An Open Letter to DC United

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.

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

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
   
3. 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

Debriefing for Match 14.05: New England Revolution

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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...
4. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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

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.

Debriefing for Match 14.01: At L.A. Galaxy

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
   
3. 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.
4. 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.

An Expert Opinion on The Moves of Ben Olsen

The news that Ben Olsen would be out 4-8 weeks, just days after his inspirational return to the pitch, is naturally heartbreaking. But after discussing his Dick's sporting Goods commercial, we wondered how he felt he would be after his surgery. Would he still have the moves that he casually announced to Brian Ching and Christian Gomez? What other moves does Ben Olsen have that he can bring back to the pitch in his return? To answer those questions, there was only one place to go... to the man himself. So providing the expert opinion on the moves of Ben Olsen will be Ben Olsen. Ben, welcome to the DCenters.

Hey, yeah, good to be here. You know, I could write a blog. But it wouldn't be about soccer. It would be about, I think, the works of David Salle, and the influence he's had. And about how Bobby Boswell doesn't understand neo-expressionism.

That would be an interesting topic. Anyway, Ben, the rules are simple. We'll show you a move on TV, and you let us know if that's a move that you have. Ready?

I think I can handle that.

Excellent. Here's the first one.

Yeah, I got that move.

Yeah, I got that move.

Yeah, I got that move.

Yeah, I got that move.

No, I can't... Wait a minute, I forgot, Yeah, I got that move. Just haven't used it recently.

Yeah, I got that move.

Tuesday's Cool Cool Considerate Coffee

Ah, the link farm post. But there's stuff out there worth reading, so I'll get back to my world in a bit, but first let's poke the head above the covers and see what we see.

BEN OLSEN - OUT AGAIN: Paul Tenorio writes up the sad situation, but there is something to feel good about here. First, we got to see Ben on the field again, and that was a tremendous moment. Second, Ben himself makes this choice knowing full well the situation he was in, and I feel better about that. As though somehow he has more ownership of this, rather than being at the mercy of the medical staff. And third, it just means that at some point, we get to welcome him back again. Preferably unannounced, and with WWE style entrance music (MAH-GAWD!!! IT'S BEN OLSEN!!!)

MID SEASON WRAPS: UnitedMania is up with theirs, and John Haydon at the Times is also getting into the swing of things. However, the key thing from Haydon is Olsen on Olsen:

It's almost impossible to be a soccer fan and not to have seen the mind-numbing Dick's Sporting Goods commercial starring Ben Olsen. "I'm willing to give them the money back they paid me for the commercial if they would stop playing it," Olsen said..."I wish they would stop playing it because it's ruining my soccer watching because every time it comes on I get into a bad mood and turn the TV off," Olsen added.

Now, we can debate how successful that particular advert is, but the one moment I love is Olsen looking at the TV and announcing to all around him "Oh, I got that move." That's what I love about Ben, the blasé arrogance of looking at anything and figuring out he could do it.

RATINGS: Steinberg at the Bog examines the question in detail, vis a vis the Nats. But wasn't United outdrawing the Caps, and even with the Wizards a year ago? Now we're behind both. Part of that may be that this is early season, and was perhaps also affected by United's poor start, the Caps amazing playoff run, and the Wizards once again flirting with the playoffs. I dunno, I try to keep this stuff straight in my head so that it keeps me honest.

Moxie vs. Chutzpah

There's a lot I'd like to get to over the next few days, but before that, let's talk about the wonderful world of management-labor relations. Suppose you've been a decent performer at your job over the last half-decade, receiving the occasional intra-company award. Now, your big firm is doing a huge PR offensive, and they want to showcase the fine quality of the workers they have, so you suddenly find yourself with your CEO on a national cable outlet's morning business show. Remember, they want the nation to be impressed with the quality of the product your company is putting forward, and to create a positive impression of their literate and smart workforce. So the morning anchor turns to you, and says "What are the challenges of being in your line of work?"

And you turn to the anchor and say "Well, all the workers in our business need a raise for one thing." And you didn't shave that morning. And you're in jeans. And you CEO has to pretend that you didn't just say that and move on. Would you do this? No, but you're not Ben Olsen (link to video at The Offside Rules).

Look, if you have a shot for solidarity with the workers, might as well take it.

Debriefing for Match 12.27: Toronto FC

D.C. United 4 : 1 Toronto FC

Six Word Novel Recap

Five quality goals; only four enjoyable.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, The Bog Man: "After being greeted with enthusiastic ovations from an announced crowd of 25,174 [coming on as subs in 2nd half], Moreno and Olsen immediately created a dangerous chance, with Olsen heading Moreno's cross back in front of the goal to Christian Gomez. The latter's bicycle kick fizzled, but it was a sign of things to come... United received some bad news in the closing moments when Fred limped off the field with a groin strain. He will accompany the team to Mexico but said he was not sure whether he would be able to play."
The Examiner, Criag Stouffer: "Luciano Emilio became the league's first 20-goal scorer in five years and D.C. United extended its unbeaten streak to 11 matches with a 4-1 victory over Toronto FC on Saturday night."
UnitedMania, Mike Martin: "United was just warming up to their dismantling of the hideously poor Toronto defense however. In the 67th minute, Clyde Simms slid a perfect through ball to Jaime Moreno sneaking in behind Tyrone Marshall, and heading dead on goal with only the keeper to beat, no one makes it look easier than La Bomba who easily notched his 112th goal slipping the shot almost carelessly under the Toronto keeper..."
MLSNet.com, Charles Boehm:"United finally responded with a set of chances around the half-hour mark. First holding midfielder Clyde Simms -- apparently still wearing his shooting boots after hitting the game-winning goal on Wednesday -- cracked a long-distance effort that beat Stamatopoulos but skimmed off the top of the crossbar. Then Marc Burch lifted one of his trademark left-footed crosses to the far post, where Guy-Roland Kpene got his head to the delivery but drove it straight down into the turf instead of on goal."
BlackDogRed, BDR: "As exhilirating as that 2nd half was, it shouldn't have been necessary. Maybe those 45 minutes won't negatively affect Olsen and Moreno this Tuesday night in Guadalajara, but the plan was clearly to give them both the night off, and when the starting eleven farted the first half away, Soehn had no choice: dropping points against an expansion team at home is beyond inexcusable. But beautiful goals, three of them, Burch's and Fred's and Emilio's (Moreno 's was nice, but not stunningly beautiful), and the proper response, in the 2nd half, by a superior team with championship ambitions against an undermanned and overwhelmed expansion team."
DCist.com, Matt Bourque: "After five minutes revving their engines, D.C. United poured on four goals in 19 minutes. Twenty subsequent minutes of possession soccer sealed the win. It was as if Toronto's ragtag band of rebels mounted an attack upon the imposing imperial fortress before United's fully armed and operational battle station systematically obliterated its invaders."
Mistake By The Lake, stillkicking: "The first twenty minutes of the game at RFK showed TFC in rare form. Yes, in recent games, Toronto has had stretches of good play, (1st half against the Crew, many moments in Dallas) but this seemed to be a level above recent top gear. The passes were crisp from the back, the midfielders were moving forward with confidence, there just seemed to be opportunities in the air. And sure enough...... Carl Robinson hit a beautiful free kick and scored his second goal of the season."

The Good

1. Section 471: Arriving at the RFK box office at 6:45pm to purchase 3 tickets doesn't usually put you in the 400 sections. It has taken me until now and some reading around to the other DC United blogs to figure out why this was. I guess the crowd was a bit larger on Saturday evening because the game was only being shown on HDNet. (And maybe Summer's was only showing UFC - who knows.) Section 471 started good and got great. Not only were all 4 goals (all 5 actually) scored in our end, but we had an outcrop of The Screaming Eagles in our section and more attractive women than my single friend could shake his $7 beer at. People were singing and clapping and the mood was energetic. Especially after Fred's goal when I fell up the stairs twice doing some crazy celebration sprinting thing.
2. The Goals: Let's face it, those were some quality finishes. BDR doesn't think so, but Moreno's goal, for me, was classic Moreno: beat the trap, settle the ball and don't rush anything. Wait for the keeper to commit in some way and then confidently finish it. mistake by the lake thinks Jaime was "way" offsides and I can't tell by looking at the highlights package, but it may be that the lowest defender kept Jaime on. But I think that "way" offsides is too harsh. Emilio's goal was especially sweet because those are the type of balls that can easily be sent into section 471 (see: Jaqua, Nate).
   
3. Marc Burch: He says, "All the guys have been telling me to shoot, and it felt good to finally get up there and hit one." He really cracked it, and that was great to see. But he played well the whole game and was dangerous from the left side with that left foot of his. I called him out last week after Chicago, so he must have read my post and taken my advice to heart. I'll take full credit, thanks.
4. TFC fans: The expansion club's supporters are the gem of the league and to see (we actually heard them first; we were in the ramp to the 400 level and they were marching into the stadium from lot 8) such a large contingent traveling with them was impressive. They eventually settled in somewhere near section 430 with a huge Canadian flag. They certainly enjoyed Carl Robinson's goal. It seemed that everyone of them had a scarf and a jersey. Full credit to you people and to the TFC blogger in the comments section of the First Impressions entry for this match, who seems like a very nice person. Oh look, it is stillkicking. He's all over this recap today!
5. Predictions: Looking over the DCU blogs, a lot of people were predicting stuff. And there were a lot of good predictions.
   
1. JCM @ Poplar Point Perspective says, “Predictions: DC United 3:0 Toronto FC [correct goal differential], Chivas USA 2:2 Chicago Fire [correct], New England Revolution 2:1 Colorado Rapids [correct goal differential]"
   
2. edgell supporter @ The Edgell Supporters says, "1. We are the better team and we show it [check], 2. Fred and Emilio get back into the swing of things [check], 3. The new, non-infield grass is down [the pitch did not seem to be a factor] and 4. Burch from distance [check]

The Bad

1. The First Half: Moreno, Olsen, Carroll and Namoff (injury) were all on the bench to start the game and it showed, even though Emilio, Fred, and Gomez are three of our biggest threats and playmakers. It seemed like United was trying to force things through the middle too much and doing it sloppily. TFC's midfield was able to bunch up in the middle third and intercept passes or accept giveaways leading to many promising counterattacks.
2. Set piece goal: Coach Soehn says, "You can't get beat keeper side and Troy [Perkins] knows that and we addressed that and we have to make sure that doesn't happen again, because that has been twice now. I guarantee that won't happen a third time." Even I'm a little scared now. I love Perkins as a keeper and he had a great match overall, but I think giving up this goal, especially to a sluggish Toronto side is not good. The distance from goal of that free kick was such that there should have been enough time to react to it, but at the same time, there was a lot of movement on that ball, so I tend to think that Perkins did about as well as he could.
3. Guy-Roland Kpene: I like this kid. He seems like a hard worker and he has speed. (One of) His first assist(s) came early in the season when United was still struggling and ever since then I've held a special place for him, rooted for him and wanted to see him get minutes and play well. Maybe part of it is just my bias towards anyone in a black and red kit. But against Toronto he seemed to be either a cause of or a symptom of the poor first half for DC and when he was subbed for Jaime at half time, all I could muster was a "meh". It will be interesting to see if he gets any more minutes this season outside of the reserves as the games become more important. I'd love to see him stay with United but he's gonna need to improve in order to earn more minutes.
   

Man of the Match

Clyde Simms again, I think. Merit Awards to Olsen and Moreno for the 2nd half spark, Burch for the tally and Perkins for some big stops.

Karma Bank

+1 for the season entering the game. I can't see any karma points accrued or burned in this one. Leave your thoughts on this in the comments.

Final Thoughts

Giving three points to a visiting Toronto squad would have been bad. It certainly wouldn't have killed us in the SS or playoff race, but it would have been one of those losses that a quality team like United just doesn't give. At halftime, I was nervous. Usually I feel confident that we can at least equalize if not pull out three points, but in this one I saw little in the first half that would give me my usual confidence. If we hadn't gone down 1-0 with poor 1st half play, Moreno and Olsen may have rested the entire night; who knows. Maybe Gomez would have woken up in the second half; who knows. But when you have veterans like them, it nice to see them do exactly what you need them to do: provide a spark and score a goal. This was one of the most exciting and enjoyable matches I have been to and I was so proud of my team. Vamos.

Benny & Clyde

Vous avez lu l'histoire du diable?
Comment il joué, comment il a gagné?
Ca vous a plus hein vous en démandez encore
et bien, ecoutez l'histoire... de Benny et Clyde.

Alors voila Clyde et le milieu vétéran:
Il a une barbe et son surnom c'est Olsen.
a eux deux ils forment le gang unie
leurs noms Clyde, Christian, Fred et Benny.

Benny & Clyde.
Benny & Clyde.

Chaque fois qu'un taureau est battu
ou une chèvre ou un magicien est dupée
Pour les commentateurs, ce ne fait pas un mystère.
C'est signé Clyde Simms et Benny Olsen

Benny & Clyde
Benny & Clyde

(okay, this may now be my record for lowest percentage joke ever.)

Debriefing for Match 12.D.01: CD Guadalajara

D.C. United 2 : 1 CD Guadalajara

DC United leads 2-1 on aggregate after first leg.

Six Word Novel Recap

Down a man, up a goal.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, The Bog Man: "Despite playing a man down for the second half, United held off an unrelenting Chivas attack to emerge with a 2-1 advantage in front of a split crowd of 21,022."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Last night, Ben Olsen and Clyde Simms scored United's goals in a frenzied game that was made all the more difficult following Marc Burch's ejection for a second caution in the 44th minute. Sergio Santana scored for Chivas in the 61st minute, but United was able to hold on."
The Examiner, Criag Stouffer: "The teams play the return leg Tuesday at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. The winner will face Argentina’s Arsenal in October."
UnitedMania, Mike Martin: "Unfortunately, United's Devin McTavish gave Baez way too much room and he was able to measure a lovely cross that found Santana perfectly as he beat Greg Vanney to the near post. Santana's shot gave Perkins no chance and the put the series back in reach for Chivas at 2-1."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Chivas had taken a stranglehold on possession and United was dropping quite deep to track runners and keep the ball in front of them. But the man advantage kept showing itself on half-clearances from the D.C. defense that fell invitingly for late-arriving Chivas players at the top of the penalty area -- but Perkins was repeatedly let off the hook by shots that flew high of the target...But set pieces offer one of the few areas where a 10-man side can strike back, and a gritty bit of play by Gomez -- maintaining possession in a crowd of red-and-white jerseys some 25 yards from the Chivas goal -- earned his team one such precious opportunity in the 55th minute."
BlackDogRed, BDR: "United was fortunate to win, and would have been fortunate to win even at full strength the entire game. People who wonder where MLS as a whole ranks against other leagues around the world got a good demonstration last night of where MLS currently rates. Chivas, a mid-table Mexican team, was bigger, stronger, more dexterous and heads-up, and was demonstrably quicker and faster than the most skilled team in MLS. The only position where United was superior was goalie, and Troy Perkins, who recovered from a terrible touch early in the game, dropping a ball aimed right at his chest that many Chivas players should have buried, saved United."
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "Chivas had about 4 shots in the first half, but they finished the match with 21, you do the math. Yes Troy Perkins was beat on teh 61st minute goal, but I honestly think it was more of total defensive lapse that allowed teh cross to come through the box, rather than Troy getting caught on the wrong side of the goal mouth."
Soccer Insider, The Bog Man for the Goffather: "The consensus from talking to several players was that United played far from its best soccer, was dominated in possession early in the first half, created several nice chances at the end of the half, and then held on down the stretch, aided a bit by Chivas failing to put away its chances. From my vantage point, Fred's creativity on the left jumpstarted United's spell of dangerous possession in the first half, and Gomez's two runs (one that set up Olsen's right-place right-time bomb, and one that created the free kick) saved the offense."

The Good

1. We Don't Go to 11, we still get one more: Given an ejection to the defender who was having the best defensive game of the night, a 2-1 result is a fantastic one. Yes, Chivas gets an away goal, and that is mildly hurting, but as I recall we went down to Chivas drawn last time, and also down to Chile with a draw. At least this time we have a slight edge.
   
2. Troy Perkins: While none of the saves may have been utterly acrobatic, there were enough that were difficult, and if any had gone through I'm sure certain people would start playing clips of the previous match in Guadalajara. He shut down everything he could reasonable be expected to get at.
   
3. Clyde Simms: This marks about the fifth game we've seen him earn the everyday start with his performance. His play in midfield and dropping in was crucial in holding onto the slim lead, and his goal may well prove crucial.
   
4. Ben Olsen: Fred and Gomez both figured out the game as it went on, but Ben came out of the blocks strong. Again, the goal was simply just rewards for the effort he was putting out there.
   
5. Emilio as sole striker: Really, I don't much like it when he's up-top alone, and United was playing most of the game in a 3-3-2-1 after the red card to Burch, but he did enough to be a pest, and pulled the ball back. United still gave the ball away too often for a team bunkering in to preserve a lead shorthanded, but Emilio really did a lot alone up there to help buy time.
6. The play of Chivas: For all the complaining, Chivas played a clean game. Yes, they used too much flair too often. Stepovers are nice, but they were more successful just running at players and changing direction. It made for an exciting game. Of course, I prefer boring United blowout wins.
   
7. The Gentlemen of Knowledge, Who You Would Expect to Wear Top Hats, Carry Canes, and wear Evening Dress in the Middle of the Day. They don't, of course, but you might think that: Ran into this guy unexpectedly, whom I had never met before. He's much too kind about it in his words. This guy bought me a beer. It is a favor I publicly knowledge, and pledge to return. Truly, is there greater citizenship and brother/sisterhood in any country, in any army, in any municipality, than that of the fan? I think not. Gentlemen, it is a pleasure, let us do it again some time.
   

The Bad

1. Handling Speed: Most MLS Teams attack United by playing long balls over the top. Chivas, especially early, was having tremendous success playing nifty weighted through balls for someone to run onto. Namoff was consistently being run at, and the middle of the defense was not much better. If MLS teams have that ability (and fortunately, even most of the good ones don't) then United would not be where they are. The surrendered goal was partially an effect of this, and partially an effect of a midfield not collapsing back in time.
   
2. Namoff Gimping: I wrote this last week, but it is true this week. Not so much for the next Sudamericana game, but he needs to be healthy for the end of the season and the playoffs. This is not a good thing that I've had to write about it two games in a row. Get healthy.
3. Vision: The biggest problem in the opening half hour was just how slow United was to recognize that plays that were developing for them. Gomez was having an awful start to the game, consistenly making poor passes and late decisions. Fred and Olsen were having success on the wing, but once again too often the ball was being pushed down the middle. Or rather, too often they tried to push it down the middle, and it was not working.
4. The Fans of Chivas: This was alluded to in the comments, but while hearing a massive cheer of "CHI-VAS (boom,boom) CHI-VAS (boom,boom) repeat" is amazing the first two or three times you hear it, after awhile it gets old and tedious and not that impressive. They came equipped, which I credit them for, but they also were far too impressed by snazzy, yet ineffective play. I thought these wans were supposed to be savvy. And their whistles when Gomez and Namoff went down was just poor sportsmanship. Overall, I am underwhelmed with their supporters.
   

Man of the Match

Clyde Simms. Merit Awards to Olsen, Emilio, and most especially Perkins.

Karma Bank

Karma is not counted for non-MLS Competitions.

Final Thoughts

Let's get the scenarios out of the way first. For the second leg, here's how it works:

If United Wins: United Advances on aggregate
If the game is a draw: United Advances on aggregate
If Chivas Wins by Two or more goals: Chivas Advances on aggregate
If Chivas Wins 1-0: Chivas Advances on away goals
If Chivas wins 3-2, 4-3, 5-4, etc...: United Advances on away goals
If the final score is Chivas 2 : 1 United: We start to go down the road to penalties.

Got that? Good.

As for me, I enjoyed the game. I think the away goal for Chivas may be a better result for United than a 1-0 win (although certainly not as good as 2-0). If nothing else, United knows that they should look for one more goal in Guadalajara and not simply pack it in the entire game, a strategy with which they have shown dubious competence to date. That first goal in the second leg may well be everything, and United will know that very well now. Cagey, but aggressive, that's how we need to go. In fact, we need to play much like we did the first half last time we were down there.

First Impressions - FC Dallas 0 : 4 D.C. United

There are a lot of things going right for United. Perkins has regained his form, the emergence of McTavish and Burch, the gold tinted boots of Emilio... but perhaps the biggest thing going right for United right now is Ben Olsen. If I had to pick United's Player of the Year, it would be Ben. When I first saw him on the wing against CD Olimpia, I thought it was a stop-gap measure at best, a horrible mistake at worst. However, I was proven wrong, and his brace tonight is simply the most obvious benefits of someone who's work creating high pressure and in controlling play frequently isn't recorded in the box score.

The return of Bobby Boswell should be noted, as Robert played well after a slightly rusty opening ten minutes. However, in the 68th minute he had an excellent series of tackles of Oduro, first poking the ball away then winning the battle to control it. That impressed me more than his goal-line clearance, which was incredibly important but basically required him not to get out of the way of the ball. The sequence later was a nice moment. Mr. Urban has left a comment on this blog after we wrote about the team missing Boswell's abilities as a sweeper, wondering if that wasn't precisely the problem, and that the team wanted Boswell to mark tighter and not play behind to clean up messes. Tonight showed he could do both.

That being said, I'm tempted to give Man of the Match to Marc Burch, who was creating havoc all night. For all of the talk about Vanney's left foot, it is interesting to see Burch continuing to take corners even with Vanney on the field. And they are dangerous corners. I can't remember the last time I actually anticipated seeing a player send in a cross, or play a corner, from the flanks the way Burch can. All of that and pretty decent defense in this game as well, as he stayed with Denilson well when Denilson would roam to the left flank.

A good night, and a decent result. Again, the goal from now to New England on the 9th was five points. This is a great way to start playing these games.

Debriefing for Match 12.20: New York Red Bulls

D.C. United 3 : 1 New York Red Bulls

JAMIE MORENO BECOMES MLS CAREER GOALS LEADER WITH 109

Six Word Novel Recap

Record is a comma, not period.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "Moreno's historic strike came on a night when United (11-6-3) scored twice in the first eight minutes, endured New York's intense pressure and Juan Pablo Angel's goal midway through the half, then secured its fourth consecutive MLS victory to move within three points of first-place New England in the Eastern Conference."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Moreno's moment came after United striker Luciano Emilio was tripped in the box by Red Bulls defender Hunter Freeman. Referee Ricardo Salazar awarded a penalty kick, and immediately the crowd roared. Moreno said he initially asked Emilio whether he wanted to take the spot kick, but Olsen pressured him to take the shot. 'I didn't want to score on a penalty to be honest with you, but Benny told me to take it and get it over with,' Moreno said."
The Examiner, Craig Stouffer: "With less than six minutes played, New York goalkeeper Ronald Waterreus spilled United midfielder Fred’s shot, the loose ball promptly cleaned up by Ben Olsen to put the home team ahead, 1-0. Barely two minutes later Olsen worked a combination with Moreno on the right side of the box, his cross at from the end line deflecting off the foot of New York defender Chris Leitch and falling perfectly for Christian Gomez to nod in at the far post and double D.C.’s lead."
The Herald News, Ives Galarcep: "There are no skeletons or ghosts or witches visible at RFK Stadium but that hasn't stopped it from being a house of horrors for the Red Bulls..."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Moreno's historic achievement would have been almost inconceivable to most observers just a few short seasons ago, when the Bolivian star was debilitated by a series of injuries that placed his career in serious jeopardy."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "The result stretches D.C.'s league winning streak to four games, vaults the Black-and-Red ahead of New York for sole possession of second place, and ensures that the Atlantic Cup trophy will remain in the nation's capital for yet another season."
MLSNet, Chris Snear: " The Red Bulls certainly missed Claudio Reyna's ability to hold the ball and control the tempo of the match in the midfield."
United Mania, Mike Martin: "Olsen beat everyone to the lose ball for the finish to give United the lead in the sixth minute...DC extended their lead a mere two minutes later as Olsen turned provider this time. The Red Bulls Chris Leitch took a poor touch and Olsen stripped him of the ball to burst down to the endline and launch a cross in front of the goal where United’s Christian Gomez hurled himself into the bouncing ball to nod it into the net for a 2-0 lead before ten minutes had been played. New York pulled one back midway through the first half as Marc Burch slipped while attempting to cut back on Juan Pablo Angel. Angel was able to slip the ball forward to Dane Richards in the area. Perkins rashly came out and took a swipe at the ball, but only succeeded in bringing down Richards for a penalty kick."
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "Now that was a pretty good match to watch. We had drama, scoring, a record and a trophy. Not a bad night out at the ol' ball park."
BlackDogRed, BDR: "Simms has earned holding, and with Gomez up top and Fred and Olsen on wings, that's United's best midfield. Fred is going to tear this league up - defenders are already giving him to much space in deference already, yards of space in fear."
Sideline Views, Luis Bueno: "It's a somewhat memorable accomplishment but it will be broken sooner rather than later. Taylor Twellman has 85 career goals right now...I'm not trying to take anything away from Moreno. His accomplishment is grand. I just think there needs to be some perspective about what this record means."
Soccer by Ives, Ives Galarcep: "This hasn't been a good day for the Red Bulls' fullbacks. Freeman and Leitch have been at fault in all three goals. Shouldn't be too much of a surprise with Fred and Olsen on the wings for DC.

The Good

1. 109: It does feel good to see Jaime finally reach the mark. The importance isn't just the record, but the fact that Jaime hasn't really ever received his due from people that haven't been biased towards him (like me) or haven't played with him. Man was a legitimate MLS MVP candidate in 2004, but didn't even win comeback player of the year. If you look at the MLS Awards page, you only see Jaime Moreno's name once -- his 1997 golden boot performance. Something that wasn't voted on, or conferred upon him, it was something he took through performance alone. That's what Luis misses in his quote below: Sure, Moreno's record, whatever he finally puts it at, will fall. And probably within a few years. But once again, simply because of his performance on the field, he has earned the right to stand above and alone. That's the true significance: It is a legitimizing moment for a career that has far too often not gotten its due from people who never wore black and red.
2. Balance, Metaphorically: You can get goals from hard work. You can get goals from clever skill. United got goals using both, stretching up some beautiful passing, but finishing through sheer doggedness. The first goal was Troy Perkins connecting on a long pass (which will probably only encourage him...) and Fred using some great skills to get in on the keeper, but the finish was simply determination with Olsen crashing the net. The second goal isn't so much about Olsen's assist, but the high pressure and tackle he applied previously to take the ball away in New York's defensive third. The third goal's penalty was earned thanks to the mythical back-heel, and it was a pretty little move to spring Emilio free. Nice to see all of that.
3. Clyde Simms: The starting midfielder job is his.
   
4. Troy Perkins: First, kudos to Clint Mathis for his opportunism in sending in a free kick when Troy was well out of position still trying to organize the defense. But bigger Kudos to Troy to flying back and extinguishing the last gasp from New York to dream of salvaging a point.
5. Fred: The goatee looks silly. The skills do not.
   

The Bad

1. Dane Richards: There was a moment when Richards sent a knee in a hard challenge into Moreno, and then acted indignant when whistled for the foul, repeatedly making the "get up, quit diving" motion with his hand. There is no question it was a foul, and while it may not have been as hard as Moreno reacted to it, it was still very clear. Dane, you fouled the dude. It's okay, but don't act like Ricardo Salazar was sold a bill of goods. That's just a young punk move to refuse to accept responsibility. Moreno is a legend, you not so much yet. Yes, you have world-class speed, but I'd hate to think you only had medium-sized village attitude.
   
2. Balance, Literally: Both Burch and Namoff had awkward moments keeping their footing, and in both cases DC had to react fast to maintain any sort of defensive shape (and gave up a penalty in the first.) I've saw enough falling down in the first home game of the season, I don't want to see more. Yes, I know it's always over the infield, but perhaps we need to change spikes at the half or something.
   
3. 
   

Man of the Match

Ben Olsen. One goal, one assist, and one stern command to tell Jaime to go up and take the damn spot kick. Good night. Merit awards to Vanney (other than the back header), Simms, Moreno, Fred, and Gomez. Demerit to Burch for that one sequence (otherwise a decent game, and kind of fun to watch our left back attempt a neat one-two and break into the box).

Karma Bank

Here's how I figure it. +3 entering the game, but there's a -1 for the fortunate deflection off of Olsen's cross to Moreno's head. Both penalties were legit, so no movement there. I'm almost tempted to add -1 for not having to deal with either Kovalenko or Reyna, but I think not. So let's say -1 for the match, leaving us at +2 for the year.

Final Thoughts

These things are frickin' long to write. I almost forget what I want to talk about when I reach here. Okay, but here's what I have to say.

Let's talk about the rebuilding year thing. I have maintained that this was a rebuilding year, that this team still had holes they had to plug on defense if they wanted to really be elite. I maintain that I was right, since I always maintained one could rebuild but still be competitive. That being said, I have to wonder if I was also wrong. Not entirely, but perhaps the rebuilding just wasn't a year long period, perhaps it was only a 2/3rds of the season period. The emergence of Burch and McTavish make the backline situation much better, almost even a positive. With options of Namoff, McTavish, Boswell, Vanney, Burch... that's at least stable, if not particularly deep. Then again, in MLS, who is?

For the Boswell thing, I still don't quite get it. Again, as I thought after the Columbus game, there were times in this game when I would have liked to have seen his influence on the back. That being said, Moreno and Emilio have both been sat for a bit as part of Soehn's plans, and Boswell certainly doesn't deserve special treatment in that area. I just don't see what he has done to lose his job, especially after that encouraging performance against LA in league play. I also haven't seen enough from Vanney or McTavish to make me think that either had done enough to displace him. But I don't see practices, so I'm more than willing to entertain the idea that I am missing something.

Tonight, I got a result I really wanted. It feels good. Now I can dispense with the parochialism of irrational grudges, and return to wondering if this team can somehow defend the Supporter's Shield. Given the tightness of the table, it's still easy to fall away, but only now do I feel comfortable saying they can challenge. Let's hope that isn't the kiss of death. But if they play against teams the way the played last night, especially (and doubtfully) on the road, then this team has a lot to say for it.