunningham)
LA Galaxy: 1 (Donovan)
FC Dallas: 1 (Toja)
New England Revolution: 1 (Twellman)
Columbus Crew: 1 (Schelotto)

Coffee with Sweet Creamery Butter

GARTH LAGERWEY TO REAL SALT LAKE: As if sending them previous DCU players wasn't enough, now they want former color commentators. Anyways, congrats to Garth on his new job as General Manager in Salt Lake. Now, there is an interesting subtext here for those that want to think about it. At the SE Pub Quiz back in April, someone might have heard Garth speculating that his playing days in MLS ended a bit prematurely perhaps because of his involvement trying to unionize players. A bit of management payback, if you will. (By the way, if that's the case, and I don't know if it is or not, but any front office official that got rid of a decent keeper to make a collective bargaining point should be fired. Just saying.)

The interesting thing is now Garth is across the table for the Union he worked so hard to create. Wonder how that will play out.

And no, I never liked the Sweet Creamery Butter call, and if you notice he hasn't used it much in recent games. That being said, I thought he was a capable color commentator, and if he's as capable in the General Manager role, I think RSL will improve.

IS IT TIME TO PLAY "ROOT FOR WHO CAN HELP US?": Of course it is. Here's my guide to the upcoming games:

• CHI-DAL Root for a Chicago win. Two reasons for this. First, Dallas is a potential Supporter's Shield competitor, and Chicago isn't. Second, I don't want Chicago all riled up with must-win thoughts when we face them. Let them have the three points in this game, and hopefully (okay, not realistically, but still) they'll be a bit more complacent facing DC.
• CLB-TOR Root for whomever you want, no real implications to this match.
  
• NE-RBNY Root for a draw and tons of cards. From a supporter's shield perspective, a New England loss is better, but that would somehow mean rooting for the Bulls. Not gonna happen.
• COL-RSL: I hate to say this, but you should root for the Rapids. I'd rather have four seeds from the East than five, so I want Colorado to overtake Chicago for that eighth playoff spot. Since we're also rooting for Chicago, we need Colorado to keep pace here. That being said, a draw will do nicely as well. And wish Garth well on his first game.
• KC-CHV: Supporter's Shield implications mean rooting for Kansas City. Chivas is still only two points behind once games in hand are factored in, and we need them to drop points.
• DAL-LA: Root for LA. Let's get Dallas out of the Supporter's Shield picture.
  

Retrospective: Why does it go right (or wrong)?

Continuing some earlier thoughts on the season-to-date, we've already broken down the season into some distinct phases, but I want to take a slightly closer look. First, let's take a look at the most recent annotated pace graph (click to enlarge):

Now, we speculated on some reasons why the season might have behaved this way, but let's look just a bit closer, shall we? The graph below is DC United's goals for and goals against in league games. Don't worry if it looks like a mess, because it is a mess and we're going to move beyond it shortly. I just wanted you to see it for the data purists among you (Again, click if you'd like to enlarge):

So that's a bloody mess, but I think we can refine this to something that's useful. The problem with this graph is that there's too much variation from point to point to discern any real trends. A lot of noise, if you will. However, let's borrow a tool from our wall-street friends and apply a moving average to this data. If we start at the third game of the season, and take the average of the first three games, we'll plot that point at game 3. Then average games 2-4 for game 4, average games 3-5 for 5, and so-on. In so doing, we smooth out a lot of the noise, and I think a story becomes apparent.

What I like about this graph is that it kind of syncs up to many of the turning points that I and several commenters were referring to. First, we see how bad DC was in the beginning of the season. United has allowing 2 or more goals a game, and averaging one in response. When you don't score. Starting in Game 5, we see the goals pick up to 1.5 to 2.5 goals per game and defense stabilize at around 1 goal game.

Now, the defensive move can be explained by the switch to the 4-4-2, but why would goals per game suddenly pick-up? Part of it is the Emilio slump, but I think a large factor is simply that United's talent level wasn't a 1 goal per game team. This team's forwards and midfielders should generate 1.5 to 2.5 goals per game, regardless of whether you're using Moreno, Emilio, Gomez and Fred, or you can use Addlery, Kpene, and Olsen. There's enough talent there, really. The 1 goal per game was a team underperforming, and the ship was righted enough to generate some good results. Our talent level is 1.5 to 2.5. Keep that in mind, it'll be important in a bit.

Now, when scoring 1.5 to 2.5 goals per game, and surrendering about 1 goal per game, we were a decent team, but not setting the league on fire. Then we took a slide. Goals fell to the 1-2 goal per game range, and we were allowing a 1 to 1.5 goals per game. This is the period when we lost to New York and Houston. The big change was a defensive one: at similar scoring rates we had done acceptable previously in the season, but the goals allowed cost us points. Yes, there was a dip in scoring (attribute it to Moreno and Bolivian National Duty if you'd like) but had the defense played the way it had previously, I doubt you would have seen a real effect. The problem was defense. Were there any changes in the defense around this time? I can think of one - the Erpen for Vanney deal.

Erpen for Vanney happened one game before the slide starts to develop, and to me it is clear evidence that while Erpen and Boswell may have given you heart attacks, they meshed better than Boswell and Vanney did to start Greg Vanney's tenure in DC. The two simply didn't play well together, with Boswell certainly looking the worse in the exchange. It also further unsettled a backline that was making due with Josh Gros at left back. Things weren't jiving right.

But the story changes yet again with the introduct of Marc Burch in Game 18, and Clyde Simms wins the starting job a few games later. Suddenly the shaky United defense settles down to averaging less than a goal per game, their best performances of the year. Scoring is consistent with the rest of the year, but with Burch at left back things change. The six game win streak was fueled by defense. Why is Burch the key? A few thoughts on that:

Burch frees Josh Gros to take on midfield duties, which he's more suited too from years in Nowak's system. Burch, perhaps more importantly, makes Olsen and Fred more comfortable on the wing. Suddenly freed from having to run all over the field and worrying about what's behind him, Olsen settles in on the wing and really shines. Clyde Simms improves the midfield defensively, and Namoff returns at right back feels more comfortable. The benching of Boswell, it should be noted, happens after the defense is showing results, but perhaps it doesn't hurt, as either Vanney or Boswell seem decent in the center, but both seems problematic.

Still, the most recent games show some warning signs. United is once again allowing more than a goal a game (in fact, closer to two goals a game now) and is getting results because of an atypical surge in offense. I don't expect our strike rate to remain the way it is, and that means once it returns to its seasonal level we'll need the defense to re-stabilize. Part of it maybe the quality of opposition: United is #1 ranked for goals scored, but they just faced #2 and #3. That would be the "it's a momentary blip" explanation, and it is the explanation I want to be true (and, to be fair, I think it is probably true). Or it's a warning sign that things have become unsettled (and perhaps I just don't want to see that.) Again, the strike rate is ridiculously high at the moment, but pretty good at where it's typically been since June.

The lesson for me? Offense is what allows United to compete, but defense is what will decide whether United will dominate or not.

Debriefing for Match 12.24: New England Revolution

D.C. United 4 : 2 New England Revolution

Six Word Novel Recap

Four goals equals four point lead.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Moreno scored his first goal in the run of play in nearly a year, and Emilio scored two more to bring his league-leading total to 18 as United defeated the New England Revolution 4-2 in a game littered with questionable calls...'The first goal was lucky,' Emilio said. 'On the second goal, I was the only one on the field who believed Carroll would get that cross to me.'"
The Washington Post, Paul Tenorio: "With the win, United moves four points ahead of New England atop the Eastern Conference standings and is one step closer to the Supporters' Shield."
The Examiner, Craig Stouffer: "Fred opened the scoring in the 31st minute, but the Revolution (12-6-6) reclaimed the lead with a Taylor Twellman smash just before halftime and a Jay Heaps score on a messy corner kick 10 minutes after halftime."
The Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Appa: "The league's all-time leading scorer, Jaime Moreno, scored the tying goal for D.C., and the league's leading scorer this season, Luciano Emilio, provided the third and fourth scores. Nicol disputed the goal that gave D.C. a 3-2 lead, contending referee Abiodun Okulaja should have awarded the Revolution a free kick instead of allowing play to continue following a clash between United's Ben Olsen and the Revolution's Khano Smith...'We can't set the team up to play against the officials,' Nicol said."
The Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Appa: "'Every time we come down here it's something,' Revolution defender Jay Heaps said. 'The goals scored when the linesman could have called it, I can count on more than one hand. It's a shame. The goal they scored when it was 0-0 was clearly offside.'"
UnitedMania, Jimmy LaRoue: " Most teams can't bring three players off the bench with national team experience. DC United can. While lineup choices are always subject to debate, one thing is clear: United coach Tom Soehn is keeping his players fresh. "
Soccer New England, Sean Donahue: "The New England Revolution came back from a one-goal deficit, but allowed three unanswered goals to D.C. United in wild 4-2 loss Sunday that saw the Revs slip further out of first place and Steve Nicol get ejected."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "United were coming into the game just three days removed from a 2-2 draw at Chivas USA that ended a six-game winning streak, with a cross-country road trip in between. The Revolution hadn't played a league match in two weeks, but were winners of two in a row and five of their last seven. United's ongoing center back shuffle continued as Bobby Boswell gave way to Devon McTavish in the heart of the D.C. defense, while Josh Gros was given a start at left midfield as coach Tom Soehn rested Ben Olsen at the outset. "
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "'Don't get me wrong, D.C. is a good team. But it's even harder when we have certain people -- I'm just going to leave it like it is. It won't get me anywhere,' said a frustrated Nicol. "What are you supposed to do? We can set up to play against teams but we can't set up to play against officials.' New England's Khano Smith came in hard and took down United's Ben Olsen almost directly at the center line. As Smith got up to take the ball the other way, Olsen subtly clipped him in the back of the leg, which went uncalled by the referee. 'I'm not talking about a hairline decision one way or the other,' said Nicol. 'I'm talking about a free kick that everybody within 20 yards could see what it was. Not one of them saw it? That's what they'll probably tell you. And if they did see it -- are you kidding me?'"
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Moreno was the center of attention before the match as United staged a moving video tribute in celebration of his MLS-record 109 career goals, and he responded with an imperious performance as the linchpin of the Black-and-Red attack. His contribution was made all the more remarkable when Soehn revealed that Bolivian legend has been hampered by an illness that prompted the use of intravenous fluids before the match."
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "As a whole, the team looked better than they did against Chivas on Thursday night...(I cannot believe that I am typing this) the final nail was hammered in when Brian Carroll was brought on for Clyde Simms. Carroll is no favorite of mine and infact, before today, I would have been happy to see him be shipped off to San Jose. Today however, the guy stepped up and showed signs of his former self."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "And really, how hot is Luciano Emilio right now? 18 goals in 23 matches, and, I believe, 16 in his last 15."
Soccer Insider, Dan "The Bog Man" Steinberg: "..for a while there I was wondering whether DCU would outscore the local NFL team."
BlkDgRd, BDR: "United needs the nine days off following this Wednesday game v Salt Lake, which makes the resilience shown after going down 1-2 that much more remarkable...Okulaja must be thankful for Terry Vaughn, the only man who keeps Abby from the title of Shittiest Referee in MLS, though D implies Abby is crooked." [Note: Clarification Below]

The Good

1. Get Up and Get and Get Down ("There's not a minute to spare..."): Okay, I know I was not alone in my despair when United gave up the second goal to New England to go down 2-1. That United fought back, and then stuck the dagger in, despite their third game in nine days, spoke volumes about this team. More fight than I expected, or even had any sort of a right to expect. What's more, they fought back within minutes to gain the equalizer, and then kept pressing, and pressing, and then finished it off. Simply amazing.
2. Brian Carroll: It's been a long time since Brian's been on this side of the ledger, but watching him push by Jay Heaps was a wonderful thing. What I like most is that, if you download the SE Podcast, you can hear his rationale for making that run... it wasn't to score, he was heading to the corner to waste time. Then he saw someone making a run and sent in the cross. His first instinct was right, and his reason for deviating from the plan was right. Nice to see that. Yes, I've been part of the "What the hell is up with Brian Carroll" chorus. Please let this be a resurgence, and not a momentary blip. He still hasn't displaced Clyde Simms yet, who had some key moves to clog up the Revs' midfield play.
   
3. Substitutions: Earlier, which was needed (yes, Fred was dog tired by about the 50th minute). And I can't remember a substitution like Boswell for Gomez, which was exactly the kind of defensive move we needed then.
4. Honoring Moreno, who then says "Screw that, I'm scoring my own goal": Nice to see that highlight package of Moreno, including a Dave Johnson electronic remix of "It's in the Net" calls. Opening that package with "You got burned Johnny Walker" was also brilliant. And yes, Moreno did take a ton of touches before scooping the ball over Matt Reis. But here's the thing: Earlier in the match Moreno had taken two shots from un-Moreno like positions. Does Reis bite as fast as he did if Moreno doesn't take those shots earlier? Probably, but still, Moreno actually was a bit more selfish overall in this game. Nice to see.
5. Touch: Much better this game than last, as balls weren't rebounding three yards off our midfielder's shins. Simply home-field advantage, or perhaps that extra bit of concentration? You decide.
   
6. The AR Goal Call: I didn't like it, and still haven't been convinced, but the AR was correctly positioned on the goal line and made a courageous call. He deserves credit for it. He was probably the only person in the stadium who could make that call properly.

The Bad

1. Abbey: I know I went off on this already, but here's the thing. Abbey isn't crooked, he's just gullible and poorly positioned. Nicol and Heaps were both complaining about calls (I mean, seriously, Heaps?!?) and the thing is... they're right to complain. Abbey has an amazing knack of calling a game that's unfair to both teams. I just don't understand him. I may not agree with Prus or Hall or Marrufo all the time, but they rarely botch things and single-handedly as Abbey.
   
2. Vanney on Twellman: Vanney's mistake on the Revolution's first goal wasn't after Twellman settled, but before. He was a good three steps closer to the line than Twellman, which forced him to move to his left as the ball came in. Twellman settled and then moved to Vanney's right, easily shaking him off and opening up the half-volley shot. If Vanney is even with Twellman earlier, momentum doesn't screw him over like that.
   
3. Perkins: There was a moment in the second half when McTavish made a desperate header over the crossbar to deny a revolution shot. The problem was Perkins, who was a bit shaky in this match. When he's on, his aggressive instincts are perfect. In this match, he was caught out a few times, and on the play mentioned had offered a weak punch at a ball that was quickly settled by New England. That is what you get with Troy, and I'll take this moment of bad with all the good.
4. Burch on the Right: Marc spent at least half an hour on the right side in the first half, and I don't know why. It seemed ineffective at best. Maybe it was just to get a look, or perhaps to deal with McTavish and Vanney's pairing in the middle. Still, put him on the left.

Man of the Match

Moreno, who was key not only with his goal but frequently holding the ball well for United, and sent multiple players springing free (though he missed Josh Gros on a run that everyone in the stadium but Jaime saw.) Merit awards to McTavish, Simms, Emilio, Carroll, and Olsen.

Karma Bank

+1 for the season entering the game. -1 for avoiding an off-side call that might have been correct, but would have been easily given. +1 for Abbey's calling every dive that New England gave (my own personal count is that there were 8 legitimate DC fouls, 5 of a borderline nature, and the remaining seven were ridiculous). +1 for that third goal (when you could see Gomez slide along the top of the box to catch Olsen's eye, and you knew it was going to happen). That's +1 for the game, meaning we have two karma to burn (at +2) for the season.

Final Thoughts

Four points on New England for the Supporter's Shield, but none on Chivas if they win all their games in hand. United will drop points in their remaining games, but so will everyone else. We'll certainly need all the points on New England, and perhaps might need Chivas to stumble for a real edge. Here are the remaining games for Houston, Chivas, DC, Dallas, and New England.

D.C. United: RSL, @CHI, TFC, @KC, CHI, CLB
New England Revolution: FCD, @NY, COL, @CHI, CLB, @TFC
C.D. Chivas USA: LA, @COL, KC, CHI, @RSL, @FCD, COL, HOU
F.C. Dallas: @NE, CHI, @LA, HOU, @CLB, CHV, KC
Houston Dynamo: @LA, @FCD, LA, RSL, @CHV

Here's how I figure pessimistically figure it:
Houston will get 11 of their15 points (for 57 points)
New England will get 13 of a maximum 18 points (for 55 points)
C.D. Chivas USA will get 15 of a maximum 24 points (for 55 points)
FC Dallas will get 13 of their 21 max (for 52 points)

Which means United will need at least 12 points in their remaining games to gain the Supporter's Shield. And this is a team that could feasibly drop points against RSL. Sure, some of the matches are "should wins" (home to Toronto) but I remember feeling similarly about home matches with Columbus in the past, and the Chicago matches don't strike me as particularly easy. Which means that this match against RSL is, strangely, a win we'll need to get. A win we'll need to get without Moreno (on International Duty), on a night when we honor Eddie Pope, and when we face Rimando and Eskandarian at RFK.

We're in the driver's seat for the Supporter's shield, but the road is still slippery. Fortunately, it is just as slippery for everyone (except perhaps Houston, who fortunately have huge games against Chivas and Dallas on the road to even out a cupcake home schedule)

First Impressions - DC United 4 : 2 New England Revolution

What an odd game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we won. Especially since I felt like United did enough to win. But the game had all the hallmarks of a match that could go anywhere, and probably bad places. It was a feeling I had the moment I saw Abbey Okulaja was the center ref. And the game was transparently called against us. I mean, look, United are no angels, but neither is New England. We're talking about a team with Pat Noonan, Jay Heaps, and Shalrie Joseph after all. How did Abbey see a 20-5 foul margin against United?

Well, the fact is New England played Abbey like a fiddle. Every time a Revolution player was on the ball near a DC United marker, a strange hyper-local seismic event sent the Revolution player dutifully to the grass, and Abbey would puff on his whistle and call for the free kick. Not every time, but frequently enough that the Revolution seemed stunned when even the slightest foul didn't go their way.

And it was damn frustrating, and damn hot, and it had all the hallmarks of a game where United could easily have said "you know, to hell with it, nothing is going right, let's pack it in." Down 2-1, the best I was hoping for was a draw. That United rallied to win was a testament that their belief in themselves was stronger than my belief in them. I am duly ashamed of that fact. But United did control most of this game. There were moments (oh, how disinterested did DC seem minutes 46-50?) that United seemed to be on the verge of fading neatly into the background, but instead they would rally and regroup and suddenly be laying siege to Matt Reis. And that was beautiful, and lovely to watch. Three of those goals were quality events. And yes, Revolution faithful, one of them may have been off-side. That being said, I'm still not sure that New England actually got the whole ball over the line, but I have to defer to the AR in that situation. Replays for me still are inconclusive. So New England got some luck, some crappy officiating, and at least one doubtful goal. How many breaks did they need? Apparently several more...

It was a one of those games that DC United normally lose. You know, the outplay the other team but lose when all the breaks go to the opposition type of game? The "let's all belly-ache about Abbey" type of game. But United won. That's a lot more fun. And, dare I say it, a lot more surprising.

But let's face it, Abbey sucks. Is there anyone who will speak up for him? Please do so, because no official has been as routinely disappointing to fans of all teams as Abbey. It makes me so mad I haven't even talked about what I liked about United's play (and there was lots to like, and some to dislike). So I'm just going to vent about it now, even in the first blush of victory, and devote the debrief to analysis.

Debriefing for Match 12.23: At C.D. Chivas USA

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

Six Word Novel Recap

If tired now, think about Sunday.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "On an evening of odd bounces and defensive follies, D.C. United let an early two-goal lead evaporate and settled for a 2-2 tie with Chivas USA on Thursday night before an announced crowd of 9,306 at Home Depot Center."
The L.A. Times, Jaime Cárdenas: "Defender Lawson Vaughn scored the tying goal in the 60th minutes on a shot from inside the box that deflected off United's Clyde Simms."
UnitedMania, Mark Martin: "United looked to be firmly in control of this match as they scored barely three minutes into the match when Emilio struck a pea to the upper 90 after a lovely feed from Moreno. Then when Emilio doubled the lead barely twenty minutes later by pounding a rebound from a Moreno shot into the back of the net, surely the game seemed won...Chivas was denied a clear chance for the full three points in the 90th minute as a Mendoza breakaway was called back for offside in what was clearly a bad call as Brian Carroll was way late in holding the line and obviously left Mendoza by a good two yards."
MLSNet, Luis Bueno: "Chivas USA, though, benefited from a goalkeeper mistake. As D.C. looked for a third goal, Chivas USA's Paulo Nagamura cleared the ball from his own third of the field. The ball sailed toward the top of United's penalty area. Perkins tried to send the ball right back but Razov stepped in front of him. The ball caromed off Razov's midsection and rolled toward the goal line. Perkins scrambled back but the ball had too much pace and he couldn't keep it from crossing the line. Perkins had been struck by misfortune against a red-striped club earlier this year. Facing Chivas de Guadalajara in a CONCACAF Champions' Cup match, Perkins mishandled a long-range shot from Gonzalo Pineda. The ball hit Perkins' hands and floated over his head and across the goal line." [Note: Is there ever a reason not to bring this up anymore? Is this part of the story, except to feed the Chivas Guadalajara machine? For shame, Luis, for shame...]
MLSNet, Andrea Canales: "United saw their six-game winning streak come to an end, but still took a point which pushed them to the top of the MLS overall standings, one point ahead of the New England Revolution - who United plays Sunday at RFK Stadium."
MLSNet, Luis Bueno: "In the 60th minute, Vaughn bagged the equalizer in Chivas USA's 2-2 draw with D.C. United. On the leveler, Vaughn ripped a shot on goal that deflected off United's Clyde Simms and into the back of the net...Never having scored as a pro and having scored seldom in college, Vaughn was at a loss for ideas."
BlckDgRd, BDR: "fatigue kills...There're playing four games in twelve days. If United can push through these last two games of the four and be ahead of Supporters Shield (still a reasonable expectation) it should be considered a successful run, and one way or the other they'll have nine days after Wednesday to rest before their next game. Suck it up for Ningland then rest starters if necessary against Duck Lake."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "While I’m not placing any blame on our back four for the goals, after the Perkins mistake Chivas always looked like drawing level, and probably would have earned all three points had both teams not decided to fold up shop and settle for the draw - a move that didn’t really surprise me from United, but was downright shocking from Chivas."
The Edgell Supporters: "Our team speed is slow, or our team is slow, however you put it, in comparison to Chivas USA we lack speed. Chivas exploited our slow defense and never allowed us time to recover between attacks, credit goes to them for that."
An American's View..., Brian Garrison: "What the hell is wrong with Brian Carroll? That guy gets subbed into the match late, then spends his whole time on the field standing and watch balls roll at him, just to see a Chivas player steal it."

The Good

1. Apparently, we got another early goal: I'm really not sure if this is a good thing. Without radio or ESPN coverage, it's hard to judge how that early goal came. Comments made it sound like it was against the run of play, but once the magic pictures animated my low-def TV set, United looked really decent for about a half-hour. I am a bit worried about the reliance of quick starts. What happens if United goes down a goal, or doesn't get that first goal in the first fifteen minutes? At some point, this will happen (with New England in town, perhaps sooner rather than later). While the MLS Official Stats through yesterday show that United has just as many first half as second half goals, how many of those came with a team pressing for an equalizer?
2. Emilio: Two goals is two goals, and both are trickier goals than they looked in real time. Consider that Chivas had a similar chance to Emilio's first, and sent the ball either over the crossbar or right into Perkins' face. The second was also not the simple garbage goal it might have seemed. Emilio had to lurch awkwardly to his right to get a foot on the ball, and still direct it towards the goal.
   
3. Kevin Stott: I may get in trouble for this, given that most of the DC faithful are not happy with Stott's performance. I thought his biggest problem was playing advantage to United too often (grabbing a player and delaying him enough to force a drop pass is not an advantage) but he called more off the typical ticky-tack fouls that teams enjoy employing against United. Each card was deserved, and his officiating was fair.
4. Boswell's Near Own Goal: Good? Yes. If Boswell lets that go through, it's more likely than not a goal. And the easy decision, the defensible decision, was to let the ball go by. No one could blame Boswell, especially Boswell, for being so worried about the autogolazo if he had decided to not make a play on that ball. Still, from where I sit, his decision to make the play on the ball made sense to me. Yes, there's a large risk of an own-goal, but I'm pretty sure that shot has a 90% likelihood of being buried if Boswell doesn't interrupt the cross. Even if it was a 70% chance of an own goal, that's a good trade. It was a courageous play, and should be noted as such.
   

The Bad

1. Handling the Pace: The Edgell Supporters have a very good point: Chivas is a fast team, faster than United which is not particularly known for handling speed well. The problem is that United insisted on poor passing to exacerbate Chivas's advantage. How often were balls played from the back third to the middle third for a Chivas player to take at almost full speed back at our defense? Too often. This was a decision making problem. Fatigue may play a role in clouding the senses, but United was far too eager to try and start a counter when clean passes weren't present.
   
2. Touch: Fred and Gomez both had awful games when it came to settling the ball. That's an aberration, I think, but it didn't help.
   
3. Tactical Decisions: Not sure about Soehn closing up shop when he did. We waited until the 70th minute before getting people off, and Ben (as I think a commenter noted) was clearly gassed before then. Would have liked to have seen moves starting in the 60th minute.
4. ESPN: Commenters are right. I can't blame them for sticking with the game and not Heidi-ing the college football viewers. But the rest of the game did not atone. And let me take a moment on Dave O'Brien. I think his introduction (or intrusion) on our sport was misperceived by many fans. They saw it as a sign of early disrespect from ESPN that a baseball announcer was being given soccer duties. I don't think it was meant that way at all. Many play-by-play folks can do multiple sports (see: Johnson, Dave). And O'Brien is good at baseball. To me, I think ESPN saw this as a way of investing some talent, of putting someone into the role who could really grow into it. It was, in a way, a sign of respect. But while O'Brien is better at the start, he is at least a long-flight with a layover in Newark away from good. He probably can be a just-below average play-by-play soccer man at best. He has no natural constituency that would like to see him remain. It is time to end this.
   

Man of the Match

Emilio. Merit award to Vanney.

Karma Bank

+2 for the season entering the game. United burns one karma for the fortunate deflection off of Guzan (-1). United is then owed two karma for the Razov butt-shot goal (+2). United then gets a fortunate post to block the Boswell own-goal (-1), and another one karma is burned for the off-side call saving Perkins from a solo situation(-1). That's one karma burned for this match, and +1 for the season. Even with the misfortune of that first goal, I still think we got more luck our way than Chivas did.

Final Thoughts

Before this swing began, I said that 5 points from the Dallas, Chivas, and New England games would be good. We have 4 points, with a maximum possible yield of seven. These games are not disastrous even if we lose against New England. The question is are they mildly disappointing (a loss), acceptable (another draw), or pretty-darn-good (a win.) Personally, while others expect United to hold serve against New England, I think a draw has to be considered a decent result. I have to remind myself to think larger than one game. This result against Chivas felt awful primarily because we went two up and the game got away from us. But as a result, it isn't really bad.

What's more upsetting is for all the talk about learning lessons from the first Dallas draw to the most recent Dallas win, United gave away this game the same way. They played too quickly, and allowed a rival team to use their speed against them. It was almost the exact same situation. If the lesson had sunk in against Dallas, it should have sunk in against the rest of the league.

Yes, I can understand the "look tired" issue. United did have two road games in five days, and will have a home game on Sunday. But it's not like this situation won't reoccur (look at the September to October period when Copa Sudamericana kicks off). BDR says "There is no back-up striker, there is no back-up withdrawn, there is no back-up ten, there are no back-up wings." It makes you wonder. Some players should have been able to step into these roles (well, perhaps not the ten, Dyachenko not withstanding). But Moose and Kpene should be making their influence felt, and aren't. Why not? For all the credit Tom Soehn gets about playing youngsters, I get the sense that he's more comfortable giving young players a chance in defense (Soehn's own role, and perhaps his comfort zone) than in attack. Or perhaps they really aren't training well (Paging Dave Lifton.)

Again, the results are okay, but there's always the chance that the results miss important facts. We survived against Toronto. We did not play well against Chivas. We are unbeaten in six, but we've been convincing in two of those games, acceptable in two, and mediocre at best in two. Maybe that's the way of thing. Maybe I'm always hoping to see dominating performances, and am disappointed when I don't get that. Entirely possible.

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

United had a two goal lead. United could have lost, might even deserved to have lost, this match. From about the 40th to 65th minutes, United was lost and had conceded all momentum to Chivas. Yes, the initial goal was an unfortunate stroke of bad luck as Perkins banked his clearance off Razov and into the net. But after that moment, Chivas earned all their goals, and perhaps more. Saved by a post from a Boswell own goal. Saved by a poor shot by Galindo. Saved by the assistant referee who unfairly put Chivas off-side. Saved saved saved from an embarrassing result that perhaps was deserved.

What's odd is that the defense wasn't really the problem. Namoff, Boswell, Vanney, and Burch all contributed some key tackles. United was let down by its midfield from about the 30th minute onward. Consistently the ball was played too quickly, or too hard, or simply misplayed in transition right back to Chivas. Blame the poor performance on Fred, on Gomez, on Simms, and on Olsen. Quite simply, by playing inaccurate one touch passes, they allowed Chivas to run at the defense over and over again. It could have been a slaughter. The defense gave up two goals, could have given up more, but given the pressure they were under did the best one can reasonably expect.

Right now, I am not happy. With United, with ESPN's ridiculously poor coverage in terms of delays, and continuing college football, and then fading to black in the final ten minutes, with Tom Soehn for not getting this team prepared for a second half they nearly conceded to the opposition. Yes, even spotted the two goal lead, I feel fortunate United came out with a point.

Debrief in the morning. Maybe I'll be more satisfied with this result once I sleep on it, but I doubt it.

Quick addendum before bed: The defense played well except perhaps Namoff, which is surprising given that he's been pretty good this year. I have little problem with Vanney, Boswell, or Burch.