United Start Defense of Open Cup with 2-0 Win
The U.S. Open Cup is one of those tricky tournaments for a coach to figure. Great history, nice tradition, and anyone who supports professional soccer in this country has to pull for this tournament—which, at its best, could pit aging, part-timer amateur teams against the likes of David Beckham in a rinky-dink stadium just about anywhere—to continue to grow in prestige and prominence. It's a goal that requires clubs to take it seriously, which means sending out quality teams and, you know, actually caring. DC United's Open Cup title last year didn't exactly make up for an otherwise poor season, but it did give die-hards and players a chance to enjoy one of soccer's most satisfying moments: the lifting of the cup in front of the home fans.
But with a bruised and battered team battling for every point they've picked up this season, Coach Tom Soehn had to sit the regulars; there was no choice. Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno, Ben Olsen, Louis Crayton, and Clyde Simms all found themselves on the bench, while midfielder Brandon Barklage and goalkeeper Milos Kocic made their DCU debuts for the club in the starting 11. FC Dallas fielded a similarly weakened squad, with star striker Kenny Cooper staring out on the bench. And of the two below-strength teams, DC's was far, far superior.
Honestly, the 2-0 scoreline suggests it was closer than it was. Save a few minutes of panic in each half (now officially required twice per 90 minutes from any DCU backline), United pushed the ball around with ease, youngsters Andrew Jacobson and Barklage flying around midfield while Chris Pontius and Santino Quaranta proved an exciting tandem up top. Fred opened the scoring in the 21st minute, capping a wonderful counter-attack that broke quickly via a give-and-go between Quaranta and Pontius before the latter laid a delicate through ball behind the defense. Of course, this should've completed a hat trick for the Brazilian, who was moving into dangerous positions, then contriving to miss simple opportunities.
The second half opened up with United again in charge. Jacobson and Barklage each tried their luck from distance, narrowly missing, and a few minutes later, Fred snaked his way through the penalty area to cut back for Quaranta, but the shot was soft and right at Dallas keeper Ray Burse. Burse then came up with two more huge saves, first pushing Burch's 30-yard free kick wide before somehow tipping Khumalo's header over the bar. At this point, you began to realize that the slim lead could be erased in a second by Kenny Cooper, now warming up on the Dallas bench. Yet just a few minutes before Cooper could get in the game, Quaranta settled a nice long ball and laid it off to a charging Barklage, who drove a low, crisp shot just inside Burse's near post.
The final 20 minutes almost ticked off without incident. With just five remaining, the previously composed Greg Janicki handled the ball in the box with literally no one anywhere close to him, giving Cooper a chance to cut the lead in half from the penalty spot. His shot fooled Kocic (who, when actually called upon, looked very much like a rookie goalkeeper) but hit the post. Cooper put the rebound in the net, but the goal was disallowed because he had touched the ball twice consecutively. So it ended 2-0 to the home side, a good victory from a young, young team who demonstrated that there may be some class waiting in the wings just behind the club's aging front line of stars.