What an odd but satisfying game. It started with a very strange lineup, which included Kpene and Moose but no Emilio. Brian Carroll received another start, whether it is deserved is another matter. It was a 4-4-2 formation for the second straight game which led directly to a very dull 0-0 first half which United seemed to have the better of. Moose, in his first start had two good chances, one of which nearly connected with Gomez as he ran to the post. Only one card in a first half which was well judged by the match official, Kevin Stott. United opened the second half with one substitute, Moose came off in favor of Casal. Gomez put United on the board with a very acrobatic scissor kick about shoulder level off a neat little flick from Kpene. United 1, Chivas USA 0. Casal was also very dangerous from the start of the half, including a sequence where he maneuvered down the left side and cut back to the box. The defender was beaten and resorted to kicking Casal in the chest just inside the box. Penalty! Moreno non chalantly chipped the ball over the sprawling goalie reminiscent of what Zedane did in the World Cup last summer. Now last year, United would have immediately subbed in 2 defenders and a midfielder and removed all the attacking players except for Adu, who would have been the lone player harassing the other team. In an obvious change of strategy, Emilio and deRoux came in for United for Kpene and Gomez. United kept up the attack and was able to keep Chivas from packing it in the United end for the balance of the game. Seven cards from Stott interrupted the flow of the match. I'll never understand some of the cards MLS officials hand out. Simply maddening. The lone United mistake came from Gros who seemed overwhelmed with his defensive responsibilities as the left back. He was beaten repeatedly in the second half and fell down numerous times when Chivas ran at him. In all, a much better performance. Best of the season in fact. Numerous subs were used, and the played well with the regulars. Nice to finally have three points in the book even if it took 5 games to get them.
The Good:
- Kpene continues to impress with his ability to maintain possession. He and Moreno worked well together along with Gomez and Olsen.
- Carroll didn't assist on any goals for the opposition.
- Perkins was excellent.
- Gros seemed over matched at left back.
- Emilio was strangely on the bench for the first 65 minutes. Did he need rest?
- The officiating was terrible in the last 40 minutes.
Forwards (Moreno, Kpene) B
Well played game by both. Moreno seemed to tire towards the end.
Midfielders (Olsen, Gomez, Moose, Carroll the Elder) B+
Much better play from this group. Olsen seemed like the Benny of old, controlling the play, distributing well, well organized. Gomez scored a brilliant goal off the corner and Moose showed flashes. Carroll didn't wet the bed, an improvement.
Defense (Erpen, Boswell, Namoff, Gros, Perkins) B
Very good game for the most part. Erpen had a "Flying Facundo" which he pulled off, but was able to stay in front of the Chivas forwards for the most part. Much improved play from him in the middle as opposed to on the right. Perkins was great. He was not at fault on the lone goal.
Subs (Casal, Emilio, deRoux) B+
Casal draws the penalty, Emilio and deRoux keep the pressure on Chivas for the second half. Exactly what was required in this game.
No comments:
Post a Comment