United Taste Victory
It took D.C. United over four hundred minutes to claim their first lead of the 2007 MLS season. After nurturing it, bolstering it, and holding off Chivas USA's desperate final attacks, they parlayed it into their first victory of the season.
Before 14,267 at RFK Stadium yesterday afternoon, United built on Thursday's draw and used a spirited performance to secure a 2-1 victory, bringing their record to 1-3-1. Due to player fatigue (three matches in a week) and strategical concerns, United coach Tom Soehn shook up the lineup yet again.
Structurally, D.C. featured a 4-3-1-2 formation. Jaime Moreno and Guy Kpene replaced Thursday's striking tandem of Nicholas Addlery and Luciano Emilio, while Brian Carroll reclaimed his starting spot at the defensive midfield. Justin Moose replaced the injured Fred (groin) on the right wing, giving United a more open look on the flank than the centrally-minded Brazilian.
The personnel changes proved fruitful for United, as they shook off a slow start and began building momentum. As United started looking to the wings more and changing fields, they were met with more and more success. Moose played his most dynamic game to date, aggressively pushing forward and hustling back to help on defense. On both ends, his performance was uneven; missed tackles were offset by crucial stops, while great positioning and ball control on the attack were offset by poor shot accuracy. Though Yinka Casal replaced him in the second half, we found it difficult to question his passion and commitment.
Photos by Kyle Gustafson. See the entire match photo gallery here.
Instead of letting the halftime break sap away their focus, as they did against New England, United were able to continue to build upon their first half momentum, again by using the wings. Just three minutes into the second half, United earned a corner deep in Chivas territory. Ben Olsen launched the throw into the box to Kpene. As Olsen's mark closed in on the Ivorian, he sent the ball back toward the bearded one. Olsen was able to whip a service into the box, which Kpene flicked cleverly over to Christian Gomez. One-timing the ball, Gomez used a scissoring volley to give United their first lead of the season. The play highlighted two qualities that Kpene demonstrated all game: the ability to maneuver and distribute intelligently in traffic, and a keen proficiency at flicking the ball.
Flank play was also the catalyst for United's second goal. 64 minutes in, United changed fields to find a wide-open Josh Gros. He pushed forward into the vacant left side of the midfield. After waiting for his teammates to get into position, he led Casal with a through ball into the box. Casal was clipped on his way into the box and United received a penalty kick for the second consecutive game. Moreno, automatic from the spot, added a bit of flair to his MLS record 31st PK goal. After seeing Chivas GK Brad Guzan pacing the goal mouth like a caged tiger, he simply chipped the ball straight ahead. Guzan was already getting up from his dive as he watched the ball dip into the back of the net.
At this point United committed themselves a bit more defensively while still trying to maintain offensive possession. Play got more chippy, as the referee added five names to the three he had already booked (the eight total cautions were equally distributed between the two teams). The pace of the game became more frantic, and United's defense was exposed a few times before Chivas got a goal back when Maykel Galindo ran across the endline, beating a tired Gros to fire in a shot from point blank range in the 73rd minute.
Chivas tested United for the remainder of the game, but the Black-and-Red held strong, thanks in large part to superb play from Troy Perkins. The GK had eight saves on the night, including stops on point-blank headers, scorching free kicks, and break-away blasts. He also patrolled his box adroitly, coming out to intercept corners and long balls with confidence and skill.
After four minutes of stoppage time the referee's whistle sounded and a thunderous ovation erupted from the stadium. United turned to duly acknowledge a crowd that remained vocal and exuberant for most of the game's 94 minutes.
United will have two weeks to let the effects of their first win sink in before heading north to face Alecko Eskandarian and the goalless Toronto FC. Regardless of that game's outcome, with yesterday's victory United appear to have acquired the passion needed to overcome their bad start and begin the path to a successful season.