In most international soccer competitions, tournament structure calls for a two-game series to decide each round. Sometimes called a home-and-home series, the two games usually occur during consecutive weeks; the week-long break in between games is best considered a seven day halftime separating two 90 minute halves. That D.C. United beat their opponent Pachuca C.F. last night offers scant consolation to their fans. Factoring in Pachuca’s 2-0 victory last week, United’s 2-1 win last night amounts to little more than a well-played half of soccer. The cold, hard fact: United were eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup semifinal for the third time in four years.
Coach Tom Soehn articulated a plan of attack prior to the game. He would urge his attacking players to put high pressure on Pachuca’s defenders in hopes of inducing the visitors to commit turnovers. He illustrated his commitment to this plan by lifting defender Marc Burch from the starting eleven and inserting forward Jaime Moreno in his place. The plan looked great on paper. If Pachuca’s skilled midfielders were denied service, they’d be unable to ply their trade. Unfortunately for United, their strategy was undone by Jose Aguilar’s whistle. The referee called foul for every challenge executed by United in their attacking half. He gave Luciano Emilio one of the softest yellows I’ve ever seen after a 50-50 jostle for a mid-air ball in the Pachuca box. Later in the first half, he gave Marcelo Gallardo a questionable yellow for a hard challenge.
The first half was punctuated by fouls, fallen Tuzos (the Gophers, Pachuca’s nickname), and missed chances. Pachuca should have scored in the 17th minute when Gabriel Caballero sent in a blistering header from point blank range. Though goalkeeper Zach Wells anticipated the direction of Caballero’s header, he did not save the shot as much as the shot found its way to his body. United had a corresponding chance 11 minutes later, but Emilio couldn’t take advantage of Devon McTavish’s overlapping run and cross, and the Brazilian’s shot scooted wide left. Each side developed several other occasions for goal, though neither could convert, thanks to shoddy finishing and defenses that hustled to recover from their mistakes.
