Debriefing for Match 14.02: Chicago Fire

D.C. United 1 : 1 Chicago Fire

Six Word Novel Recap

Is "Nyarko!" a Three Stooges exclamation?

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "After taking an early lead and playing a strong first half, D.C. United fell victim to some lax goalkeeping and was forced to settle for a 1-1 tie against the Chicago Fire in its home opener Saturday night."
The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "Although this draw lacked the drama and controversy that overshadowed last Sunday's opener at Los Angeles, it was equally disappointing for United, which took the lead in the seventh minute on Luciano Emilio's strike but faltered defensively in the second half and yielded a 53rd-minute equalizer by former Virginia Tech star Patrick Nyarko. "
DC Sports Box, Abram Fox: "For the first 45 minutes the Black-and-Red dominated the pitch, controlling the flow of the game and winning a majority of loose balls. D.C. outshot Chicago 5-1, with Emilio’s marker the only ball to find the back of the net."
DCist, Aaron Morrisey: "The Black-and-Red's first major move of the game was a sign of that pressure: a nice through ball from Namoff found it's way to the now longer-coifed Luciano Emilio, but his cross through the box to Moreno was neutralized. A few short minutes later, Emilio applied a clinical finish at the center of the Chicago end after a great effort to wrestle possession by Ben Olsen. Calmly shooting from 20 yards away, Emilio struck firmly and beat keeper Jon Busch to his right..."
United Mania, Chris Webb: "The tide indeed did change as the Fire came out guns ablazing to start the second half. A number of defensive mistakes nearly cost United the game-tying goal but it only took eight minutes after the restart for the match to be level. Patrick Nyarko collected a fine pass from Marco Pappa and drove past defender Dejan Jakovic towards goal, but at a severe angle. United keeper Josh Wicks, filling in for injured starter Louis Crayton, mistakenly tried to come out and smother the play and the second-year striker from Virginia Tech easily passed the ball into the empty net. 'The goal that they scored, you know, he should’ve stayed in his goal,' acknowledged Soehn of his netminder."
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgan: "United's best chance to regain the lead came early in the second half, when Pontius was played in behind the Chicago defense for a 7-yard effort. But after nicely chesting the long ball down, his shot went right to Busch, who saved well. Earlier in the game, Pontius had missed high with a straight-on one-time shot in the penalty area. Pontius had an up and down game. Playing a wing in a 3-5-2, he had to get deep on the flank at times to play crosses in, but he seemed to struggle a bit in this role."
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "The Fire adjusted nicely to United's five men in the midfield, effectively marking the dangerous threesome of Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio out of the game in the second half."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "'It was a tale of two halves' surely ranks as one of the stalest clichés in the game of soccer...Much like the 2-0 lead against the Los Angeles Galaxy that evaporated into a 2-2 final last weekend, Saturday night's result offers Soehn plenty of teachable moments for his younger players. Dejan Jakovic endured several erratic moments in his first start at center back, but for long stretches he and his fellow newcomers supplied vigor and athleticism that complemented the savvy of veterans like Gomez and Olsen." [NOTE: I applaud any writer that recognizes a cliche is being used before then going on to use it. This is not laziness, it is self-awareness. There's a difference. Charles Boehm, I salute you.]
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "Despite having dropped 2 points in each of its first two games, United's hopes for the season have not been lost yet. As United midfielder Clyde Simms put it, 'we are undefeated, so you can look at it that way.' So while the team may be struggling to win the games in which it is taking the lead, Simms noted that the performance was better this week."
The Fullback Files, Fullback: "Some questions for Tommy. What did you say at halftime? United were on top of the game going into the half. Chicago had only had a couple of looks while DC were controlling possession. But from the whistle to start the second half, we simply failed to answer the bell."
The Offside: DC United, Jon: "Bryan Namoff. What were you doing? I counted at least 4 or 5 times where Namoff carried the , ball way up into the attack and was caught in possession. I apologize to Bryan if Tommy was asking him to do that, but if not…c’mon."
DCUMD, Shatz: "The returns of Fred, Quaranta, Janicki, and McTavish will be a huge help, and Soehn is going to have some real tough decisions to make when he's got all of our regulars available. How do you bench Pontius after the opening he's had? I'm also thinking that we may see Jakovic fall behind Janicki, McTavish, and Burch on the defensive depth chart in no time."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I actually felt that Olsen should have been subbed, not out of fatigue, but because he was on a yellow card and seemed like he was toeing the line between staying in the match and leaving on a 2nd yellow, especially after his exchange with Cuauhtemoc Blanco where Blanco positioned himself to allow Olsen to collide with him and went down like a ton of bricks. Center referee Mark Geiger, who seemed all night hesitant to call anything on a player in red (see: DC United fouls - 13, Chicago fouls - 6, plus 3 yellow cards for United and 0 for Chicago), motioned for Blanco to get up, and later talked to both players, presumably as a warning. Should Andrew Jacobson not have been inserted for Olsen at that point?"
And still blocked, but I will find a way, and slightly modified from the quite readable original...
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "Dig this Soehn quote: 'We gambled a little bit and were too confident in the second half. We took some chances instead of playing it safe. That shows signs of a young backline.' Sounds like a coach hanging his players, yes? Fire Tom Soehn...in an email 'Die. Die, die, die, die, die. This line confirms that, in Soehn’s fat [rutting] head, breaking out to try to score is, in fact, gambling. His implicit approval of the utter lack of “gambling”, of the game of playing it “safe” by backpassing every time they crossed midfield in strength, is [Initially, Knights of Christrianity Unified in Faithing reversed] reprehensible.' He’s a [slang word for kitten]. I’m [intercoursing] done with him."

The Good

1. Peter Tomarken Has Good Advice: "Press Your Luck." United's first half was as truly excellent as the media reports look above. Now, we must caveat that the Fire was well and truly into their depth chart, but just because a third to a half of a team is subs is no reason to think that United will automatically have an advantage. Indeed, I seem to recall United having many games where they were owned by bit players who rarely see the field. But this United side made a lot of opportunities, especailly in the first half. And these opportunities were spread out. Gomez, Emilio, Pontius, Olsen and Doe all had decent looks at some point. We need goals, and the early indications are we should see them.
   
2. Jilted McBride: While there's legitimate Angst about the back three vs. Nyarko, Brian McBride was marked out of the game. Which, if nothing else, provides some hope given that United has often been troubled by people who have a tendency to show up, relax with a lime cooler for 85 minutes and then head one or two into the goal.
3. Wallace, Pontius: Look, I'm not ga-ga over the kids yet, but having seen them twice, do you feel bad if you see their names on the line-up next week? Not me.
4. Wicks as a backup: Look, with Crayton out, I am willing to take Josh Wicks as a substitute. The argument that he is responsible for the goal is well made, and upon review I agree with it, but I also blame the D for letting Nyarko get behind them a few times. And yes, his muff in the dying minutes was bad and very fortunately put over the bar. But as a backup, he'll do.
   

The Bad

1. Speed Kills: Mr. Nyarko is fast. Our fullbacks, all of them, are not. You can probably have changed the name of the given opposing forward for most of the last three years, and this comment is true. Mad libs, the soccer writing of the future. To be written with Dippin' Dots.
   
2. Dis/join/ted: Anon from the First Impressions: "Our players seemed unfamiliar with each other. Clyde is learning to play with another defensive Mid and a rusty one with a heavy touch at that. Both are learning to play with a center back who got off the plane two weeks ago and has not seen a lot of minutes on the field in a long time. The fullbacks are working with rookies on the flanks." True, but as long as it continues, it must be noted.
3. There is a difference between gambling and attacking: I want to point out the comments from BDR and Landru above, and agree with the underlying sentiment. This team will give up goals, no matter if they bunker and play conservatively as a Savile Row three-piece (Mr. Namoff, you get to be the coat and watch chain. Mr. Burch, you get to be the best. Mr. Janicki, you're the pants. At least for this match). This team must attack, must gamble if you want to use the term, and must score goals, because we're going to give them up. If he's referring to gambling in terms of odd tackles at midfield, then he has a point, but a point more applicable to the first half than the second.
4. Wicks as a starter: I would like to see Louis Crayton again. You'd think the media would be asking questions about this. What's that? Ah, right. Forgot.
5. Free Christian Gomez (By Using the Wings): Right now, I'm attributing this more to Chicago's approach to taking him out of the match than anything else. And yes, Chris Pontius should have seen the ball more, but so should Rodney Wallace, and the fact is that while Gomez seemed clearly willing to pass the ball to Chris (who was making the right runs and showing well) Rodney isn't quite as there yet. Rod, time to join the posse.
   

Officiating Watch

Referee Mark Geiger is getting some flack for the fould distribution. You could reasoable say it should have been 15 fould on United after a double advantage in the 29th minute. Yet here's the thing: He was right. Sure, he missed a fould here or there, or called a few things a bit sensitively, but all-in-all he was consistent and strong and I actually enjoyed all aspects of his officiating. He didn't fall for Blanco's dives, but did note when Blanco was legitimately fouled. One of the best officiating performances I have seen. If you want to complain about the foul disparity, then perhaps the reason might be that we have a coach who seems to think we can redeem 10 fouls for a goal. And here's my bet. Any match where United fouls less than their opponents, expect to hear a few words questioning the effort of the players.

Likert Scale Grade: 5 - Excellent

Karma Bank

A nice even balance transaction, as both teams traded good opportunities for balls over the bar, so we're keeping it as +1 for the season (we're still owed a lucky break at some point.)

Man of the Match

Just to piss off Jon from The Offside, I'm going Bryan Namoff. Yes, the point that he was caught in posession too often is well made, but he handled his defensive responsibilities pretty well, and how many times will I have to award MOTM to a defender this season. Mr. Namoff, step on up.

Final Thoughts

Grunthos has an excellent breakdown of the match in the First Impressions, especially looking at what Mr. Hameltt did right in terms of tactics.

Our confused play in the early second half was directly attributable to the Fire suddenly getting in people's faces and hounding the ball. We had many more turnovers in our own end, and they tested our defense pretty hard. We caught a break, oddly, when they brought on Mr. White, who clearly isn't match fit and basically killed the energy of their press and the speed of their attack.

True true true.

In terms of my final thoughts, I am still reasonably pleased by how we've come through things right now. Despite the propensity of team focused blogs to always pick their team as a winner by one goal in close matches, if I had offered predictions it would have been LA by two over DC, and Chicago by one. Houston looks to be struggling now as well, and I would love to see United finally notch all three points, but at least I feel reasonably confident in predicting a non-scoreless draw. Since I resumed my duties here, I have written that United as a team will need a third of the season to figure itself out. If nothing else, it feels that process is continuing. If, by the end of the year, we're out of the playoffs, then yes, sign my name on the FIRE SOEHN list and let's move on. And that's still a reasonable possibility. But I also am willing to accept that things might truly get better.

And not just in St. Louis.

Mr. White Wash

See? It isn't really that hard. Have Blanco issue the non-specific apology, keep quiet about details about which you probably know nothing about, and we can all move onward. Don't have your head coach start mouthing off, don't have your PR director start issuing excuses, just handle things quietly and efficiently and let the inertia of the MLS bureaucracy bury things to where nobody cares about them anymore. This is how things are done.

PR, You're Doing it Wrong

From the Red Card Blog:

When asked why he thinks D.C. United is sending footage of the Cuauhtemoc Blanco incident to MLS and U.S. Soccer, Denis Hamlett said he wasn't sure. "We never sent the league footage of Christian Gomez spitting in C.J. [Brown's] face," Hamlett said. Hamlett also said United was supposed to send the Fire the footage but has yet to do so.

Gee, Denis, that's a great point. Why didn't the Fire send in that footage? Could it be because that PLAYOFF GAME WAS ON TV YOU STUPID FUCK? Could that be it? Maybe, just maybe, one of the technological advances MLS has invested in is a TiVo in the breakroom? Perhaps they didn't need the footage because it aired on TV? Might that have had something to do with it? Perhaps DC had to send the footage because they're the only ones who had a videocamera with the footage?

For goodness sakes, I was halfway to getting beyond this story, and letting it be buried. But Chicago's insistence that somehow they are the aggrieved party in this matter baffles me. I have no desire to keep writing about this, but now I want to see them pay. If they insist on falsely playing innocent then I hope they burn.

See, if the Fire had kept their collective mouth shut and let channels work, this would not have been an issue. But instead you've decided to put your people out there reading quotes from The Crucible. Goddamn, you had to sticking your finger in the electrical socket.

UPDATE: Reader Craig from Baltimore Emails:

As a loyal, daily reader of the site, I think it's my duty to remind you that this is the same Denis Hamlett who, as a member of the NPSL's Harrisburg Heat, blatantly and intentionally broke another player's jaw with a vicious elbow many years ago. The injured player was Rob Ukrop, who would later go on to play in MLS (briefly, I believe) and for the Richmond Kickers. The incident took place in '93 or '94 during a Harrisburg Heat-Baltimore Spirit indoor game. If I remember correctly Hamlett was fined and suspended by the league for his part in what became a bench clearing incident. Maybe there's footage of that on YouTube somewhere!

I mean, since randomly quoting past incidents is apparently how you handle things professionally according the Chicago [Fire] Manual of Style, then why not! Send the footage to the league! I mean, Craig is absolutely spot on that this is totally relevant under the Dennis Hamlett theory of handling disgraceful actions by your players.

Fire up some Coffee

BLANCO REDUX: I want to revisit the Blanco story, especially because Luis Arroyave in the Chicago Tribune has a good write-up on the fracas. Now, while I'm pleased that United is not issuing much in the way of commentary, I am a tad surprised that Chicago has elected to go on record with a defense of Blanco:

According to Fire spokesman Gregg Elkin, Blanco wanted to get the ball back because the Fire was down a goal in overtime and he thought Simms was stalling. He also said Blanco denied poking Simms in the eye.

Blanco and Burch were given red cards in overtime, except Blanco headed toward the bench rather than the locker room, as is required. According to a United spokesman, a United employee asked Blanco to go to the locker room, and Blanco became confrontational and head-butted him in the cheek.

Elkin said the employee had no business walking into the Fire's restricted area.

"[Blanco] stopped by the bench to pick up his gear," said Elkin, who spoke with several people on the Fire bench about the incident. "He wasn't stalling or yelling at the official. The situation was under control, but the D.C. person got in his face and yelled at him to leave the bench.

Now, the defense that Blanco was provoked into a confrontation with a United employee should not be surprising. The fact that the defense was made in this matter is a bit surprising. Let's stipulate that the facts as portrayed by Mr. Elkin are 100% correct. In that case, we see two problems. From the Laws of the Game, Law 12: "A player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area."

Well, that means Blanco clearly wasn't where he was supposed to be, and for a player who has been ejected as often as he was I would be surprised if he wasn't aware of the requirements of leaving the field. The other contention is that a United official was in the wrong place. Without knowing the specifics of credentialing into technical areas, this is possibly true. However, even if it is true, then Blanco is still in the wrong because he should never have been allowed near the area to begin with. In fact, his own teammates should have walked him off the field if they had to.

I'm not going to say that United is all pure here. I don't know that, and it is possible Blanco was being provoked. Even if he wasn't, it is still possible that he perceived that he was being provoked. But even granting all of that, he should have been well away.

SOME INTERNET COLUMNISTS... In case you're wondering, the Washington Times on a Tom Soehn piece writes "Many fans and Internet critics pounced on Soehn, who was ripped last year when the club faded in the playoffs after posting the league's best record. One blog asked, 'Should Tom Soehn be feeling the heat?' and a so-called mainstream news outlet went even further."

Which blog are they referring to? Soccer by Ives, in this post here, a blog that due to geography has no need of a pro-DC bias. But look at how that post concludes... "For now, it is Soehn's team and he deserves the chance to right the ship." So, in essence, the answer provided by Ives after an analysis was "No." If anything, the post is a defense of Soehn finishing out the season. Lord knows that I have little reason to defend Ives, but it seems unfair to lump him in with those, like me occasionally, who ripped Soehn.

What's more, given that this was a pretty easy post to find, shouldn't they have attributed Ives quote to him? I'm just saying. Ives, you wanna chime in on this if you drop by?

Anyways, that's a quick post for this morning. Join us a little later in the day when we talk to... an expert.

Debriefing for Match 13.C.02: Chicago Fire

D.C. United 2 : 1 Chicago Fire

D.C. United advances to U.S. Open Cup Semi-Final against New England Revolution.

Six Word Novel Recap

Doe, Namoff score. White meets Red.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, Harlan Goode: "All D.C. United needed Tuesday night was a little more Jaime Moreno."
The Washington Post, Paul Tenorio: "In the 62nd minute, with D.C. trailing 1-0, Soehn inserted veteran Jaime Moreno, who Soehn had thought would not be able to play because of an abdominal strain. Moreno sparked the United attack, assisting on both goals to lead United to a come-from-behind 2-1 victory in front of 4,118 at Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds."
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "In a match that saw 38 fouls commited between the two teams and a pair of red card ejections in extra time, it was substitute Jaime Moreno's calm and composure that helped United to an historic victory over the Chicago Fire in the quarterfinal round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup...In the 107th minute, Fred was booked for a challenge in front of the United bench. Just seconds after the whistle blew for the foul, Cuauhtemoc Blanco punched Clyde Simms in the stomach in full view of fourth official Mike Donovan and referee's assistant Adam Wienckowski. United defender Marc Burch was the first player to get to Blanco and he laid a retaliatory shoulder into Blanco who fell to the turf like a sack of wet cement. Both benches got up players on both sides were snapping at each other as the referee's finally got the players seperated. "
Booked for Dissent, Dave Lifton: "On October 20, 1996, Chris Armas scored what should have been the championship-clinching goal for the Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS Cup. But DC United fought back, and in the 4th minute of overtime, Eddie Pope headed in the golden goal, right over the head of the diminuitive midfielder, who was stationed at the near post. As if he had sworn eternal revenge, United’s record against Armas’ teams in knockout games during his playing career after that was atrocious...With Armas retired (albeit on Chicago’s bench as an assistant), I hereby declare the Curse Of Chris Armas to be over after tonight’s win. "
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Fire left back Daniel Woolard's 36th-minute goal off a Logan Pause long ball gave the visitors an advantage they looked quite comfortable defending, while United's rust and sluggishness all over the field suggested that they'd just returned from a month off, not a weekend...Moreno's pass to fellow substitute Francis Doe netted the equalizer in the 77th minute, pushing the Fire back onto their heels and prompting 30 minutes of extra time. Then his 99th-minute corner kick gave Namoff a glorious look at goal that the veteran defender did not waste, flicking a header past Jon Busch to send D.C. into the semifinals of the nation's oldest major tournament."
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "The Fire withstood early but marginal pressure from United before settling in and created the better chances to take a well-deserved lead in the first half. Fire goalkeeper Jon Busch might have seen more shots than his counterpart Zach Wells, but Wells saw the better quality chances through much of the night."
Poplar Point Perspective, JCM: "The win might have been costly as Moreno left the game after playing only about thirty minutes and Fred was visibly limping at the end. United will play New England in the semifinals next month at RFK."
The Red Card, Luis Arroyave: "I was kind of surprised Denis Hamlett went with Jon Busch in goal. Maybe he was unhappy with Nick Noble's performance against the Cleveland City Stars. Maybe he was taking the Open Cup more serious now that the Fire was farther along in the tournament. Or maybe it was a combination of both."
Behind the Badge, The Management: "D.C. United Defender Marc Burch [on] the incident with Cuauhtemoc Blanco...'Blanco came over and swung as hard as he could and hit Clyde [Simms] in the stomach. You know I’m sick of that, throwing elbows at [Gonzalo] Peralta. I bumped shoulders with him and he threw an elbow at me and kicked me so I was just sick of him. He gets away with a lot of stuff because he’s Blanco and he’s from Mexico and he’s a big name. but he can’t do that stuff to any of my teammates...I don’t like him, I don’t think he’s a good person. He’s a good player but when he’s out there he’s doing stuff that he shouldn’t get away with.'"
Fighting Talker, Aaron Stollar: "Anyway, if DC goes on to beat Chicago in the playoffs and rid ourselves entirely of Chris Armas juju, curse, or whatever that Chicago has had over us, I will be curious to see if this match is mentioned as some kind of turning point. Even, not having been there, it kind of feels that way." [Note: Since you ask...]
BlackDogRed, BDR: "I'm sure I'm over-enthused, but beating Chicago in a knock-out in that manner could fuse this team into a product greater than its parts. I'm sure it's the fan speaking, but that's the kind of game that can create an identity that's an attitude. I'm sure I'm a rube, but if United collects silver this year, this might have been the watershed game, not the unbeaten run in MLS, but a vicious and emotional win in Germanfrackingtown Maryland with half the A-squad in a crappy US Cup quarterfinal against the fucking Chicago Fire when this United team claimed its identity."
The Fullback Files, Fullback: "Was it just Limarzi's call, or did Banner sound like he was causing major problems with his speed? This is why I'm harping on about pace on the wing. We don't have it, and it's something that makes MLS defenses deeply uncomfortable. Ergo, it's something I'd like to have on our roster."

And yes... let's at least link to this...

MLSRumors, RumorMill: "According to multiple reports, Chicago Fire midfielder, Cuauhtemoc Blanco may finally have gone off the deep end in what many describe as an assualt on a stadium employee after being red carded in tonight's US Open Cup Quarterfinal match at DC United."

The Good

Note: Radio again, but this time I was able to ask questions of Mr. Lifton thanks to his live blog, who at least would confirm or deny my occasional suspicion about what was really going on. Yesterday was just a personal hell day for me at work. But I think the Good/Bad section should be better this time.

1. SuperSub Jaime Moreno: Yes, I am planning on giving Man of the Match honors to someone who came in the 60th minute and left before the end of the match. No, I don't have a problem with that. Chicago was in the process of locking down yet another victory before his entrance. He turned it around, he held the ball, he interacted well with Doe, Fred, and Emilio, and he got everything started. Let me admit that he can still start, but if we're going to regulate his minutes by using him as a sub more frequently, games like this show just how powerful that could be.
   
   
2. Marc Burch, Heart and Soul: From our comments yesterday, I-66: "Marc Burch has become a USOC hero, with his two goals last week, his racing to the defense of Jaime Moreno after he was chopped down, and his hip check of Blanco that earned his ejection. Across the field, as Blanco waited at the top of the hill for Burch like some sort of schoolyard bully at the flagpole, and Burch was held at the bottom of the hill until Blanco was moved on, we chanted Burch's name and he acknowledged us with applause. After the game, our chants of 'We want Burch' went unanswered, as Marc was likely not permitted to re-emerge, but on this night, #4 is a hero."
   
   I agree. Marc Burch showed a great mentality in the way he handled the situation. He stood up for his team, represented the colors, and while he was clearly in violation of the laws and deserved the red card he received, at the same time he handled it in a way that did not overly endanger himself, his team, or his target.
   
   
3. Clyde Simms: He kept doing a lot of small stuff, and all of it accumulated into another solid game is a season's resume full of them.
   
   
4. Luciano Emilio: Ran for all 120 minutes. Yes, I had fitness concerns about him earlier, and I wonder what shape he'll be in for Superliga, but he gave his all for this match.
   
   
5. Doe, a Dear: He scored, he was active, and he helps put aside comparisons to last year's non-scoring substitute forward. This is a good thing, and a huge step up from Rochester.
   

The Bad

1. Pat Carroll: It's sad, as he had done a few decent things, but all of that fades when compared to the one big gaffe that leads to a goal. Sorry, that's the merciless nature of the game.
   
   
2. Fred/Dyachenko: What, exactly, was Rod's position last night? Withdrawn forward? Midfielder? Hard to tell, because he never seemed to be playing either as far as I could discern. As a withdrawn forward, he never held the ball successfully. As a playmaker, he never, well, he never made plays. Awful. Now, Fred also deserves some censure here, as before his move out to the wing, he was largely invisible.
   
   
3. LCDR Zach Wells: This is borderline. To oversimplify, a keeper has two major tasks: Save his team when called upon, and not endanger his team unnecessarily. On the first task, Wells had his best match to date, making some key saves and shutting down some free kicks and crosses. On the second task, he was mildly at blame for the first goal in not controlling the play, and once or twice took too many touches. So just barely, he'll end up on the "Bad" Side of the ledger, but not bad enough to merit demotion (indeed, he did save United after an atrocious giveaway by Namoff early in the match.)
   
   
4. The Blanco Circus: I've no idea what happened post game, but I do know this. United is probably not going to publicly comment, nor should they. That's not to say they should do nothing. File the appropriate reports, and let whatever systems work their way through things. That's smart, and the right thing to do. What's more, let's not forget that most observers are not unbiased. We tend to see things with Mr. White especially through the worst possible lens, probably because he's given us cause to so many times. But still, the full circumstances are not known by most observers, and we don't know what happened just before the alleged acts by Blanco. We know what happens when team officials irresponsibly mouth off about things they know nothing about, and that's not pretty. While I understand the skepticism about the MLS system in this matter, you still need to let it work. Later, if necessary, is the time for a public comment, not now.
   

Officiating Watch

N/A

Likert Scale Grade: Not Rated

Man of the Match

It would be Jaime Moreno, but there is no Man of the Match for non-league games. Super merit award to Jaime Moreno, Merit awards to Emilio, Doe, Simms, and Burch.

Final Thoughts

One in four. But while we're celebrating a win over Chicago, who killed us so many times, let's not forget that New England belongs to that select fraternity of US Teams who have eliminated United in club matches, and they're next, and not likely to play the same team of reservists after the scare they got from Crystal Palace Baltimore. What's more, the Charleston Battery are also part of that select group (the other active teams being the LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Harrisburg City Islanders, and the Richmond Kickers. I think that's the list, adding in the Miami Fusion and MetroStars for teams that no longer exist. No doubt Lifton will correct me if I missed someone). So it's not a gimme. But it is, at least, a one in four chance.