Match Recap: DCU 1 - 1 Harbour View FC

Woof. Not much to like about this game. A slow and cranky start to the season.

Recap, quick and dirty: McTavish scored just before the end of the first half, Lowell equalized just before the end of regulation. Neither goal was anything to brag about. DC enjoyed large periods of possession, which HVFC did their best to break up with hard tackles and double-teaming.

The most important thing I noticed was the slow pace to the game. It seems United is struggling to shake off its preseason mentality. Players were walking at every opportunity and there were far too many lackadaisical balls over the top. The large influx of new players won't make finding rhythm easy, but it needs to be done. Soehn needs to eliminate fitness problems as soon as possible; team cohesion is a pressing issue.

Second: DC needs to find a way to overcome HVFC's physicality. Pretty touches alone won't do it, and neither will our dependence on flank play (not with McTavish as right wing, anyways). We need to draw their defense out of position and wreck their back line with pinpoint passes through the middle. It's entirely possible: Gallardo is a dead-eye and Niell has the hustle to latch onto balls knocked into space. I want to see Fred and Emilio holding up the ball a bit more, allowing Gallardo to set 'em up and Niell to knock 'em down.

Looking ahead, DCU are the safe bet to take the home-and-away series at RFK. But they've got a bit of work to do before they inspire confidence in me.

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Other notes:

- I agree with Dave Lifton. The commentators (Christian Miles and Paul Caligiuri) were awful.

- The rumors are true: we finally have a #10 that contributes defensively as well as organizing the attack. And Gallardo does organize the attack: I saw glimpses of him communicating with Niell and Emilio. I have high hopes for that trio this season.

- Furthermore, I hope Gallardo wasn't too frustrated by the end of the match because he'll be seeing plenty of the same physical-play-to-disrupt-possession-until-we-can-equalize-through-counterattack kind of soccer very frequently for the next six months. Here's hoping he can overcome negative soccer quickly.

- Early on the question was posed, "What does Niell bring to the field that Moreno doesn't?" My immediate answer was pace, but I'll rephrase that with 'hustle.' He's fast and he's scrappy. I can see Niell vying with Simms for amount of effort expended per game this season. He's got more than enough speed and the way his shoulders swing when he sprints tells me that he's spent years fighting off the bigger guys for long balls. We here at DCU like them long balls, apparently. Niell will suit us nicely.

- Now that I think about it, I would be happy to replace Jaime with Niell in the starting lineup for several reasons. Firstly, the creativity Jaime traditionally brings to DCU's game is now El Muneco's responsibility. Secondly, he is deficient in pace at this point in his career, and pace (along with finishing) was a crucial element missing from our attacking corps last season, a crucial element that Niell has oodles of. Thirdly: if memory serves, this past season Jaime has performed better for United as a sub than as a starter, scoring more goals from the run of play. That makes sense. When everyone is tired and Jaime's lack of pace ceases to be a handicap, he can create and exploit holes in defense like no one else can. Jaime is better able to open the game for DCU when he is fresh in the 70th and everyone else is winded.

- Wells is slow and his reach isn't the best but he's got good hands and good positioning. I even heard a bit of communication. I'll reserve judgment until I see Carvallo, but from what I saw tonight, Wells has a good many starts ahead of him this season.

- There were scant few shots from HVFC and the Jamaican squad only equalized through a set piece, which tells me that DC was defending well during the run of play. Excellent. Peralta and Martinez can only get better from here on out as they learn to play with each other.

- I don't like McTavish on the wing. I mean, he fulfills the role decently and he didn't commit any egregious mistakes, but I can't help wondering if Quaranta won't link up better with Gallardo. Speaking of linking up, there were several Gallardo-Niell connections that gave me goosebumps. I prophesy some tasty, tasty net-bulgers from the Argentinean duo.

- Burch didn't lose much over the offseason in terms of defensive capability. By the same token, he still has more to gain. I'm hoping this season that he'll be able to cultivate his defense while making a positive contribution on offense.

- Fullback agrees with Lifton and I about the commentators, and also makes a good point about Soehn's tactics. Anyone else think they're too rigid?



Feels good to post another one of these. I'll have to do it again soon.

Enjoy.

Jaime Tallies 109th, Sets MLS Record: DCU 3-1 NYRB

Congratulations, Jaime. You deserve the praise.

It was a pretty good day for United fans yesterday.

I understand he didn't want to set the record off a penalty but the onus had been on him to score for several weeks now so I'm glad he took the opportunity. Moreover, I think he's still got it in him to score another two goals at least by the end of the season.

The ball Jaime scored with was presented to his 11 year-old son sitting on the sidelines. Good to celebrate the Atlantic Cup with a bit of MLS history, huh? I was watching Comcast and noticed that it was MLS history indeed: Thomas Rongen, Bruce Arena, and John Harkes were all on hand to witness Jaime make history. Cool.

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Let's get to the meat. Player ratings:

Perkins - 7

Burch - 7

McTavish - 6.5

Vanney - 6.5

Namoff - 6

Simms - 7.5

Olsen - 8

Gomez - 8

Fred - 8

Emilio - 8

Moreno - 9
(8 for the game, +2 for the record, -1 for the record by penalty)
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Rongen said the first fifteen minutes of the game witnessed DC's best offense all season. I wouldn't go that far, but they were solid for those fifteen and other than conceding a goal, they were solid all game. So much so, in fact, that Mathis almost got the jump on us towards the end. Perkins proved useful yet again.

Other than Jaime's penalty (equal, if not better to, Angel's masteful finish), none of our goals had any class. They found net, true, but only because they bounced of a Red Bull first. However, the fact of the matter is that United consistently produced throughout the match. As exemplified by Clyde Simms, we fought Red Bull for every first, second, and third ball and won the majority of them. Red Bull started and finished by giving us more space than we needed to complete our crosses and slot our through balls. Five out of six Atlantic Cups don't lie: United knows exactly how to break down NYRB's defense and does it on a regular basis. This suits me just fine.

Our chances of reaching the finals at RFK this year just doubled, by the way. Or so I calculate.

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Other notes:

- Did you see Burch's lofted give-and-go towards the end of the game? I know you did. It was beautiful. The bonus? He's still our left back. Our left back. The one we'd been missing for half a season. I really appreciate that Burch is regularly going box to box, making a positive contribution on offense while maintaining good presence on defense. It's a good thing we bumped him up to the senior roster ( $30,000 > $17,500) because we're going to have a hell of a time holding on to him during the close season.

- Did you see Burch leg-lock Angel's ankle? I know you did. It was beautiful. This brings up a good point, though. Which would you have preferred-- the penalty, or Burch's ejection? I think I would have preferred the penalty.

- It was a cheap penalty though. Richards went down from a touch softer than Downy. I'm fairly certain that the ref made a conscious decision that instead of punishing United with a red he'd gift Red Bull with a goal. If Richards hadn't gone down and Red Bull hadn't scored on the play, Burch would have been off.

- Speaking of Richards, he's fast as hell but has all the creativity of a blank piece of paper. Other than run with it, Richards never does anything with the ball.

- Sorry to see you sitting out, Gros. Hope you make the best of your time off.

Enjoy.

Fred Starts, Luci Finishes: DCU 2-0 Columbus

It does the heart good to see Emilio two goals up on Angel for the MLS Golden Boot. And I'll be honest-- to see Altidore up there, albeit at the bottom of the list, warms my heart a bit as well. Glad he didn't double up on us.

(Off topic: Ives reckons Altidore will be the MLS' first ever eight-figure transfer. I'm disagreeing with Ives on this one. I predict that come Christmastime he'll be worth more than what Adu went for, but Adu only went for 2.5 mil. Eight or nine mil for Jozy, methinks, not a stupendous eight-figure transfer fee. How much of that would Red Bull see, anyways? The bigger question is where he'll be a year from now. That's a thinker.)

I am relieved to no end that Soehn stuck Burch immediately back into his starting spot on the left. I'm not so relieved to see Vanney back on the field. He's got a trumped-up sense of how good he is with his left foot, though the bigger threat to United's defense is his trumped-up sense of how well he positions himself under pressure.

Equally worrisome is Gros' early exit from the game. Didn't look like a blowout a la McBride (Fulham will be missing him for three months after he dislocated his knee vs. Middlesborough on Saturday) but it was enough for him to beg substitution after only eight minutes. I'll be waiting for Goff to come back with good news tomorrow.

Fred is magical. I said so this past Wednesday when we lost out to Beckham's team, but today he really endowed my words with the honest truth. It wasn't just his strike, which opened the scoreboard as well as United's attack. It was Fred's urgency, which ensured positive movement up the pitch; it was his persistence, which ensured focused, dynamic attack on goal; and it was his thrilling movement on the ball, which ensured that the audience was at the edge of their seats and that the Crew were at the edge of their collective wits. Simply put, United is better as a team when Fred is on the field. I hope he realizes that his every last effort, no matter how trivial, is bringing United closer to RFK on November 18th. Keep it up, Fred.

This is a great result to have as the playoffs loom close. Thanks to this win, at least Soehn will be sleeping easier. With a real sense that his performance as head coach was under serious scrutiny, his halftime pep talk must have been the stuff of legends. It worked, anyways.

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Other notes:

- Moreno looked slow. I'm sorry that this is typical of him these days. Let's hope he breaks his record vs. Red Bulls on Wednesday so Soehn can put him on the bench more often.

- Gomez' form was good last night, another pre-playoff reassurance. We can see he's picking his head up.

- The announcers last night were Thomas Rongen and that guy who announces United's games for 1160AM radio. I wish I knew that guy's name. He was decent.

- When I say that Perkins' bravery gifted us the shutout, I literally mean that Perkins' bravery gifted us the shutout. He has the stones to get behind every ball humanly possible, impending feet and knees regardless. His insurance premiums must be phenomenal.

- Danny Szetela was particularly unremarkable. Is he really headed to AS Roma this winter?

- Alejandro Moreno is definitely an MLS-quality striker, which is to say, he might put his chances away but he won't change the momentum of the game. The Jaime of old was one such game-changer. I want that guy back.

- This question is weighing heavy on my mind these days: if not Veron, then who? It doesn't matter right this minute, but I wonder if, or even when we'll start to regret we never signed anyone this season.

Good night.

I Suddenly Became a Pachuca Fan: DCU 0-2 LAG

Beckham's first goal was a bit of magic. Everyone in that stadium read him to be kicking the classic Beckham swinger: over the wall, curving gently, just brushing the near post in it's short journey to the top corner. Not so, said Beckham, and the ball flew the other way and into the goal. Not much anyone could do about that, except prevent conceding the free kick in the first place.

Lastly: Beckham's every pass opens up the pitch. LAG is never slack when he's around, and he is around. They park him in the center and suddenly he's all over the field, scooping loose balls and feeding the lone option on the other touchline. His crosses are like clockwork. He really elevates the Galaxy to a new level.

I need to hurry through this recap for the sake of my good mood and low blood pressure. I have a good crop of notes, so I'll get right to it.

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Other notes:

- Namoff is our right back. He is our man. There is nary a thing I could fault him for this match, or the last few, for that matter. Thank you, Brian.

- Fred is magical. Period. Give him the ball in a tight situation and he'll come up with something special.

- Why did Carroll get the nod over Simms this game? I didn't like it.

- Jaime is still a solid forward, but he didn't compliment our other attacking options at all this game. It seemed like once Jaime received a ball, the ball was either staying at his feet until turned over, or was immediately laid back for someone else to pass wide. In his defense, however, LAG absolutely packed the box from the 1st to the 90th. Through balls were the last thing on United's mind.

- Neither was a ball going to soar in from the wing. Every LAG defender is taller than every DCU attacker. It's almost scientific how ineffective our crosses were. Unfortunately, Ben Olsen failed to realize this and was just as ineffective once Gomez stepped onto the pitch and consigned Olsen to the right wing. Bad day, Benny. Better luck next time.

- Joe Cannon came up big nearly every time a save was asked of him. Emilio from point blank range TWICE and corkers from Gros early and later Carroll were all soundly dealt with. If Goldenballs hadn't tucked away his debut goal, Cannon would be MotM for sure.

- Kyle Martino falls like a little bitch. So does Pavon. I'd even say the same for Cobi when he clipped Gros' shinguard. Grow some cajones, f*ckers.

- Ty Harden bodychecked Moreno so Cannon could collect a loose ball. I'd call this a penalty. McTavish slid late and took out Martino's legs. If the ball didn't look like it was going out anyways, I'd call this a penalty too.

- What's so frustrating about this game is that DCU put forth every effort, every last g****mn effort, and still came up nil. I saw frustration out of Olsen, Kpene, Gomez, Fred, and just about everyone who was desperately trying to eke a goal for the visiting United. I was cussing so bad my dog came downstairs to check on me and left with his tail between his legs. Sorry, buddy. I'm alright now.

- The only thing keeping me from destroying my television were the cute girls Telemundo kept flashing across the screen. I like cute girls. There should be more cute girls during soccer broadcasts. Keeps my temper in check and my interest piqued when DC's two down to LAG.

G'night.

A Record-Setting Loss: DCU 3-3 FC Dallas

This was a loss in all but points. I know what the scoreline reads, but any time a team concedes three goals over the course of forty minutes, it's a loss. (And record setting? This was the biggest comeback in FC Dallas history.)

After singing his praises, Perkins let us down. His form not only regressed from last week, but it regressed over the course of those ninety minutes. He gifted FC Dallas their first and third goals. The second goal I can forgive (more the defense's responsibility, really), but misjudging those kinds of crosses is a flaw you resolve while you're still in puberty. Those kinds of mistakes are popular in high school leagues and amateur matches. Really, really, really should have had better judgement, our Troy.

Soehn is disappointed with the defense as a whole. (Shoutout to Dave Lifton over at Screaming Eagles for his podcasts, BTW. Absolute gems, those podcasts.)

Soehn said, "We're actually an experienced team. We shouldn't play like that. We played like young kids... Organizationally we weren't good enough." I agree. Boswell and Vanney played a respectable game versus Houston, but there are still some communication problems which need immediate attention.

"We let in three goals," said Tommy. "Any time you let in three goals, there's work to do."

BDR is furious with Bobby Boswell in particular. I would tend to agree. (Oops, pardon: BDR is furious with the coaching staff that Boswell wasn't traded. I feel that the choice of whether to trade Erpen or Boswell was a crapshoot; it's almost impossible to have any foresight with those two. Let's hope Boswell rewards us for his benefit of the doubt.)

Lastly, about DCU's loss:

OMG, was our offense a relief. Our starters, I mean. And really only during the first half.

But honestly, Jaime seemed to bring our offense back from the brink, Emilio was red hot, and Fred (Fred! Not Gomez!) was connecting with Jaime using some kind of telepathic tandem that thrilled me. Olsen got involved, too; and any time Olsen becomes a productive member of DCU's offense is an indication that our offense is capable of doing well.

I'd say that the biggest tragedy of this game, even bigger than the scoreline, is Jaime's injury. He's really an invaluable part of the squad. Let's he gets well, and soon.

Other notes:
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- Soehn, you've got a real decision on your hands, don't you? DP slot = improvement at left back, improvement at center back, a holding midfielder with attacking qualities, Jaime's successor, or Gomito's successor? Take your pick; you'll be needing to address them all very soon.

Houston Deeper Than United? Think Again.

I feel goaded.

Neal Thurman over at the American Soccer Daily (a reputable read; I enjoy it) have just published an article explaining how Houston's phenomenal depth is one of the keys to its recent success.

Thurman compares today's Houston to the DCU of old, that oft-heralded squad which has established DC United as the gold standard of MLS prestige. This irks me because, while Thurman doesn't attack DCU's performance (quite the contrary; he called us 'hot'), he did imply that today's Houston squad is a better reflection of that awesome depth than today's DC United squad. I call bullsh*t. Yeah, during my last game recap, I ragged on the players a bit, but now I feel the need to defend them.

Time to run my mouth:

Goalkeepers

Perkins is indispensible. Priceless. He's proven several times this season that last year's form was not an anomaly, and that his title of MLS Goalkeeper of the Season is well deserved. Furthermore, his attitude recovering from several damning performances early on show Perkins to be a truly formidable goalkeeper in his extracurricular qualities as well as technical ability. Simply put, he's an outstanding member of the team, an inspiration as well as an asset. And young still. Onstad may have been this at one point, but not now.

Thurman claims that Houston's second-string keeper, Zach Wells, is "at least a solid MLS veteran back-up... unlikely to be the heir apparent, but is certainly competent." Jay Nolly is at the very least a competent MLS goalkeeper, and (God forbid) if Troy is injured any time soon, I don't see why Nolly isn't as good a backup as Wells, even in spite of the fact that Nolly is an MLS rookie. Especially with Vanney at center back instead of Erpen, I have a least a small bit of confidence that Nolly can keep a net clean or a game close.

Defenders

McTavish is establishing himself as a stellar young talent, Boswell is a veteran in the making, Vanney is melding surprisingly quickly, and Gros is more than adequate at left back (if by adequate we mean Houston's Waibel). Once Namoff gets healthy, DCU will boast one of the most solid defenses in the league. Utility players such as Gros, Carroll, and Simms can help ensure that the DC defense is well stocked. DCU fans will point out that defensive depth is still one of the most fundamental elements the squad is lacking, but if Boswell & Co. represent a lack in depth, then the league has higher standards than I thought.

UPDATE: Marc Burch is a revelation. I now think DCU has one of the top defenses in the league and have completely made up for our holes on D. We'll miss Gros, but I may have overestimated his impact on defense.

Midfielders

DCU's midfield is roughly comparable to that of Houston, especially considering the roles DeRo and Gomez play. Thurman is impressed by Houston's midfield options and I am impressed with DC's. Thurman admits that DeRo has been off form as yet but will make progress, and I would say the same for Gomez. Thurman admires Houston's wingers in the same fashion as I do DC's. What's the difference? Houston's midfield has cohesiveness and chemistry, whereas DC is still finding theirs -- but considering that Houston's well-oiled midfield was still struggling against United's misfiring mids, I'm content to just wait and see what DC can do when they click.

Try this: when Namoff gets healthy, Gros will proabably move up to his traditional left wing, pushing Olsen back into the holding midfielder role over Brian Carroll with Fred over on the right and Gomez up top. A player as solid as Brian Carroll being ousted from the starting XI -- what do the Dynamo have to say about that? And does Houston have an answer for Clyde Simms, upstart Justin Moose, or US U-20 Brian Arguez? I'm not sure they do.

Forwards

Addlery is a target man like DCU hasn't seen in years (sorry, Jamil) and he hustled and muscled really well for his first goal of the season versus Colorado. I would say that Addlery has proven he is worthy of a place on a solid MLS squad. But let's keep in mind -- at DC, he's third string (!). With all of his physicality and poaching qualities, we have to remember that Addlery's daunting attacking presence is still only third string. Meanwhile Emilio has found himself one of the top three bids for '07 Golden Boot.

Furthermore, Moreno (you know, the all-time leading scorer for the MLS, just coming back from excellent performances in the Copa America?) will be back next game, and diamond-in-the-rough Guy-Roland Kpene could recover in as soon as two games. That's phenomenal depth for a set of attackers, especially when you consider that Fred is still lauded as the premier candidate for Jaime's role as withdrawn forward.

Thurman mentions that one reason why Houston's squad can be considered so deep and so talented is because none of their core players (read: Rico Clark, Dwayne DeRosario) are currently being scouted for moves overseas. The same can be said for DC United (although I hope that this changes in Arguez' case, at least).

I'm only inclined to consider Houston as a deeper squad than United if you consider the two teams' form from the beginning of the season. Houston has been more consistent -- probably the most consistent team in the league today. But instead of drawing a comparison to yon Eagles of olde, I'd rather draw a comparison to Nowak's DC last season. Time will tell which comparison is more accurate.

DCU has shown improvement from the start of the season, and where DCU's improvement is concerned, I'm positive that in the near future DCU can mold itself into the league's premier club again, ahead of Angel's Red Bulls, Schelotto's Crew, or Beckham's Galaxy. Despite what people (myself included) will claim to the contrary, Tommy Soehn has assembled a tidy little army for himself. Once they find each other on the field, I'm sure we'll find them in the headlines.

And we haven't even used our DP slot yet.