Results tagged “christiangomez>”

              

Okay, let's just get this out of the way up top: San Juan Jabloteh features a player named Elton John. It's kind of difficult to take that seriously, even for a sport where guys named Banana score goals and participants sport these kinds of hairstyles in a tournament watched by a billion people.

• Phillies 5, Nationals 0: It always seems like the teams who succeed in the playoffs have two big time starters. Well, the defending champs have a whole bunch of candidates in their rotation for that 1-2 punch -- but Cliff Lee certainly made his case to be the number one guy against the Nationals on Tuesday night. Lee (14-11) absolutely dominated the Nationals lineup, tossing a complete game shutout. Unfortunately for Washington, Garrett Mock (3-8) couldn't have looked further from an ace, allowing five runs in the first two innings. Homer-happy Philadelphia didn't even need to go yard against Mock to take the lead; instead, balance was the key, as every Phillie hitter but Lee reached base during the game.
• United 1, San Juan Jabloteh 0: Christian Gomez's first half penalty kick led United to their first victory in the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, although they had plenty of chances to bury the scrappy Trinidad and Tobago league champions. It was a homecoming for United defenders Avery John -- who captained the side -- and Julius James, two Trinidadian natives who, despite the fact that there seemed to be only 100 people in attendance, must have been excited to play in Port-of-Spain. But Gomez was the engine behind what was certainly D.C.'s B-team. Heck, even Danny Szetela, who's been in Tom Soehn's doghouse for some time, played the full ninety. Gomez expertly nailed the lone goal of the match from the spot after Jabloteh defender Noel Williams handled the ball in the penalty area early in the first half. With the three points, United stays alive in the competition; with three games remaining in group play (next Thursday at home against Marathon of Honduras, a home date with Jabloteh later this month and an incredibly tough fixture on the road against Toluca of Mexico in October), they likely still need to take at least six points to advance to the knockout stages.

• Nationals 6, Marlins 4: Remember what we said about big innings? Well, the Nationals sure got one last night -- a six-run explosion in the bottom of the eighth which led them to their first win of the season against the Marlins. Adam Dunn put the exclamation point on the late rally with a two-run homer which had nearly 20,000 at Nationals Park up and rocking. While we're obviously big homers for the Nationals, Florida starter Josh Johnson's performance should not be overlooked. Johnson retired 20 straight Nationals between the first and the eighth inning, but was still charged with four runs after Washington got five hits in the eighth to reverse the lead. Again, a starter failed to impress, as J.D. Martin couldn't get past the fifth inning (and with 16.1 IP in four games this year, he's barely averaging more than four innings per start) -- but reliever Ron Villone (4-5) was the lucky recipient of the late outburst, and Mike MacDougal retired Florida in the ninth for his third save in three days. Recently traded ex-Nat Nick Johnson did go 2-for-4 in his return to D.C.
• United 1, Firpo 1 (5:4 pens): Despite giving up a goal in the first half on a penalty kick, the Black-and-Red got the away goal that they desperately needed from an expertly-struck Christian Gomez free kick in the 43rd. The second-half found both teams keeping it tight and unsuccessfully diving (Firpo, especially) in hopes of penalties. Extra time loomed large, but thirty minutes of tired football wasn't going to settle anything -- so it was on to penalties to decide the tie. The first six spot kicks were elementary, but defender Manuel Salazar missed Firpo's fourth, and destiny was in United's hands. Christian Gomez grasped the chance and put in the final penalty past Firpo keeper Juan Jose Gomez. It wasn't the easiest time in hostile San Salvador, but with that, United punch their ticket for the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League -- and get a positive boost before their friendly against Real Madrid on Sunday.

            

On the surface, there wasn't much separating D.C. United and the Chicago Fire heading into their match at RFK Stadium last night. Both teams had scored and allowed the exact same number of goals -- 20 for, 17 against. Both held large margins in the way they score, namely, from the run of play -- United had scored 70% of goals in open play, the Fire, 65%. United had not lost at home, while Chicago boasted a spotless record on the road.

It's been a fairly frustrating offseason for United fans, at least from a personnel standpoint. First, there were the rumors that the front office may have turned down the chance to sign Ghanaian national captain Stephen Appiah, now on trial at Tottenham Hotspur. Then there was the loss of playmaker Marcelo Gallardo, who broke from the team in order to return home and play in Argentina. More recently, the team lost out on signing Brazilian defender Roger because the 34-year-old's family didn't want to live in the States.

Our beloved D.C. United may have crashed and burned (again) in the MLS playoffs this season, but life goes on. Also, the playoffs go on -- right in our backyard, in fact. Many moons ago, Washington was picked to host the 2007 MLS Cup this Sunday at noon, at RFK. Time to put aside your grieving and check out the game. Tickets start at $30, maybe even less on Craigslist. When else are you going...

D.C. United's MLS season is on the line tonight at RFK Stadium (7:30 p.m.). After a dominant regular season that saw United go 10-2-3 at home, they return to RFK for possibly the last time this season. Standing in their way is their playoff nemesis, the Chicago Fire. In 5 total playoff games against the Fire, D.C. has yet to score a goal. United will need to find net if they wish to move on...

The press ahead of D.C. United’s first round playoff clash with the Chicago Fire last night leaned heavily on D.C.’s poor record against the Fire, especially in recent playoff history. A lot of it also talked about Chicago’s big signing, Mexican national team veteran Cuahtemoc Blanco. And to some extent, there was some talk about D.C.’s injured stars, Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio. Both players picked up injuries in United’s completely meaningless season finale last...

D.C. United played out a relatively dull and featureless 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, but the real celebrations would come on Sunday night. The Colorado Rapids scored in the final minutes to pull out an upset over Chivas USA, 2-1, making D.C. United the first team to ever successfully defend the Supporters’ Shield. It probably wasn’t the stylish way United will have wanted to take the regular season crown, but with...

Saturday night's meeting of D.C. United and Toronto FC looked like a mismatch on paper. An expansion team with the worst record in Major League Soccer lined up against the most decorated club in the league's history and current point leaders. Add D.C.'s distinctive home field advantage and you have a recipe for a blowout. Yet for one half, TFC hung with their hosts. Indeed, at many points in the first half Toronto was the...

Despite having to fend off a persistent Chivas Guadalajara attack for most of the game and playing a man down for 50 minutes, United pulled out a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the Copa Nissan Sudamericana home-and-home series. From the get-go the Goats took advantage of quick, incisive passing to carve through the United midfield. Four times in the opening 16 minutes Chivas attackers had a clear line to the goal, yet...

Sunday afternoon D.C. United went toe-to-toe with the New England Revolution in a battle for supremacy of the Eastern Conference, and arguably the entire MLS. The match did not disappoint. It was a competitive affair in which each side took turns playing from behind before United dealt the knockout blow and cruised to victory. By most standards, it was a fantastic match. Flash forward to last night. D.C. United is facing a Real Salt...

Yesterday afternoon's contest between D.C. United and the New England Revolution carried several levels of significance. With six games remaining for United and most of MLS, teams are becoming increasingly desperate to capture the three point bounty of each remaining game in the scramble for playoff spots. The Revolution came into RFK Stadium as the toughest foe remaining on United's schedule. The game constituted the last time United would face a sure-fire playoff team....

Move over, Jason Kreis. In the forty-eighth minute of the twentieth game in the twelfth season of Major League Soccer, D.C. United's Jaime Moreno became the league's all-time leading scorer with a deftly taken penalty kick. Moreno's 109th career goal put the cap on a solid 3-1 victory over Red Bull New York. On an uncharacteristically brisk August evening at RFK Stadium, United surprised the Red Bulls and never looked back. The 18,748 in...

D.C. United fans have gotten their share of David Beckham firsts, and after last night’s exit from the SuperLiga – almost single-handedly due to Beckham’s right foot – we’ve had our fill. After playing his first MLS game in a 1-0 D.C. win last Thursday at a sold-out RFK, he started his first match for the Galaxy last night in the SuperLiga semifinals against visiting D.C. Then he proceeded to register his first goal and...

The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Beckham Circus has arrived. Forty five thousand spectators will pack into RFK this evening to witness the production. All eyes will be on English mega-star David Beckham, but his performance will likely be relegated to a side show, as an ankle injury will limit him to sub minutes (if any). Even so, the main event of the night is sure to be exciting enough to keep the third-biggest...

Last night Club America stormed into RFK Stadium intent on claiming a SuperLiga result. Their boisterous contingent of supporters easily outnumbered United fans among the 18,604 in attendance. An early goal from Rod Dyachenko and a team-wide clinic of possession soccer stifled the C.A. attack as well as its supporters. Coach Tom Soehn knew that an early goal would be important in taking control of the game, and his team's focus on energy and...

D.C. United left the field last night earning two less points than they should have. The circumstances of their disappointing 1-1 draw with Monarcas Morelia were among soccer's most frustrating; United conceded a late goal to a 10-man opponent. In letting the win slip away, United could blame excruciatingly inconsistent officiating. They could point to RFK's shoddy infield as a source of their misfortune. They could take refuge in the fact that Morelia's goal...

D.C. United manager Tom Soehn wants to forget about last Saturday’s debacle at previously winless Real Salt Lake. After an opening spell that might have given Soehn flashbacks, an under-strength United helped him do that with a strong final sixty minutes and a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at RFK Stadium. There were plenty of important moments – newcomers Fred and Luciano Emilio's fluid passing movies with playmaker Christian Gomez, Jamaican forward Nicholas...

Andre the Giant, Schmandre the Giant. The other day we noticed one of these stickers on a lamppost at about 13th and R Streets NW. It's good to see some grassroots (lamp roots?) support for the D.C. United star, and Dan Steinberg over at the D.C. Sports Bog has been on the case for some time. For those who don't know, "tiene un posse" is a reference to the Andre the Giant Has a...

D.C. United dispatched the New York Red Bulls yesterday, 4-2. In previous years, this would not be any more than standard procedure for the boys in black, who had compiled a 24-15-5 record against their Atlantic Cup rivals. This year, however, the result was something more than a routine win: it was a statement. The New York team that came into RFK yesterday was not the same Red Bull/MetroStar squad they had faced in...

As bad as United struggled to open the season, the Houston Dynamo have taken the worst of it. Like United, the Dynamo began the MLS season with high expectations, coming off of CONCACAF Champions' Cup success. Houston also had the auspicious task of defending their MLS Cup. While the Dynamo have been unable to turn their season around, United came into Saturday night's match unbeaten in three games with wins in their last two. Before...

Last week, D.C. United striker Luciano Emilio's starring role lifted his team to new heights. His electrifying performance was the difference, winning over his team and their fans -- through song! Thanks to BobbyBoswell.com, we are able to witness the majesty of Luciano's virtuoso performance of James Blunt's "Beautiful." Okay, so he's still learning some of the words and his grasp of the English language is still developing. Doesn't make it any less captivating...

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...

D.C. United hope to pick up their first win of the season when they square off against the Kansas City Wizards tomorrow night at RFK. United started off their season with a loss in Colorado last weekend and after several weeks on the road are eager to return to the friendly confines of their home field. United comes into MLS play with high expectations, bringing back last year's MVP, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Defender...

In a game that could only be described as a battle, D.C. United and CD Guadalajara fought to a 1-1 draw last night at RFK, thanks to a Luciano Emilio goal in the 91st minute. In front of a raucus 26,528 (last year's largest crowd was 24,150), the majority of which were Chivas supporters, the two teams clawed, pushed, and hacked their way through the inclement conditions (rain, 44 degrees). The game featured various...

Last night's driving rain was the first of two adversaries D.C. United encountered last night at RFK stadium. The other was a desperate CD Olimpia, eager to quickly erase the 4-1 deficit from last week's encounter in Tegucigalpa. Though Olimpia coach Nahum Espinoza conceded after the game that United won the series in the first leg, his players didn't show it. After taking several minutes to adjust to the field conditions, Olimpia began pressuring...

When we last left D.C. United, they were ambling off the field, humbled by Taylor Twellman and the New England Revolution. Though their season ended on a sour note, they were able to reconcile the Revs loss with a significant piece of hardware, the Supporters' Shield, earned by compiling the best regular-season record in the MLS. It was this accomplishment that allowed United to participate in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, which began last Wednesday night...

D.C. United sent shockwaves through the U.S. soccer landscape yesterday when they traded teen sensation Freddy Adu and 5-year veteran goalkeeper Nick Rimando to Real Salt Lake for backup goalie Jay Nolly, a major player allocation, and future considerations. When we learned of this decision, we were amazed. Any time the league's most recognizable and marketable star is traded, it's bound to turn a few heads. However, the more we think about this deal,...

Last year, D.C. United disappointed their home crowd, bowing out of the playoffs to the Chicago Fire. Defensive lapses led to an astonishing 4 goals conceded. The offense sputtered, taking only 9 shots to the Fire's 15. Play turned ugly as 4 United players were booked for misconduct. The loss was an embarrassment on all levels. Yesterday, United's play beared absolutely no resemblance to last year's debacle. A swarming defense allowed one shot on...