Who expected that? DCU has been hot as of lately, the team finally showing some awareness of one another, and Perkins has been perfectly good. But against an FC Dallas side in sore need of a win, at their home stadium, with Denilson just waiting to make a big impression?... I didn't dare dream we'd notch our biggest road win since 1998. What a shutout.
I'd like to reiterate the recommendations already permeating the DCU blogosphere: Marc Burch for MotM, Ben Olsen for MLS MVP. Ben the Bearded Bombardier (trademarked by Fullback) has already tallied a career-high goal count for the season and I fully expect another one or two to follow. Equally impressive on the night was our rampant young gun, Marc Burch, sending in crosses Beckham would envy (and you know what, now that Becks is benched, that's no exaggeration). I fully expect not only Ben to score some more, but Burch to tally more assists and possibly a goal. Maybe even a free kick. With Vanney watching in jealousy. Against Galaxy. With Beckham crying. Delicious.
Bobby "What do you believe in?" Boswell cracked the starting lineup again and quickly found his old form. Comments over at DCenters indicate that Boswell looked good because he a) played better defense and b) eliminated the superfluous touches and runs that would leave him stranded upfield. I agree that this is the case. The comments also indicate that these superfluous touches are the bane of Brian Carroll's form of late, and I agree with this also.
Perkins can be happy with himself, earning another shut out and lowering his already-rock-bottom GAA. Despite criticism early in the season, he's an incredibly dependable player to have. After these past few weeks, I expect Soehn to do everything in his power to keep Perkins around for a very long time.
Let's see... Running down the list, we've covered Olsen, Burch, Boswell, Perkins... Ah yes: Fred.
Our boy Fred found the net yet again, taking him up to 5 in his premiere season with MLS. After Fred sprinted thirty yards for a ball which rolled out anyways, Tom Rongen mentioned that he has been playing competitive games non-stop for nearly 12 months, since the start of last season's A-League. Unbelievable. My respect for him doubled, and then nearly tripled when he scored. He is a machine and I can't wait for him to get the rest he deserves, and then come back next season to reiterate to the league that one doesn't need DP status to make a big impact. What a standout, classy player.
As long as we're talking about success stories, let's give a good, long shout out to Clyde Simms. Carroll earned himself a suspension by dint of too many yellows but I'm inclined to think that Simms would have started anyways. Simms plays with a style that is strong and yet humble, as evidenced by his effort to assist Olsen's cracker in the 4th. He scampers up to steal Sala's poor clearance follows his first instinct: pass. How many players do you know that would pass the ball of after stealing it 25 yards out in center midfield? Truly unselfish, Simms.
Emilio was heartily disappointed to step off the field in favor of McTavish around the 60th, and I can sympathize. When four different players find net and none of them are the league-leading goalscorer who needs to defend his bid for the Golden Boot against JPA, a substitution can be very depressing. Furthermore, he nearly found net on the goal which gave Olsen his brace. Better luck next time, Luci. For the record, I also think his early sub has something to do with his hammy. The extra rest will do him good. Let's hope he doesn't get carried away with practice on Monday.
Kudos to Gomez for scoring the kind of goal we'd have expected from him about this time last year. Jaime put in an honest effort as well. Namoff recovered from his poor form a couple games ago to hamper Arturo Alvarez and Dax McCarty's best efforts. Vanney was probably the weakest link last night.
---------------
Other notes:
- Soehn has redeemed himself, IMO. As Jeff Popovic rightly points out, we're building momentum going into September rather than losing steam into October. If Vanney could find some way to prove to the world that he's not going to hold the team back, I'd be thrilled about our bid for the MLS Cup.
- Dax McCarty is MLS quality, I'd say, but I really wish he was something more. He works well in Dallas' system, but he's a far cry from being called up to the MNT the same way Adu, Zizzo, and Altidore have.
- Denilson can dribble and could definitely open a defense singlehandedly, but I wonder if he has it within him to make an impact on the team as a whole, the same way Blanco and Beckham have. Furthermore, I challenge any DP we might sign in the future take that role away from Ben Olsen. Not gonna happen.
- Furthermore, I think Olsen has retrospectively proven just why he was called up to the MNT for the Copa. Anyone else hoping he makes the roster for Brazil?
Enjoy.
Showing posts with label Marc Burch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marc Burch. Show all posts
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Thursday, August 23, 2007
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.
----------------------------------------
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)
---------------------------------------
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.
---------------------
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.
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.
----------------------------------------
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)
---------------------------------------
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.
---------------------
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.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
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.
--------------------
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.
(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.
--------------------
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.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
On Beckham's Debut, Emiligol Comes Through: DCU 1-0 LAG
Wow. It was pouring out there. I don't know if you could tell, but for those of us there live, we were amazed by how much the rain fell and how tough the guys were to play through it. (Also: during DC's brief ceremony, Barra Brava/SE held up a sign which read: Good Riddance. Further down the pitch was a sign directed at Mrs. Beckham, reading: We Sing Better Than Your Wife. Classy guys, those BB/SE's.)
About Beckham, quickly: what he did was very tame (not once did I see him sprint) but he was very lethal. One of his crosses forty yards from the box nearly found three (!) different options, and had Perkins not smothered the ball, the game would have been tied. His service is something no MLS player is used to. Defenses will find it hard to cope.
Glad to see Burch rewarded again, but I was even more excited to see that Simms got the nod over Carroll. It must have been a simple decision: recently Carroll has been underperforming while Simms has been solid. It's good Soehn made the switch, too, because not only does Simms cinch the midfield, he occasionally ends up with the ball at the top of the key and he's dangerously unpredictable there.
Fred started and finished in the hole as Gomez sat out with a 'charley horse.' Fred gave us a show, throwing himself around with abandonment. I didn't realize it until I saw him in person tonight, but Fred thinks quicker than anyone on the pitch. He has to: he's one of the shortest guys out there and his feet naturally attract the ball. As soon as it's his turn to dribble, there's one, two, three defenders all at his ankles and he needs to make a crucial pass yesterday. I held him in high regard before, but seeing him provide ground service like that redoubled my respect for his ability as a player. A worthy successor of Gomez.
Emilio's strike sent the crowd into raptures. It was so unexpected: all season long he's played the poacher, finding the odd ball in the box and slotting it home easily. This was the first taste of Emilio long distance, and it was very, very sweet. I couldn't see exactly, but Joe Cannon could estimate neither pace nor placement once the ball was struck and the result was such that he got a piece, but not the whole pie. Sweet, sweet pie. And just like that, Emilio is top of the league for goals. Priceless.
Perkins, along with the rest of the squad, was lucky a ball didn't slip 'n' slide its way into the goal to tie the game, but by the same token, Perkins smothered everything he touched. No more the mushy long distance goals struck sweetly in the rain. Club America, never again.
---------------------------
Other notes:
- Landon Donovan has some wicked pace about him.
- I've never seen RFK so packed nor so intense. It was pouring rain but the folks sitting exposed in the lower seats never budged, refusing to forsake their good view of Gilded Nuts.
- I-66 at QuarterVolley dubbed Landon Donovan "The Scampering Hairline." After witnessing him tonight, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard.
- DCU must really be pushing for Moreno to set the record because when he's out there he hogs service and then fails to produce. It's not always like this, but I've noticed that when Moreno is injured, his decision-making is very labored. He just never unleashes the ball, as if it were glued to his feet.
- Dammit, Vanney's better again. McTavish and Boswell were starting to click and Burch was on the verge of capitalizing with his magic left boot. Vanney's recovery will change this, I'm sure.
- DC United, when turned on, has some of the tastiest attacking flair in the league. Flicks and soft touches, deft traps and beautiful service-- these are the stuff of dreams, boys.
Enjoy.
About Beckham, quickly: what he did was very tame (not once did I see him sprint) but he was very lethal. One of his crosses forty yards from the box nearly found three (!) different options, and had Perkins not smothered the ball, the game would have been tied. His service is something no MLS player is used to. Defenses will find it hard to cope.
Glad to see Burch rewarded again, but I was even more excited to see that Simms got the nod over Carroll. It must have been a simple decision: recently Carroll has been underperforming while Simms has been solid. It's good Soehn made the switch, too, because not only does Simms cinch the midfield, he occasionally ends up with the ball at the top of the key and he's dangerously unpredictable there.
Fred started and finished in the hole as Gomez sat out with a 'charley horse.' Fred gave us a show, throwing himself around with abandonment. I didn't realize it until I saw him in person tonight, but Fred thinks quicker than anyone on the pitch. He has to: he's one of the shortest guys out there and his feet naturally attract the ball. As soon as it's his turn to dribble, there's one, two, three defenders all at his ankles and he needs to make a crucial pass yesterday. I held him in high regard before, but seeing him provide ground service like that redoubled my respect for his ability as a player. A worthy successor of Gomez.
Emilio's strike sent the crowd into raptures. It was so unexpected: all season long he's played the poacher, finding the odd ball in the box and slotting it home easily. This was the first taste of Emilio long distance, and it was very, very sweet. I couldn't see exactly, but Joe Cannon could estimate neither pace nor placement once the ball was struck and the result was such that he got a piece, but not the whole pie. Sweet, sweet pie. And just like that, Emilio is top of the league for goals. Priceless.
Perkins, along with the rest of the squad, was lucky a ball didn't slip 'n' slide its way into the goal to tie the game, but by the same token, Perkins smothered everything he touched. No more the mushy long distance goals struck sweetly in the rain. Club America, never again.
---------------------------
Other notes:
- Landon Donovan has some wicked pace about him.
- I've never seen RFK so packed nor so intense. It was pouring rain but the folks sitting exposed in the lower seats never budged, refusing to forsake their good view of Gilded Nuts.
- I-66 at QuarterVolley dubbed Landon Donovan "The Scampering Hairline." After witnessing him tonight, that's the funniest thing I've ever heard.
- DCU must really be pushing for Moreno to set the record because when he's out there he hogs service and then fails to produce. It's not always like this, but I've noticed that when Moreno is injured, his decision-making is very labored. He just never unleashes the ball, as if it were glued to his feet.
- Dammit, Vanney's better again. McTavish and Boswell were starting to click and Burch was on the verge of capitalizing with his magic left boot. Vanney's recovery will change this, I'm sure.
- DC United, when turned on, has some of the tastiest attacking flair in the league. Flicks and soft touches, deft traps and beautiful service-- these are the stuff of dreams, boys.
Enjoy.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Luci's Brace Does The Trick: DCU 3-0 NE Revolution
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. It's not like he's ousting anyone from the left-back position (I'm sure Gros is happy to move up, and judging by the scoreline, so are we), but Marc Burch has made a real name for himself and I don't see him on the bench any time soon. What's more, I think he's poised for a big fat raise at the end of the season because DCU will be fending off big offers by a good many clubs looking for a solid, young left back.
Anyways, this young squad, starting out a 4-3-3, had the best possession in league play I've seen from DCU in weeks. They had vision (Guy Kpene? Clyde Simms? NE had no answer for their long-distance connections) and pace (Rod Dyachenko outpaced just about every member of the Rev's defense; Josh Gros = Khano Smith in my eyes) and an incredible amount of tenacity (McTavish went box to box consistently throughout the game). Arguably the most solid road performance of United's '07 campaign.
The rookies were not without assistance, though: Ben Olsen was everywhere DCU needed him to be and Namoff, though he's still getting back into shape, did just enough to stymie Khano Smith's best efforts. Luci's found his way with the goals again, and I'm hoping this carries over for Thursday's game versus the Beckhamites at home.
Judging by the good performance of the new recruits, Tom Soehn has to feel like his gut was telling him right all along, that these kids have the potential to command a game and that they are in fact solid investments for the future. And I think I would have to agree with Tom Soehn's gut.
---------------------------
Other notes:
- It's painfully obvious that Jaime wasn't ready to play, let alone set the league record for career goals. Take your time, Jaime. We've got you covered.
- Where did Soehn stick Mediate for Namoff? In the back? Why?
- Clyde Simms made an excellent case for some starts in the near future. Carroll, you've been warned.
- Luci now has 12 goals on the season and is tied for first with Eddie Johnson.
- I was very impressed with Dyachenko's performance in Gomez' usual position and this worries me to no end. The team found its best run of form and possession in weeks while Gomez was absent, and furthermore scored all three goals without Jaime on the pitch. I don't think Gomez will be usurped as the team's chief free kicker until Burch scores with his magic left boot, but I do think that Gomez' role as playmaker is under serious scrutiny right now.
- I'll take Comcast's match coverage over ESPN's any day, if only just to hear how cocky Rongen is about his former team.
- Kpene didn't look terribly injured to me and seems to be returning to his old scrappy, resourceful self. I'm hoping this translates into more minutes for him while Jaime recovers.
- If you're thinking that the Revs should have been awarded a penalty for that Olsen-Perkins gaffe, let me be the first to tell you otherwise. There was a serious miscommunication, but the replays make it clear that Perkins was trying to minimize himself and his potential contact with Smith. He didn't splay his arms or slide far at all; Smith, screaming, tried to make the most of a dead situation. In fact, I'll go so far as to say the refereeing was halfway decent this game. But maybe that's pushing it.
- Reis himself proved that Perkins is the better goalkeeper. Pwnt.
- I do think Beckham will play on Thursday, if only for 10-15 minutes. If Gomez puts one in on Joe Cannon while Beckham is on the pitch, I'll laugh until I weep because God had a sublime appreciation of irony.
Enjoy.
Anyways, this young squad, starting out a 4-3-3, had the best possession in league play I've seen from DCU in weeks. They had vision (Guy Kpene? Clyde Simms? NE had no answer for their long-distance connections) and pace (Rod Dyachenko outpaced just about every member of the Rev's defense; Josh Gros = Khano Smith in my eyes) and an incredible amount of tenacity (McTavish went box to box consistently throughout the game). Arguably the most solid road performance of United's '07 campaign.
The rookies were not without assistance, though: Ben Olsen was everywhere DCU needed him to be and Namoff, though he's still getting back into shape, did just enough to stymie Khano Smith's best efforts. Luci's found his way with the goals again, and I'm hoping this carries over for Thursday's game versus the Beckhamites at home.
Judging by the good performance of the new recruits, Tom Soehn has to feel like his gut was telling him right all along, that these kids have the potential to command a game and that they are in fact solid investments for the future. And I think I would have to agree with Tom Soehn's gut.
---------------------------
Other notes:
- It's painfully obvious that Jaime wasn't ready to play, let alone set the league record for career goals. Take your time, Jaime. We've got you covered.
- Where did Soehn stick Mediate for Namoff? In the back? Why?
- Clyde Simms made an excellent case for some starts in the near future. Carroll, you've been warned.
- Luci now has 12 goals on the season and is tied for first with Eddie Johnson.
- I was very impressed with Dyachenko's performance in Gomez' usual position and this worries me to no end. The team found its best run of form and possession in weeks while Gomez was absent, and furthermore scored all three goals without Jaime on the pitch. I don't think Gomez will be usurped as the team's chief free kicker until Burch scores with his magic left boot, but I do think that Gomez' role as playmaker is under serious scrutiny right now.
- I'll take Comcast's match coverage over ESPN's any day, if only just to hear how cocky Rongen is about his former team.
- Kpene didn't look terribly injured to me and seems to be returning to his old scrappy, resourceful self. I'm hoping this translates into more minutes for him while Jaime recovers.
- If you're thinking that the Revs should have been awarded a penalty for that Olsen-Perkins gaffe, let me be the first to tell you otherwise. There was a serious miscommunication, but the replays make it clear that Perkins was trying to minimize himself and his potential contact with Smith. He didn't splay his arms or slide far at all; Smith, screaming, tried to make the most of a dead situation. In fact, I'll go so far as to say the refereeing was halfway decent this game. But maybe that's pushing it.
- Reis himself proved that Perkins is the better goalkeeper. Pwnt.
- I do think Beckham will play on Thursday, if only for 10-15 minutes. If Gomez puts one in on Joe Cannon while Beckham is on the pitch, I'll laugh until I weep because God had a sublime appreciation of irony.
Enjoy.
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