I have to say, I was not optimistic when I saw United's starting lineup. No Gomez, no Moreno, no Fred, and Dyachenko in the #10 spot. Where were the goals going to come from?
Turns out there was nothing to worry about as United scored three of them. So let's talk about the goals, as notable things happened on all of them. On the first goal, it seemed to me after watching the replay that for a split second, Matt Reis, the Revolution keeper, had his hand on the top of the ball before Josh Gros poked it away and into the goal. So what is the rule? According to the FIFA Laws of the Game, it is as follows:
The goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball by touching it with any part of his hand or arms. Possession of the ball includes the goalkeeper deliberately parrying the ball, but does not include the circumstances where, in the opinion of the referee, the ball rebounds accidentally from the goalkeeper, for example after he has made a save.
So, it would seem to me that however brief it was, Reis was touching the ball with his hand a fraction of a second before Gros kicked it. United got lucky.
On the second goal, Kpene and Emilio executed flawlessly on a play from the middle of ther field. I can't remember the last time DC scored on a pass liker this. Beautiful.
The third goal is a mystery to me. Why you ask? It's because Comcast was showing player reactions instead of the quick restart by Emilio. His give and go with Olsen was a thing of beauty on replay, but we never saw the overhead view which would show if Emilio was onside on the return pass. This was a real problem during the game, especially during the second half. We didn't see the short free kick on the end line which the Revs almost scored on. So, was Emilio offside? No idea. However, onside or not, he took a well timed shot which went in despite the deflection by Reis. Come on, Comcast. You're better than that.
The Good:
- Emilio notches two and plays well for the whole 90 minutes. He is now tied for the league lead in goals scored with Eddie Johnson.
- Burch, Boswell, McTavish, and Namoff is a nice back line. Who goes off when Vanney heals up?
- Even with all the midfielders and forwards unavailable, Brian Carroll is left out of the starting lineup. I call that significant and about time. Simms played well, and he was light years ahead of what Carroll had done recently.
- Perkins was excellent, and played with a command that bodes well for the rest of the season.
- Moreno leaves after 30 minutes due to back issues. Let's hope it was just a tweak.
- Olsen gets another silly yellow card. Just a moronic play by Benny. I will be thinking of that one when the inevitable suspension due to yellow card accumulation happens sometime in September.
Forwards (Emilio and Kpene) A-
Kpene looked very good in 45 minutes of play. He seems to be almost fully fit. And Emilio, as mentioned above, was fantastic.
Midfielders (Dyachenko, Gros, Simms, and Olsen) B
Let's hope we don't get to the point where Dyachenko plays the attacking midfielder role again. Not that he was horrible, but he played far from inspiring soccer. Gros played nicely on the left and Olsen was adequate on the right. Simms seemed in control in the middle. Good game from this crew.
Defenders: (McTavish, Burch, Boswell, Namoff, and Perkins) A
A shutout speaks for itself. If Burch doesn't continue to start, Soehn and I will have a problem.
Substitutes: (Moreno, Carroll, and Mediate) C
Moreno still is suffering from a failure to make quick decisions which I think are directly related to how he is feeling. The healthier he feels, the more decisive he is. He seems to hold the ball much longer when he is not 100%. Today he was dispossessed a lot after dribbling into trouble. Carroll was not a factor and Mediate didn't make an impression either.
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