Going into last night’s match against Chelsea FC, there were few, outside of the diehards, who thought much of DC United’s chances. Chelsea had, after all, blown through the Premiership the year before, allowing only 15 goals and winning all but one match, proving themselves to be the class of their league. DC came in with the equivalent MLS bragging rights, but as they were mired in the middle of the standings and without last year’s leading scorer Alecko Eskandarian, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to view this touted “Clash of Champions” as a bit one-sided. But DC played valiantly and even took a brief lead in the game before falling 2-1.

From the outset, it was clear that Peter Nowak had no intention of playing coy. DC led off with full-bore effort and execution, making it clear that they were going to attack the goal. Up front, Chelsea’s speed was superior to United’s defenders, but the home team compensated for this reality by playing bruising defense through the middle third, bodying up their opponents and putting them on the ground. As a result, Chelsea had a difficult time running the field. The physical, attacking style brought DC’s fans into the game with full throat. Christian Gomez played with special flair, and while Chelsea’s sterling defense closed down space in the box with their typical alacrity, it seemed like United’s creativity on the offensive end was certain to pay a dividend.