DCU at Pachucha - Casually Running

Try and get in here every 15 minutes...

0' - A sharp looking start from United with the best chance coming after the Pachucha keeper came diving headfirst out of his box. The work between Gallardo-Simms-Neill-Emilio has looked crisp so far - much better than in Kansas City on Saturday.

Some brave tackling from Bash Brother I (Martinez) and a smart header out of the back from Bash Brother II (Peralta). Would love to see Neill get a shot off when he's inside the box instead of trying to lay it back. When we're in an away game like this I think we need to take our chances whenever we get a look.

I think Pachucha so far has looked threatening with their team speed and we could get hurt later with a free kick since we've already given away about 5 inside our half. Will need to do better than that although the home fans are sounding very restless.

Last note so far - the possession for the most part has looked very strong and will be a real key in not exhausting the team later in the game.

15' - Emilio still doesn't quite have that sharpness. Hoping he digs it up soon.

For as much as McTavish played defense last year I think some of that scoring might have gone to his head. Has lost his man once or twice out there watching the ball.

Couple times I think the backs have resorted to a long ball when they don't need to and suddenly United is defending again.

Altogether, not bad - still 0-0 but Fred looks like he's fading a little bit after an active start.

30' - Wells has made two clutch saves although Pachucha has two TERRIBLE misses.

Really bad spell from 30'-35', soft giveaways and the defense aside from Wells came undone a bit.

Gallardo is a tremendous passer. Thor not as much - too many giveaways out of the back.

HALF - Could be worse. Some good sets of possession but there were also some really rugged spots of getting spread out and losing markers on the defensive end. One or two moments could have produced a shot rather than the extra pass but we'll see how United holds up in the second half.

Pachucha rocks the upper V in the 48' - what a hit and Wells didn't have a prayer but its off the bar.

Pachucha gets through on the left side again but this time its Namoff sleeping a bit. United's got to keep it a bit now but already having a difficult time of it.

Bad Fred for a dumb foul at the top of the box... luckily the referee puts it farther back. And its into the wall.

60' - 2/3 of the way there, still 0's.

And Wells' strong night so far takes a big hit. Cheating and beaten at the near stick on a duffed cross. 1-0 Pachucha.

It's getting tough to watch from a United standpoint although a bit of possession kept the pressure off for a few minutes... All one ended right now though. Emilio is stranded and Quaranta is wandering.

Ugh... another chance but another time not pulling the trigger. Fred needs to shoot more often. Good sequence finally.

United will score a lot of goals when they start trusting that Gallardo is regularly going to put the ball in the most dangerous spot.

75' - Hanging tough at 1-0. Really by a thread.

Thank you referee... could probably have been a penalty.

Not McTavish's best day and we pay for it. 2-0. Gonzalo Martinez totally missed his mark and its a free header. United finally pays for all the bad fouls around the box.

Emilio has been TIRELESS... not quite in goalscoring form but the work up top all alone has been vital.

Pretty glad Pachucha gets one called back on an offsides... We escape 2-0. And I should emphasize escape although there were some strong performances. The fitness just isn't quite there.

Fred has some of the best moments. McTavish struggled. The center backs deserved A's until the 2nd goal where Martinez was picking his ass. Not bad but nothing to be smiling about. Another trip to Mexico, another loss. Gonna have to be a good one at RFK next week.

Harbour View Distracted By Nice Grass, United Wins Big

Maybe it was the chilly wind blowing into RFK. Maybe it actually was the sweet looking turf that allowed United to play the possession game it does better than any other team in MLS.

Whatever it may have been, two goals was enough to rip away any hopes Harbour View had of a second round date in the Concacaf Champions Cup. Then United poured on three more to take the game 5-0 (and the round 6-1 on aggregate). More after the break...



The thing that impressed me most about United in its second meaningful game of the young 2008 season was the composure of its defense. The bash brothers (Gonzalo y Gonzalo) in the middle were ruthless while Burch didn't wander as often. Namoff was Namoff.

Fred put in what might have been my favorite performance from him yet. He was tireless on both ends although he could use a reminder that he has a left foot somewhere on his body. His telepathic backheel to Emilio shows that the Brazilian pairing may still be improving although Emilio might have claimed himself a hat trick had he been a little less greedy earlier. (Fred's goal could have been laid off to Emilio looking at an open goal if Emilio hadn't stiffed him on a similar play.)

Oh... And Devon McTavish scored twice. Yea... McTavish. The guy that played center back last year.

All in all things looked very solid for the 65 or so minutes the game can be judged on before Harbour View starting packing their bags while still on the field. I'm going to hold any opinion on Gallardo v Gomez for a while and may not need to ever choose because Gallardo plays so differently.

Props to the whole side... not a bad number out there last night. Bring on Pachucha/Montagua. Here's Fred's (the fifth) goal below.

Quick DCU/Harbour View Preview

The long dark days away from RFK for United's offseason are nearing an end. A late goal leveled things in Jamaica last week, so what should we look for this evening?

The highlight I think will be our first evaluation of how an Emilio/Neil will function over a longer period due since Jaime Moreno remains out with lingering hamstring injury picked up last week.

While I don't expect an enormous crowd, if the Barra/Eagles can get things rocking and make all our newcomers excited to be in front of the hometown support I think we could see some fun attacking soccer.

All in all, what this match really becomes is the first mental litmus test for United. I don't think there are many who would suggest that Harbour View fields a more skilled squad. What this game may boil down to if things stay tight later in the game is whether the new pieces have come together as a unit.

My humble prediction: 3-1 United with the third coming late when Harbour View is pressing.

Quick Note on Champions Cup

Unfortunately I was only able to watch the first half of both the DCU/Chivas and Dynamo/Pachucha matches. Especially upset about missing the second, not so upset about sparing myself the emotional distress of watching the ball slip through Troy Perkins hands. Anyways, one thing that seemed to stand out is how the Mexican squads had very complete teams, while the difference for both MLS teams might have been just one or two weak spots on the field that consistently failed to produce.

For DC, it was Clyde Simms who really disappointed, although he was playing out of position. The ball was given away time after time, and from what I hear they eventually just stopped playing him out wide. That wide position may continue to be a thorn in the side of United depending on the damage done to Gros.

In Houston's case it was the severe lack of pace at right back. Craig Waibel was just not at the level needed for intense international competition against much more skilled and swift attackers. Clumsy challenges were abound - the other man badly missed was obviously Ricardo Clark due to injury.

The level of play between Mexican and MLS teams is obviously drawing closer. The DCU match proved to be a balanced affair, and Houston showed an immeasurable amount of toughness going down two goals before fighting back ahead of the tie several times. It's too bad neither team could produce the moment needed for victory, but if these matches are any indicator, Mexican regional dominance on the club level is waning.

DC United - Chivas 2nd Leg

There's a couple things I'd like to address about tonight's game, which is airing live on Fox Soccer Channel at 9:30 EST. The first thing nagging me is the incessant reminders of DC's heavy loss to Pumas two years ago; this is not the same team. That's all I will say on that subject.

One of the most important things for United over the course of this year will be staying healthy, especially in the back. Tonight we should expect the same starting lineup, I think, as the first leg, barring the introduction of Fred. Washington Post writer Steve Goff, who knows more of the nitty gritty than most of us, suggests that Fred may be used as a sub option.

If he is spot on then this is what DC should look like:

Perkins
Erpen Boswell Namoff
Simms (Fred?) B. Carroll Olsen Gros
Gomez
Emilio Moreno

I think one of the keys to this game will be limiting errors in the back. Any errant passes in the first leg were met with howls from the sizable Chivas crowd and I can only imagine shaky nerves being compounded by a disruptive crowd tonight. Estadio Jalisco is a capacity of just under 60,000 and I wonder how many will be on hand this evening. If it's anything close to that, it must be one of the largest crowds in front of which United has ever played.

As Sideline Views noted the other day, Chivas is not invincible, even to a lesser opponent. Tonight I don't think United will be at a lower level after the opening leg where they at least proved capable of competing without resorting to bunker tactics.

Another interesting question, especially after all this talk of Jaime Moreno being called back into the Bolivian squad for Copa America this summer: Will he show more energy, or any at all, tonight than he did in the first leg where he was a ghost except for one threatening shot?

I think that if United could strike early Chivas might be apt to fall apart in front of a pressure inducing crowd, hungry for victory after losses in 2 of their last 3 league games. I would think their faithful are expecting a strong victory over an MLS squad. One the flip side I think going down early would be disastrous for United. An important factor in avoiding that fate is Omar Bravo's absence due to yellow card accumulation (2). While I don't agree with the restrictive rule, I'm not arguing at this point; Bravo was the one consistent threat in DC utilizing his speed against a particularly medium paced backline.

The collection by tonight's winner is substantial. It assures a spot in Copa Sudamerica and the chance to play into the World Club Championship, not to mention whatever prize money is alloted to the winner. MLS would earn considerable respect with the presence of at least one, and maybe two, in the finals of the regional tournament. Lastly, a win here would add more fuel to the Sperliga this summer. I'll certainly be rooting for Houston tomorrow night as well.

Can Christian Gomez find a way to get more involved while the Chivas midfield hounds him? Will Emilio's goal streak continue? Who is Fred? We'll see tonight; what an evening it would be if United could pull out a win in Guadalajara.

DC United - CD Guadalajara

First things first, I missed the first twenty minutes of the game due to some poor driving conditions and some equally as poor human error. When the three of us arrived and quickly made our way to our seats I thought we were also in the wrong stadium - maybe somewhere in Mexico. The Chivas fans were loud, ridiculing calls and an errant goal kick from Troy Perkins. The weather wasn't getting better as the first half ending fairly quietly at 0-0.
Feeling uncomfortable with United chants in our section, we spotted a couple rows of open seats above the Barra Brava. Some decent play from both sides, with Bravo's speed becoming more apparent a problem for DC's defense. Chivas eventually brokethrough with some slack passing on United's right side leading to a break, and after a nice ball across, Bravo only had to put the ball towards the goal before the backtracking Namoff slid the ball past already diving Perkins.
I have never heard RFK louder than it was on that goal and I was fairly sure the goal and crowd's reaction would be backbreaking. But United labored on, with renewed energy from Benny Olsen creating a few sparks. DeRoux was subbed in on the left, moving Gros to the other side and speey Jamil Walker came on for a ghostlike Jaime Moreno. DeRoux was miserable with the exception of one notable run past some defenders, giving the ball away more than his teammates would have liked.
While Olsen should have equalised in the 84th minute, he tried to make amends, tracking down a ball in the corner and forcing a bad foul from Chivas. Gomez's free kick found an open Emilio who casually buried the header and sprinted toward his DC supporters in elation, showing more passion than you would expect from a player in his 3rd game for the club.

Surely we'll love to have this guy around for years to come. I'll be back to talk about the second leg more as the time gets closer.

DC United Wins Champions Cup Tie

As much fun as it was watching United rack up goals via ever impressive Christian Gomez and new stud Emilio who no doubt is going to be the next South America star to shine for United, there are still questions to be asked, especially before a match up that has even more ramifications for an MLS team in proving its place in local international competition. The game against CD Guadalajara poses a moment for one of the MLS flagship franchises to show its ability - a more than capable one - of competing with a storied Mexican club.
From my point of view, the defense needs to be tightened up - it looks like a leaky ship that could turn into a full scale disaster against a team more capable on the finishing end. While Erpen can be an asset going forward, he scares the bejesus out of me sometimes on the defensive end. But on that note, what about the slide tackle from Namoff that looked straight out of a game of Fifa between me and my roommates when one of us gets upset - granted the reaction could go up for an Oscar, but wouldn't most good players go down when they're assured a gift?
While I love Jaime Moreno and think he is a valuable player, he looks to be playing at a painfully slow pace sometimes. Maybe something will come of this forward United is giving a trial with.
Moving on to the game against Chivas in two weeks - I know the weather was bad, and I'm not one to start a tirade about too few fans because I was stuck at school, but it would be great to see a little more support at RFK for these fans. I'll be at the Chivas game and hope that with the added weeks and maybe some sunshine we could get a good crowd out there, because if not I have a notion the game is going to turn into two home games for Chivas.
Go get your tickets.