Beyond Good and Evil: Out- Boswell, In- Wells + draft pick

It's going to take some time for me to really evaluate the now completed Bobby Boswell for Zach Wells deal. The Goffather updated his original scoop with the telling detail that Bobby requested the trade. Given the situation, Bobby wanting out, Troy wanting to go abroad, United seems to have neatly handled a way to accommodate both players' wishes. Our think back line is even thinner, but so it goes. I think this deal is impossible to evaluate in terms of "good" or "bad." It depends on your tolerance of the unknown. We know less about United then we did, and for some of you that may be a good thing. It is a move with tremendous potential, but it is a potential equally for greatness as disappointment.

This is a risky move, if you define risk as uncertainty. Just as in picking your stocks, riskier investment may yield bigger rewards, but they may also fall flat. I think we know where Bobby's talent ceiling was, and that most of us thought we would perceive Bobby's 2008 season closer to his 2005 and 2006 seasons, as opposed to the 2007 let-down. And that would have been a good MLS defender, perhaps not great, but at least good.

As for Mr. Wells, I think he is something of an unknown commodity in terms of potential. He has shown promise, yes, but he has also shown weakness. Troy Perkins showed us what he was last year, and he was one notch down from the top tier of MLS Keepers. Zach Wells has yet to prove that he can be an average every day starter, and while he has the skills in terms of quickness and distribution, I'm not sure how well he will be in terms of tactical decision making (I say this even though this is the very trait that is praised in his Houston player bio... I just haven't seen it yet. Not consistently).

Anyways, Bobby Boswell gets filed on a long list of players that I am sad to see leave, even if I can understand the reasoning. Perhaps somewhere he can get together with Mike Petke and Alecko Eskandarian and remember the good times. And perhaps one day DevonMcTavish.Com will feature a fake video about Bobby the intern being bossed around.

To those in Houston, you are getting a decent MLS Center Back, with the potential to occasionally be a very good center back at the MLS level. He is not the next Ryan Nelsen, but he will do his job well for you.

And to Zach Wells, we bid you welcome. You are now the #2 keeper, and apparently you're a candidate for a very fast promotion. We welcome you as well, and hope you enjoy your time hear in DC. D.C. United's list of keepers, including Garlick, Presthus, Warren, Rimando, and Perkins features many decent keepers, but few that I would call exceptional. May you be the first, but know that if you are just as good as the last two in your position, that will be enough for now.

UPDATE: Sorry, comments should have been turned on earlier. They are now.

The Nature of Perception and Causality in the Transfer Market

Strange how the apparent order of things can affect perception. Consider...

1) United wants to acquire Cannon. 2) Perkins will go to Europe. 3) D gets annoyed.

Or...

1) Perkins will go to Europe. 2) United wants to acquire Cannon. 3) D is complacent.

Same facts, different order, and a different story. United wanting to move Troy Perkins to get Joe Cannon struck me as irresponsible. But selling Perkins and getting Cannon as a replacement, that at least makes some sense. If the deal was, as reported, Boswell and cash out, Cannon in... Well, you can debate the merits of that deal. It's dead now, so it doesn't matter. Still, the motivation of the front office becomes at least intelligible. Deciding to ditch Perkins for Cannon was ridiculous (again, this is about salary cap management and choosing the most bang for your buck, not simply picking the top player at a position.) Deciding to get Cannon because Perkins wants to go overseas? Well, it's not so much an elective choice ("How do I upgrade?") as a choice of necessity ("Wow, who should we get now that our #1 keeper is gone?"). And while you can debate the merits of Cannon, as a one or two year replacement of necessity there's a lot of compelling logic there.

Which bring us to... well, it bring us to another post later on.

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.

Monday Morning Coffee

USA v. Mexico Cancelled: Steven Goff reports that US v. Mexico at Azteca is off. It is to be replaced by US v. Brazil at Chicago's Soldier Field. Quite a replacement match.

Boswell Helps ESPN Out Bobby Boswell decided to give some good advice to ESPN at practice on Friday. Some strong stuff there that many fans, myself included think is 100% correct. ESPN's MLS broadcasts are horrible and something needs to be done to fix the problem. Bobby adds to his comments in a similar but slightly less antagonistic manner on his blog.

Ted Takes SportTalk to Task: Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals was at the game on Thursday. As he was driving there he was listening to to SportsTalk 980. Apparently, he didn't like what he was hearing. He slams the Sports Reporters for their narrow minded approach to soccer. I couldn't agree more, but I wouldn't have even known about this if he hadn't blogged about it. Because really, who listens to 980?

Opening Weekend for the EPL: I don't know how many of you out there care but there were some nice matches this weekend. It was a good mix of some big upsets and some expected results. As for the Americans playing, the goalkeepers did well, the field players, not so much.

First Impressions - DC United 1 : 0 LA Galaxy

Okay, so let's say that of the 45,000 people that went to see the game, 20,000 were there for Beckham. I think it's safe to assume that at least 25,000 were casual United fans to begin with who also came out for this one. Fair? Good. Let's talk about those 20,000 fans that came first and foremost for Sir Becks-a-lot.

They saw a pretty good game, even in the rain. More importantly, they saw a good United game. I missed most of the first half because of work related obligations, but it was there on the TiVo, and United had a good first half. They had a good second half. They created some great chances (and if Fred and Moreno hadn't decided to reenact the forward styling of Chris Albright and kept the shots lower, they would have had more goals.) But the moment that convinced me we minted some new fans was around the 55th minute when Fred took the ball at midfield and neatly spun around two markers to get free. There was a roar. The entire stadium saw a bit of midfield play, saw some real skill, and it went right to the limbic system. I'd say that moment alone might have minted a hundred or so new fans to United. That's a good thing.

And while the Beckham circus can be a tedious thing, let's remember that he did bring those people to this game, and in a few years they could well be die hard supporters who feel only mildly embarrassed about why they came to their first game. That's a good thing. United came out, won the game, won with some nice flair, and earned some respect. And you may not like to say it, but Beckham helped.

I should also point out a few things about ESPN. Kudos to Tommy Smythe for acknowledging the longtime support of the fans we've had when Eric and DOB were insisting that the place was raucous only for Beckham. And Kudos to David Beckham for saying more nice things about United in his post-game interview than Eric and DOB managed the entire telecast.

And most of all, kudos to United. Sure, I am mildly annoyed at the missed chances, but two clean sheets in a row is nothing to sneeze at. The defense, especially in the first half, deserves a lot of credit. Boswell marked Donovan the way we'd been hoping Boswell would play all year. Namoff and Burch looked good, and Josh Gros was just as much of a menace as Fred, and I mean that in a good way. For me, the Man of the Match is Troy Perkins, who stood tall when he had to, and slid in clean when he had to. I also liked seeing him get angry during one of the few defensive lapses (and while he may look like an 8 year old complaining about his sister tagging along to the neighborhood sand lot game, I wouldn't have wanted to be the one he was yelling at.)

Now just tell me that Ben Olsen is okay after what looked like a hamstring strain, and tell me will finish more of those nice chances, and I will be a truly happy man.

God I love this team some days.

Debriefing for 12.C.01: Monarcas Morelia

D.C. United 1 : 1 Monarcas Morelia

Six Word Novel Recap

Finally, the artificial infield costs us.

Photo Gallery

...From Kyle Guftason

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "Gomez swerved a 28-yard shot around the wall and just inside the right post to give United the lead. But with Morelia creating little of substance and forced to resort to chippy tactics, including an undetected cheap shot to Fred at midfield, D.C. could not pull away."
UnitedMania, Mark Martin: "United failed to extend their lead despite the lion’s share of the play in the first half. The closest United came was a lovely play started by Fred out wide on the left. He played a perfect ball deep into the box to Dyachenko, who promptly laid off a perfect square pass to Emilio to finish into the open net. Unfortunately, the turf gremlins had other ideas and Emilio’s effort was swept well over the goal as the ball leaped up at the last moment."
The Washington Times, Mark Medina: "Martinez eventually paid back United with a goal from the corner of the penalty box in the 79th minute. The ball sailed high into the left corner of the net as United goalie Troy Perkins had trouble tracking the ball. His dive fell substantially short."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Tempers erupted in the 55th minute when Landin and Bobby Boswell clashed near midfield. The Mexican looked to have fouled United's center back first and Boswell kicked out in response, but the hot-heated Landin upped the ante by shoving his adversary...After an interminable delay in which the referee consulted both the nearby linesman and fourth official Alex Prus, he finally produced a straight red card for Landin and a caution for Boswell as the RFK crowd roared its approval."
BlkDgRd, BDR: "I can't blame lack of effort or lack of will or lack of heart, but once the infield stole Emilio's sitter, once Fred one-timed his sitter over the bar, who didn't know the game would end up tied? (And Craigqatar called it at half-time, over Harps, before Fred's gack.)"
An American's View..., Brian Garrison: "DC United let their fans down tonight. "
QuarterVolley, I-66: "All things considered, with a backline of Gros, Boswell, McTavish, and Burch, 3 of whom we never would have thought would be in defensive starting positions at the beginning of the season, the defense performed admirably."
BobbyBoswell.Com, Bobby Boswell: "I just stepped in to win the ball and he got a hold of me, in a spot that no man likes to be gotten a hold of. And maybe I overreacted a bit but the ref didn’t’ call it and he was going to be going the other way so I did my best to stop him and maybe I kicked him a little harder than people would have liked."

The Good

1. The Christian Gomez Free Kick: That was a pretty goal. As a rule, set piece goals can't be considered for Goal of the Week/Month/Year honors, but if there were an award just for goals from dead ball situations, I'd have to put that one on my list. The perfect amount of curve to swerve around the wall and then just tuck inside the near post.
2. Many Flavors: There are games you draw 1-1 because you just aren't creating a lot of good attacking moments. This was not one of those games. We made some good, really good chances. And as much as the Big Soccer Hive Mind is complaining about United forcing balls down the middle, it isn't true at all. We came in from the flank, down the middle, had a few chances from corners... United was opportunistic in the way it created its chances.
3. Fight for the Shirt: In the last game, I complained about how easily United was beaten to aerial 50-50 balls. This game was much better, with United really imposing themselves when they got into tight quarters. Much better on that front. In that sense, I completely disagree with Brian Garrison above and anyone that opens up their review questioning United's heart. They had heart. They just, at the same time, aren't as good as you think they are.
4. 
   

The Bad

1. The RFK Infield: It cost us the match. I know there were other chances, but that one was by far the easiest to convert, and it didn't happen. That it has taken until the third year of cohabitation for a match to really cost us is probably a blessing, but it had to happen at some point, and now it did.
   
2. Referee Courtney Campbell: Miserable. Utterly miserable, and utterly biased officiating. This is worse than Abbey, because Abbey's mistakes are usually against both sides. However, the standard for a foul in the run of play was tilted completely to Morelia for the match, as if Campbell felt he had to atone for allowing the early free kick goal to United.
3. Bobby Boswell and Nuts of Doom: Bobby, it wasn't how hard you kicked him, but where that kick was heading. I would have given you a straight red. That being said, while BDR is upset with your play, I thought your presence on the back line was fairly decent last night.
4. Pass the ball like you're playing against someone: Too frequently, again, United seems to pass the ball as if the opposition won't attempt to step up and take the ball the other way. The passes make complete sense if you're only looking at black shirts, but there are two teams on the field.
   
5. Rod Dyachenko: Trading a first round pick to get him back from Toronto was a bad deal. Mo Johnston fleeced us. Yes, I don't even think first round picks are worth that much unless it is the overall number one or two. We still overpaid.
   

Man of the Match

N/A

Karma Bank

If I was tracking the Karma Bank through Superliga, this would have been a huge game to tally. It would have been +1 for Gomez's free kick, +1 for the non-call on Fred getting clocked, +2 for the turf spoiling Emilio's sitter, -1 for the shot off the post, -1 for Bobby not getting ejected. If I were keeping track.

Final Thoughts

Your perception of this game depends on your perception of United. If you think this is a truly elite team in MLS, then you should be furious about this match. If, like me, you think they're an average team, then you can walk away from this match and curse the poor luck we saw. While United's level of play won't win many games against Houston, or even Club America on Sunday, it was still better than Morelia, and the draw was unfortunate in the fact that United was good at controlling the ball, and getting the ball back. The fact that they were whistled for some of the smallest bumps didn't help matters, but they played through it. I'm disappointed, but not murderous. Kinney and Oscar may disagree.

Debriefing for 12.15: F.C. Dallas

D.C. United 3 : 3 F.C. Dallas

Six Word Novel Recap

Three goals surrendered, two points missed.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, Mark Medina: "United scored in the eighth minute, when forward Fred crossed the ball to Moreno, who marched inside the 18-yard line on the right flank. To avoid a slide tackle from FC Dallas defender Clarence Goodson, Moreno passed to forward Luciano Emilio inside the box. Emilio tapped the ball in for the 1-0 lead. Before the end of the first half, Boswell lobbed a well-placed pass to Moreno from midfield. Moreno immediately fed Fred, who headed the ball into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead...Then came United's goal in the second half..."
The Dallas Morning News, Ryan Mink: "FC Dallas (9-6-3) rallied at RFK Stadium to earn a 3-3 tie. A flu-ridden Toja played 83 minutes before leaving the game. He recorded his first two-goal game of the season, netting FC Dallas' second goal in the 71st minute, followed by the game-tying goal on a header in the 81st minute."
The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "D.C. United earned a point... but because of the astonishing way in which the match unfolded, the only thing for United to do afterward was accept it as a loss."
UnitedMania, Jimmy LaRoue: "Soehn rued the team’s lack of organization, but United never seemed to transition from its big lead into closing off the match."
Six Yards North, QJA: "...Perkins let us down. His form not only regressed from last week, but it regressed over the course of those ninety minutes."
The Edgell Supporters: "This felt worse than any loss I have experienced to date."
Poplar Point Perspective: "The referee was very questionable, but not the reason for the loss. He just made it easier for Dallas to come back."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "On the middle goal, you could fault Brian Carroll’s defense, or perhaps Perkins for not coming out and challenging the closing Toja. Overall, after the 3rd United goal, the hunger for victory seemingly ceased to remain." [D - I disagree with this. After the third goal, United did press for the 4th goal to regain the victory, and was better at putting pressure on Dallas. The desire was there, the discipline to maintain the lead earlier was not.]
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "I blame the four defenders. I really do. All three goals were the result of sloppy play on the side of our defense...when you have a 3-0 lead in the second half, the ref could step off the field and you should still be able to win 3-2 at the very least."
BlackDogRed, BDR: "If the problem with the defense was irreparable differences between Boswell and Erpen, if the two of them could not coexist, and the decision to trade Erpen was based on solely soccer evaluation - that Boswell is the better central defender - whoever made that evaluation should be fired. If the problem with the defense was irreparable differences between Boswell and Erpen, if the two of them could not coexist, and the decision to keep Boswell was based on marketing - he's so hunky! - whoever made that decision should be fired."
Also: Screaming Eagles Podcast

The Good

1. Jaime Moreno: As one of those who has been advocating rotating Moreno in among the forwards, let's acknowledge that he was excellent in this game. His vision and pace were miles better than what we saw before Copa America. Here's the thing about Jaime: He can be two kinds of annoying. There's the annoying Jamie who skillfully eludes markers in the box, dancing amid the defenders but never quite pulling the trigger to score the goal. Then there's the annoying Jaime who seems disinterested for most of the game, whose passes are predictable and largely non-productive. This game saw the return of the first type of annoying Jaime, and I was never so happy to be so frusturated. Man, he can still cause problems, and it is beautiful even as you wish he would shoot the damn ball... but can he keep that up in the summer heat?
2. Luciano Emilio: What I like about Emilio is that he scores when he should score. Open net, easy tap-in? He takes those well, and doesn't overhit the shot or try to be too complicated. In that sense, he is the perfect compliment to Moreno. You have to love that.
   
3. Toja: I thought the league was starting to adapt to him. Maybe they are, but United didn't. For the first half, United handled him fairly well, forcing him to pass away when he was streaking forward, and the ball was usually errant and easily handled. The second half he was strong and confident and gutsy. A truly impressive performance.
   

The Bad

1. Brian Carroll: At this point, the unwillingness to start either Olsen or Simms in the CDM role is becoming a major folly. Carroll when playing disciplined was acceptable, but he seemed unable to keep up with the pace of the game, and as a result the game got away from him. In the first half, you may have noticed Ben Olsen consistently making "settle down" type gestures to the team. Brian Carroll needed that advice more than anyone later in the game.
   
2. Vanney and Boswell: The thing about Facundo Erpen is that his boneheaded plays were so spectacular in nature that the eye was naturally drawn to them. Passing it directly to another player? Erpen would do that. Bicycle backpasses? Amazingly, flashingly stupid. Here's the thing: Vanney also commits a lot of poor plays, they're just not flashy and eye catching. Easy headers into a space five yards closer to a Dallas player than a DC player? Poor communication on how to clear a ball? Failure to put his body on a player in a set piece? All things Vanney commited that are just as harmful as Erpen's play. Boswell is getting reamed by BDR above, and while I disagree with the intensity, Boswell was thoroughly pedestrian last night. Boswell is still better than Erpen was, but he shouldn't be better than Vanney is, especially given the fact that Boswell was not particularly good. He's lost some of the bite to his game.
   
3. Perkins: It's already been noted that he's taken the blame for not getting to two balls and shutting down the attack, but the other aspect of the game that was troubling was his distribution, a moment epitomized when he sent a low ball about forty-five yards right to the feet of the Dallas attack.
   
4. Kpene: Some are calling his play poor or lazy. To me, it seemed like he was playing as though he were afraid of reinjuring himself. It wasn't lazy, or bad, but very, very timid. I think the two hamstring injuries may have affected his mental toughness. That's something that will have to be overcome.
   
5. Tim Weyland: It's not that any of his calls were particularly bad, it's that he was calling a different game for Dallas and DC, a problem that accentuated until the 80th minute. Marginal fouls were consistently given to Dallas, and were not given to DC United. It's almost as though he believed that the offside non-call resulting in United's second goal was wrong (it wasn't, look at the Dallas right back [Drew Moor?]) and shaded his calling appropriately. Which is ridiculous. The fact that United starting getting calls after the game was tied really is the kicker, as though he felt it was acceptable to remove the filter at that point. A cynically officiated match.
   

Man of the Match

N/A

Karma Bank

-1 for giving up three goals, since that shouldn't be allowed to happen. However, +1 for dealing with Weyland's officiating, and +1 for playing some smart, nifty passes to generate goals in the first half. +1 for the game, overall EVEN for the season.

Final Thoughts

First, I don't know why Justin Moose is in the dog house. Supposedly the management are upset about his defense, but him not even making the bench means that Soehn had limited options for trying to regain the win after the game was tied. Moose adds attacking fire, something that might have helped at the death.

Second, Soehn's ability to adjust the lineup depending on the time seems to have deserted him. If he was considering locking down the game, why not bring Simms into the match earlier? Why not add in a Burch or Mediate to the defense and push Gros up for Fred? If Soehn is upset about the way the team tactically responded to the three goal lead (you can hear him complaining about sending too many number forward on the SE Podcast) then he should also be honest enough to admit that he didn't do enough himself. It is starting to feel a little Piotr Nowak-esque in terms of the predictability of substitutions, as well as their timing (far, far too late).

Now we head into the all-star break. There's some time for some introspection. The feeling among some of you was that this team was making a run to MLS Cup. I still don't look at this team as the favorite to come out of the East, and personally I think that moves made with an idea of adding a fifth star this year are likely to make the future more untenable and also not likely to reward us with another trophy, the worst of both worlds. United's first five games after the break are a chance for them to change my mind, but that's where I am mentally.

Friday Coffee means splurging for the Mocha

VANNEY/BOSWELL PROFILED:

Charles Boehm at MLSNet talks about the new center of DC's backline, and Tom Soehn explicitly endorses the idea of Vanney as mentor to Boswell:

"...we've got a veteran to play alongside him, which is going to be another experience for Bobby. So far it looks pretty good."

Does that mean I'm now sold on the deal? Not yet. It still seems like a bit of a roll of the dice to me, and even with The Devon McTavish phenomena, we're still a bit short of depth on defense. Still, overall, the defense is playing better, and that should be acknowledged. After allowing two goals a game at minimum for most of April, United has only allowed 2 goals twice since then. That's at least enough to keep you in the game.

DALLAS PREVIEWS TRICKLING IN: Alex Yi joins Cooper and Mina on the disabled list for Dallas. So far, Yi had actually looked decent (and very, very feisty) on the Dallas backline, so I'm relieved that we'll be passing him by. He seemed like a player that could seriously hack up the timing of DC's offense. We'll try and get our preview up later.

THURSDAY NIGHT SOCCER REVIEW: I-66 has had it with ESPN missing the action, but in their defense I thought last night's game was a better showing for ESPN than usual. We saw, even if it was in a still replay, some off-side line technology, and it looked useful. That being said, when Rob Stone announced that there would be a Beckham interview at the half of the all-star game, my wife turned to me: "What, they couldn't ask him to call in on the phone around the 50th minute?"

THIS MUST BE COLORADO'S NEW MASCOT: For one thing, it's more in the Edson's the Eagle's backyard. For another, Talon's wouldn't go down so easily, he'd be taking that sucker out and then would take out his good-for-nothing beaver friend:

During a last-call stroll through Pioneer Square early Sunday morning, Seattle's top law dog helped break up a sidewalk fight between a bar patron and a man in an eagle suit.

Lt. Kenneth Hicks, shift commander at the precinct that includes Pioneer Square, was leading Kerlikowske on a closing-time tour of the club district when the senior officers witnessed a man-on-eagle fracas, according to police documents.

The officers watched as a 30-year-old Seattle man shoved the eagle to the curb and then stomped on the costumed man's back as the eagle's costumed confederate -- a man dressed as a beaver -- looked on.

Late Afternoon Coffee

Yeah, this one is a little bit late getting out, for those of you who like your coffee in the afternoon as well.

Diablo Tribute: There is more information on the match planned to honor DC United great, Marco Antonio Etcheverry. Marco will captain the 1997 DC United team while they play a Hollywood United team reinforced with past MLS stars, including Carlos Valderrama, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Tab Ramos, Eric Wynalda and Alex Pineda Chacon. The match will take place on October 20th before United's final match of the regular season.

Nelsen Inks New Contract: Ryan Nelsen signed a new five year deal with Blackburn yesterday. It is good to see DCU alumni doing well, espeically in the EPL. It might have been nicer to have him shoring up the backline on Wednesday, but we got the shutout none the less. Best of luck to Ryan. Is anyone else proud that our former captain is now Blackburn's current captain?

Gomez To Destroy Celtic...Again: DC United's Christian Gomez was named a starter in the All-Star game when MLS faces Celtic. We all remember what happened to Celtic last time they ventured over. Hopefully Christian can help the All-Stars pummel the Bhoys in the first half and get a good view from the bench for the second.

United and the Copa America: Boswell started, Benny did not play last night. Ugly game overall. Bozilla did nothing to stand out, good or bad. Which isn't really a bad thing as a defender, but won't push him up the depth chart either. Moreno had an amazing blast against Peru. By the way, after the group stage only Robinho, Crespo, Cabanas, and Santa Cruz have scored more than Moreno.

DC United in US Development Academy: United, along with Chicago and New York become the first MLS youth teams accepted into the new US Development Academy. The DCenters will have a rather involved look at the DC United Youth teams sometime next week.

ESPN Doesn't Hate Soccer???: For anyone that it interested the United States v. Brazil Under-20 game will be shown on ESPN. Not just ESPNU like announced before, but also ESPN, you know the original. Game starts at 7:30.

Quick note

I'm working on the Freezer with Kinny and Oscar. I'm still upset about Saturday. I would like see Domenic Mediate back. I'm a sap. Interesting comments the past few days, but I can't imagine I can just post something and say "Open Thread". Seems like a cop-out to me. Sure, others can do that, but it just doesn't sit right with me. I feel like I should say something. Hmmmm.. how about this? I think he's wrong, but it's a decent argument. I disagree with the idea that Boz has taken the edge off his game. I do agree that consistency is a problem. It's not that he coasts every game, or even a majority of them. But there were a few games, back in the start of the season, and most recently against Salt Lake where it seemed that way. But I thought he had very good games against Houston, New York (yes, even with the card) and New England. It's a consistency thing, something that I would have expected more of a problem in the first two seasons than now, but that's how I see it.

Pulled Me Up Up Up Up Up: Boswell/Olsen to US National Team

I saw what purported to be a complete list of the Copa America roster (although it only listed two keepers) but it jibes with Steve Goff's reports that Ben Olsen and Bobby Boswell have been called to the National team. So Bolivia takes a forward, and the USA take a midfielder and a center back. Okay, that's all within the tolerances of a team with depth. Multiple losses in one third would have hurt, this we can struggle through. We keep Perkins, but it might not surprise me to learn that he's the emergency third keeper in case of injury (the role Guzan is serving right now.) Once US Soccer posts the roster, we'll get a link up.

Reserve the Right to Revise and Extend

There are other things to write about, but I did want to point out that Bobby Boswell touches once more on salary matters at his blog:

I also want to clear some things up in regards to the recent salary posts. It seems some people missed my “for personal reasons” statement, think I am being too PC, or just think I am a raging brown noser...There is a huge give or take conundrum involved with MLS. Get more money =’s add more years. Don’t add years =’s don’t add money. That is the see-saw. It has been that way for years.

As one of those that could be identified as "some people" (see here for my thoughts and for some good comments on the matter) I'm glad Bobby came out and wrote this. While I accept that BobbyBoswell.COM is a nice PR-outlet, it's possible for things to be PR outlets and yet still have credibility, candor, and honesty. I think this post sets the record straight in a forthright manner that still treats his fans like adults and doesn't assume we need to be spoon-fed sunshine and roses all day long. Excellent. That's all I wanted in the first place.

Also, Kyle G. runs into Bobby with Clyde Simms at the Chili Cookoff, worth noting just for that awesome T-Shirt.

The Opportunity Costs of Bobby Boswell

Bobby Boswell has a new post up on his salary, and there's certainly a desire among MLS/DC United types to highlight his remarks. While I don't dispute a single word from our boy, and I'm not asking him to talk out of school, I can't quite accept the rosy picture he paints.

Says Mr. Boswell:

The bottom line is that D.C. United offered me a great deal this past off-season! I just decided to turn it down for personal reasons...I didn’t play soccer in high school or college because I thought “Man. I would love to make X amount of dollars one day.” I thought, “Man, that has to be awesome to represent your country on the biggest stage in the world.”... And when you’re along for the ride, it isn’t about money. It is about experiences and everything that goes along with those experiences!

Do I doubt that Boz plays for The Love [of the Game] (TM)? Not at all. But the strong implication of this post is that Bobby turned down more money because it was somehow unfair that he get more money for doing what he loved. And to that, I say horse-hockey. If that's truly his reasoning, then his agent should be fired and those closest to him should slap Bobby around a few times to reverse engineer whatever head trauma has impaired his financial senses. To simply the pass the money up is a silly, stupid decision, given the potential for injuries and the like.

What is far, far more probable is that Bobby and his agent have confidence in his ability, and think they can get a better deal after another solid year than they were getting right now. Why be locked in to a five year contract at $70K when you can give up one year (or about $40K) and maybe get a contract worth $100K/yr or more, and perhaps some flexibility regarding transferring to Europe? It's a gamble, but a sensible one. You pay the opportunity cost to preserve flexibility, and perhaps additional leverage, later on.

Am I upset, as a fan of United, and as a fan of Boswell, by that move? Hell no. But the tone of the existing post is, I think, a bit misleading. Especially to those that may not have the future flexibility of Boswell, like, say, Devon McTavish. Should Devon be happy at $30K a year, just because he's playing a game he loves? Should he be shamed into accepting a lower salary because of The Love (TM)? Again, hell no. Devon has every right to try and wrangle out as much as he can. And DC United has every right to try and manage their salaries to preserve cap space and profitability.

I admit this is probably a bit hypocritical of me, given that I love writing this blog, love reading other soccer blogs, but look down a little on those blogs overrun with advertising. However, I'll be clear, while I do this blog for The Love (TM) right now, if the right offer came along I would sell-out in a heartbeat. Of course, there's a lot that would go into the concept of the right offer, but there you go. And I certainly don't expect that because I love this blog, others should blog for free if given the opportunity to make some cash at it. Same rules.

So let me say this: Bobby, while I appreciate your love for soccer, and perhaps understand your discomfort at talking about the monetary value of entertainment and sport, it's okay man. We're not going to think less of you if you wanted to make more money, or thought that turning down United's offer was a way to get more money in the long-run. We're adults here (okay, I'm 29, but close enough). It's a business too, and we understand that. And I'd hate to think that some poor developmental player was reading along and thinking "Well, if Bobby's saying I should be happy with 30K, perhaps I won't negotiate as hard for 50K as I otherwise might." I think that line of reasoning is fallacious, and potentially dangerous.

With a large brush...

ADMINISTRIVIA: Sorry for taking the day off yesterday. Tuesday was a much busier day than I expected, and actually involved me going and trying to do some original fact-finding. It didn't seem like much happened yesterday, other than Josh Gros getting cleared to play, that was worth noting. Although BobbyBoswell.Com Live Tonight on Comcast should be fun.

NO, IT'S NOT ABOUT THE GOALS: The normally sensible Paul Gardner writes that with so few goals in MLS Opening weekend it made the game more boring - "the key to livening up the game is goal scoring." I honestly didn't feel that opening weekend was uninteresting. Chivas-Toronto was an interesting game, and despite the result of Houston-LA, there was enough action (and some great chances in the opening 20 minutes) that I enjoyed it. I'm told that New York - Columbus, a game I would have picked for a snooze-fest, was also fairly enjoyable despite the nil-nil result. If there's a problem, it's that announcers don't quite know how to call a game to accentuate the action that exists. I'm not saying that every back-heel in the center circle should be called "world-class" but when you see a player break down another player in an individual battle, that is an exciting moment if called correctly. Dave Johnson does a pretty good job of this, you'll often here phrases along the lines of "with a neat little move to get by..." which helps you realize some of the small, yet ongoing moments, that make this game fun to watch.

DUTY! HONOR! SOCCER! BLOGGING! Courtesy of DuNord, I was interested in Andrea Canales's comments on the Eric Wynalda-Fulham USA story. Ultimately? This sucks.

Look, at the DCenters, I don't think any of us have any formal journalism training other than reading Poynter. We do, however, try to comport ourselves honorably in our interviews and occasional news gathering forays. I've talked to players before, but I don't use their comments unless they know that I'm writing for a blog and they're on the record. If I'm told things off the record, they stay off the record though it may color my editorial perception of matters. And this has happened more than once, though not all the time. We have a 2 source rule in place on most stories, though if we've worked with a source in the past and they've shown themselves reliable we may just go with one.

Since we've had the chance to talk to Boris Flores, Jamie O'Connor, Jay Needham, and Jay Nolly, we've always tried to do the right thing in those interviews. And yet, one incident like this and Steve Goff has a lesson: "Don't Ever Talk To a Blogger!" Yes, I'm aware that this was meant partially tongue-in-cheek since Goff himself has a blog, but it was probably also semi-serious, since Goff is also a legitimate reporter for a Big Paper. It sucks. I'd like to think that in our interactions, and Lifton, and other great blogs around this site have shown that we can be responsible in our interactions.

The Complicated Economics of Bobby Boswell (Dot Com)

There's been talk recently of trying to build more star power into MLS, and certainly it's part of the ESPN package for MLS game production. MLS, ESPN, probably even US Soccer are eager to see some players venture forth and become a brand in their own right. To put this in perspective, there are some leagues in the USA that sell their game based on their stars. The NBA is probably the most conveniently used example, but you can throw NASCAR and Golf into that mix. The NFL seems to sell itself less on stars and more on team loyalty and game product, although certainly it was a few stars, their marketing is not about the stars they have. Major League Baseball is a hyrbrid, but probably drifts more to the player-centric theory of marketing.

The push of Bobby Boswell (and to a lesser extent Ben Olsen) into the public consciousness can be seen as an extension of MLS's desire to create personalities it can market soccer around. Last year it was "Embrace the Colors," but the message was mixed when they kept showing images of Donovan, Mastroeni, and Adu. This year the focus will be much more about marketing players as emblems of their team, a sort of soccer synecdoche.

Personally, I like the idea to a point. MLS has some great stories and personalities to which fans like me can form a strong connection. The DCenters has been in the tank for Boswell for about two years, so we're thrilled to see him get the proper attention from the world. Similarly, we'd love to see Jimmy Conrad, Brian Ching, Kenny Cooper, or some others step forward for their team as people in addition to soccer players.

The interesting thing is what pressure this may put on the league. If, for instance, MLS/D.C. United is successful in turning Bobby Boswell into a media star, then they now have invested a certain degree of the team's identity with a player. So what? So Bobby refused a contract renegotiation recently. In essence, D.C. United in supporting BobbyBoswell.Com is strengthening Boswell's negotiating position while weakening their own. The gamble, of course, is that DC United's value as a brand also increases as much, if not more, than Boswell's value as a brand. But to some degree they have now forged a link between the two. Which is, I think, fascinating, since it's going to be tougher to United to say goodbye to someone they've packaged in a nice black and red website. It's interesting. I hope United pays the man his money.

Midweek orientation

"32"1 LIFTOFF: Okay, so, I had RSVPed to the Boswell party, but felt like crap when I left work. So I missed it. I know, that is bad fan behavior, but there you have it. However, others did make it to celebrate the launch of BobbyBoswell.Com, and I salute them. Charles Boehm on the launch of the website with Bobby. The Far Post, of course, has pictures. Ian Penderleith was there and decided to play grandpa to all those young people with their rock and roll and clothing and whatnot. So was Nats fan Miss Chatter, whom we have had the pleasure of hanging out with from time to time, so kudos to all of you. Now, we may have to throw down when Bobby gets around to announcing the skills challenge. Oh yes.

TRAINING FOR CHIVAS: MLSNet lackey Dave Lifton on how United hopes to have learned from their previous match. And Steve Goff on young Fulham reservist now United winger Yinka Cassal.

STADIUM OPINION WATCH: The Washington Times once again rumbles vaguely about the DC United stadium deal:

City financing for the $700 million-plus Anacostia waterfront stadium for the Washington Nationals baseball team is much more egregious than Mr. Pollin's request. The same may also prove true of the city's planned giveaway of 110 acres of Poplar Point to build a soccer stadium for D.C. United.

"May also?" Weren't you guys trashing the deal two months ago without having seen it, and now you're pretending to have an open mind? I think we all see a charade of consideration when it is being set up. Of course, if you are actually withholding judgment and know you were a bit rash before, perhaps you should admit that.

CHRISTIAN GOMEZ IS YOUR MVP. MINE TOO. Climbing the Ladder does the world a service with a Christian Gomez goal compilation.

Get To Know Them

First, the soccer related matters. A few new soccer related blogs are out, and have been added. Cue The Oles is the newest to our intimate family of D.C. United related blogs, and looks to be a fine addition. Welcome to the family Jeff. The Soccer Showand WV Hooligan have both been added to the general MLS Section. Check them out, as they have some nice content. (Late Update: the Port Halifax Idea Gateway looks like it'll also have some DCU related thoughts. Welcome!)

And this could quite possibly be the greatest gift to D.C. United bloggers ever: BobbyBoswell.COM will go live on 20 March. Giddy-up!

Finally, for those of you that can't get enough D in your life, ExperienceD is going live and will contain my non-soccer related writings. Self-indulgent? Oh yes.

Mexico roster, DC United gets a B-

Four of the five United players make the final 20-man roster cut for next week's Mexico match. Troy Perkins is sent home, no doubt to finish some mortgage deal for a client. I'm not great at predictions so I'll throw this out to you guys. Of Boswell, Carroll, Gros, and Namoff who'll start or come on as a sub? I think Boswell is a lock, but until we see the opening line up on TV...

The Highly Unpredictable Nature of International Markets

When thinking back to our discussion of the theorized DC United Masterplan, Commenter Big Kris commented that he thought there was a plan, but it might not be coming off. Now, we have to reserve all judgements until after 1 February 2007, but I have to say that the sentiment rang true to me. International transfers are notoriously dodgy. As for whether United is in good shape right now, well, that's an open question. It is possible that viewing everything through the lense of the stadium negotiations has colored my judgement. Or maybe not. United was a team in need of improvement last year. Yes, it won the Supporter's Shield, but as they say on those Ameritrade ads: "Past performance is not indicative of future results" We could see that our team was good, but flawed. That statement is still true today.

Which brings us to the Bobby Boswell story. Do I have a problem with him declining a contract? Nope. Dude wants to get paid. Fine. But the transfer market is just as unpredictable for players as it is for managers. It may work out great for him. It may not. But as long as he plays the way he has while he's here, I have no problem with what he's done. And I hope he does get his big payday, one way or another.