Go Home Already: Shouts and Murmurs
Man Stops Traffic at 17th and K to Demand $200 Million
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
Anyone that follows European football knows that trash talk as seen through the pages of the attention-seeking press is simply part and parcel of the game. Usually, though, claims like, "Rooney: Toffees can gimme hell," "Walcott: Teams are running scared of us," or "SUPER CALEY GO BALLISTIC, CELTIC ARE ATROCIOUS" are simply the media convenient disregard of context in favor of dry sensationalism. On the other hand, the American game, still comparatively in its infancy, has not quite experienced such abortions of media -- of course, us reporters don't have to do much when assistant coaches around the league are spewing out things like this:
DC keeper Louis Crayton is poor and New England would be well advised to test him as often as possible...DC United really only has one or two players that would start for the Revolution, which is sometimes how I judge a team...Gomez seems to be unable to free himself from close marking and it is clearly affecting his side's game....Oh, and I figured out what Fred does during a match. He kicks people. That is it. Really....DC United, lacking in quality on the pitch, will try to stifle and slow down the Revolution by any means.
That, spewed from the mind of Houston goalkeepers coach Tim Hanley, can't be decontextualized -- he just thinks United stinks. (Though it could just be amnesia: Mr. Hanley probably just forgot about his side's 1-0 loss to the Black-and-Red just 13 days ago.)
"Lacking in quality?" Well, thanks for trying, Mr. Hanley. Despite your assessment, D.C. thoroughly outplayed New England, and a display of sheer guts and tenacity from Ben Olsen overcame the club's poor luck to earn United a point with a 1-1 draw with the Revolution yesterday evening.
United fielded what is likely their choice XI: Jaime Moreno returned to the fray after his red card-forced suspension last week at Real Salt Lake; Olsen also returned after missing the 2-1 loss in Utah. While United boasted a rare clean bill of health, New England was dealing with a multitude of injuries, including striker Taylor Twellman, who scored twice against United last season.
United's verve certainly showed on both fronts. With Moreno and Olsen in the lineup, the home side bossed the field throughout the game, earning a 20-4 advantage in shots. But a few fine saves from keeper Brad Knighton, combined with some rough finishing, kept New England in the thick of things. Coach Tom Soehn later admitted that the team was "disappointed that [they] didn't take the three points" -- but while the bottom line might not have been what they were hoping for against the Eastern Conference-leading Revs, there was plenty to be pleased about for the Black-and-Red.
Olsen tested Rev keeper Brad Knighton right away, his neon green boots almost catching him off his line during United's first spell of possession. Slowly but surely, the United machine got rolling. The team had a certain confidence that they were lacking in Salt Lake. A bundle of confidence, Chris Pontius found some space and ripped a shot that went wide left in the 12th. Some champagne football then led to the best chance of the young match, as a perfectly played triangle between Moreno, Wallace, and Pontius led to a cross across Knighton's box, just out of the reach of Pontius' outstretched leg.
RFK's pitch had been watered heavily during the pre-game, and it almost bore fruit in the 22nd: Olsen again tested Knighton's reach, his lofted strike from 25 yards forcing the Richmond, Virginia native to stretch to his limit and hold his composure upon a very slippery patch of grass. The Revs allowed United plenty of space in the advanced midfield -- United players could seemingly pick and choose strikes from distance. On the other end, though, New England's movement was limited to middling runs, often leaving the ball handler with no options -- their best chance of the first half was an obvious handball in the 28th, which United defender Bryan Namoff somehow got away with.
A scoreless first half certainly flattered New England, who still haven't scored a goal all season in the first half -- D.C. was clearly the better side and really should have been at least one, if not two, up. But the home side left the door open.
Soehn looked to push more players forward out of the halftime break with the insertion of Santino Quaranta, but due to a "miscommunication," Soehn was forced to take off Marc Burch as well as defensive midfielder Clyde Simms. This put the team into the awkward position of moving rookie midfielder Rodney Wallace (who had played well moving forward in the first half) to right back. Wallace performed admirably, but it was little surprise that the ensuing confusion on the right led to trouble. After a questionable spot on the throw-in -- Crayton had booted the ball out of play well towards the halfway line, but the throw was taken almost in line with the penalty box -- and a nice interplay from winger Wells Thompson and captain Steve Ralston, Shalrie Joseph awkwardly headed past a scrambling Louis Crayton. The Revs had an undeserved lead.
United had a plenty of chances to equalize over the next phase of the match: shortly after the goal, Gomez made a mess of a low cross from Olsen, still managing somehow to feed Pontius. But after a nice turn, the UC-Santa Barbara man's shot went high. Moreno should have equalized shortly after after he was left unmarked, streaking into the penalty box -- but his drive, strong but straight, was blocked away by Knighton. Pontius, left utterly alone, lost his composure and boomed his shot over the net. Later, a stumble by Knighton was almost pounced on by Emilio.
As the game entered the final twenty minutes, United's frustration started to mount. Their passing bacame sloppier. Holes started to open up in their back line. Players began to look tired, stretching on every whistle. But that all changed in the 74th, when, upon chasing down a ball deep in the corner, Thompson -- a smug smile on his face the whole way -- shoved the mustard out of Olsen. Both men were carded, but Olsen looked a man possessed. The side was reivigorated, and somehow, you knew that this team was going to score.
Taking the cue from their veteran leader, United scraped, fought, and clawed their way to stoppage time and a free kick from Moreno. The kick, placed perfectly at the far post so to loft over the paws of the vaccum-like Knighton, struck the head of Olsen, and United -- in a game that unluckily got away from them -- had the sweetest kind of tie there is. The crowd of 14,441 erupted in a collective cry of joy and relief: a goal ninety minutes in the making had finally arrived.
After such a display of heart in a nationally televised game, all doubters may want to reconsider their vitriolic sour grapes.
United's next match is Wednesday, where they'll be in action at RFK against FC Dallas -- their first chance to defend their 2008 U.S. Open Cup title.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
I agree that United showed great pluck in the comeback, but there's only so many times we can insist that the draw would've been win with a little luck. After a while, the team needs to start asking itself why it isn't finishing chances. Chris Pontius was all over the ball but shrunk from the moment in front of goal. Gomez wasn't properly distributing on counter attacks. United can control the game and move the ball on offense as well as any team in the league, but I'm worried they won't figure out how to score.
I think the answer, Big Mike, is that this is not an elite MLS team right now. It's also a team that prefers a vastly different style than most of the league. They love to possess, to play attractively, and we as DC fans have come to expect that. Rightfully so -- ours is one of the few clubs in the league where we can genuinely expect the ball to be on the ground, passed to feet, for most of the time United is in possession. I personally see the league moving to teams that have 4 water-carriers, to quote the popular if somewhat derogatory phrase, in midfield with one genuine playmaker. They run hard and counter attack well. The move back for Gomez has to be one of the more curious ones in the franchise -- if not the league's history -- but he did have a wonderful run his last time year, so I think Soehn deserves a month or two to work things out with this team. When (if?) he starts scoring and really getting forward again, I think things will open up.
Well played incorporating that classic post-Inverness/Celtic upset headline.