August 10, 2007
Emilio's Blast Propels United Over Galaxy, 1-0
The 46,686 spectators that packed into RFK stadium got their money's worth last night. The United faithful saw a dominating performance that vaulted their team into second place in the Eastern Conference of MLS. Those hoping to see soccer star and global icon David Beckham also left pleased: LA's five million dollar man played the final 20 minutes, making his Major League Soccer debut.
Though United's finishing was spotty, they enjoyed the great majority of chances throughout the game and had little trouble maintaining possession. Despite the hoopla surrounding the game, United's players remained commendably focused, especially in the early minutes. This led to several chances, among them an eight yard volley that Ben Olsen sent narrowly over the cross bar and a Luciano Emilio header off of a corner kick that also sailed just high of goal.
Emilio would atone for his lost opportunity in the 27th minute. After enjoying a nice run of possession, United found the back of the net thanks to a fantastic strike. Converted defender Mark Burch found Emilio about 30 yards from net on the left side of the field. Emilio ran towards the center of the field and tested GK Joe Cannon with his powerful right foot. Cannon, playing a few yards off his line, was able to get a hand on Emilio's shot but could not prevent the goal.
Photos by Kyle Gustafson
After the game, Emilio would confess that the team's game plan involved taking shots at any and all opportunities, a strategy that did the trick for United. Jaime Moreno started the second half in place of Guy Kpene, but was unable to claim his record-breaking 109th goal. He used his craftiness and skill on the ball effectively, but of his two clear chances, one was skied and the other stopped by a superb reaction save from Cannon.
During the 37th minute Beckham started jogging along the sideline, the first indication that he would eventually make an appearance. Though this elicited cheers, they paled in comparison to his entry in minute 72; the screams of crowd filled RFK with such fervor that the PA announcer's voice was inaudible.
Though Beckham made a positive impact, sending a couple of balls into the box and making intelligent passes, he was unable to bestow finishing ability upon Edson Buddle, Carlos Pavon, or Landon Donovan, all of whom missed second-half chances.
Despite the Galaxy's wasted opportunities, the result was still fair for United, who saw just as many go by the wayside. United also played the final 35 minutes with a man advantage; Kyle Martino received a direct red card for a nasty tackle from behind that drove into Fred's ankle.
The two teams will meet again on Wednesday in the Superliga semifinal at the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. Should United pull out the victory, it will be safe to say that the club's July doldrums are well behind them.
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Nobody cares about soccer except sissy Europeans and sissy European wannabes. You hate America watching this crap.
There is only one way to make soccer watchable and that is to have it played by nude women.
David Beckham is pretty cute, I have to admit. But he's scrawny!
great game for united! i had a blast watching it and enjoyed seeing a huge crowd out there for the beckham love fest. if only we can get crowds half that size out to rfk on a regular basis. soccer's an amazing sport people, and we have a great team here in dc. come on out and show the love!! oh yeah, and god bless america...and no one else :)
did anyone else notice his comment at the press conference.... he said.... "When I came to the Galaxy...." Just thought it was just funny sounding...
I couldn't believe how loud RFK was last night when Beckham took the pitch. That was just ridonkulous. It was certainly easy to see how much of a difference he made with just a a few long, on-target passes.
So cool to see the place packed out, cheering for United and showing all the people watching on ESPN how great the soccer fans are here in DC.
What a night!
Does anybody else think that Beckham looks vaguely white trash? I don't get why he's such a heartthrob.
I loved the dumb girl on the news this morning. "DAVID BECKHAM IS MY NUMBER ONE FAN!! I MEAN, HE'S MY... NUMBER ONE!!!!"
I thought it was a fantastic atmosphere, and a fun game. Great to see RFK so packed and noisy.
So cool to see the place packed out, cheering for United and showing all the people watching on ESPN how great the soccer fans are here in DC.
I enjoyed hearing the ESPN commentators praise the Screaming Eagles section every now and then. They seemed to enjoy the fans.
LA Galaxy looks awful. What has happened to Landon Donovan? I wonder if he thinks about playing in Europe. Are there any teams in Europe that would even take him? He needs a change of scenery. On another note, Fred is turning into a great all MLS player. Not a single player on LA could contain him.
Have any of you been to a soccer game before? Fred had a string of several horrible passes right to the other team.
I thought that United did a great job throughout the night on Donovan. As he roams all over the field, the entire team was responsible for marking him. They denied him service when they could, and made physical challenges when he was on the ball.
An interesting subplot to the game was United's physical play. There was a lot of jersey tugging and bumping -- the very same tactics that teams often use to disrupt the timing of United's attack.
#6 - Nah, she was right in a way. She probably paid $80 for a sniy new Beckham shirt, and is therefore contributing to his already bloated coffers as it is. I'd be a fan of anyone paying to wear my name across their back.
Still, I was there last night in La Norte, and we shitcanned Beckham for his contrived second-half delayed entrance back onto the field. Way to run through a media tunnel while your club's getting their asses kicked up and down RFK, dickweed. Great result for United.
What a fantastic game last night. And so much fun to be there. It's really too bad that we don't get crowds like that for every game. I thought United did pretty well last night, but as one of the fans who went up for the New England game over the weekend, I was a little disappointed -- they were not as solid as they had been on Sunday. Still, I'll take a one-nil victory over LA any day, and it's nice to have Emilio back. As for the fans who think that soccer is boring, I can assure you that if you know the game (and though I'm not great, I've played consistently since I was seven) it's not. And trust me, there is NOTHING more boring than a baseball game. Even live.
"Have any of you been to a soccer game before? Fred had a string of several horrible passes right to the other team."
Fred did have some horrible passes, but he also had some great one-on-one moments where he totally outplayed a challenging player. Popping the ball between an opponent's legs and then hopping over him and continuing the run? Pretty nice to see.
It was a great game, and it was great to be in a stadium that was packed full of active fans. I really hope some of those newcomers come back, because the extra energy in the stadium really improved the experience.
Sybersus -- I liked your post until the last line. The whole "haters ain't shit" attitude won't help bring new fans to anything, be it soccer, baseball, curling, whatever. People are interested in different things, and just because some people aren't interested in soccer doesn't mean they don't get it, and just because some people are interested in baseball doesn't mean they're vacuous.
I was a bit disappointed in the DC United "fans" last night. Well, let me rephrase that, the true DC United fans were great as always, but the 20,000 or so non-fans that showed up were a joke. Cheering Beckham when he took the field was a total disgrace. Beckham should have heard a rain of boos more severe than the actual rain when he stepped on the field.
There are very few circumstances in sports in which is is apporpriate for home fans to cheer for a visiting player (for example if the player breaks a record, had a great career in the home city before switching team, or gets up after being hurt). None of those applied last night.
I'm still not all that sure what is so great about the guy. He was good once, but certainly no Pele, and now he is washed up, cut from his own rather weak national team (reinstated, I know) and here in the US to try and prop up his wife's career as a professional celebrity. The guy is a joke and should be treated as such by real fans of DC United. He cares so little for his teammates that he didn't even make one of their roadtrips because of his supposed ankle injury.
Again, the true fans on the lower level were great. I loved the giant banner that read "We sing better than your wife." But the wannabes in the upper deck were an insult.
Who is this Beckman that you speak of?
And, what, exactly, is his significance?
Cheering Beckham when he took the field was a total disgrace. Beckham should have heard a rain of boos more severe than the actual rain when he stepped on the field.
I understand where you're coming from, but at the same time I see the cheering as a sign that Beckham may be able to do what MLS is asking of him: bring in new fans, get people excited about soccer in the US. That can't be a bad thing in the long run.
MikeB
A washed up ex-star whose real claim to fame to Americans is that he's married to a fucking SPICE GIRL... that's going to endear Americans to soccer?
Sad, man. Sad.
Poster #16...thank you for providing everyone with the rules on when it is "appropriate" to cheer while being entertained. To be insulted over such an innocuous act is extremely sensitive.
DCfist, I didn't say it was ideal (not like Pele was in his prime either when he played in the US). But clearly his star power -- wherever it's derived from -- is drawing people to the games. I never would have thought that RFK Stadium or Gillette Stadium (New England Revolution) would ever sell out for a regular season soccer game. But they did. So if a few new people are able to learn a bit more about the game and become fans, I'm fine with that.
//And trust me, there is NOTHING more boring than a baseball game. Even live.//
*Sigh* Sybersus-have you ever actually been to a live major league baseball game or are you just talking out of your ass? I'm guessing the latter.