First Impressions -- New England Revolution 2 : 1 D.C. United

I have generally been impressed by the jobs of the center officials in MLS this season. While there have been quibbles and complaints, for the most part the officiating has been iffy at worst, and more often than not decent.

Which is why I hope that Hilario Grajeda was misled by his AR on an atrocious penalty kick decision. If the AR said he saw the foul in the box, then the Center Official should give lee way to that call. It doesn't matter if the AR apparently has the eyesight of a guacomic puffer-fish, supposedly he has the angle.

And it was on a travesty of a penalty kick call that New England won this match. To be fair, Bryan Namoff helped things along. His reaction to Taylor Twellman going down in the box in front of him was that of a blood covered throwing away a knife when the constable walks in the door. "A body? What body? Oh, that body! It was here when I got here. So was the knife. And that letter that says 'I'll get you Mr. Twel, see if I don't!' I'M NOT GUILTY!!!"

And while New England undoubtedly stole this match, they at least brought the lockpicks with them for most of the second half, and United did put a pile of money in the front window under the lamp before casually announcing "We'll be out for the next forty-five minutes, I sure hope no one takes this" and then strolling away.

Still, why I can rationalize that New England certainly had the second half far more their way than United had the first half in its favor, it doesn't feel that way at a visceral level. This feels like a match taken and gift-wrapped for the other team. I laugh when I hear stories from Europe of referees being smuggled out of the country after a controversial call, but a game like this makes me feel a bit more sympathy for the hooligans and has me checking the major thoroughfares out of Foxboro.

What a punch in the balls.

Debriefing for Match 14.05: New England Revolution

New England Revolution 1 : 1 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Olsen's head(er) backs up his mouth.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "The statistics are there for all to see. D.C. United out shot the visitors 20-4, including 8 shots on goal to just 2 for the Revs. However, when you play Steve Nicol and his New England Revolution, statistics go out the window..."
Goal.Com, Steven Streff: "D.C. United dominated the game against rivals New England Revolution statistically, as the home side out-shot the the Revs 20 - 4 on the night. But a Shalrie Joseph header in the 50th minute gave New England the lead and forced United to come from behind to earn a point in the 1-1 draw."
DCist, Aaron Morrissey: "United -- in a game that unluckily got away from them -- had the sweetest kind of tie there is."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "This should have been an easy United win. Its strong lineup faced a depleted New England team missing six potential starters. The home team outshot New England 20-4, but a loss of concentration just after halftime allowed the league's all-time assist leader, Steve Ralston, to set up Shalrie Joseph to head the Revolution into the lead. "
The Washington Post, Steven Goff: "...after squandering several opportunities and yielding an unforgivable goal early in the second half, United needed a late header by Ben Olsen to earn a 1-1 tie before 14,441 at RFK Stadium last night."
Examiner.Com, Ed Morgans: "The goal was the culmination of a second-half battle between Olsen and Thompson, one Olsen told reporters later he was happy to partake in. It boiled over briefly when the two stared toe-to-toe with only an official between them...Thompson also had a couple run-ins with United's favorite referee, Jair Marrufo, regarding fouls and/or cards that should have been called.' He’s a good kid...' Olsen said. 'I figure I’d try to start a fight with him to get things moving. It’s a heated game. He’s a competitor – there are no hard feelings.'"
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "'It's just one of those games where you can outshoot them 20-4 and they can come away with a win -- they've just got to put one ball away,' said United rookie Chris Pontius, a downcast figure after missing several scoring opportunities. 'They put the ball away first, which gave them a little bit of momentum, too. We didn't finish our chances, especially me.'"
MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: "'We have to do a better job of killing the game off,' Ralston said. 'There was one stretch where we kept the ball. Instead of trying to go, go, go, we brought it back out and passed it around. It was great, but then we didn't do it again.'"
DC Sports Box, Abram Fox: "That [New England Revolution] defensive-minded formation offered D.C. plenty of room in which to operate, and midfielders Christian Gomez and Rodney Wallace relished multiple opportunities to work the ball down the pitch as the Revolution defense collapsed in front of back-up goaltender Brad Knighton. For much of the first half D.C. was forced to take outside shots on Knighton, but nonetheless the Black-and-Red had several fantastic opportunities off the feet of Olsen, Gomez and Luciano Emilio among others."
Fullback Files, Fullback: "Tommy lays the blame on Simms for the double swap at halftime, claiming he wouldn't have made the Quaranta for Burch move if he knew Simms couldn't go in the second half. Fine, that gets you off the hook for not having a sub available when Jaime came up gimpy ... But that still begs the question: why Burch?...We'll never know."
DCUMD, Shatz: "This looked like Jaime Moreno's best match of the season. Even when playing the final 20 minutes with an injury, Moreno became the first player in league history to score 100 goals and 100 assists, and will probably be the only player to do that in the next 20 years."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I was glad to see that it was Thompson who Olsen beat to score the goal, and I was even happier to see that after Olsen and Thompson fell to the ground and slid out of bounds, Olsen got up and stood over a prone Thompson, delivering a verbal message even as Santino Quaranta tugged at him in celebration. Just desserts for Thompson, and the last laugh for Olsen. I don’t know who was elected as man of the match for United, but if it was anyone but Ben Olsen then there was an egregious error."
You Are My Minions, Landru: "Gesticulating wildly at the sideline with the 'sub me' motion, Moreno showed that he was so unaware of his surroundings that he didn't realize that he was on the field with three guys who weren't there when he started. Niiiice. There's a talent shortfall on this team, and I'm beginning to doubt the heart of an awful lot of players not named Benny. And I'm damn sure doubting the testes of any coaches named Tom..."
BLCKDGRD, BDR: "...maybe Gomez will round into form (instead of just being round), maybe that was his best game back, but what does that say? It's interesting that after his awful CKs last week he didn't take (m)any last night, certainly none early. And it can't be good that as soon as Soehn made the two half-time substitutes, we turned to each other in 232 and said, uh-oh, Gomez knows there's only one sub left - when does he pull up lame?"

The Good

1. United Plays, then Plays Some More: It is nice to have questions answered in the course of the game, and one question we had written about more than once in this blog was "What happens when United gives up the first goal?" While United certainly didn't play as well as their first half showed, they still did try to fight back and get the draw. And the result was a game that, as a whole, was the best of the season.
2. Come out Firing: Ben Olsen from distance twice. A score of shots fired in the direction of the net. United was trying to score. Possession, as is often noted, is a means to an end, and in this match United looked like a team using possession to find different ways to attack the Revolution. Without the shots from distance, does Rodney Wallace get behind the Revolution back line to nearly link up with Gomez? I wonder.
3. Jaime Moreno Soldiers On: Sub me? Please? What? No subs? Really? Aw... I have quoted Landru's complaint with Moreno above, and I can't disagree with anything he says, except that he stops at the 70th minute. Jaime did appear to be cramping up, and he did fight his way through it, which leads us to...
4. The Machivallian Tom Soehn: There is an interesting discussion over at UnitedMania's podcast about whether Moreno felt too entitled to "start when he wants, leave when he wants." Ed Morgans wrote a fantastic analysis of Tom Soehn's calling out players, and whether it is good or bad. BDR has repeatedly at his site and in our comments wondered about how the players react to Tom. Now, I am putting this in the good section, but it is not necessarily a good thing, just that if we wanted, we could ascribe a very cynical motivation to Tom. Given the subbing theories that we knew of, even if Tom Soehn only makes one sub at the half (pick Burch or Simms, it doesn't matter) then in essence he still felt comfortable not subbing at least one of the propspective fatigue candidates (Moreno, Gomez, Olsen). Earlier in the season we wondered if Tom Soehn would only sub for fatigue, as opposed to tactics. We can see that, at least in this match, Tom was willing to let at least one player (and ultimately two) go the distance whether they wanted to or not. Perhaps that sends a message -- be ready to play. Don't be comfortable with your spot. That is, perhaps, the best interpretation I can come up with.
   

The Bad

1. New England's Possession: Yes, you can argue that New England's B-Team can't be held to the same standard as the A-Team, but even with that caveat, the Revolution consistently made things easier for United by giving the ball away. Further, I would expect a B-Team to be somewhat scrappy in the way they tried to get the ball back, but this team consistently fell back in the midfield. Pressure can't start just outside of the box, it must start, even when bunkering, at just over the midfield stripe.
2. Chris Pontius: To his credit, he acknowledges that he was awful at finishing. That's all well and good. And to his credit, he was very good at finding ways to put himself in threatening positions. Also well and good. And I have applauded his willingness to shoot many times in the past. But Chris, if you're going to do all that work, you must put the shot on frame. If nothing else, you know how sniffy people get, and soon the rumors will start that people aren't passing to you because you can't finish. Do you want that? Yeah, me neither.
3. Crediting the Goal: It was an own goal. You and I both know it. Moreno shouldn't have his 100th assist, and we should remember the goal as coming from Ben's effort, but not one that he, as I understand how goals should be credited, should have the notch for.
4. Tom Soehn Calling Out Clyde Simms: He is right on the facts, but Tom Soehn's comments did strike me as something much better kept in the locker room. It wasn't that he revealed why he made the sub, which was fine, it was the editorializing on "Clyde needed to tell me earlier." It's true, but what benefit is there to talking to the media about that than just having a quiet word with Clyde? Do we have any indication that Clyde isn't mature enough to handle that conversaiton? Not that I know of. If you don't think that Clyde Simms will listen to you in this conversation, haven't you essentially admitted you lost the locker room? Probably not, I think it was, as Morgans indicates, a case of oversharing, but c'mon...
   

Officiating Watch

New England may feel more sinned against here than others, and that's the point. We try to evaluate the officials without bias, and Marrufo's standards for what constitutes a foul were a mystery to me the entire game. While there were no atrociously bad calls I can cite (Marc Burch's fouling Thompson in the corner could have been on Marrufo if the AR weren't a few feet away) I had no idea what a fould was. A heel clip would be called, then wouldn't be called. It was a complete mystery.

Likert Scale Grade: 2 - Below Average

Karma Bank

Bryan Namoff's handball in the box was enough to make sure the draw was within reach. That's one point we would not have had otherwise, so karma change -1 as we burn the favor we were owed earlier. That means we have a neutral (0) karma balance for the season.

Man of the Match

Oh, is there any question? Ben Olsen had the textbook game to show how to be the player that fans of your team will love, and all other teams will hate. We hate yapping and jawing like Olsen does... except when he does it. We can rationalize this as "He's earned it" or "Heart of a Lion" or whatever, but if any other player did the same, we'd want them flayed for our amusement.

Still, he is on our team, which means he's man of the match. Certificates of Merit to Jaime Moreno for fighting through the pain, or at least the exhaustion. To Rodney Wallace for dicing up the right flank of the Revolution midfield in the first half. To Andrew Jacobson, for filling in the second half and recovering his confidence after that goal he helped allow. And to Dejan Jakovic, who had a solid game in the backline.

Final Thoughts

That there is a great disparity of thought on this match is, I think, a good thing. We don't know what to make of this team yet, and certainly that's reflected in this match. I also wonder if this match doesn't have a disparity between watching from home and in the stands. In stands, as all about you share in a mass exercise of depression as the minutes tick away, perhaps the negative feedback was intense as people felt the weight of the team not scoring. On television, at a remove, it was perhaps easier to be appreciate what the team looked like.

It is likely that the above theory is false, but if you want to leave a comment along the lines of "thought United looked bad - was at the game" perhaps we can test it.

We now face Dallas in the U.S. Open Cup. I enjoy the US Open Cup, but feel that again this should be turned over to the reserves at this round. No, there is not the same fixture congestion, but I hate the idea of sending the message that the U.S. Open Cup is the same sort of target that the playoffs, MLS Cup, or Supporter's Shield would be. Let the kids have the playing time and the chance to impress.

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

If I am willing to accept ugly wins, such as the one against Houston, then how am I to feel about beautiful losses? Fortunately, the question need not be answered yet, but we were within a few minutes of that scenario, and the answer was: I was willing to accept it. If this match represents the ambitions of D.C. United for this season, then I say give me more.

United played its most complete match of the season. While the Revolution occasionally had moments, they never stretched longer than five minutes at a time, and United ran this match. Now, in this they were aided by a Revolution side that was ineffective at maintaining possession, especially in midfield. So while I want to toast the United effort, we must also acknowledge that it was abetted by the Revolution. But still, the nightmare scenario of the Revolution scoring the first goal occurred. And in a fantastic demonstration of irony, when the Revolution decided to lock up shop and sit on the one goal lead, to play for the oles in our defensive third as opposed to putting in the second goal, it was United that managed to find a way back into the match. It was a match that United played beautifully in everything but the scoreboard.

My fear was that a loss might send the opposite message, that the strategists and generals would look at the result and say "ah, clearly we took to many shots and pushed too hard, and thus we neglected our defensive toughness and lost." The fact that the draw was maintained hopefully sends the opposite message: That this is the kind of game we should play every night.

Debrief is coming, but the Man of the Match is Ben Olsen. Certificate of Merit to Jaime Moreno, Christian Gomez, Rodney Wallace, Andrew Jacobson, and Marc Burch. Demerits to Chris Pontious and Bryan Namoff as a duo, Chris Pontius when he got on his own, and to John Harkes. Harkes? Yes, John Harkes, for his theory of "giving up goals after personnel changes." The changes happened on United's left flank, and yes Wallace seemed pinched too centrally defending a cross that stranded Jakovic between two attacking players on the left, but the breakdown leading to the cross was entirely on the right flank.

We will also discuss Tom Soehn's strategy that lead to Moreno fighting through his pain, for which he deserves all the credit in the world. You may not agree with the move, but it was damn interesting, and when was the last time you can say that? Certainly Rodney Wallace did not seem out of place at left back for the final thirty minutes. And once you made those two substitutions, you knew that between Gomez, Moreno, and Olsen, that two of those three would have to go the full ninety minutes.

Other open questions: Do we pay a karma penalty for the Bryan Namoff handball? Is Jair Marrufo the new Abbey (and Revolution fans, I think you may have been more sinned against by him that United were)? And Avery John -- really? Really?

But overall? I was prepared to be grimly happy, if such a thing is possible, with the 1-nil loss. A 1-1 draw makes me pleased with a touch of wistfulness for the full three points. But you have to take this effort, right? Right.

First Impressions - New England Revolution 2 : 1 D. C. United

File under "The Better Team Over 90 Minutes Won."

It wasn't that United played horrible. This was a decent effort from United, an effort that even improved as the match went on. There were a few defensive and midfield giveaways, but none of those were directly responsible for the two New England Goals. To be fair, New England's goals were both earned through strong play and chances created with smart play over the first two thirds of the match. Yes, the ball came off of Burch(?)'s foot to Twellman for the first goal, but that move was started by some crisp passing at midfield with Twellman checking back for the ball. The second goal was a shark with a laser beam on its forehead. Again, if you want to complain, you might say Tino had given up too much ground to Larentowicz which allowed him the space to tee it up, but it wasn't egregious defending, just subpar.

And, for most of this match, while United played well, New England played better. One goal better. It's fair. If United had been unlucky, they would have been punished for their ridiculous bonehead moves at times, but that didn't happen. If United had been lucky, they would have put away a chance or two they had in the final half hour. Instead, the law of averages prevailed, and New England defends their home with a 2-1 win.

If there is one question to ask, it might be whether Tom Soehn made his move too early when Zaher came off for Thompson, but I'd rather have Soehn move too early as opposed to too late. Yes, we're arguing degrees of wrongness, but the underlying point is that I like the instinct of trying to make something happen faster.

And, one other thing - this was the greatest officiating performance ever turned in by Abby Okulaja. It was a consistently officiated match, he called things fair, he didn't call some fouls that more credulous officials might have. Seeing Abby officiate this match was to see him in a whole new way - enlightened, professional, trustworthy. Admittedly, all in all it was an average officiating performance, but when was the last time you could say that about Abby?

Goats? Not sure, perhaps Namoff for being caught out on the first goal, or Tino. Merit awards to Fred perhaps. Maybe Zaher, Crayton (yes, he was moving the wrong way on the second goal, but it was deflected, right?), and Moreno as well. The big concern - Is Emilio going quiet again? I leave you with that. Is it another scoring slump, or something more?

First Impressions - D.C. United 3 : 1 New England Revolution

D.C. United Advances to U.S. Open Cup Finals

Look, I want to be ecstatic. We have a game to play, and it's a game for silverware. And if we win, we get another year of international competition. And we won with multiple goals, right?

I can't fake it. We beat the New England reserves. Not just the reserves, but the reserves with a man sent off for a third of the match. And every single fault of the season was once again on display - the Jackson Pollock defense, the long stretches of possession that would culminate in mystifying give aways, the feeling on ennui that would settle on the team for ten minutes at a time. I felt the midfield at time belonged more at home in a Paris cafe, drinking a merlot and smoking Gauloises.

But somehow we're through. That's the goal. But if you want me to be optimistic, I just don't feel it. New England rolled over, but if there's any team that's capable of dropping the US Open Cup to a USL team, it's this D.C. United team. I don't want it to happen, and I'll cheer my head off if we're at RFK (or even in Seattle) but I can't say this game was reassuring. Still, to the extend that Tom Soehn had a choice between New York and this match, he made the right choice.

Soccer as a Neutral - Either Fan or Referee

I wish I could say that DC United's exit from the MLS Cup playoffs made me able to appreciate the game last night more. Instead, from the first time we saw that half of the stadium in New England was empty, all I could think is how much more I would enjoy the game if one of the teams was in black.

So instead I began the time-honored tradition of waiting for moments that would delight me as a DC fan. Every time Mr. White went to the turf and Kevin Stott waved play on was a joy. I enjoyed the 60th minute collision between Matt Reis and Paulo Wanchope, and only wished that Paulo had led with his knee -- you know, "to protect himself" from Reis. I enjoyed hearing Eric Wynalds offer a "tut tut" for each Chris Armas or CJ Brown tackle. And I even enjoyed the goal. And, hell, the game calling on ESPN was actually half-way decent.

That being said, there is one thing that Wynalda says that consistently annoys me, and it annoys me because I feel so many of my fellow fans feel the same way. When talking about how many New England players, including Shalrie Joseph had cards coming into this game, Wynalda and company seemed to agree that Kevin Stott had to be careful about giving another card. Similarly, on Twellman's goal, it was a dangerous play. His foot nearly took out Robinson's jaw. Just because it was tremendously athletic (it was) and dramatic (certainly) and fun to watch (of course) doesn't mean it wasn't dangerous. That's the point of having a rule. If a play is dangerous, you don't let it go simply because it makes the game more interesting. They are the laws of the game, not the well-meaning suggestions for the game. From Law 12 (emphasis added):

Playing in a dangerous manner is defined as any action that, while trying
to play the ball, threatens injury to someone (including the player himself). It is committed with an opponent nearby and prevents the opponent from playing the ball for fear of injury. The action becomes an offence only when an opponent is adversely affected.

A scissors or bicycle kick is permissible provided that, in the opinion of the referee, it is not dangerous to an opponent.

Playing in a dangerous manner involves no physical contact between the players.

Given that in real time you could see Robinson pull out of the challenge when he saw a foot flying at his face, I find it hard to believe that this shouldn't have been called.

Which gets to another issue. You will hear commenters and fans in all sports say about referees "you simply can't make a call at that point in the game." There's some belief that the laws and rules of a match should become flexible depending on how important a given moment in time is, and only the most flagrant fouls should be called. That's ridiculous. A referee should always use their best judgement as to whether a foul occurred, no matter at what point the game is at. To change the standards of a foul later in the game is to give an unfair advantage to questionable tactics at the end of the game. As much as the goal called back against Christian Gomez hurt me, it was the correct call according to the rules. The fact that it was a vital moment for DC at the end of the game does not change what the laws are, nor should it affect the referee's judgement. I applaud the referee for making what he knew was a tough call in a hostile atmosphere because he knew it was the right call to make. I wish Kevin Stott had done the same, even though it would have deprived the game of a great highlight.

Debriefing for Match 12.24: New England Revolution

D.C. United 4 : 2 New England Revolution

Six Word Novel Recap

Four goals equals four point lead.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Times, John Haydon: "Moreno scored his first goal in the run of play in nearly a year, and Emilio scored two more to bring his league-leading total to 18 as United defeated the New England Revolution 4-2 in a game littered with questionable calls...'The first goal was lucky,' Emilio said. 'On the second goal, I was the only one on the field who believed Carroll would get that cross to me.'"
The Washington Post, Paul Tenorio: "With the win, United moves four points ahead of New England atop the Eastern Conference standings and is one step closer to the Supporters' Shield."
The Examiner, Craig Stouffer: "Fred opened the scoring in the 31st minute, but the Revolution (12-6-6) reclaimed the lead with a Taylor Twellman smash just before halftime and a Jay Heaps score on a messy corner kick 10 minutes after halftime."
The Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Appa: "The league's all-time leading scorer, Jaime Moreno, scored the tying goal for D.C., and the league's leading scorer this season, Luciano Emilio, provided the third and fourth scores. Nicol disputed the goal that gave D.C. a 3-2 lead, contending referee Abiodun Okulaja should have awarded the Revolution a free kick instead of allowing play to continue following a clash between United's Ben Olsen and the Revolution's Khano Smith...'We can't set the team up to play against the officials,' Nicol said."
The Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Appa: "'Every time we come down here it's something,' Revolution defender Jay Heaps said. 'The goals scored when the linesman could have called it, I can count on more than one hand. It's a shame. The goal they scored when it was 0-0 was clearly offside.'"
UnitedMania, Jimmy LaRoue: " Most teams can't bring three players off the bench with national team experience. DC United can. While lineup choices are always subject to debate, one thing is clear: United coach Tom Soehn is keeping his players fresh. "
Soccer New England, Sean Donahue: "The New England Revolution came back from a one-goal deficit, but allowed three unanswered goals to D.C. United in wild 4-2 loss Sunday that saw the Revs slip further out of first place and Steve Nicol get ejected."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "United were coming into the game just three days removed from a 2-2 draw at Chivas USA that ended a six-game winning streak, with a cross-country road trip in between. The Revolution hadn't played a league match in two weeks, but were winners of two in a row and five of their last seven. United's ongoing center back shuffle continued as Bobby Boswell gave way to Devon McTavish in the heart of the D.C. defense, while Josh Gros was given a start at left midfield as coach Tom Soehn rested Ben Olsen at the outset. "
MLSNet, Chris Snear: "'Don't get me wrong, D.C. is a good team. But it's even harder when we have certain people -- I'm just going to leave it like it is. It won't get me anywhere,' said a frustrated Nicol. "What are you supposed to do? We can set up to play against teams but we can't set up to play against officials.' New England's Khano Smith came in hard and took down United's Ben Olsen almost directly at the center line. As Smith got up to take the ball the other way, Olsen subtly clipped him in the back of the leg, which went uncalled by the referee. 'I'm not talking about a hairline decision one way or the other,' said Nicol. 'I'm talking about a free kick that everybody within 20 yards could see what it was. Not one of them saw it? That's what they'll probably tell you. And if they did see it -- are you kidding me?'"
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "Moreno was the center of attention before the match as United staged a moving video tribute in celebration of his MLS-record 109 career goals, and he responded with an imperious performance as the linchpin of the Black-and-Red attack. His contribution was made all the more remarkable when Soehn revealed that Bolivian legend has been hampered by an illness that prompted the use of intravenous fluids before the match."
An American's View, Brian Garrison: "As a whole, the team looked better than they did against Chivas on Thursday night...(I cannot believe that I am typing this) the final nail was hammered in when Brian Carroll was brought on for Clyde Simms. Carroll is no favorite of mine and infact, before today, I would have been happy to see him be shipped off to San Jose. Today however, the guy stepped up and showed signs of his former self."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "And really, how hot is Luciano Emilio right now? 18 goals in 23 matches, and, I believe, 16 in his last 15."
Soccer Insider, Dan "The Bog Man" Steinberg: "..for a while there I was wondering whether DCU would outscore the local NFL team."
BlkDgRd, BDR: "United needs the nine days off following this Wednesday game v Salt Lake, which makes the resilience shown after going down 1-2 that much more remarkable...Okulaja must be thankful for Terry Vaughn, the only man who keeps Abby from the title of Shittiest Referee in MLS, though D implies Abby is crooked." [Note: Clarification Below]

The Good

1. Get Up and Get and Get Down ("There's not a minute to spare..."): Okay, I know I was not alone in my despair when United gave up the second goal to New England to go down 2-1. That United fought back, and then stuck the dagger in, despite their third game in nine days, spoke volumes about this team. More fight than I expected, or even had any sort of a right to expect. What's more, they fought back within minutes to gain the equalizer, and then kept pressing, and pressing, and then finished it off. Simply amazing.
2. Brian Carroll: It's been a long time since Brian's been on this side of the ledger, but watching him push by Jay Heaps was a wonderful thing. What I like most is that, if you download the SE Podcast, you can hear his rationale for making that run... it wasn't to score, he was heading to the corner to waste time. Then he saw someone making a run and sent in the cross. His first instinct was right, and his reason for deviating from the plan was right. Nice to see that. Yes, I've been part of the "What the hell is up with Brian Carroll" chorus. Please let this be a resurgence, and not a momentary blip. He still hasn't displaced Clyde Simms yet, who had some key moves to clog up the Revs' midfield play.
   
3. Substitutions: Earlier, which was needed (yes, Fred was dog tired by about the 50th minute). And I can't remember a substitution like Boswell for Gomez, which was exactly the kind of defensive move we needed then.
4. Honoring Moreno, who then says "Screw that, I'm scoring my own goal": Nice to see that highlight package of Moreno, including a Dave Johnson electronic remix of "It's in the Net" calls. Opening that package with "You got burned Johnny Walker" was also brilliant. And yes, Moreno did take a ton of touches before scooping the ball over Matt Reis. But here's the thing: Earlier in the match Moreno had taken two shots from un-Moreno like positions. Does Reis bite as fast as he did if Moreno doesn't take those shots earlier? Probably, but still, Moreno actually was a bit more selfish overall in this game. Nice to see.
5. Touch: Much better this game than last, as balls weren't rebounding three yards off our midfielder's shins. Simply home-field advantage, or perhaps that extra bit of concentration? You decide.
   
6. The AR Goal Call: I didn't like it, and still haven't been convinced, but the AR was correctly positioned on the goal line and made a courageous call. He deserves credit for it. He was probably the only person in the stadium who could make that call properly.

The Bad

1. Abbey: I know I went off on this already, but here's the thing. Abbey isn't crooked, he's just gullible and poorly positioned. Nicol and Heaps were both complaining about calls (I mean, seriously, Heaps?!?) and the thing is... they're right to complain. Abbey has an amazing knack of calling a game that's unfair to both teams. I just don't understand him. I may not agree with Prus or Hall or Marrufo all the time, but they rarely botch things and single-handedly as Abbey.
   
2. Vanney on Twellman: Vanney's mistake on the Revolution's first goal wasn't after Twellman settled, but before. He was a good three steps closer to the line than Twellman, which forced him to move to his left as the ball came in. Twellman settled and then moved to Vanney's right, easily shaking him off and opening up the half-volley shot. If Vanney is even with Twellman earlier, momentum doesn't screw him over like that.
   
3. Perkins: There was a moment in the second half when McTavish made a desperate header over the crossbar to deny a revolution shot. The problem was Perkins, who was a bit shaky in this match. When he's on, his aggressive instincts are perfect. In this match, he was caught out a few times, and on the play mentioned had offered a weak punch at a ball that was quickly settled by New England. That is what you get with Troy, and I'll take this moment of bad with all the good.
4. Burch on the Right: Marc spent at least half an hour on the right side in the first half, and I don't know why. It seemed ineffective at best. Maybe it was just to get a look, or perhaps to deal with McTavish and Vanney's pairing in the middle. Still, put him on the left.

Man of the Match

Moreno, who was key not only with his goal but frequently holding the ball well for United, and sent multiple players springing free (though he missed Josh Gros on a run that everyone in the stadium but Jaime saw.) Merit awards to McTavish, Simms, Emilio, Carroll, and Olsen.

Karma Bank

+1 for the season entering the game. -1 for avoiding an off-side call that might have been correct, but would have been easily given. +1 for Abbey's calling every dive that New England gave (my own personal count is that there were 8 legitimate DC fouls, 5 of a borderline nature, and the remaining seven were ridiculous). +1 for that third goal (when you could see Gomez slide along the top of the box to catch Olsen's eye, and you knew it was going to happen). That's +1 for the game, meaning we have two karma to burn (at +2) for the season.

Final Thoughts

Four points on New England for the Supporter's Shield, but none on Chivas if they win all their games in hand. United will drop points in their remaining games, but so will everyone else. We'll certainly need all the points on New England, and perhaps might need Chivas to stumble for a real edge. Here are the remaining games for Houston, Chivas, DC, Dallas, and New England.

D.C. United: RSL, @CHI, TFC, @KC, CHI, CLB
New England Revolution: FCD, @NY, COL, @CHI, CLB, @TFC
C.D. Chivas USA: LA, @COL, KC, CHI, @RSL, @FCD, COL, HOU
F.C. Dallas: @NE, CHI, @LA, HOU, @CLB, CHV, KC
Houston Dynamo: @LA, @FCD, LA, RSL, @CHV

Here's how I figure pessimistically figure it:
Houston will get 11 of their15 points (for 57 points)
New England will get 13 of a maximum 18 points (for 55 points)
C.D. Chivas USA will get 15 of a maximum 24 points (for 55 points)
FC Dallas will get 13 of their 21 max (for 52 points)

Which means United will need at least 12 points in their remaining games to gain the Supporter's Shield. And this is a team that could feasibly drop points against RSL. Sure, some of the matches are "should wins" (home to Toronto) but I remember feeling similarly about home matches with Columbus in the past, and the Chicago matches don't strike me as particularly easy. Which means that this match against RSL is, strangely, a win we'll need to get. A win we'll need to get without Moreno (on International Duty), on a night when we honor Eddie Pope, and when we face Rimando and Eskandarian at RFK.

We're in the driver's seat for the Supporter's shield, but the road is still slippery. Fortunately, it is just as slippery for everyone (except perhaps Houston, who fortunately have huge games against Chivas and Dallas on the road to even out a cupcake home schedule)

First Impressions - DC United 4 : 2 New England Revolution

What an odd game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we won. Especially since I felt like United did enough to win. But the game had all the hallmarks of a match that could go anywhere, and probably bad places. It was a feeling I had the moment I saw Abbey Okulaja was the center ref. And the game was transparently called against us. I mean, look, United are no angels, but neither is New England. We're talking about a team with Pat Noonan, Jay Heaps, and Shalrie Joseph after all. How did Abbey see a 20-5 foul margin against United?

Well, the fact is New England played Abbey like a fiddle. Every time a Revolution player was on the ball near a DC United marker, a strange hyper-local seismic event sent the Revolution player dutifully to the grass, and Abbey would puff on his whistle and call for the free kick. Not every time, but frequently enough that the Revolution seemed stunned when even the slightest foul didn't go their way.

And it was damn frustrating, and damn hot, and it had all the hallmarks of a game where United could easily have said "you know, to hell with it, nothing is going right, let's pack it in." Down 2-1, the best I was hoping for was a draw. That United rallied to win was a testament that their belief in themselves was stronger than my belief in them. I am duly ashamed of that fact. But United did control most of this game. There were moments (oh, how disinterested did DC seem minutes 46-50?) that United seemed to be on the verge of fading neatly into the background, but instead they would rally and regroup and suddenly be laying siege to Matt Reis. And that was beautiful, and lovely to watch. Three of those goals were quality events. And yes, Revolution faithful, one of them may have been off-side. That being said, I'm still not sure that New England actually got the whole ball over the line, but I have to defer to the AR in that situation. Replays for me still are inconclusive. So New England got some luck, some crappy officiating, and at least one doubtful goal. How many breaks did they need? Apparently several more...

It was a one of those games that DC United normally lose. You know, the outplay the other team but lose when all the breaks go to the opposition type of game? The "let's all belly-ache about Abbey" type of game. But United won. That's a lot more fun. And, dare I say it, a lot more surprising.

But let's face it, Abbey sucks. Is there anyone who will speak up for him? Please do so, because no official has been as routinely disappointing to fans of all teams as Abbey. It makes me so mad I haven't even talked about what I liked about United's play (and there was lots to like, and some to dislike). So I'm just going to vent about it now, even in the first blush of victory, and devote the debrief to analysis.

The Supporter's Shield Pace Report: August 29, 2007

We've had a few calls (including one today) for an update on the race for the Supporter's Shield, and since we haven't looked at things since May it seems like a good time to do so. We'll start with a league wide look, and then look at the implications for DC United towards the end of this post. For those that aren't familiar with this concept, we essentially envisioned a "pace team" that average 1.9 points-per-game in its results, and then map all the other teams against them. 1.9 was selected since any team since the elimination of the shootout that averaged 1.9 ppg would have won the supporter's shield. In fact, teams have won the shield with less ppg, as in 2004 when Columbus took the shield with only 1.63ppg. However, that's not a safe rate of return, as New England's 2005 return of 1.84ppg probably would have been good enough in any other year, but they lost out to San Jose's blistering 2.0ppg.

Okay, so here's how the teams have played out the season so far. Each week we check their point total against the pace team, and it maps out like this (click for larger view):

No team is on the pace right now, but some are clearly closer than others. D.C. United leads the pack, they're only 1 point off of the pace team through 21 games. There's also some pretty clear grouping in terms of the remaining teams. Given how difficult it is to sustain pace, a team that's the same number of points off the pace as another team but has played more games is probably in better shape than their supposed equal. Therefore, here are the top teams contending for the Supporter's Shield right now, in order:

1. DC United (-1 pt with 21 Games Played [GP])
2. New England Revolution (-2 pts with 23GP)
3. CD Chivas USA (-2 pts with 21 GP)
4. FC Dallas (-4 pts with 21 GP)
5. Houston Dynamo (-6 pts with 23 GP)

For me, Chivas is perhaps the big surprise to see their name up here, but that's how it plays out. There are also a few teams that would require a tremendous run of results in the end of the season to make it, but are still at least remotely possible. New York at -9 pts though 22 GP and Kansas City with -10 pts through 22GP could conceivably put it together, but it would be difficult. The rest of the teams must pin their hopes the MLS Cup or a Superliga finish to get international play next year.

So how will it play out? Just for kicks, here are the remaining schedules for the top 5 contending teams, with bolded games being matches against other top 5 teams that could really affect the race:

D.C. United: @FCD, @CHV, NE, RSL, @CHI, TFC, @KC, CHI, CLB
New England Revolution: @DCU, FCD, @NY, COL, @CHI, CLB, @TFC
C.D. Chivas USA: DCU, NY, LA, @COL, KC, CHI, @RSL, @FCD, COL, HOU
F.C. Dallas: DCU, TFC, @NE, CHI, @LA, HOU, @CLB, CHV, KC
Houston Dynamo: KC, RSL, @LA, @FCD, LA, RSL, @CHV

The big point staring us in the face is how large the next three games loom for United in the quest for the shield. All three have the potential to really set put things in United's favor, or put them in a spot where they are chasing the field without any six point swing games. Same deal for New England. The strength of schedule in the other games is comparable for pretty much all the teams, with perhaps New England having the most difficult and Houston having perhaps the easiest (although they have the most ground to make up of the top 5 right now). No one is running away with things yet. United can also go into the next three games and not be devestated by a draw in any one of them. Right now, draws hurt United less than the other five teams given that United is on top. 5 of 9 points from the next three games would probably be good enough to maintain United as a strong competitor. However, a quick losing streak would really hurt.

So what are we saying? I'm saying that right now the next three consecutive games have larger implications then you might think, especially that Chivas game. United's road gets much easier after that, but will it be easier to maintain their position, or easier to get back atop the table? That'll be the big question. Every game matters.

Debriefing for 12.17: At New England Revolution

New England Revolution 0 : 3 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Mr. Reis, you just got burned.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "How unlikely was this result? United (8-6-3) had scored just two goals in its previous seven away games, had not enjoyed a multi-goal effort on the road since mid-May and was facing a New England team (9-4-6) unbeaten in its past five outings."
Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Apa: "The Revolution sustained their worst home defeat at Gillette Stadium in a 3-0 loss to D.C. United yesterday and lost central defender Michael Parkhurst (right knee hyperextension) for at least one game."
MLSNet, Kyle McCarthy: "United took a surprising lead in the 22nd minute after Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis fumbled a Clyde Simms shot and left the rebound for Josh Gros to finish. Luciano Emilio doubled the advantage in the 31st minute from Guy Roland-Kpene's defense-splitting feed before hitting for his second in the 76th minute off a one-two from a quick free kick."
Six Yards North, QJA: "Can we label Marc Burch a success now, please? The guy's a real asset in the back. He's got all the touch, pace, vision, and service of a quality left-footed forward while maintaining competent defense."
Poplar Point Perspective: "Moreno still is suffering from a failure to make quick decisions which I think are directly related to how he is feeling. The healthier he feels, the more decisive he is. He seems to hold the ball much longer when he is not 100%. Today he was dispossessed a lot after dribbling into trouble."
BlckDgRd, BDR: "If I'm the coach, Vanney doesn't see the field again until and unless someone on the backline cards out, gets injured, or dramatically sucks."
Screaming Eagles Podcast, Administrator: "In all of our other dominating performances (NY, Colorado, Chicago), we were at home facing teams either missing players and/or going through a bad spell. Here, we were on the road against the conference leaders, who hadn't lost in five games, and outplayed them to a man."

The Good

1. Hustle: United won the 50-50 balls in the midfield. Remember how annoying it was when United used to play the 3-5-2 and then lose the midfield to a team playing a 4-4-2? That’s what happened to the Revs this game. It sure is nice to be on the other end of that. United had defenders getting forward, wingers playing end to end, and central midfielders getting stuck in. Oh, and Gros got a goal on hustle alone. Always nice to show the youngins why you never give up on a play.
   
2. Depth: United didn't start Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Carroll, or Vanney and they won 3-0 against the best team in the East. I will say that United has officially gotten its depth back. Some of those players people are calling to stay on the bench, which valid or not, still shows that United's roster is looking good right now. Burch looks like a beast a left-back and Kpene had his best game since his first game. If United can stay healthy they will be a serious force in the second half of the season.
   
3. Finishing: We have been bemoaning the lack of finishing from United as of late. They found their touch today. Gros gets a typical Gros goal. Emilio put away both of his one-on-ones with a very good goalkeeper and is now tied with Eddie Johnson in the golden boot race. Here is hoping he keeps his finishing touch.
   

The Bad

1. Fouls: This was an ugly game. It was almost to be expected because New England was playing DC United and most of those games have been foulfests. This one just fit the pattern I guess. The ref did an alright job by jobbing both teams equally and calling a fairly consistent match, but it did little to prevent the animosity expressing itself on the field. New England were the bigger offenders but United didn't hesitate to foul either. It was a really chippy match that could have gotten very ugly. One of those matches where I was very glad that our A-Mid was less important to our team than their D-Mid was to their team, no offense Rod.
   
2. Injuries: Speaking of bad fouls, did I mention that Jay Heaps is a hack. That hit he put on Jamie was disgraceful. I am not sure if that or the missed shot started Moreno's back hurting, but an injured Jamie is not good for United no matter how it happens. I didn't think that Moreno should have come into the match when he did, but I did expect to see him, so I can't really complain that he got injured. Goff is reporting that he came out with back spasms, lets hope that gets better quickly and doesn't nag him the rest of the season
   

Man of the Match

I don't really know who to go with. I don't think Gros did enough to win this other than score. But the only other person I would give it to is Emilio who scored twice. I think I am going to give it to Josh. It isn't often you can change the face of a game by pure hustle but he did it yesterday, and should be rewarded for it.

Karma Bank

+1 for Gros' hustle. +1 for Emilio's finishing. That gives us +2 for the game and +3 for the season.

Final Thoughts

This was one of those games where United came out and showed what type of team they are capable of being. This is what they have to live up to for the rest of the season. They have been too inconsistent this season to win any hardware. If they want to bring home a trophy then they need keep up this level of play.

That said they needed this game badly and had every excuse to write it off. But they came in, showed some determination, and got the job done. I hope that they can build on this going into a stretch where they have important, but winnable games coming up. I alluded to this in the First Impressions post but I think I will expound upon it here.

8/9 LA @ Estadio RFK: Big game for United as they get to show their stuff on ESPN. Normally I don't think United would care too much about this but it is against LA and they have made RFK Home Depot Center East the past few years. I for one, want that to stop.

8/15 @ LA: Superliga knock-out game that looks to be more and more important as the Superliga does better and better. I am hoping that United lays the smack-down on LA in this game as the Gals will be playing their third game in seven days.

8/18 @ Columbus: A 6 point game in the Eastern Conference standings. This will be against a team that is looking better all the time, in an away game, and United's fourth game in two weeks. These are the games that good teams win.

8/22 Jersey @ Estadio RFK: Enough said.

8/25 @ Toronto: Another 6 point game in the Eastern Conference standings. Like the Columbus game this will be against a team that is looking better all the time, in an away game, and even worse, United's sixth game in three weeks. But these are the type of games that good teams win.

First Impressions New England Revolution 0 : 3 DC United

I will credit Josh Gros with the win. He probably wasn't Man of the Match, but his hustle won United the game. Too many times on the road United just hasn't wanted it enough. They were headed for another 1-0 away loss again until Gros burned Matt Reis. After that goal, United went from a depleted squad trying to hold on for the tie to the team in black, even if they were wearing white. The team that never gives up, the team that possesses and passes beautifully, the team that kills off opponents instead of games, the team we fans expect when we see the shirt. In short they played like they were DC United against a team that has never known what winning a championship is like.

DC United got is groove back and swept through New England, blithely brushing off the Revs hacking. This is a team that can compete with anyone in the league. Unfortunately, it is also a team that might not show up for another three weeks if the first half of the season is any guide. United needs to work on being consistent. The backline of Namoff, Boswell, McTavish, and Burch looks good, and frankly I think they should start even when Vanney gets back to health. Gros can become the super-sub on the wing that United has needed. Consistency in the back might go a long way towards helping United move up the table. DC has some important, but winnable games coming up (LA on ESPN, @ LA in Superliga, @ Columbus, and Jersey) and needs to show its quality here if they want to make anything of the season.

Debriefing for Match 12.04: New England Revolution

D.C. United 1 : 1 New England Revolution

Six Word Novel Recap

Can a small spark ignite fire?

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Washington Post, Steve Goff: "D.C. United benched its most accomplished player and a veteran midfielder. It changed playing formation and had a man advantage for more than 30 minutes. It had two glorious scoring chances in the closing minute."
The Washington Times, John Haydon: "After three consecutive defeats, Soehn had no alternative but to shake up his lineup. He did so by benching Moreno, United's all-time leading goal scorer, and giving Jamaican striker Nicholas Addlery his first start."
The Examiner, Craig Stouffer: "United (0-3-1) started the game with Moreno and Brian Carroll on the sideline and in a 4-4-2 formation in place of the team’s usual 3-5-2 setup.But after an impassioned first half of play, D.C. came out of halftime flat and fell behind 30 seconds later when Revolution midfielder Shalrie Joseph sent a looping ball over the top to Taylor Twellman, whose shot forced a great deflection from Troy Perkins but landed right at the feet of Andy Dorman."
MLSNet, Charles Boehm: "With momentum on their side and a home crowd rejuvenated by Jaime Moreno's 106th career goal in the 50th minute, United took a stranglehold on the match thanks to the ejection of Shalrie Joseph - but their search for the game-winner was fruitless and the home side had to settle for a draw."
The Boston Globe, Frank Dell'Apa: "The Revolution disputed calls and non-calls of referee Terry Vaughn, who struggled with positioning and control of the match."
MLSNet, Jordan Brown: "'It was a 50-50 ball and we were shoulder to shoulder,' New England defender James Riley said of the penalty awarded to Jaime Moreno and United just minutes after Dorman's strike. Referee Terry Vaughn judged that Riley knocked Moreno to the turf inside the penalty area. 'He probably weighs three times as much as me,' said Riley. 'Afterwards, he winked at me. He knew he dove.'"
MLSNet, Charles Boehm (again!): "Perkins had ranged out of his box to take possession and impatiently waved his team forward before lumping a high, deep ball into the Revs box that set off an extended sequence of havoc. Reis' initial punch failed to clear and when the ball fell to Moreno on the right side, he lifted a delicate cross that Olsen met with a leaping header that caromed off the crossbar as RFK emitted a collective groan. Then seconds later, Namoff clipped another cross into the danger area and Emilio outleaped two defenders to nod a spinning effort towards the far corner of the goal - but Reis shuttled to his right to make a stunning one-handed block at full stretch."
QuarterVolley, I-66: "I came away from last night's 1-1 draw against New England feeling a little better. We held onto the ball, passed it well, and generated some chances... But then I got home and it hit me. DC United hasn't scored a goal in the run of play in 236 minutes. "
Poplar Point Perspective: "All in all, a better effort, but three points were there to be had on this night."
An American's View..., Brian Garrison: "I did see a much better defensive effort, the best of the MLS season. I saw Erpen do his usual "gaff" but he did it in a situation that didn't really cause any harm. I did see Troy position himself better, but his distribution at the beginning of the match was awful and he was responsible for several give-aways, simply because he passed the ball to Namoff when Namoff shouldn't have received the ball in the first place."
Ben Olsen's Beard: "Say what you will about Wynalda, but he's right, we didn't really do much to adjust to win the game (that was at times, seemingly handed to us). What can we take away from this? A point. That's what."
Blue Blooded Journo: "I can't bail fellow supporters out of jail every time they do something threatening to a ref. The 'put Micheal Kennedy in a rack until he grows to four feet' incident pretty much drained my bank account."

The Good

1. If It's Broke, Fix it: Tom Soehn's changes to a 4-4-2, benching of Moreno and Carroll, and insistence on effort paid dividends. I was expecting the first time that United switched to a 4-4-2 to see a much more discombobulated organization, but United looked better. I was wrong when I thought that the cost it would take to make the switch might be too high. It worked well, especially when...
2. Long Distribution from the Back: I can't remember the last time United was able to play so many balls long up to the forwards to start an attack. In the first half, even Perkins picked out Addlery and Emilio on more than one occasion. Yes, Garrison is right that Perkins short and medium distribution was off, but his long game was great. Similarly, Moreno is sent on his run to gain (I can't say "earn") the penalty on a good long ball from Boswell. That's twice this year we've seen Boswell play Moreno through, and it marks an improvement in his game, and in the abilities of the team as a whole.
   
3. Playing with Purpose: United's possession in the first half was excellent in that it actually managed to convert to goal scoring options. What made it better was that the plays were coming from all sorts of different angles, some through the middle, some down the flank, and Fred's and Olsen's shots from distance were fine with me. Those shots made the defense react differently, creating better chances to carry the ball into the box.
4. The Draw: You can say all you want about United being up a man for half-an-hour and not getting the win. It would bother me too if I felt like United had simply shut down. But they did press, and work, and create chances, and that it remained a draw says less about United and more about luck and Matt Reis. United played well enough to get three points before Joseph's red card. As I wrote yesterday, I think that red card actually hurt United, since the Revs suddenly were much more cohesive in defense than they had been to that point. New England through everything behind the ball, and the space available to United simply wasn't there anymore. I know that some are saying we were "fortunate" to get the PK and the red card, but I honestly felt that United would have scored even without that intervention.
   
5. Deportment: New England fans will no doubt disagree, but I didn't see a single dive in the game from a United player. Yes, players can go down in the box without either a penalty or a dive. It can happen, and it happened twice. Moreno was taken shoulder to shoulder with enough force to cause him to lose his footing, a clean tackle but also not a dive. Same situation with Emilio later in the game. On top of that, let's talk about Olsen after Joseph's tackle. Ben didn't roll around on the ground like a child whose balloon just popped at the County Fair. He got right back on his feet. Yes, he made the card gesture, which is probably a no-no, because it was a tackle worthy of a caution. I think even he was surprised that Vaughn showed red. Regardless, United played with class throughout the game. I should also point out that Matt Reis may have to come off my blacklist, since he played a controlled game even when leaving his line to punch out balls. He wasn't nearly as reckless as in years past, even when presented with the opportunity.
6. Perkins Gets a Boost: Troy Perkins finally makes a save that an average MLS starting keeper would have been excused for missing. His save on Twellman's header in the first half wasn't just important for Perkins getting between the ball and the goal, but for managing to catch the ball and not give up the deflections that have killed us so many times. Now please, everyone, SHUT UP ABOUT THE CHIVAS GAME. Thank you.
7. Jamie Moreno: I know he wasn't happy to play only a half, but it was the right choice. He took a difficult shot in the moments after New England scored, before the penalty, which showed me he was in the game. He didn't infuriate me at any point in this game, and I think he played better and will hopefully continue with some freshness on Sunday against Chivas. If you've been listening to the Soccer Show at UnitedMania, one of the points they've made is that Jamie is a "90 minute a week" player. I think they're right, and we still have another 45 available.
   

The Bad

1. Terry Vaughn: As noted, he was awful. Kinney's comment in First Impressions jives with my own thoughts: several light or phantom fouls were given at midfield to New England. Moreno did not deserve the penalty, but Gomez did. Emilio was booked for getting yelled at. Joseph did not deserve a red card, but had earned a caution. And Ben should have gotten one as well for making the "give him a card" gesture. This game was utterly inhibited by Vaughn's presence, to detriment of both New England and DC.
   
2. Wide is Out: Eric Wynalda did have this right: United didn't play to the wings enough in the final half-hour. Whether people weren't making those runs because the balls would never be played there, or the ball was never played there because no one was making the run is a chicken and egg situation that should be resolved. Still, Eric, some advice...
3. The Rule of 3: Eric, I can't believe I'm about to type this, but... "Thank god Tommy Smyth is the voice of reason in the ESPN booth." Look, sometimes you're right, and sometimes you are wrong (that Joseph would have gotten a pat on the back in the EPL for his tackle on Olsen was an overstatement that defied belief. It was a cautionable tackle.) The problem is that even when you're right, you love the soapbox so much you can't get down. From now on, you should only be allowed to repeat any given point three times. It means you'll be wrong less frequently, and when you're right you won't get tiresome and boorish by yelling for the seventh time about Sharlie Joseph being allowed to go to Scotland. At some point, Eric, even you have to know when to SHUT UP.
   
4. Lapse: Boswell was ridiculously out of position on the goal surrendered to New England. Not sure what the hell was going on there. Erpen's gaffe was something he made up for without causing much of a panic. One minute, and you're down a goal. It hurt, but didn't you feel like it was bound to happen?
   
5. Christian Gomez: For all the passion that other players showed, I haven't sensed that Christian has been up for a game since the CONCACAF Champion's Cup.
   

Man of the Match

I'm going to give one. Certificates of Merit to Addlery, who played well if not overly effectively in his first start, Simms who was a force on the right flank at times, and Fred who caused all sorts of problems. Still, the Man of the Match was Tom Soehn, who showed that it is possible to undertake major changes without inducing a panic. That's a difficult proposition.

Final Thoughts

I'm not going to whine about luck. It balances out over a season. Still, the fact is that United one crossbar away from three points, even with an excellent performance from Matt Reis. If United plays as well for the rest of the season as they played in the opening forty-five minutes, then I do not doubt for a moment that this team will make the playoffs. No doubt whatsoever. Of course, that's a big "If" to open that sentence. It'll be put to the test against Chivas, who will test our defense (Guevara or not) and will require precision to break down. But unless you have completely been sucked into the maw of hopelessness and depression, you must have noticed what a better game this was for our team. An unqualified success? No. But I am more hopeful now than I have been since before the season started. Really. Evaluate performances, not results, and you should agree. This team can improve more, but this team has already improved to a point where you should not feel like things are lost.

First Impressions - DC United 1 : 1 New England Revolution

Take it.

United put together their best game of the regular season, with a strong but goalless opening forty-five minutes. Strange as it sounds, after United controlled play as well as they did, I expected New England to get a goal against the run of play, which is exactly what happened. However, United finally got a break with a cheap penalty which Moreno put away. It was a cheap call, but given that referee Terry Vaughn missed Christian Gomez getting mugged in the box, I can't say that the game was reffed unfairly. Vaughn had a classic poor calls on both sides match. In a strange way, I think Joseph's red card ejection helped New England, since they had a ready excuse to pack it in and go out on with the draw.

Still, there are way more positives than negatives coming out of this match, some expected, and some that surprised me. If you saw this game, you saw a team that played an order of magnitude better than what we have seen to date. This was improvement. By a great deal. Even if we had lost, we saw more than we'd seen to date.

Match Briefing for 12.04: New England Revolution

Match #: 12.04

Opponent:
New England Revolution
7pts, 7GF, 3GA, +4 GD
4th place Eastern Conference
4th place MLS

Six Word Novel Preview: Pride. Passion. Tradition. Show us one.

TV: ESPN2 7:00PM

Radio: WMET 1160AM

Previous Meeting: First meeting of season

The Stakes: Let's spell out the nightmare. In four days, DC United could find itself 18% of the way through the season with 0 points. At that point, the panic button is not only hit, it will have been crushed with a mallet stolen from Donkey Kong while I run around setting things on fire. Of course, on the flip side, in four days we might find DC just a shade under .500.

For New England, this game is of little import. They've had some good wins, and a win or a loss does not do much to them at this stage of the game. Reincorporating Franchino and Parkhurst will be of interest to them, and they'll evaluate their play much more on those factors than anything else.

For ESPN... Eric, I heard you on Washington Post Live talk about the money ESPN has put into its presentation, but your last TNS outing was the worst this season. Let's keep the camera work decent, the commentary to the point, and show us the goddamn off-side line you've been promising. That being said, I think RFK will give you the best atmosphere you've had this season, and I hope the game is a decent show.

Previews from the DCUniverse: Ben Olsen's Beard (special Office preview), QuarterVolley, United Mania, Poplar Point Perspective
Previews from the Revolution: Blue Blooded Journo, The Offside: New England Revolution

The DCenter Team's Location: D- At Work (see you at Chivas on Sunday). Kinney - TBD
Oscar - RFK.

Expectations: Draw, if that. New England plays well against DC, and DC has to be a bit punch drunk. I can't possibly expect three points (although I can certainly cheer for it.) All the intangibles are in New England's favor.

What to look for? Mistakes, or the absence thereof. If DC United is beaten through great play by New England, that's one thing. But if DC hands opportunities to New England, that's an indication that this team is still unraveling. I'm very curious to see how the duties are handled by the holding midfielders, and how Gomez runs the attack. If we are always, 100% of the time, running straight at the New England defenders, we will not win this game.

Thursday Night Soccer: Media Day

The mainstream media provide their takes on the New England-DC United match tonight. The Boston Herald recaps the familiar charges against DC United. John Haydon in The Washington Times says that line-up tinkering is not finished, and Beau Dure in USA Today gives probably the best concise summary of Tommy Soehn's challenges (to himself and to the team).

On another tack, Steve Goff looks at the rise of Thursday Night Soccer, and what it might mean, with an excellent (and here-to-fore unknown to me stat) on key demographics:

National ratings have remained stagnant over the same period last year -- a 0.2, which equals 223,000 households -- but in the 18-to-34 male demographic, the numbers have increased 100 percent.

Intriguing? Yes.

We'll be doing our briefing later today, including links to some excellent blog postings by others. However, before that, there's another article in the post that I intend to talk about. It's going to take me a bit to get my thoughts together, so check back here. Also, there won't be an expert opinion interview for tonight's game, and possibly not for Chivas. We'll make it up to you late in the season, but if you're desperate, why not reread the last interview we did in preparation for New England back in October of 2006...

What to do on New England Eve

I can't think of a time when I've ever dreaded seeing two DC United games within four days. I still can't, but I won't say that I'm sanguine about the prospect. Even though I imagine we'll get the some points from the the next games, the idea of being winless after five games is... terrifying. Here's some stuff to think about while we await Thursday's nationally televised game.

MAROON JERSEY AUCTION: Steve Goff says that the owners of DC United will match all winning bids for the VT tribute jerseys worn last Saturday. A very classy move from the ownership. I don't want to get into a self-congratulatory mood on such things, but DC United had made the token gesture with the jersey auction itself. This is just pure class on top of that fact. Sure, three bills may be steep for that winning bid, and I don't have that kind of income floating around, but I hope at least one of you does. If I did, I could think of no better use right now. Go bid, if you can. Hey, Jay Nolly's keeper jersey is still available for only about a $270 bid. We like Jay Nolly. He talks to us.

STORIES OF QUIET DESPERATION: Steve Goff in the Post on United's troubles. Key quote: "Tactically, United is not fooling anyone. Without effective flank play, United has concentrated its attack in the middle of the field and faced a crowded path." Question (partially inspired from the folks at United Mania): has Gomez and the team really tried much flank play? Yeah, I don't see it much either. Also, MLSNet flak-catcher Dave Lifton on Soehn attempting to rally the troops. Key graf:

"The sign of a good team is not when you're winning and everything is great," Simpson said. "It's when things aren't going well, and how you rebound from everything tells you a lot about your character and what kind of a teammate you are.

You'll hear fans apply this lesson to ourselves during a rough period. Sing when you're losing and all that... I also vow that it applies to this blog. We will not go silent for long periods only to surface with morose whinings about the unfairness of life and the Alternative Minimum Tax. No sir. If, god forbid, this season is goes down in flames, then I vow to chronicle it with all the energy, passion, and humor I can. Although I may end up being more pissed and annoyed than I would prefer. Still, dedication is the watchword. We will be here, and we will be loud.

IF YELLOW JOURNALISM IS ALSO LAZY, WOULD IT ONLY BE GREEN JOURNALISM? ECRU JOURNALISM? Arthur Delaney in TheHill.Com takes a random shot at Victor McFarlane (second story in this link, so scroll down) because he knows a guy who was upset with Jack Kent Cooke. No attempt to talk about the facts regarding the Poplar Point deal, just a sense that all sports team owners are money grubbing bastards unless they're Abe Polin. No, I have no idea what the logic is here.

...Because "Revolution Mutiny: a Clash" wasn't nearly as hopeful

TNS! TNS! Thursday Night Soccer, and I'm looking forward to it. Strange, most neutral games, even the ABC/ESPN ones, weren't something I cared a great deal about (usually because I had to leave at half-time to get out to the DCU tailgate.) That's something nice about Thursday Night Soccer I hadn't anticipated, the fact that it allows me to take in MLS games as a neutral devoid of any other soccer context. Makes it easier to enjoy. On a side note, headline writers in New England are clever for fitting three team names into a four word sentence, but are they accurate, or even sensible?

CHARM CITY, STRANGE CITY: Baltimore, as rumored in Goff's Blog, gets wing of a chance to see united play. Honestly, if it happens then I'm not too upset (better there than Seattle again). I can make it up I-95 to a game, even from NoVa. And the Ravens seem interested:

"We'd be very interested in hosting a game or games," Mannion said. "The key issue centers on the field surface, but I think the size of the stadium is perfect. We can house 30,000 in the lower bowl and 8,000 on the club level, which creates the intimate environment soccer fans are used to."

The thing about Charm City is that it adds a weak isospin of +1/2 to the ball. My only hope to avoid a complete nerd label is that no one figures out what I meant by that.

TRIBUTE: I missed this story yesterday, but wanted to highlight it now. I never heard of Scott Alexander when I grew up in MoCo, but this article makes it clear just how loved he was. He was a Steelers fan, and a soccer man, two things that I respect. And good on DCU for doing something for this event.

The MLS Roster Pages: Why Won't They Update? We have answers.

The Kin of Fish, in a post last month, bemoaned the lack of updates to MLSNet roster pages. Indeed, many of the rosters seem grossly out of date, and Fish slammed MLSNet for it. Well, hold on a moment. This situation is more complex than you might think.

First, some of you may be surprised to learn that MLSNet is not the same as MLS. True fact. MLSNet is, essentially, a venture that MLS has contracted to in order to provide online services. Now, for roster data, the process for updates runs like this:

1. Team updates their roster
2. Team notifies MLS Headquarters of their revised roster
3. MLS notifies the Elias Sports Bureau to update the rosters
4. MLSNet receives a feed from Elias which is supposed to contain the updated information

Seem overly complicated? Well, yeah, but the that's the system that the league has in place. Now, in most cases, teams have yet to provide their final rosters to MLS Headquarters, which means no updates. In at least one case (Real Salt Lake) an updated roster has gotten to league headquarters, but for whatever reason Elias has not updated the roster feed. Which means the problem is either with MLS Headquarters not notifying Elias, or Elias not implementing the update.

The real problem, from what I can tell, is that most teams aren't very good about providing updates to MLS Headquarters. However, there are exceptions. In addition to Real Salt Lake, I'm assured that both the New England Revolution and DC United do pretty well in keeping things up to date. As for the rest of the teams... well, hurry up you slackers!

An Expert View on The Revolution

In order to prepare us for the upcoming match with the New England Revolution, The DCenters thought that we should find someone who can explain the Revolution to us. Thanks to a grant from the RAND Coorporation's Temporal Mechanics and Necromancy division, we are able to welcome to the DCenters a man who knows more about the subject than possibly anyone else. Please welcome philosopher, historian, economist, social theorist, and revolutionary par excellence, Dr. Karl Marx. Dr. Marx, welcome to The DCenters

It is a pleasure to be here with so many citizens of world. Jenny, Friedrich and I were discussing MLS the other day, pleased that so many of your teams have red colored kits. Truly, you are with the people's struggles.

Well, it's good to have an expert on the Revolution with us. After all, you're at least somewhat responsible for the great October Revolution, the German, Hungarian, and Cuban Revolutions, the 1970 Chilean Popular Unity election, and their subsequent counter-revolutions, coups, or associated juntas.

That is all true. Alexi Lalas wishes he had such influence. Perhaps if he paid attention, he would not let that arch-capitalist Bradley fleece him in the 2005 SuperDraft.

Well then, perhaps you can give us an overview of where the playoffs stand now?

A spectre is haunting MLS -- the spectre of Twellmanism. All the powers of Don Garber have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Eddie Pope and Calen Carr, Mastroeni and Guzan, French Internationals and German rejects.

That's heavy dude... But you still think the revolution will succeed against all of that?

The Revolution is historically inevitable. Led by men of the people, like Joey Franchino, they shall throw off their chains. Do they not see the signs saying "Free Shalrie?" Do they not know the passion that burns in the imprisoned heart of Clint Dempsey? And this revolution is well led, by a former Red, a man of steel, or at least, a man of Nicol. Yes, it may be bloody at first, thus the disputes and fights we have had. But soon, a worker's paradise will be established.

And yet if it is historically inevitable, how do you explain the failure of the 2005 Revolution?

Counter-revolutionary spies infiltrated at all times. The Superstitous looked to a savior in Landon Donovan, but now we now the full illusion of the Donovan cultists. The Revolution must be successful. In the past, Taylor Twellman did not produce goals, and not for nothing is it said by wise men "from each according to his abilities, to each according to their needs." Twellman must produce, but he also needs good service from Dempsey. Jay Heaps and Parkhurst must mark well, but also be protected by Joey Franchino. It is a sound philosophy and coaching strategy.

Well, that's very good, but don't you think--

What the hell is this!?

My goodness, it's George Washington. Mr. President, welcome to the DCenters.

I heard that there was someone calling himself a more successful revolutionary than me around here. I wanted to see that punk with my own eyes. Then I'm going to beat him like Shalrie Joseph at a nightclub.

What? This is juvenile. We don't need this puerile insults. Anyways, the Revolution will succeed. Your capitalists brewers and printers have created Taxachussetts.

That's true. But I live in Virginia, built a Consitiution in Philadelphia and got a city named after me here you little pissant. So don't go trying to pretend you'all that, because you ain't seen jack. DC is for real, yo. And Gomez is my personal M to the V to the P, and that's Mount Vernon Playa! I am here as the Mid-Atlantic Reporter of Pain.

This is ridiculous. I do not have to put up with such insults-- hey, let go of my beard!

I can not tell a lie: Matt Reis is a twat. Welcome to your own personal Yorktown, bitch. Time for a Size 13 boot up your hemmeroidal ass. And Howe!

Well, things seem to have gotten a bit out of hand. I'll um... ooh, that looked nasty, anyways, we'll see if we can find any more expert opinions before Sunday... Perferably less painful ones.

Ohhhhh... my proletariat is broken... images of past Eastern Conference finals passing across my eyes...

Don't fuck with DC, playahatas! This is my town! Vamos United, and G-Dub out!