First Impressions - D.C. United 2 : 0 Rochester Rhinos

Ah, yes, welcome back to the Marc Burch show, starring him, Marc Burch. This is why I write long posts debating the role of Marc Burch on the team, what it means to have Marc Burch rally the offense after being shut out in the first half. What I'm saying is, thank goodness I had the foresight to write about Marc Burch today. Okay, right, point taken. Yeah. Whoops. What I mean to say is, this is why in the future I'm going to write long posts about Marc Burch

Still, if someone whose been on the border of the starting line-up had to step up, I'm glad it was Marc. Last year's US Open Cup debacle at the hands of the City Islanders served a nice prescient slice of pie (humble flavored) to United, so the fact the team did step up, that Tom Soehn used all four subs, that we actually managed this game (even if I was stunned to see Emilio starting out) makes me glad. The US Open Cup does not mean that much to me at this point, it's an investment with too remote a payoff to justify endangering any other competition right now. But the farther we get, the more important it becomes. In my mind, by actually playing Fred and Simms (second half), and Emilio (first half), this almost seemed like too much of a risk of injury, but Tom Soehn was rewarded with the advancing and by blending his line-up, protected himself from any charges of taking the match too lightly.

Except for about a ten minute stretch, Rochester never particularly seemed dangerous, but United didn't finish off the Rhinos the way they did against L.A. But the team of mostly reservists got the job done, especially with a decent defensive effort. Merit awards to Carroll the Younger, man of the match to Marc Burch.

First Impressions - D.C. United 4 : 1 L.A. Galaxy

I'll admit that my cynical nature makes me want to discount this win. Surely 4-1 is a misleading scoreline? Surely L.A. isn't that good a team? Surely there must be some way to spin this as closer than it appeared?

Each objection to taking this game as a statement game is answered. United clearly created chances to deserve four goals, if not more. L.A. may leak goals like a sieve, but they're the top team in the West, were held to only one goal and were doubled up in both shots (22-10) and shots on goal (13-6). And the game was dominated by United, who earned all three points in deserving fashion. If we must complain, then we must complain that United is no facing a stretch of non-league games as we move into Superliga and U.S. Open Cup play. That's the sole thing I'm willing to point to as a worrying sign moving forward -- the lack of a chance to continue the momentum they've earned on the long climb back to .500.

Yes, you can once again say there wasn't a clean sheet, but this wasn't the fault of Zach Wells, it was one scuffed clearance by Gonzalo Perralta. Otherwise, even players that make me nervous showed well. Devon McTavish deserves a ton of credit for the way he fought against Landon Donovan, and may deserve man of the match honors for that work. Zach Wells made key saves. And Marc Burch filled in for an early injured Santino Quaranta in a way that didn't throw our midfield into disarray, but instead further pressed our advantage on the left side moving forward.

I'll admit it, you never want to be taken as a homer or a chump when you're writing. And I will have some negative comments tomorrow, but they are minor when compared with the good, and they are not pressing enough to bring up now. You never want to risk the vulnerability of belief. But this is our team: A team that finally has developed the lethal ability on attack. A team that may never have more than an average defense at best. But that's our team. And that team, perhaps infused by seeing Ben Olsen on the sideline, saw every player dig in and fight. Jaime Moreno was not just good holding the ball, he was good getting physically into players and pressuring them all over the field. Emilio and Gallardo both fought for balls to win. United attacked down the middle, on the sides, and from distance. And that is a team I am willing to believe in.

First Impressions - D.C. United 3 : 1 San Jose Earthquakes

I know that I should feel bad keeping these three points for D.C. United. It feels like I found a wallet full of twenties at the side of the road, and decided to pocket the cash before looking up the address on the license inside.

Actually, that's a lie. Two months ago, if United had played the exact same way as they did this afternoon, don't you feel like the result would have been a drubbing at the hands of San Jose? It had all the hallmarks - moments of slipshod defense, long stretches where United couldn't challenge keeper Joe Cannon, awkward give-aways at midfield, yet this time United ends up on the right side of the 3:1 result. Part of that is certainly luck: San Jose had two shots rattle off the frame of the goal. That being said, part of it is attitudinal. Since Chicago, this team is looking for ways to find things to go right instead of anticipating the next slip-up.

This was not an awful game for United, I'd say it was a few steps down from what we've been seeing, so let's call it below-average. And let's admit that San Jose was, especially for an expansion team, a credible side that if a few things go right for them, they walk out with at least one point.

Tactically, United did seem to have a plan of attack. Gallardo was finding runners. United had success attacking the flanks, but couldn't execute a final pass into the middle for the entire first half. Defensively, there were problems. Perralta and McTavish never held the center of the field as well as they should have, and Clyde Simms found himself pushing too far up at moments when Gallardo had moves to one of the sidelines. San Jose, as a result, created multiple chances right down the center of the defense.

Most of that is attributable to the starting line-up. With Quaranta out, Soehn decided to Burch to left wing, Martinez to left back, and start McTavish in the middle. Which is, to be fair, a completely defensible decision. While Martinez is certainly a joy to watch when he gets forward, I feel that United is better served keeping Martinez in the middle, leaving Burch at left back, and starting McTavish at left wing(or perhaps now Cordeiro, who rarely looked dangerous but didn't look bad either at left wing). Left wing, however, continues to be a problem when Tino and Fred aren't the ones switching sides. The worry for me is that the defense pairing in the middle has to work, and it's better with Martinez than McTavish right now.

One note, quickly, about Alex Prus - He had a horrible match as center ref. The box score reads that San Jose fouled D.C. by a 2:1 margin, which is ridiculous. DC was fouling more, and Alex Prus wouldn't blow the whistle if even the slightest hint of advantage existed. As a result, San Jose had to be confused about what the standard of a foul was, and as things escalated with more and more 50:50 challenges, and 75/25 situations, not resulting in a foul call, San Jose saw no reason to hold back from riskier challenges. After all, D.C. wasn't paying a price. Which is my way of saying that James Riley is certainly to blame for his red card offense, but he was also disserviced by the examples that Alex Prus was setting.

So let's start wrapping up by saying this -- I'll take the points, thank whatever random forces of luck brought them too us, and move on from this match. The United defense is still a concern, the offense is not entirely there, but the midfield was decent. I'm thinking of Martinez for man of the match, both for his goal (what an amazing strike) and for some nice turns under pressure he executed in the defensive end. Then again, he did look kind of bad the last thirty minutes of the match, so perhaps not. We'll see. Other contenders could be Fred, Jaime, and Clyde, but Clyde seemed a bit out of sorts tonight.

Wells one gaffe surrendering the San Jose goal was bad. Ridiculously, circus clowny bad. But other than that... Well, he actually was okay. Other people for potential censure are McTavish, but he did save one goal, Namoff, and Perralta. Ditto March Burch on the wing who was as lost as a Rose Mary Woods guitar solo.

So hey, let's take the points. Even we are deserving of gifts. And a win, even a bad one, is better than a loss, even a good one. Right? Right.

One game to .500, and it's against the player who makes me call myself by an initial on this blog. Dig it.

First Impressions - D.C. United 4 : 1 New York Red Bulls

Finally, two steps forward. For weeks United would allow us to flirt with hope, only to step backwards with another game where you left wondering if anyone learned anything.

However, United came out of Chicago and managed to put together a win that helped consolidate the progress that they had been making recently. And this was a comprehensive win. If the scoreline flatters United, it is on the defensive end, as United certainly did enough to earn all four goals scored. New York still had chances, and perhaps it should have been closer, but United deserved the victory. Lowlights happened at the start of each half, with United conceding a goal early in the second half on some haphazard defending, and starting the game with one of the poorest opening kick routines I have ever seen. However, that's about it in terms of things we can take them to task for. The Martinez-Burch combination proved effective as outside backs in the absence of Namoff. Dyachenko's biggest influence may have been the help he gave Simms in terms of pressure and release points, but the playmaking to make up for Gallardo came primarily from Tino, Jaime, and Fred, all of whom had strong matches.

Which brings us to Emilio's three goals. The first was the culmination of one of the best team moves I have seen this season. Quaranta's through ball to Fred was the best pass he's made all year, and Fred putting in the low cross to Emilio on the first touch was picture perfect. The amazing thing was that New York technically had numbers back, but it was a classic case of three men using momentum to carve up five defenders.

Emilio's second goal was helped by Quaranta not sending a ball over the post, but instead trying to place the ball far post and getting the rebound you want to see if you can't have the ball go in the net. The third goal for Emilio was a strong finish, made possible with strong running from Mediate who held the ball not too long, but also didn't jump the gun when he saw Emilio in space but held it long enough to minimize any chance of a defensive recovery.

There's something about wins against New York that just make me feel better about this team. Thinking of all the wins over New York over the past three years that helped convince me a United team was for real, most recently last year's Ben Olsenpalooza. New York Red Bulls... It's good for what ails ya.

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

The win, make no mistake, is a surprising one. And yet, I don't quite feel like this is the continuation of a corner somehow being turned. Just as Chicago's goal in the first half arguable came against the run of play, so certainly did the goal that put United ahead in the second half.

What's more, to extent that United was playing well, it was when the attacking players had space, time, and could play the equivalent of a high-level pick-up game. At ten men, this certainly became more and more of the situation, as Jaime and Fred and Martinez enjoyed the extra space they were afforded. Which is great, but doesn't really argue that our coaching was good, but rather that our players improvise on the field well.

If you want to be charitable you can say that Tom Soehn allowed the players to play creatively. Yet somehow I'm not even convinced of that. Not yet, at least. What's more, we had the advantage after both Gallardo and Prideaux left the game, but that advantage seemed to slip away as Dyachenko, Cordeiro, and Burch entered the game. I felt like we became less dangerous as we substituted, and not more. To the extent that we won, it was because Emilio discovered one of the moves we thought were left behind in 2007.

So it is, I know, a good win. Against a good team. On the road. All of those things are true, and yet I somehow don't think this means all is well, even if you can say "unbeaten in three games." Now, maybe this is just a point of inflection match, a game where slow progress is made. And that's entirely possible. But right now, this game almost raises more questions than it answers.

First Impressions - D.C. United 3 : 2 Toronto F.C.

No, it doesn't make things better, but it does start to make things better. If United was truly to start reassembling this season, this is the kind of game they needed. Not a competent 1-nil victory, not a 5-2 thrashing of someone, both of those would lend themselves far too easy a comfort to a team to fall into self-delusion, to dismiss the first third of the season as just a bad dream.

But a game where the team plays well, and fights back twice to ultimately take a victory, that's one that might mean something in a way that keeps us all realistic about how far off we are.

I'll admit this, had we had the same game we'd had the last three, then that was it for me with Tom Soehn. But this game had more interesting moves to it. Remember what we said about toughness not being about fouls? This game saw Toronto vastly out-foul United, but we say United fight and dig and scrape for more balls in close space. This game had Gallardo, especially in the first half, switching balls diagonally from one wing to another. This game saw United truly use width to attack. And there was a goal on a set piece, a corner no less. I mean, really? Really? Yeah.

Maybe I'm dizzy from not having seen a win in a long time, but this game did feel better, didn't it? Not perfect, even in this euphoria I'm not that delusional, but better. Smarter. Tougher. Even when down 1-nil, this team seemed to have its head on straight. And perhaps the seeds of that were in the previous Toronto game, a game that we could see was better, but one that didn't feel better. Now what we see and feel are aligning in a more harmonious I-Ching hexgram, and that is refreshing. Emboldening, even.

No, this game was not perfect, it had plenty of flaws, but it feels like the first solid step up on a long staircase, and not simply falling forward on the stairs and claiming we've gained ground. This works for me. Yes, I know, we all want to discount a game where a penalty was involved in the margin of victory, but it was earned. Solidly.

Preliminary returns say merit awards to Martinez, Gallardo, Fred, and Moreno. Man of the match is probably from that group, and I'm leaning towards Fred who has been something of a catalyst of late (when he isn't depressed about heading a ball directly at a keeper). A quick snark at Mr. Wells is probably still in order, and Perralta seems to have scored a goal and missed a marker with similar dignity.

First Impressions - Toronto F.C. 1 : 0 D.C. United

A school of fish.

A parliament of owls.

A murder of crows.

An embarrassment of United?

Objectively, I know this game was an improvement over the last three, but the entire flavor of this game was ruined by two things. First, the fact that L.A. made me sick during my plane flight home. But second was the number of times when United seemed to create their own defeat. It started with McTavish being wrong footed with a bounce on the turf, a situation which he managed to compound in the greatest of tragicomic proportions (who was it who said "tragedy is when I stub my tow, comedy is when you fall down the stairs and die?") Then there was Fred managing not to score on two great chances. And Gallardo's game-long habit of sending weak square balls to players in red.

And so, you can consign this game to bad luck, but United has created its own luck this season. Objectively, this was a better game, we moved the ball, we fought for some balls and won some of those, we created chances, we passed with some degree of success, we were even downright creative. Subjectively, it still feels like being mugged. Oh, and objectively... objectively we got no points. Objectively, as one commenter wrote (which I can't find, but I'll post a link when I do) we have the same number of losses now that we had all of last season. My apologies if I'm not happy with the small progress which I know, somehow, should be enough.

Preliminary debits and credits - Merit awards to Martinez and Perralta, a I'm torn between Gallardo and McTavish for the goat. Oh, and P.S. to MLS Referees... "Persistent Infringement"

First Impressions - Chivas USA 3 : 1 D.C. United

It's late, and I've had 45 minutes driving north from the Home Depot Center to think on things, but I'll say this: Tom Soehn is right - This team lacks toughness. But toughness isn't fouls. It isn't yellow cards. It's mental toughness, the courage and precision to execute a turn and clearance as an attacked barrels down on you. It's the ability to push a cross clear to the other side of the field when the 50-50 ball is played too short. It's the heart to run down a ball that's probably beyond your reach but damned if that defender will beat you to the line. And this team doesn't have it.

This team isn't fast, but you can overcome that with toughness. This team isn't tough, but you can overcome that with smart tactical play and players moving to the right places off the ball. But this team isn't smart, and now we're exactly where we are.

United had gone ahead, and had some decent chances on goal (Namoff's header over the bar springs to mind) in the first half. Yet as the night wore on, they ceded more and more of the field to Chivas, and ultimately paid with three goals.

If nothing else, at least Tino Quaranta was the one who actually showed some fight for the shirt, in perhaps the most literal way he could. I was going to wait until August to forgive all, but given that he was the one willing to step up when the rest of the team held back, I forgive him now. He's fighting on the losing side, and that's impressive.

Tom Soehn is right about this team, but he's responsible for this team. Let's get a good night's sleep and check the highlights (especially as I can't believe Chivas was onside for two of those goals, but admittedly I had an awful angle to judge things in the corner of the HDC). Let's think. But then...

But then...

But then I'll know if how I feel now is something other than the momentary depression of a loss, or the sad realization of the what the future is.

First Impressions - D.C. United 0 : 2 Chicago Fire

...and it wasn't even the worst game we've played this season.

Here's the thing. I'm used to United defenses giving up goals because of bad plays in the back. Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Brandon Prideaux, Bryan Namoff, Brian Carroll... over the past few seasons, they've all commited some horrible blunders that led to opposing team goals. What I'm not used to is seeing a United defense get carved up repeatedly. That had played positioned wrongly, or not picking up markers, or not figuring out where to go. You can point at Quaranta for missing the marking on the first goal, but he had just run back and did anyone tell him where to pick up a marker? Fortunately, that was the only goal United gave up just to poor defending. The second Chicago goal you might try and hang on Clyde Simms, or you can do what I am going to do and just admit that Mr. White nailed that shot.

The thing is, while there were some performances turned in by players who clearly haven't given up and were still fighting (Namoff, Wells, Quaranta all deserve nods here), there was also a lot of tentative runs toward balls that meant that a 50-50 ball turned into a 75-25 ball for red.

Franco Niell not pulling the trigger inside the box is upsetting. Emilio was better, but not good yet. But the touch was off, the play was off, and while it was better than last week against Colorado, it was hardly a reason to feel like things are turning around.

As I said, there were some good things. Wells made some saves he had to make. Namoff looks like he's the only one fighting for the season at times. Quaranta ran til he had nothing left. Emilio started taking shots. But Simms had an off game, Niell wouldn't take shots first time, and Emilio can't find the net, and everyone, just everyone, had a touch that was two stone too heavy.

Your goat, I'm thinking, is Niell, but I'm listening for your saints and sinners as well. And right now, United needs more than anything to just play a technically sound game. Even if they lose. Away to Chivas, after a long week of practice, that's what I want to see. Not a result, though that would be nice. Just some good, sound soccer. We need to see some basic being executed before we start enjoying beautiful soccer again.

The most troubling sign? It was that D.C. United didn't just look slow, they look frightened. And that's a recursive function that eats its own.

First Impressions - Colorado Rapids 2 : 0 D. C. United

That D.C. United lost in Colorado is not much of a surprise, as United has done little else but that for the better part of a decade. That we looked so bad doing it is perhaps something of a surprise. Colorado deserved the win, and deserved the margin. The natural focus of any post-game write-up will be to cast this match as "Gallardo vs. Gomez," and I understand that. And Christian did his part to make it look like D.C. United made a mistake.

The more interesting focus to me is "Clavijo vs. Soehn" and on that mark, I think it is clear that Tom Soehn again trusted too much in previous good results. While we saw a slightly different line-up (Niell for Moreno, and I suppose Burch for Fred) to start this match, the tactical decision making seemed very similar to the last match against RSL. Which is the worry we've expressed about Tom Soehn's United. If something works, try it again until is stops working.

It is, if you think about it, the very antithesis of "Building on a win." There was good and bad against RSL, but rather than take the good and try and add more to it, we accepted the good we had and hoped it would be enough again.

We are not a fast team. That's simply a fact, but not all successful teams need to have great speed. We still haven't figured out what we are, and how to make it work. And while Dave Johnson can talk about this team still "coming together" the fact is that we've had 20% of the season go by now. Maybe it snaps into place in the half-way mark, and I'm more than willing to give it that long. But if it doesn't...

If it doesn't, then I have a feeling that the game I just saw is one I may have to get used to seeing.

First Impressions - DC United 4 : 1 Real Salt Lake

Well that was better than the last time these two teams played. There were good things that United brought to this game that has been lacking in the past two. United actually shot the ball. Amazing as that sounds you could tell by the 10th minute that Tommy told the team to take more shots. The wing play was some of the best I have have seen this year. Quaranta did very well on the wing and Burch playing the more traditional winger really spread the field for the rest of the offense. I am really liking Santino this year, he has been playing much better than I have ever seen him. His goal was a thing of beauty, and was a welcome respite from penalty kicks (the pks were a welcome respite from being shut out.) Gallardo's goal was just jaw dropping.

I was happy with United's performance but problems still exist. I don't want to be that guy who is unhappy with a 4 -1 win, but the first two were penalty kicks. Those scores changed the game and opened up the field for the goals later on in the game. It seems like United can score when teams are open and pressing but when everybody is back they have a hard time breaking down a defense. I am also worried that the two teams United have beaten so far were the two worst teams last year. Don't get me wrong, DC looked much better. I like the progress, but I don't want to say the ugly is over. I can only hope that it is. We will see what happens against a good Colorado team next week.

First Impressions - D.C. United 1 : 2 Columbus Crew

It was better than the match against Real Salt Lake. Then again, having my testicles eaten by fire ants would have been better than the game in Salt Lake.

First, let's address the key thing: I have no issues with the formation, the substitutions, or much of the reasoning behind this match. Certain players played very well (Gonzalo Martinez, Gallardo) and others did not (Wells, McTavish, and Emilio). Everyone else was sort of in-between, neither awful nor amazing. But there are things that worry me.

The particular involved Luciano Emilio and his inability to take the ball with his back to goal and not fall down. The general is a feeling that this team has not settled on a coherent theory of attack. Gallardo has amazing vision, but what he sees isn't what people are doing. Gallardo doesn't anticipate Moreno, who doesn't quite get Quaranta, who sends the ball into the Emilio, who falls down. And that's... dis-heartening. It's as if they're playing a pick-up game, which at times can produce great moments, but other times just seems disorganized with everyone taking about one to two seconds two long to figure out where everyone is around them.

So it's a tough game. Not a debacle like Salt Lake, certainly a better match, but hardly a ringing call for hope. It is a game that fits my mood: Dark, Disjointed, Drunk. Perhaps tomorrow I will have a better sense, but right now it's just sad.

First Impressions - Real Salt Lake 4: 0 D.C. United

Remember what we said last week? The job of a manager is to put his team in the best position to win. And in that job, Tom Soehn failed this week. Against Pachuca, down two goals, he had to press to get goals. Playing three in the back made sense as a tactical change.

Against RSL, Tom Soehn makes a perfectly legitimate decision to give Gallardo and Martinez and Wells a break. However, given the work Gallardo has done on both sides on the ball, and the presence Martinez has been in the back line, and starting a keeper in his first game, the 3-4-3 formation made little sense. You simply didn't have the right personnel to execute the defensive responsibilities that formation required. Especially against a team that beat you over the top a year ago.

The first two goals, the goals that really put this game in RSL's win column, were both directly influenced by the tactical formation chosen by Tom Soehn. On the first goal, Dema Kovalenko takes advantage of the space afforded him and put a ball in to Kyle Beckerman. The line plays off Beckerman, worried about other runners getting behind them, so Beckerman does the job himself. In the second, a long ball over the top beats the defense. Forseeable? I think so. But Jason Kreis --and I know some RSL fans may not believe this, but I think it is true -- Jason Kreis outmanaged Tom Soehn in this game. Once he saw the situation on the field, he shifted his players to take advantage of it.

So yeah, this game was pretty awful. Especially when you consider that center official Richard Heron, if anything, shaded his calls towards United. I get the sense I'm just yelling at my computer screen now, so I better end this post. What a mess. What a complete mess.

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

Aggregate - D.C. United 2 : 3 Pachuca C.F.
DC United Eliminated from CONCACAF Champion's Cup

That was easily one of the most entertaining and fun matches I have seen in a long time. It was a game that managed to be wonderfully entertaining for all 90 minutes, that had chances for both teams, that had key defensive plays from both back lines, that had midfield combinations that made you smile with all being right in the world. It was, quite simply, one of the best games as an entity I have seen in some time.

In the end, United won the day, but lost the war. At nil-nil it was a wonderful to watch. Tom Soehn did what a manager had to do: He made the moves to give his team the chance to deliver. And there were chances. Emilio's touch wide of the post, the penalty Fred earned but was not awarded, the various bombs by Pachuca players just over the crossbar... Before Pachuca earned the first goal of the night, United had three very good chances to put the ball in the net, and came away empty. When Pachuca scored, putting themselves up three goals, I felt that United would fold the tent after all the effort they had put forward.

But they didn't. They ran like hell. Everyone did. They kept pressuring. Yes, the final ten minutes felt a bit frantic, but that's when they finally broke through. First on Dyachenko's goal (of which 50% of the credit should go to Bryan Namoff, who stepped up, eluded one defender, and then sent Fred in on goal before Fred slotted the ball to Rod). Then on Niell's goal (which was all Fred's touch. You might argue he was trying to control the ball and it got away from him, but I think I saw him look to locate Niell, and that's enough for me to call it intentional.) They fought to the end.

The problem was that too much of this story was written in Mexico. United had to play the way they did, and take the risks they did as time went on, and that invited exactly the kind of goal Pachuca eventually converted. The game was lost then, as we always feared it might be. It is almost sad that we had to make it close so we were reminded of the fact.

Still, I am proud of the effort I saw tonight from D.C. United. They played well. Well enough to earn the result they did, perhaps even well enough to have forced this series to extra time. This is not a moral victory, but this result tonight showed me more than the four goals against Toronto did.

Feel free to comment for the debrief. My sense is the man of the match is Bryan Namoff (though I would love to hear your recommendations). Center official Jose Aguilar was pretty poor, but somehow managed not to ruin the match. And as for the bad, I only have one element I'm planning to talk about in the debrief, but I'm always curious.

First Impressions - D.C. United 4 : 1 Toronto FC

Damn. Due to personal commitments, I didn't go to RFK for this game, but did catch the archive match on MLSLive.TV. Then I wrote a First Impressions post, thought I posted it, and only now when I started the debrief do I see nothing came up. Still, there is a rhythm to such things, and I must write impressions, tardy as they are, and come up with them before doing the debrief. So here goes...

United did what they had to do. The benefits of beating Toronto by multiple goals are slim: we should beat them, and it shouldn't be close. Yes, United now has a positive goal differential two games into the season, and that's something. And yes, United's marquee players, Gallardo and Emilio, have tallies, so we don't need to start a running "When will they score?" feature. And yes, I am fully aware of the fact that this is only Toronto, so I shouldn't overread. Yet still, caveat away and what remains is something that United all too infrequently does not accomplish: Take on an inferior team and not play to their level, but instead put the game out of reach early and not look back. Combined with the sentiment that this had to be a statement game, United accomplished everything it could, and wrung out every last drop of goodness out of this game.

So let me address the general situation. Pachuca is upcoming, and even after this result I will be surprised if it were not United's last game in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup. Pleasantly surprised, but still surprised. Still, provided United puts forth a credible effort, I don't think we go through the season feeling as though we start with a failure. United is, for the moment, a team whose limits are uncertain, but is not a team in trouble.

As for the particulars, I also want to say this. I'm not saying I'm buying directly into rebirth Tino Quaranta for the season, but I am willing to say that he's done everything right in a Year-To-Date sort of way, and that's all I can ask for. And to be fair to Tino, that's more than I thought I'd be saying. So full credit to Tino.

Update: I wrote this at 7AM, and it didn't post again. BARRGH!

First Impressions - Pachuca C.F. 2 : 0 D.C. United

Did you ever have some elaborate plan to sneak out and hang out with your friends when you were in high school? And it had to be an elaborate plan, because technically you were grounded? So anyways, I was trying for various reasons to get to Georgetown with my SO, but I wasn't supposed to be driving anywhere, but I had a plan with multiple distractions and false leads that should have gotten my parents out of the house and let me make it into Georgetown. And it was working perfectly, until my parents decided to come back home via Georgetown and somehow saw me on the street. United's 2-nil defeat was kinda of like that.

United played well, but "well" wasn't perfect, or even exceptional, or even "damn good" and just "above average" wasn't going to cut it. When there's a difficult environment at altitude plus a skilled opponent plus a difference in form, you pretty much have to have a very good game. And United didn't have that tonight. They had a decent, well, alright game. And they're down two goals because of it, which makes the return leg at RFK not impossible, but a fair longshot.

The first goal is most likely the fault of Wells, thought Montes was running down the side of the box a little too freely, indicating that McTavish or Namoff or someone missed the mark there. The second goal was set up with the McTavish foul, and frankly that's a goal I would expect to see more times converted by Pachuca than not.

And on the other end, United would look threatening, but too often try to thread a ball through too many defenders, or not pull the trigger, or something, and the chance would slip away. Full credit for creating half of an opportunity, but no credit for not really even exploiting the opportunities we created with dangerous shots.

Form was clearly a factor, in two ways. Yes, the most obvious way was the fact the last fifteen minutes of the first half, and the last half an hour of the second, it was clear we were almost done. Those legs were heavy. But the other way our lack of form manifested was in the way the muscle memory hasn't quite gotten the mnemonics for this season. You can see the ideas, they're good ideas, but the pace of the passes is off, or the angle is shaved too thin, or the touch puts you into awkward footing, and suddenly the ball is going the other way.

If there is a complaint, a real point that I have a problem with, it was United's inability to be gracious with the gifts they were given. United was clearly at its best with some posession to the game, and they showed they could pass the ball around. Yet too often in the back a chance to build that same type of possession, to make Pachuca chase and give everyone a bit of a breather -- those opportunities were squandered with a poor pass out of the defensive third. That may be some fatigue, or some form, but I also got the feeling that the pressure of the situation had clouded the mental clarity that would have just advocated for a moment of calm.

There is no man of the match, but I think I would have looked seriously at Fred. As for the goat, I'm looking somewhat towards McTavish right now. I'll see how I feel after a good night's sleep. Debrief tomorrow.

First Impressions - Kansas City Wizards 2 : 0 D.C. United

...and yet, I'm not heartbroken.

Yes, the loss is disappointing, but somehow even now it feels a bit abstract. Removed. At a distance.

I think part of it was the fact that Kansas City's stadium make you think you're watching an NCAA broadcast. It's not really real -- not yet. And the team we saw play for United wasn't bad, it just wasn't all there. Everyone had a moment to shine, everyone had a moment to look rather awkward. The same was true for Kansas City, it's just that they got the ball in the net twice.

And for all the talk of team's not doing much in the off-season, Kansas City at least did something. I'm not sure how deep they are, but their starting 11, even without Eddie Johnson, seems a bit more formidable from in terms of average ability. They look better. Curt Onalfo has trained them well.

United also didn't look shabby, but they didn't look like a team that's going to treat MLS as its personal parkour environment. Still, for a line-up without Olsen, Moreno, and Fred in the starting side, I wasn't displeased. The central defense held well, with only two egregious moments (one of which was fortunately rules offside despite the fact it should not have been.) All teams will give up chances, the only thing we can ask is that they not give up easy ones. And the Gonzalos seem determined to make life difficult for opposiing teams. Brian Namoff looks like he may have learned how to send in an early cross.

The big problem right now is Emilio, who we can see getting into better shape, but he's still not there. He may still be dangerous even without his best form, but he's not as good as he could be.

Still, for a 2-nil defeat, I'm not overly troubled. This team was doing more right than wrong. I have no one I feel like calling out, and no tactics that I felt were egregious. The game simply didn't go our way. Fine. Other games just like this will.

First Impressions - D.C. United 5 : 0 Harbour View FC

D.C. United 6 : 1 Harbour View FC [Aggregate]
D.C. United Advances to the CONCACAF Champion's Cup Semifinal

There are many ways to enjoy a game. The best is to witness it in person, in good seats, surrounded by those who share the love. The second best is on TV, intensely, scrutinizing each detail, rewinding the TiVo to examine the a back heel as though it were the Zapruder film. A distant third is on MLSLive.TV, where the screen size affects the ability to examine the shape of the game in a general sense, but still allows you to evaluate, to judge, and enjoy. Not really workable is listening on radio. And listening to the radio webcast while in Detroit (where it is cold, a dampy awful cold) and your team starts to put on the clinic? Worst of all.

The problem with radio is the single method of input you get. You are dependent on the evaluations of others entirely. Was it a nifty move, or poor defending? There is no reason to doubt Mr. Limarzi's descriptions, but there's no way to really verify that things are as they are. I may well be relying on each of you to help with the debriefing to set me straight.

That being said, I get the sense that things were very different tonight. And I could tell they were different sometime in the tenth minute onward. Yes, when the first words I heard were "and it's a long ball out of the back from United" I did curse. What, again? We had returned to RFK just to play the same type of game I swore I wouldn't see again? Would I have to find a crowbar and meet Tom Soehn in a back alley? But over the next minutes, it became clearer that United was mixing things up. Long, short, medium. That United was using its possession to generate chances. That Emilio and Gallardo were finding each other easier. That Harbour View could still counter, but wasn't finding the going on the wings nearly as easy as the last match. And then the one goal before half time, Gallardo to McTavish, and things were promising. Still, it was that kind of promising that felt like United might have managed to make things go right, but could still find some fluke way to lose. It wasn't comfortable. But at 2-0, when Emilio put one in, it felt like things were destined. At 3-0 it was time to dare fate. At 4-0, thanks to D.C. United's current leading goalscorer Devon McTavish (50% of the United offense), things were ridiculous. Then 5-0. And it felt like, well, yes, this is what I want. Not what I expect. I expect, given pre-season form and the other caveats, a win, but only just a win. A blowout, and one that while the score may flatter United, it flatters United only in the same a nicely tailored dress flatters an otherwise beautiful woman: It's just that much more. It is a nice feeling.

United's last loss of the 2007 campaign happened when I was in Buffalo. It was raining then, as I recall. And as I look out into the night from my hotel window, I can see the rain has stopped. Maybe for the first time in many months. And the game is back on.

(Debrief tomorrow, but I may need your help given that I couldn't really see it with my own eyes. But my sense is that everyone I put in the "Bad" column last week makes the good column this week.)

First Impressions - Harbour View FC 1 : 1 D.C. United

Aggregate after first leg - D.C. United 1 : 1 Harbour View FC

As much as I said there should not be excuses for the "pre-season mentality," there certainly seemed quite a bit of rust on the United team. United showed moments of true class, and moments of out and out confusion. Things aren't right yet. The play is not there. Gallardo may have been handed the keys to the offense, but that doesn't mean the transmission is an automatic, to stretch a metaphor too far. Still, you can see some very encouraging signs, and some disturbing ones.

Let's start tactically. If I have this right, Tom Soehn entered this game remembering conditions from last year in Honduras. He did not like the field, and figured he was in for much of the same in terms of an uneven pitch. Given that Harbour View might already take a counter-attacking mentality, I imagine he decides to hedge against costly possession mistakes in midfield by playing long balls over the top, bypassing midfield or having Gallardo come back to the top of the defensive third to start the direct movement. As a strategy, I think there's something to be said for this on a tactical basis, but I can not imagine this is how we'll play all year. So to some degree, I'm discounting this game because I don't really thing we've seen the typical United game-plan. This is not who we are.

That being said, as a tactical move it worked. While MacTavish will get credit for the goal, the real story on that play was a long ball that Frank O'Neal (n&eamp; Franco Niell) tracked down and neatly pushed back to Fred. It was a nice move, showcasing a potential weapon and tactic we haven't seen much of. It worked.

The problem was the wing situation. MacTavish, despite his goal, was not particularly effective on the wing. Fred was marginally better, but Emilio was clearly having difficulty with service and space. The wings were largely ignored, and the few times United did get forward on the flanks, it was frequently Namoff and Burch who had moved into those spaces.

Defensively, I was encouraged. Wells had good command of his box and answered his tests well. You can argue that he should have left his line to punch out the corner that ultimately resulted in the late HVFC goal, but given the sheer number of bodies, I'm not convinced he could have fought his way through to the point of attack. He made a decision, and it seemed a legitimate one. I do not fault him on the goal, but I do fault the inability of Namoff or Burch to get into that scrum and clear the ball out. Still, for the most part, the center defense played well. The outside, a little less so, and there were some Erpen-esque moments of being too cute with the ball at our feet.

United is not in form, but that can not be an excuse. At best, it is a failing, and by the second leg at RFK it must be dealt with. Still, I think the quality of the field at RFK may see a different set of tactics employed, and I look forward to seeing that.

The Debrief is tomorrow.

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

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

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