Game 15 - DC United 3:3 FC Dallas

Let me get a few thoughts off my chest which have nothing to do with what I think caused this result.

1. Brian Carroll doesn't get involved with the offense, he doesn't make good passes, and he doesn't track back when the defense is in trouble. And now, he doesn't mark his man and slow down his movement towards the goal. So what good is he doing on the field? To say I am not happy with his play would be a grotesque understatement. I've never been impressed with him, but I was convinced by others that he did the little things to help his team win. Nope, not buying it anymore.
2. After being up 3:0, the team again got complacent and gave up the quick goal and that put Houston back in the game. This has to stop. Which when followed by Moreno leaving with a hammy, you could see United deflate for about 25 minutes.
3. The referee was very questionable, but not the reason for the loss. He just made it easier for Dallas to come back. And the linesman on the Barra Brava side was horrendous. We sit even with the top of the 18 yard box at the La Norte end of the field, and watched him make mistake after mistake all game long. Painful.

Now the reason why I think United lost? We have a bigger drop off in talent from starting eleven to substitutes than at any time I can remember. There is really no question who should be in the starting lineup except for two positions where it isn't that the player on the bench is really good and pushing for minutes, but the starter is playing badly or out of position. You could argue, as I would, that Simms should start over Carroll, and that Namoff is better than McTavish and/or Gros, but when in the history of United has there been a time when there was no one on the bench you were hoping would get the call in the second half to spark the team. Now, you are hoping no subs are made in case something like tonight happens: a complete drop off in production as when Moreno was replaced by Kpene and Olsen was replaced by Simms.

The Good:

• Emilio was tremendous. His spacing was great, his finishing was textbook, and his presence was felt all over the field.
• Fred had another good game and is now consistently more dangerous than Gomez over the course of 90 minutes.
• Moreno had one of his best halves of the season.

The Bad:

• Perkins was at fault for the second and third goals. He should have charged the second goal and he misplayed the third goal by coming out and missing it.
• Carroll, as discussed above, was an empty shirt.
• Vanney and Boswell did not have a good game. Not sure what the problem is, but FC Dallas had wide open people in the box continuously in the last 45 minutes.

Grades:

Forwards (Emilio and Moreno) A+

The two best players on the field in Black and Red.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Carroll the Elder, and Olsen) B-

Fred and Olsen were good. Gomez was okay. I'm not sure Carroll was on the field.

Defense (Boswell, Vanney, Gros, McTavish, and Perkins) C

Along with Carroll, losing the three goal lead falls to this group. No team at any level should lose a three goal advantage.

Subs (Kpene and Simms) D

Kpene wiffed on a great setup inside the box and was consistently pushed off the ball. I don't know if he is still hurt, but he didn't seem to have his normal quickness. Simms wasn't much of a factor in only a few minutes of play.