The Lonely Man is the Bitterest

And we will be John Cusack in High Fidelity bitter around these parts if those donkeys up in Revolution-land get a stadium sorted out before United do.

Given that this does make my 100th post, however scattered, short or lacking substance they may be, we can't have all things bitter. So come on United against the Fire in the Open Cup tonight.

I can haz radio broadcast?




Or a helicopter to make it from Arlington to the Soccerplex by gametime?

Quick DCU/Columbus Preview

Very quickly - DCU has looked good at times. Columbus has looked solid in the front, a little messy in the back... like Etcheverry's mullet.

I would imagine I'm with almost everyone in DCU fandom that expects a hard working, attack minded recovery from the game away at Salt Lake last weekend where we were thoroughly embarassed (again).

It's going to be a beautiful night out for some footie and I expect the crowd will be nice even though its a weekday. Looking for a goal from Fred (I think he shoots the ball) and one from the big man Peralta... and maybe best case a bonus goal from Quaranta since he's been so dedicated to pleasing the home fans in order to get back in good graces.

I think we give one up to Schelleto's brilliance... but end 3-1 DC and get this train back on track. Will try and snap a few pictures and possibly attempt this Twitter from the game. Vamos United!

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.

DC United at Harbour View - Champions Cup - 2 Days Late

DC United headed to Jamaica for the first leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup first round tie against Harbour View with a revamped squad from last year (only 3 holdovers in the starting line up from last years Champs. Cup tie against Olimpia I believe) and left with a rather anti-climactic result.

A 1-1 away draw in the team's first meaningful game of 2008 is nothing of concern. It would have been nice to head out to RFK on Tuesday night with the tie sealed up but the game deteriorating into sloppy work on a patchy field was no surprise.

Some good -

The Gonzalos = The Bash Brothers
Gallardo = A fine talent, we'll see about his heart as the season grows.
Simms - He'll need to be as steady day in and day out for us to succeed as we expect.

Some bad -

Jaime Moreno = Frail
Emilio = Who? Absolutely anonymous game.
The wide play = Disappointing that one of United's biggest shortcomings last season showed no sign of improvement.

Prognosis - Let's get on with it at RFK... See you in Lot 8.

So It Begins - If Ben Olsen Is Psyched, So Are We

Quick DCU countdown:

12 days until the first competitive match - Away at Harbour View
18 days until we arrive in RFK's Lot 8 for the first time in 2008 - 2nd Leg Harbour View
29 days until MLS opening day - Away at KC
37 days until "Our House" opens (sans Nationals) - Home opener against Toronto

Just a bit more after the jump... But first, remember this guy?



Steinberg got as all psyched with a day full of United posts at the Sports Bog that really concluded with this gem from Ben Olsen: "We are kind of thug bone, aren't we?"

Check out the full run of posts to get acquainted with some of the new names, tattoos, and fashions that come with what amounted to an offseason roster overhaul.

World Class - Even If He's a Little Old

This is exciting stuff for DC United fans after an offseason that was looking dull and a little bit grim as far as the balance between player losses (Perkins, Boswell), potential player losses (Moreno, Gomez, Vanney) and gains (?). A sudden influx of South Americans, capped by Marcelo Gallardo, has begun rounding out a squad that at least on paper may be nearing an improvement over those in the past.

Read here for Gallardo's credentials

The End (Until the Concacaf Champions' Cup)

This was the first season that I've really followed DC United from start - watching them beat CD Olimpia away on FSC in Ithaca during my last months of college - to finish - looking through my fingers in my broken seat at RFK as the referee ended United's season.

From the regular season home start against Kansas City I think most of us realized that the central defense was always going to be the make or break factor this year. Trading Erpen for Vanney was like putting a not very stick band aid on a broken finger. For a while it worked and United ran off a string of shutouts during their all important run during the middle of the season where they sealed up the Supporter's Shield.

Then the wheels fell off - anyone who watched the regular season finale against Columbus got a glimpse of the end really. Unsure defending and not quite enough firepower in some tired legs.

Some memorable moments:

Emilio scoring the equalizer at home in the shitting rain against CD Guadalajara finally silencing the "Chivas!" chants after more than 90 minutes.

Everything ounce of energy Benny "The Beard" Olsen left on the field giving us one of the best seasons of his career.

A sold out RFK to see United take down the Beckham train on its first trip from the station.

The entire lower bowl (not just the loud side) on its feet for what turned out to be the last 15 minutes of United's season.

Until next year... when we'll hopefully have a deal for a new stadium (in the district?), a designated player (Veron??) and more of the highest expectations.

Sir Beckham Visits DC

Many things have already been said about the United game against the LA Galaxy on Thursday night, somethings that I would have added. The traffic was ugly, the crowd was fantastic at responding to the game as the DCenters noted, and seeing Beckham for me was an added bonus to seeing United get their second win and more importantly continue their positive game when last year they began to fade around this time.

An added benefit to everything was that the game was such an event I was even given a slightly early pass out of work for the day. Brian and I rode down with some friends and met big G down in the Lot 8 circus for a quick bite before gametime.

Five minutes into the game United should have been up a goal when Ben Olsen blazed a volley over from inside the box. What a start that would have been as the stands were still filling in. What a sight RFK is when it's filled to the brim for a soccer game in a light rain and the supporter groups in full voice.

The atmosphere must have driven both sides at the outset as they started fluid and open before getting into a rhythm. Although Fred made some bad giveaways he also looked more comfortable in the center of the park. The knock he took that saw Kyle Martino off the pitch with a red card was credit to how frustrating Fred became to defend.

Most of the commentary has been covered but the place erupted when Emilio's bomb slipped past the hands of Joe Cannon, who I thought probably should have pushed the ball wide. Instead, my beer ended up mostly on my shorts with high fives flying around and the decibel level ratcheted up.

If you wait you can see the TV star and the real star of the night Luciano Emilio. Can't help but love how much joy he gets from scoring. I hope he keeps enjoying himself.



When Beckham stepped on the field for what now will be remembered as the historic moment he began his MLS career, I thought the crowd responded appropriately with a mix of surreal screams that Beckham finally suited up and a realistic set of boos that a gamechanging player just walked onto the field for the opposition.

The game ended with a flurry of chances for both sides; most of them were squandered by poor finishing that showed through on Beckham's frustrated face.

The thing that surprised me most was some that some of the players on my men's league team who we watched the game with and are true soccer lovers had never been to a United game. They all seemed to have a great time, suffering as much as the rest of us when United missed a chance and occasionally getting caught up in some of the songs. Here's to hoping that they come back even when Becks isn't in town.

Belated DCU Superliga Review - Or Perhaps It's a Supremely Punctual Club America Preview

So here's the deal about being a DC United fan - winning is the expected standard, even against the highest competition. That is not to say that Monarcas was of the highest competition because they were obviously in preseason physical condition that was blatantly evident by the late stages where 8 or 9 players packed behind the ball and pushed out at snails pace after a clearance. All of that makes the blown lead, playing with a man up, ending with a tie even more bitter.

The game for United was often promising and a poorly set wall led to Gomez's wicked free kick and another early lead for United. While Dyachenko at times seemed about as useful as a stoned elephant, his pass to Emilio was surely a second if not for a misplaced bit of sod covering the National's infield. Instead United heads into the half up a goal instead of two but looking the stronger side.

Quick interjection of some positives before I get to lamenting - Marc Burch looks excellent at left back. He's big, strong and is serving some heat seeking cross field balls. Fred seems to have found his legs consistently and I can only hope Tommy Soehn convinces him to take defenders on more in the final third. Despite the miss, Emilio is still so sweet, holding the ball up and showing some truly brilliant moments on the ball.

Now, bad news time. Despite my compliments of Marc Burch, the back line still looks painfully haphazard at times especially against players with speed. The goal was an unstoppable hit, but the guy on the left who served the ball over had time to check the wind and tee up a perfect ball. Maybe some pressure inside the defensive half is in order.

Props for the goal though - I had a perfect view with my brother and friend from just above the Screaming Eagles section to watch that thing tail back into the top corner with Perkins clasping air.

There were just so many moments of disappointment to go along with the blown lead. Benny didn't look like himself out there making some poor crosses and almost knocking himself in the face with a bad touch. There were bad giveaways and Boswell wasted a chance to put the ball in the mixer, instead choosing to loft a header towards goal from 18 that the keeper took down with his chest.

I was sure the game was all over when the whole scrum happened when hunk Boswell decided the drill the Monarcas player. Instead United plodded along with a painfully ineffective attack against a team that was willing to sit back and play defense and who has a good goalkeeper to back it up. Then came a counter attack with a world class goal and the win never seemed possible afterwards.

The task on Sunday should be even greater against a more in form team who also now has the taste of defeat in their mouth. I hope that United can pull it together and get a win at Estadio RFK so we don't leave a knockout round appearance up to a game against Houston who seems to improve every game.

DC - Colorado 6/28

I'll just make this brief. I was glad to see United recover from what could have been a dagger off Jacob Peterson's head. The backline was obviously fragile and consistently produced poor distribution. That the early goal proved not to unravel the team that also lost starting forward in the earlygoing was comforting and inspiring to a fan.

After the debacle in Utah there was no doubt a despairing emotion after seeing United fall behind again. Then there was the fortuitous penalty call that many people couldn't see without a replay but referee Alex Prus got just right. Good - Gomez buries the penalty. Bad - Nicholas Addlery doesn't bury the shot just before from the penalty spot in the run of play, something that will be critical down the road in the playoffs.

There has been a sometimes not so quiet murmuring that Clavijo is on a short rope as the Rapids head coach. After watching this game I'd have to be a supporting voice in hurrying his departure. The city of Denver (or at least a near suburb) just sprung for a new stadium. Their team is on a four game skid. Coach pulls the squad's defensive stopper out of a midfield against a DC team whose strength continues to be distribution from Gomez right up the pipe. As soon as I saw that sub I knew United's chances were just bumped up to bring home three points and it only took a couple seconds for Addlery to battle home a header.

Glad to see United get back on track after a miserable effort against Salt Lake the game before. Moose looked tireless in his effort, maybe he's learned something valuable just by watching Ben Olsen pour his guts out every game even if Moose doesn't have the finer skill set quite yet. That said, his Gomez imitation scoop pass over the backline should have earned him a point if Emilio could, and should have, slotted the ball home.

Fred gets on the board finally and Emilio keeps on producing even though he could have put the game at leisure before the lightning. Good result and not a bad game given the haphazardly produced back four.

Opening Day for MLS - United at Rapids

Several nice storylines for this game. Obviously being the season opener for the entire league is an exciting backdrop - on top of that is the first match being played at brand spankin' new Dick's Sporting Goods Park.



The stadium is a beauty - imagine something similar in DC and what a difference it would make in the gameday atmosphere. A little bit of jealousy is setting in seeing other MLS cities and their soccer specific homes. So today should be a beautiful spring day for the opening kick off - a high in the low 30's with snow flurries. Oh the Brazilians must be loving life.

Just about an hour before gametime and I'm watching the end of the Man U/Portsmouth match as an appetizer. With a few minutes left it looks like Chelsea could be giving a hearty thank you to Portsmouth in a couple weeks. Oops - now they'll be thanking Rio Ferdinand who just made a fine pass past Van der Sar into his own net.

For those interested, here is a link to a nice summation of what happened in the offseason and what to look for this season from Soccer America.

More on the DCU match when its time. My predictions for today's games:

DC 2 Colo 1
Dallas 2 Salt Lake 2
Red Bull 0 Crew 0
Chicago 1 New England 0
Toronto 1 Chivas 3
Galaxy 2 Houston 0

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.

My Middle Name is Danger

Or at least that's what one member of the Mexican media in Guadalajara has dubbed Christian Gomez, giving him the nickname peligro. Or I suppose here's the Spanish version if you're so inclined.

It's good to see some international recognition of MLS MVP's quality, for example:



Does DC have a chance next week in Guadalajara? According to the game report, they played a very good warm up match against the Tecos reserves, winning 3-0 with goals from Gomez, newcomer Casal, and of course the goal monster Emilio. Really, how many will he rack up this year?

I think if United play the game they're capable of, not the disjointed performance we saw at RFK, then they are very much in this tie, and perhaps we could see a little MLS vs. MLS in the Concacaf final.

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.