@Seattle

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

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

What a match.

Crabcakes and Football

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the Houston Louis Crayton Incident

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

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

"The Houston Dynamo would like to apologize to Louis Crayton, the Liberian goalkeeper for D.C. United, for the stupid remarks directed at him after the conclusion of Sunday's D.C. United-Houston Dynamo match.

We condemn in the harshest terms the comments made by one of the 17,000 fans in attendance on Sunday. With the highest level of certainty we can state that this individual, who has been banned from attending Dynamo matches indefinitely, does not represent in any way the vast majority of fans who are part of the Dynamo family, nor do they represent the position of the franchise or the league.

...I would encourage all Dynamo fans to express to Louis Crayton and the D.C. United organization that we are an open, welcoming, and tolerant community. Please take a minute or two and send a short note to Louis care of the following e-mail address: DHicks@dcunited.com.

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

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

Even as you attempt to win, please accept a list of our demands

Perhaps the news coverage of the Democratic Nominating Process has gotten to me, but even as it seems D.C. United has inching closer to making a deal with either DC or PG County for a stadium, now it seems time for me to present a list of what I would want to see in a new stadium. Yes, I realize that I have little clout in this matter, but if Barack Obama in Virginia can shamelessly steal from Star City Mayor Oliver Queen* in calling out the "corporate Fat Cats," then I can shamelessly steal from Hillary Clinton by enumerating my conditions when the other parties have most of the power.

The fact is, until now, we've pretty much been in complete lockstep with the entire stadium argument from DCU and Victor MacFarlane. We've tried to approach it with our best efforts at intellectual and public policy honesty, but ultimately we do believe that D.C. United needs a stadium, just as a matter of financial survival.

However, as we begin to move to a phase where the idea of a stadium plan moves to "there will be a stadium" (though yet to be geographically determined) let's start talking about what kind of stadium we want to see. I should, of course, note that some have started this conversation already, so I don't pretend to be a pioneer. Still, the point he makes is well made - United's home field atmosphere comes primarily from the loud side, and protecting a boisterous loud side is important. This means privileging the Supporter's groups even in a new stadium. Let's face it, supporter related ticket activity will still be a large percentage of ticket sales, so this is in United's interest as well.

These concerns are distinct from Geography, and distinct from other architectural concerns (I don't want a stage-end, but it's not a deal breaker. I like bouncy stands, but it's still not a deal breaker if we don't have them.) Atmosphere and game-day experience are what I am all about. I want that protected in a new stadium.

So how can we do that?:

1. Seating: I'm sure that United knows this, but having the main supporter's groups on the sideline in the middle of the field is a huge impact. Not just to TV cameras (though that helps) but also to the quiet side. When I sit on the quiet side, I still appreciate looking across the field and seeing the rowdies tear the place up. So don't stick them in the corner, away from lost lines of sight. Which leads to...
2. Unity: Here's where I may get into trouble. While I'm sure that both La Barra Brava and the Eagles both want good sideline seating, it's not clear to me that they want to sit next to each other. In fact, I know that some people in both groups would prefer a little more distance. This should be resisted, even if the Supporter's Groups themselves ask for it (and I hope they don't). On a macro level, even if the tifo isn't some beautifully orchestrated symphony, having the interaction between the two groups is more important to the United experience, and to the experience of the United fans. I know, and understand, the feelings on the separatists for both sides, but to my mind having two supporter's groups, different, but none-the-less in close proximity and occasionally in unison, is a wonderful thing.
   
3. Prices: I'm hoping that the biggest impact to United's bottom line with a new stadium is a reduction in day-to-day overhead costs. And while several of the loud United supporters are wealthy individuals, the fact that you can get a good ticket for $20 or less means that you get a good economic spectrum of support. That has to be protected, and should be in line with United's mission of "serving the community." While I can apprecaite the need to raise prices for some areas of the stadium to increase profit (or defray construction costs) I would hate if we say an across-the-board increase of 20% for most tickets. That's not going to fly with me. With a smaller stadium capacity and smaller costs for overhead, and the revenue that United will obtain from concessions, parking, and advertising, and with the new sponsor deals, I hope United will keep any price increase for most of the existing 100-level seating areas to no more than 5% in the first three years of the stadium.
4. Tailgating: You want atmosphere, you have to let us tailgate. Just that simple. There important... preparation... that needs to be done pregame.

For me, those are the important demands, but of course, I'm sure I'm missing some. Feel free to point out my oversights.

Luck is when Skill Meets Opportunity

On one hand, you have a bunch of supporters in a city whose Mayor was busted for smoking crack over a decade ago.

On the other hand, you have a bunch some a scattering of supporters, half of whose governor can't figure our how to work a seatbelt, the other half has a governor who likes the ladies of the evening.

There must be a song in this somewhere, right?

Louder, louder

Whomever it is, they stood up and were counted. Good for them.

Although I don't know that I would have admitted listening to All Songs Considered (But you do listen to it? Yes, but I don't admit it, except parenthetically. That's important.)

REMINDER: USA vs. SOUTH AFRICA - TOMORROW

That's right, come out at 9AM tomorrow to Summers for a showing of USA vs. South Africa. We know some bloggers will be there, including Bruce from Du Nord, Brian from "An American's View..." and perhaps some more. There will be a breakfast. It will be hot. It will be indoors, and it will not be chilly. And there will be soccer. This is how your MLS Cup Weekend should start. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.

(Yes, focusing on things like this is helping dull the pain of thinking about RFK on Sunday without United).

More details courtesy of Du Nord.

There is Only One Acceptable Outcome: Vote DCenters

The DCenters has been nominated for Best US Soccer Blog over at USSoccer.Com's "Best of 2007" site. Now, I confess that upon looking at the other blogs nominated, I admit that I was impressed merely to be in their company. Du Nord, is there, with Ives, the Goffather, Spangler, Josh, the official Women's and Men's National Team Blog, and the perpetually giving gift of Ray Hudson's worldview at Hudsonia. That's some seriously talented group, and for a time I was "happy just to be nominated." So in celebration a few beverages were consumed, and I slipped into a green-tinged sleep with the taste of liquorice on my mouth.

Suddenly, half aware that I was still in my apartment, I saw Ryan Nelsen standing over me. "Happy to be nominated?" He gave a short laugh that ended in a sneer. "That means you are content to lose. Have we taught you nothing?"

I was taken aback, simply because I thought Nelsen was overseas. "If we were in a competition with Arsenal, ManU, Barca, Madrid, and Celtic, would you be happy we were just playing there?" Nelsen's features warped into those of Tom Soehn. "No, you wouldn't. You, and I, would expect us to go out and win. And if C. Rinaldo flopped to the ground, you'd want Ben to put the boot in and earn the caution." Again, the features of my visitor melted and warped while my legs were held in a strange paralysis, and Ben Olsen now accosted me. "Yeah, you're writing with three other great guys. You have to trust your teammates, and work hard, that's what this league is about." Once more the visitor's features rippled, and Herman Edwards spoke into his headset. "I'm not exactly sure why I'm here, but then again I don't seem to know what I'm doing most days. But still -- I have to ask the question: 'Why do we play?' You should know the answer." Then there was a loud cacophony of noise, as if every tormented keeper who had ever seen a ball move in a way that would make a physicist cry and erase the memory in their T-81 was suddenly stretched on the rack. A bright light filled the air, and an intense heat washed over me. As my eyes adjusted, there, before me, was Marco Etcheverry. He chose not to speak to me in English, but somehow I still understood him. "Do you accept a place among the ranks, or do you wish to lead with honor? These are the lessons. You fight, you spit, you claw, you grab, you push, you run, you scream, you kick, and you do it with style. That is what matters. Do not shame us."

I awoke with a start, and knew that through whatever divine or diabolic provenance had brought me these visions, they were true. It is not enough just to be nominated, I want to win this thing. Yes, the other blogs have great writers -- talented writers. They may have better connections, better access, more reliable news, better site designs, or what have you, but they do not have the indomitable spirit of this blog. And if they are good blogs, as they all are, that just makes the prize more worth winning.

And so I now ask you, readers, to support us. Not merely that, I ask you to go forth and bring us more votes. For this is no longer about voting for this blog. No, I ask for your vote because of what it represents.

The mythology of American Soccer Fandom, indeed, of US Soccer itself, is that of the gritty amateur triumphing against the seasoned experts. It is the story of fans gathering at odd hours to watch games in dark locales, of passion raging white hot against a world that was indifferent at best, and condescending at worst. It is the story of fans who have yelled, cried, celebrated, drank, smoked... and built what we had through our own collaborative efforts. If this blog is anything, it is the same story as yours, as we have nothing but what we ourselves have made. The internet is made for half-baked, incoherent, and pretentious screeds from semi-anonymous individuals. Let us not turn it over to the media machines, but instead let us reward ourselves, the fans. And if you vote for us, in addition to rewarding the many examples of fine writing on this site, then you also vote for yourself.

I also challenge Mr. Ives, or Mr. Goff, or any other writer of a nominated blog to publicly debate me and mine on why their blog should be preferred as the best US Soccer Blog. Will you meet us, or must we proclaim your cowardice?

Ladies and gentlemen, this blog may not win, but if we do not win it will not be for lack of trying. Short of repurposing this site as an RSL blog to take advantage of the various RSL vote-bots our there, we will defend our right to be known as the best US Soccer Blog of 2007. Our pride does not let us shrink from a challenge. Our passion gives us the courage to take on these long odds. And the tradition of the team we dedicated ourselves to demands no less effort from us then we have demanded, and received, from them. No, if we lose it will not match the feeling of loss I felt after Chicago, and a victory would not equal the joy I felt in 2004, but there is silverware to be had. And we shall need you, dear readers. Not just for your vote, but for your support in finding others to vote for us. The major media blogs run hundreds deep, but we believe in that rare power that comes from the madness of crowds. Ladies and Gentlemen, I ask you and those you can reach with your voice: Vote for the DCenters.

Du Nord in Assocation With The DCenters Presents a US Soccer Production: "USA vs. South Africa"

The weekend of MLS Cup promises to be the social soccer event of the year. The Screaming Eagles have a ton of stuff planned, but if you're not heading down to RFK for the 2007 Supporter's Cup, we hope you'll consider hanging with Bruce from Du Nord and some of us out at Summer's, for breakfast and the USA vs. South Africa game. We're not saying it's going to be anyone other than us there (although if you're a player, or fan, or celebrity, or media person, or anyone who's anyone, and given that you read this blog, well, then, you qualify) but it's going to be a fun time with a hot breakfast in the cold DC air.

More details available at Du Nord, and as we hear of people you might want to meet, we'll let you know. I, for one, am excited. So come on out!

UPDATE: We know this guy's going to be there. Why not you?

Please Stand By...

If you have not made plans for the morning of September November 17th, hold off a bit longer. We may have a suggestion...

A Man of His Word

Normally I leap at the chance to self-promote, but while I was on the road I nearly let this one slip by. Mr. Fish, of the Kin of Fish, has paid his dues to this blog of ours. Even with the silly pose, he looks classier than most of those around him. Mr. Fish, I salute you. And if nothing else, at least this D.C. United season made one Red Bull fan a bit less foolish looking for a few hours.

A District Gentleman's Primer for Etiquette through the MLS Cup

With D.C. United eliminated, the uncomfortable specter of seeing an MLS Cup played in RFK without our team present is now an inevitability. While such situations may be socially awkward, it is not a scenario that people of good breeding should find insurmountable. Indeed, with tact and aplomb, we can still represent the finest traditions of D.C. United fandom even without D.C. United being around. First, some simple guidelines.

To Thine Own-self Be True: A gentleman will not find some sad, pale proxy of devotion for the remainder of these events. There is no call to adopt from phantom necessity another team to support. Your colors, as befits a gentleman, remain black. Eschew orange, sky blue, navy and red, or red and white. Black is a testament not only to your devotion to United, but also serve as a sober expression of mourning. Such things are appropriate. To root for any other team is to fling oneself at a brightly colored trollop, and is unbecoming for a true United fan. If one has family or close friends from Kansas City, Houston, Boston, or Chicago, then simple and reserved expressions of support are sufficient. However, as we are assuming a certain degree of class and taste, I find it unlikely that any of you have such poor associates.

The Play's The Thing: We shall not allow ourselves to be blinded by our own petty prejudices. While Matt Reis is still a gutter class thug, and Mr. White too frequently takes to the pitch suffering from the vapors, gentlemen of taste and discretion can still appreciate the moments of ingenuity these men can produce. As Petrarch once noted in De Vita Solitaria, "anger leads to hate, and hate leads to the Dark Side." We will offer polite appreciation for the rare moments of class that we see displayed in future events.

The Cat Will Mew, the Dog Will Have His Day: If, after reading this most sage advice, the reader still finds the need the harbor fortune for one of the remaining teams, then I submit to you that your choices belong to either Kansas City or New England. In such cases, one can choose a higher motivation than simply "liking" (what a coarse word!) one of the other teams. Indeed, if it were simple on such a basis then I would no doubt clothe myself in a ten gallon hat and fake red mustache with a Holland jersey. However, Houston is not to be wished for, as it would be unfaithful to United's legacy as only repeating champions. No, if one must adopt a team, then Kansas City may be safely chosen, as your support for Kansas City can be represented as a statement of political convenience, a way of renouncing the silly rules that sent the worst seed to play in an easier conference. Given that Kansas City is likely to be playing the role of Carlos Ruiz's head to the Ricardo Clarks of the world, then one may also support New England. Their consistent appearances in the Eastern Conference final without fully realizing their ambitions have become tedious, and such gluttony can not be abided for long. Let them win the cup this year, and then cry "Enough!"

Dodges

My apologies to everyone out there. Right now I'm on business travel, and out of the loop (and the beltway). But, let me address a few things. First, BigKris asks:

Hey, D, you planning to go back and address that redicuolous "this is a rebuilding year" statement you made in the spring?

Yes, yes I am. A lesser blogger would try and weasel his way out of it. He would say things like "remember where we were at the time" or some such. I could say that I was actually right, and that we were rebuilding, it just happened a lot faster than I expected.

But those are dodges, and transparently so. The fact is, I was wrong. WRONG. W-R-O-N-G. This was not a rebuilding year. It was a modify the tools and take a shot year. Where I erred was in thinking that a determination as to what kind of year this was had to be made by game 10 or 15 or so. The fact is, once we saw how the season was shaping up (and we didn't really know until about game 18-20), then United had to make a choice. Once you start paying bonuses to SIs and the like, you're committed to a course. There was no Steve Guppy type player released at midseason this year. And there didn't need to be. United knew what they were about. I didn't. And... I'm glad.

Now, a quick word on stadium and relocations. If D.C. United moves to Maryland, then they move to Maryland. Would I feel squeamish about them continuing to be known as "D.C." United? Yes. Would I still support the team? Yup. Would I go to as many games? Provided they are Metro accessible, then yes. United must do what makes fiscal sense, and while I long for geographical purity, I long for a team more. Let them do what they must.

Again, my apologies for being slightly out of it. Hopefully once I get back, I can put my nose to the grindstone for everyone once again.

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.

My Own Personal Trophy

Wednesday, April 18. A day that will live in infamy. Well, for some at least. For the rest of us, it's good stuff all the way:

When NY finishes ahead of DC United at season's end, D will proudly wear a Red Bulls scarf and shirt to a DC United match. A photo will be taken of the happy event, and said photo will be posted on his aforementioned blog. Should be a great time.

Of course, should the opposite occur, I'll appear here in DC colors. The thought is really atrocious, so come on, New York!

At this time, United owns the tie breaker over New York, and with one more point won by United, or lost by New York, it won't even come down to that. United will finish ahead of New York. It is official. Mr. Fish, your shirt size and address please? Your merchandise will be bought and mailed in the start of October. Please acknowledge receipt with photos, preferable in front of several other secretly jealous Bull fans.

The Etcheverry-Gomez Fan Debate

One of my compatriots will handle the debrief for the Toronto game. In short, my feelings were "Eh, nice enough but not good enough." So let's deal with some accusatory comments from the XI from XI post on Thursday...

Actually, comments like this one from an Anonymous poster make me happy:

My Respectometer on this blog has gone down about 50% or more. How a blog dedicated to DC United can have any best 11 and leave out Marco is Far beyond reason. Maybe you just never saw him play in the 90's but that's still no excuse. He was the primary reason for the majority of the cups this team has won. To reduce that to the number of assists in some comparison to Gomez is absurd. He is the model for what MLS what's in a DP and is the standard by which all other DC players are judged.

Now, I could hide behind the self-imposed rules of the game I had established for that post, and argue things from a marginal utility perspective. By not selecting Etch, I freed up some of the glory years to select other players at positions I knew I had holes at, and therefore while Etch might have been a better player than Gomez, the value of the team as a whole was better by getting a vintage Agoos, Moreno, and Olsen. But I'm not going to hide behind that kind of thinking. Instead, let's seriously ask the question: Who's a better playmaker, Gomez or Etcheverry?

Now, let me say that I don't think the answer to this is a matter of dogma. I can completely understand anyone who looks at that question and decides the answer is Marco Etcheverry. It's a stupid argument to even have, given that United has never really faced the question of deciding between the two. They're both great players, and Marco has an incredibly legacy at United. Look at Lifton's submission to the XI from XI game, and you'll see he cheated and decided to put them both on the field (which is the kind of cheating we can all get behind). It's a silly argument to have, but this is exactly the forum to have such a silly argument. So let's delve into the silliness:

While the commenter is right that I was not as aware of Etch as I should have been between 1996-2000 (I returned to DC in December of 2000), it's not like I haven't been watching film of those games. So I feel like I have at least some handle of what Etcheverry brought to the table at his prime. And there are certain things that Diablo no doubt does better than Gomez. Etch could play the ball around the field through the air better than anyone. 40 yards to a six inch spot? Sure, he could do that, and consistently do it. Etch also had a mean free kick.

But Gomez also has his strengths. When Gomez is at his best (as he was in 2006, and the end of 2004) he got a whole lot of people involved in the play. His ability to select the right the right pass to further an attack was better than Etcheverry. He's faster on the ball, and I think sees the field as well if not better than Marco. His direct kicks may not as good as Marco's, but they're still nasty. And here's the thing: he's done this when MLS defenses have gotten better than they were in the late 90s. The biggest ways MLS improved from 1999 to 2003 was improved team defense among almost every team. Gomez has faced more teams with better and more cohesive defensive game plans than Etcheverry did, and has still excelled. And that's the key reason I'd take Gomez over Etch right now. Sure, Etch carved up teams exceptionally well, and perhaps in ways that Gomez never has, but Etch never faced quite the same level of competition (even in that final all-star game in the mud.) And for me, right now, that's why I'd take Gomez over Etch. Yes, Etcheverry has meant more culturally to United than Gomez, but that doesn't factor into my thinking here. Do I think people are stupid for going the other way on this question? Absolutely not. But it's a fun question to ask, isn't it? And if people get upset about my choice here, well, it's all fun kids. Just enjoy it, and enjoy the feeling of being indignant. Hell, that's part of the point of these exercises.

The Best XI from the First XI

Who wants to play a game with me? Okay, here are the rules: Put together a functioning side using one player from each season of DC United's history. Each year can only be used once (and must be used once.) No player can appear more than once. And believe me, this game can get hard. In some cases you have to search for a good player to put in a position, and in some cases you know you are neglecting someone. You may not even be picking the best player on the team in a given year, but you've got to make them all fit...I'm sure one of you might be able to do better than this (and perhaps you have, but I didn't find your Big Soccer post in a google search), but I think I have a decent side, 4-4-2 diamond.

Keeper: Nick Rimando, from 2002. I know, Perkins was the keeper of the year last year, and Garlick was pretty good for United. And the 2002 season was one we don't exactly brag about when we brag about our history. But I think this is a decent choice. People forget just how many shots Rimando faced that year. Yes, he let in a lot of goals that year, but he also made a ton of saves, more than at any other point in his career with United. And his save percentage was not terribly different that year than in any other year of his career.

Left Back: Jeff Agoos, from 1998. You can probably quibble with this choice, especially given that this probably wasn't Goose's best year, or close to it. Still, right now, he's the choice I would make for that position.

Center Back: Ryan Nelsen from 2004. Christian Gomez was the catalyst for the MLS Cup run of 2004, but Nelsen anchored the defense. One wonders if he hadn't been suspended for the Eastern Conference Final if it would have been as exciting as it was. This is the performance that punched his ticket to England. One of the best we've had.

Center Back: Eddie Pope from 2001. Had to have Eddie, it was pretty much a given. But the question was when I could flip him in? This was a decent year for Eddie defensively, and picking him from the 2001 year meant I could spend a few of those inaugural seasons on some firepower.

Right Back: Brian Namoff from 2003. Again, a difficult choice to make, and Brian really hasn't excelled until after 2006 at this position, but I needed someone from 2003, and this seemed the best bet, a year that saw him set the tone for eventually getting everyday duty in 2004.

Defensive Midfield: Richie Williams from 2000. If I'm taking the infamous Midget of Death, I want him in the year he committed 68 fouls. That should slow 'em up.

Right Midfield: Ben Olsen from 1999. His second year in the league converted on the promise of the first. Here's the thing. I though Ben couldn't play on the outside any more, that he just didn't have the speed. He's not as fast as he was in 1999, but he's still got it. That's really, really amazing.

Left Midfield: Dema Kovalenko from 2005. Williams and Kovalenko? Tasty. Seriously, options here were difficult, since Left Midfield seems to be the position of eternal promise. Adu? Convey? Neither spoke to me for this team. Dema? I have to keep people happy, especially the ladies.

Center Midfield: Christian Gomez from 2006. You have two choices: Etch or Gomito. For me, I'll take the MLS MVP performance from 2006 that Gomez put in, and trade the 5 more assists I would have gotten from a peak Diablo for the four more goals that Christian provided.

Forward: Jaime Moreno from 1997. If you're going to take a Jaime, why not the year he had the scoring title? This works for me.

Forward: Raul Diaz Arce from 1996. He had 100 shots that season, 49 on goal, and 23 that went by the keeper. That's just killer. I'll take it.

By year...
1996 - F RDA
1997 - F Moreno
1998 - D Agoos
1999 - M Olsen
2000 - M Williams
2001 - D Pope
2002 - GK Rimando
2003 - D Namoff
2004 - D Nelsen
2005 - M Kovalenko
2006 - M Gomez


Wish I could fit in: Etcheverry, Harkes, Lassiter, Llamosa... stupid rules that I enforced on myself... Maybe you can do it.

Wednesday Coffee May Cause Headaches

TAURUS DELENDA EST!

RBNY/DCU: The big news is tonight's rubber match against New York. A win or a draw sees United retain the Atlantic Cup again, a loss and it heads north, and once reaching the turnpike may start to corrode with exposure to the air. Of course, people are talking up the playoff implications, and trying to see the big picture. Not me. For whatever reason, I'm taking an entirely parochial view about this game. I want New York to be destroyed in our stadium, and if we have to play in a such a way that we're exhausted for the remainder of the season and miss the playoffs, well, it would almost be worth it. Normally I'm totally a big picture kind of guy, but today I woke up in a foul mood, so let it be noted.

JOSH GROS IS ALECKO ESKANDARIAN IN THE STEVE YOUNG STORY: Steve Goff reports that Josh Gros may be done for the year:

Gros said after Saturday's game that he has had between 15 and 20 concussions since high school. Most have been Grade I, or mild, but the fact that contact with the ball is triggering problems has alarmed the club.

I think we've all learned the hard way that concussions are a tricky business, and should not be messed with. If the alternative is shutting him down for the year or risking his career, then it is time for Josh to stretch out on the couch with an eye-pillow, scented candles, and the music of Jean Michel Jarre. Don't mess around with concussions. Team ramifications be damned on this one.

MORE ON REPRESENTATION: Over at Pitch Invasion, Max J has given us an addendum and response on what we wrote yesterday regarding MLS Represent campaign. I think part of our disagreement stems from the way we approached listening to this material. Max decided to evaluate this entire thing as a marketing tool with respect to getting good music. I simply went directly to the DC United site and said "Oh, Bad Brains did DCU. Perfect." Then I listened to DC song only, and thought that the song was decent. Part of this is probably genre expectations. The music for Bad Brains (that weird funky punk sound) was always more interesting than the lyrics (rare exceptions, usually in the more dub nuanced songs). But the delivery of lyrics and music felt right in line with what I expected. Not transcendent, but wonderful.

Then I listened to other bands, usually with a perspective of "Would I trade my team's song for theirs?" The answer was no. This was a purely parochial thing. Is Max wrong in his impressions overall? Probably not, but my expectations were met, probably due to how I approached the entire exercise. Now, if MLS puts a team in Montreal simply because they want The Arcade Fire to record a track, then the entire thing will have gotten much too silly.

LATER TODAY: We should write a RBNY preview, and we should also check in with the Official Unibond Premier League Team of the DCenters. They have an update. The army is marching.

True Stories

Two of them, both about the MLS Represent Campaign.

Around mid-May, I got an email (which I do not have permission to reprint) asking what references a cool indie rocker should use when writing a song about United, in a purely "hypothetical" sense. I wrote back with a few thoughts, and then I included this paragraph:

Depends on the sound of the particular kickass indie rocker too. Of course, I assume this isn't Calexico, but you know you'd probably play with different things for different sounds. If it were a Bad Brains type group, I think you could do a lot with referencing supporters culture. If it were more of a slowcore or alt-country group, I think you'd focus more on the concept of level of play.

Now, of course most of you have seen that Adidas has the new "Represent" campaign up and running, and who wrote United's song? Bad Brains, just as I was kind of hoping for when I wrote my original response. It may not be the greatest song, or even the greatest Bad Brains song, but it's real and authentic in a way that few corporately promoted anthems can be. It is very, very DC (yes, I know they decamped for New York. That just added to the mystique, see?). I started listening to them right around my freshman year of high school, paying attention only after someone passed me a copy of the Kick Out the Jams Rollins/Bad Brains cover (that I was also listening to the KLF/JAMMs/Space/Timelords/K Foundation/and other names Cauty and Drummond recorded under probably won't surprise you.) Needless to say, it was part of my personal high school soundtrack, which is probably the most influential music you will have for the rest of your life. So just the fact that Bad Brains is doing the DC United song, and doing a decent job of it, makes me almost giggly. In a hardcore (don't email me) sort of way.

As for the other true story, there used to be a record shop in Fredericksburg called the Blue Dog. When I would visit my future in-laws, I always made a point to drop in there, and I'm depressed it has since closed down. They had a staff to whom you could just rattle off a list of music you enjoyed and they'd find some bands you'd never heard of that would meet your fancy perfectly. It was the place I first heard Radio 4, among other groups, simply because I said I wanted something that sounded like The Fall meets Luna by way of Flock of Seagulls. Yes, you could get away with talking like that. Anyways, the only time they ever failed me was when they recommended The Rapture's album "Echoes." It was the only time I ever resold an album they had recommended. Squeaky, grating, pseudo-New Wave that never coalesced into anything remotely resembling something I could enjoy. Of course, guess who Adidas found for the Red Bulls song? My friends, that's a vindication of taste.

IN OTHER PLACES... Max J thinks the entire thing doesn't work. It's possible that nostalgia is overwhelming sense for me here.

Los Gringos

Over at Off Wing Opinion, Eric McErlain had an interesting, and perhaps telling, post Gold-Cup screen capture. While he draws a parallel to the Houston 1836-Houston Dynamo situation when wondering about whether to take offense, I find the notion that he advances of reclaiming the word "Gringo" quite appealing. Putting aside the potential pejorative connotations (and, before I get people saying "there's never any negative connotation" to the word, just listen to how it is pronounced occasionally. Some people can make the word "respect" a racial epithet), the word on a simply interpretive level is reserved for foreigners, not even necessarily Yanks. It's not that the word is offensive, it's that even in the most benign usage, the word is being incorrectly used given that the USA was playing on home soil. Or is it?

There is a somewhat romantic notion to the idea of the USA Team always being the Gringos, of being foreigners even in our own country. While we trumpet how far soccer has come in the United States, the Gold Cup final saw US fans easily outnumbered. I do not put the blame for this on CONCACAF, USSF, the organizing committee, or the people of Chicago. It is simply a fact that the US supporters may have the individual pound-for-pound passion, there are simply more fans of Mexico in most urban areas than the United States. What's more, don't expect the USA to have majority US fans in any of the top 10 population centers in the next decade. It's not happening.

For years we've always hoped that we'll have majority US crowds at international matches, and sometimes we come pretty close. Still, I can't remember a match in a major city with our southern neighbors where the USA had about 80% support. And we should accept that, and move on. The US team, and the US fans, are los gringos no matter where we play. We are modern gypsies, traveling from town to town, never totally accepted. It's a romantic notion. I've never like the "Stars-and-stripes" for the US team nickname. In soccer, stars are earned for championships and we don't have a World Cup under our belt that I've noticed. But embracing Los Gringos? Yes, I can get behind that. If we are not at home when we are home, then the rest of the world should be our home as well. It's still an unreached ideal, but one I find intriguing.