Preview of Game 26 - DC United at Chicago Fire

DC United, 15-4-6 (W-D-L), head to Chicago after eleven days off without the services of three starting midfielders. DC United will be without Fred, Ben Olsen, and Christian Gomez, all of whom are on league sponsored Yellow Card Vacation. United won the only previous meeting at RFK 3-1. These two teams will play their third and final game at RFK on October 13. United has clinched a playoff spot and essentially is guaranteed no worse than the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference postseason. There are two things left to play for in the regular seasonfor United. First is to beat out New England for the top seed in the East. New England can get a maximum of sixty points, so United's magic number is eleven (combination of United points and points New England doesn't get for losses and ties). DC United is on nine match MLS unbeaten streak (8-1-0), outscoring their opponents 22-6 in that span. United is 6-2-5 on the road this year with a +7 goal differential, both tops in MLS. United leads the league in points per game (1.96 PPG) and is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference, four points clear of New England (1.80 PPG). United is also in 1st place in the Supporter's Shield race, four points ahead of New England and Houston (1.73 PPG). United has played the same number of games as New England, twenty-five, and one less than Houston.

Chicago Fire, 8-7-10 (W-D-L), are fighting for the final playoff spot with New York, Kansas City, and Colorado. Chicago pulled out a tie in Dallas on Thursday to get a precious point, and are now two points ahead of Colorado. Due to the rule changes this season, if the number five team in the East finishes with more points than the number four team in the West, the East team, currently Chicago, would be placed as the fourth seed in the West for the playoffs. Chicago is a mediocre home team with a 4-5-3 record and a -1 goal differential. They are in 5th place in the Eastern Conference (1.24 PPG), eighteen points behind DC United. They are in 8th place overall, but cannot overtake United for the Supporter's Shield.

The full three points for United would be quite a bonus. A tie keeps them on pace for the Supporter's Shield. If they get one point in each of their road matches and average two points in their three home games, that should be enough to win the Supporter's Shield. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Kpene, Moreno, Gros, Carroll, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Vanney, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Moose, Boswell, and Mediate all could get in during the second half.

With five games remaining, United needs about six points to have a good shot at retaining the Supporter's Shield and eleven to guarantee it.

Prediction:

DC United 2:1 Chicago Fire

Looking Ahead at the Chances

I don't know about anyone else, but I am starting to get excited for some thrilling times to come at RFK. If United can hold off the rest of the league, there is a potential for three home playoff games, one of which is the MLS Cup. So, since I love me some stats, I want to look at what I think the chances are that I will be at MLS Cup cheering on the Black and Red.

There are three factors involved in United playing in the MLS Cup at RFK.

1. Will United finish in first place in the East?
2. How does United play at home? How do the rest of the teams play on the road?
3. Are the best players healthy, available, and in the lineup?

To address the first factor, let's look at the potential playoff teams in the East.

DC - 49 Points, 5 Games (3 H, 2 A), Max Possible Points - 64
NE - 45 Points, 5 Games (2 H, 3 A), Max Possible Points - 60
NY - 37 Points, 5 Games (3 H, 2 A), Max Possible Points - 52
KC - 36 Points, 5 Games (2 H, 3 A), Max Possible Points - 51
CHI - 30 Points, 6 Games (3 H, 3 A), Max Possible Points - 48

So barring an epic collapse, United only has to worry about New England for top seed in the East. United has an extra home game over the Revolution and a four point cushion. United won the season series with two wins and a tie, so DC clinches the top seed with 60 points if NE maxes out their points. That is unlikely, so let's say they do really well and win four of the five games. United would need eight points to win the East. Win two of three at home and get two points on the road and they are there. Chances of winning the East: 90%.

If United wins the East, they have a home and home in the first round against New York, Kansas City, or Chicago. United is 9-2-1 (W-D-L) at home this season with a +13 goal differential. Their only loss was the first one in April, so United is on an eleven game unbeaten streak at home and a four game winning streak. The best road team of the three is Kansas City. They are 3-4-5 with a -4 goal differential. United on the road is one of only two teams to be above .500 at 6-2-5. United also has the best road goal differential at +7. So United has a distinct advantage in the first round. Chances of winning the first round: 80%.

Now, let's assume New England advances to the Eastern Conference Finals. United has owned them this year, outscoring them 8-3 in three games. United's home record compared to New England's road record (6-2-4, -2 GD) again favors United. Chances of winning the Eastern Conference Championship game: 70 %.

So that leaves the third factor, lineups. The DC United coaching staff seems to have figured out who the best players are and are getting tremendous results recently. My only quibble is Vanney over Boswell, but that is minor compared to Simms/Carroll. So, will everyone be available for each game? Injuries and suspensions can crop up. Chances of fielding the top lineup: 95%.

So, if my unscientific and completely subjective guesses are right, what are the chances of DC United hosting the MLS Cup at RFK? United has a 48% chance. See, that's why I am getting excited.

Game 25 - DC United 2:1 Real Salt Lake

I was as frustrated after this win as any loss of this season. My frustration manifested in a few ways. Frustration at the coaching staff for choosing to rest Fred at the start of the game. With Moreno out playing for Bolivia, we needed Fred in there for creativity and the threat he is to defenses. Without him, RSL could key on Gomez and severely limit DC's ability to attack. Second, I was frustrated with the lack of possession by DC in the first half. RSL was living in DC's third of the field. They were clearly the better team in the first half. Third, I was frustrated with the officiating. Having been at the game and having not watched it on replay, I know some of the calls I disagreed with would have been correct. The sheer volume and the devastating effect of them, was alarming. All three cards on Olsen, Fred, and Gomez were suspect. Especially Fred. It seemed the linesman was feeling slighted and took it out on Fred for dissent. Even the referee later told the linesman to cool it when he got heated a few minutes later. I can honestly say I got little pleasure out of this win. All I could think of on the way home was three of United's four starting midfielders would be unavailable at Chicago.

The Good:

• United took the full three points on a night when things seemed to be going against them.
• Perkins makes a great save on the penalty.
• Emilio notches another

The Bad:

• Gomez tells Emilio to get lost then missed the penalty.
• All the yellow.

Grades:

Forwards (Kpene and Emilio) B

Emilio was very good again, but Kpene seemed to dribble himself into trouble. He had one speedy run which showed he is fully healthy, which is nice.

Midfielders (Gros, Gomez, Carroll, and Olsen) B-

An awful first half can be mostly blamed on this group. A better second half saved their grade.

Defenders (Boswell, McTavish, Burch, Namoff, and Perkins) B

No major complaints from this group. Tighter marking on Beckerman might have resulted in a clean sheet.

Substitutes (Fred and Simms) A-

Fred's excellent cross results in the go ahead goal. Simms came in and helped kill the game.

So United is now off for ten days. They will be severely short handed at Chicago, so that result is in serious doubt. If they can salvage a tie, they will be sitting on fifty points with four games to play. Chivas USA's recent form has caused me to up my estimate of the point total needed to win the Supporter's Shield from fifty-four to fifty-six. United therefore needs seven points from their final five games to reach that number.

Preview of Game 25 - DC United vs Real Salt Lake

DC United, 14-4-6 (W-D-L), remain at home and hope to avenge their loss to Real Salt Lake earlier this season. United lost that game 2-1 and played some uninspired soccer that night in Salt Lake City. Remember, that was the night Jay Nolly got the start in goal and Rod Dyachenko started at forward. Let's hope we don't have a repeat of that disaster. United also clinches a playoff spot with thier next point. DC United is on an eight match MLS unbeaten streak (7-1-0), outscoring their opponents 20-5 in that span. DC United improved its home record on Sunday to 8-2-1 with a +12 goal differential. United leads the league in points per game (1.92 PPG) and is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference, four points clear of New England (1.75 PPG). United is also in 1st place in the Supporter's Shield race, four points ahead of New England and FC Dallas (1.70 PPG). United has played the same number of games as New England, twenty-four, and one less than FC Dallas.

Real Salt Lake, 4-6-12 (W-D-L), are among the worst teams in the league. However, they seem to have United's number. The game in Utah might have been United's worst performance of the year. RSL is awful on the road this season with a 1-3-7 record and a -10 goal differential. They are in 5th place in the Western Conference (0.82 PPG), twenty-four points behind Houston with three games in hand; and in 12th place in the Supporter's Shield race, twenty-eight points behind DC United with two games in hand.

This match will decide the Ben Cup. If you don't know what that is, look it up here. United doesn't have anyone unavailable as of now, but has three players (Fred, Gomez, and Olsen) sitting on their last yellow card. I was actually thinking it might make sense to have Gomez get a yellow on Sunday to get it over with before a tougher opponent. But I decided that was a terrible idea. Go get the points against the bad teams. RSL is a bad team. It might be Vanney's turn to sit this one out on defense. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Carroll, Kpene, and Gros all could get in during the second half.

With six games remaining, United needs about eight points to have a good shot at retaining the Supporter's Shield. If DC wins this game, then they only need five points from the five remaining games, three of which are at home.

Prediction:

DC United 2:0 Real Salt Lake

Game 24 - DC United 4:2 New England Revolution

Apologies all around for not posting a preview. I'll try to make up for it in this game review.

After attending the Redskins game Sunday, I watched the HD replay on Comcast. I'll go into my machinations for how I decided to go to the Redskins game instead of United vs Revolution below, but I want to say right now that this was the first home game I had watched on TV in a few years and the coverage was 100% better than ESPN's Thursday night games. Kudos all around. The picture was gorgeous, the commentary was good, and no technical glitches which caused me to miss large portions of the game. So I avoided any way of finding out the score ahead of time (same for USA vs Brazil) and settled in to watch a lot of soccer at 8 PM. I found the starting lineup curious in that I thought Boswell had played well since his return to the starting lineup and Vanney was the one due for a rest, and I was shocked that Gros was not only available but starting. I would have thought he would have done one game as a sub before being put back in the starting lineup. Maybe Olsen really needed the rest, but with Real Salt Lake visiting on Wednesday, I would have thought that was the game to rest Olsen. (Although, I am reminded of a similar line of thought by the coaching staff which may have contributed to United's loss at RSL earlier this year.)

The game started well again with United scoring first. When was the last time United didn't score first? I need to look this up. The last time United failed to score the first goal in league play was against NYRB on July 22nd, nine games ago. Overall, the last time United conceded the first goal was in the SuperLiga semifinal against LA Galaxy. Not bad. The fact that in both situations they lost via shutout is not a pleasant statistic, however. The two goals New England scored were both deflections and the first one was comical in it's unluckitude. What was great to see was how United was able to rebound from their first deficit in a while and push ahead to the three points. United is now four points clear of the league. With winnable games at home coming up, United is in spectacular position to claim their second consecutive Supporter's Shield. More on that in the RSL preview later today.

The Good:

• Emilio is making a case for MLS MVP. It's really down to him and Angel right?
• Fred slots home his one chance.
• Moreno scores in the run of play.
• Gros plays the full 90 minutes with no ill effects.

The Bad:

• The inability to clear the second goal off the line.
• The full Sunday schedule (United, USA, and Redskins), more below.

Grades:

Forwards (Moreno and Emilio) A

Emilio now stands on 18 goals and is the clear favorite for the Golden Boot and has to be one of the three named as finalists for MLS MVP. Moreno had a beautiful assist on Fred's goal and also scored #110 himself.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Gros, and Simms) A-

Gros played with excellent effort and you could see that he is a much better midfielder than left back. Gomez and Fred had a good game pushing forward for the tying and go ahead goals in the second half. Simms was steady as usual.

Defenders (McTavish, Burch, Vanney, Namoff, and Perkins) B

Vanney needs to do a better job of marking the opposition's best forward. The first goal doesn't happen if he is a yard closer. The second goal may or may not have crossed the line. I have no idea.

Substitutes (Olsen, Carroll, and Boswell) A

Olsen and Carroll assisted on goals and Boswell settled the defense. Excellent work about the subs. See I can say something nice about Carroll.

Begin Rant

Last year, the Redskins were playing the Cowboys at the same time as United was playing the Eastern Conference finals. My friend who goes to the United games with me and I both chose United. The fact that United lost and the Redskins won in dramatic last second fashion, didn't cause us to regret the decision. Sunday, the Redskins were opening their season and United was playing the first of five games at home down the stretch. Playoffs are guaranteed for United at this point, and I decided to go to the Redskins game. My friend did me one better and flew to Chicago to watch USA-Brazil. I don't regret this choice either. Here is the thing though. Why schedule them head to head? United hasn't played a Saturday night home game since July 14th. Everyone knows the NFL was opening their season this weekend. Would it have been that difficult to decide that there would be no home games in NFL cities on Sundays when making the schedule last winter? There is only one Sunday MLS game a week. Put the games in LA for the month of September. Chivas and LA Galaxy can host two games each on Sundays and allow fans who like both the local NFL team and the local MLS team to not have to give up one of their tickets. I am a season ticket holder of both teams and I really get upset when a minimum of effort isn't given by front offices to conflicts like this. For a Saturday night game, there would have been 5,000 more tickets sold. Up against the NFL, you miss out on the crossover fans and the portion of the 93,000 people who go to the Redskins games who also go to United games like me. End of rant.

Game 23 - DC United 2:2 Chivas USA

On ESPN2, United played the first 76 minute game of the year in Los Angeles against Chivas USA. On my TV, United lost 2-1, however, in my morning paper, they listed the score as 2-2. Let's hope the powers-that-be don't catch on and take away the point in the standings that United stole. What's that? The game was really 90 minutes and we missed a United goal? How can that be in the modern TV age? And what about the missing minutes in the second half? Technical difficulties? Huh. Weird.

And what was up with the ref going straight red on Vanney and then changing his mind? I thought if you were giving a second yellow, you first put up the yellow and then the red to show it wasn't a straight red card. This is yet another example of MLS referees blowing the simple things. And let's not even mention the blatant bad call on Chivas at the end. Preki should have rushed the field in protest. If United had been screwed like that, I would have thrown something at the TV.

Anyway, let me give myself some props for correctly predicting the score. I think that makes me 1-54 to get both the score and result correct. Awesome. Second, this is the 100th post of this blog, so I'd like to say thanks to everyone who reads it and doesn't hate it.

The Good:

• Great fast start by Emilio and the rest of United.
• Burch was excellent again.

The Bad

• Sloppy play by Perkins leads to the first goal.
• Yellow all around on the defense.
• ESPN

Grades:
Forwards (Moreno and Emilio) A-

Great first half work from these two. Both of them heavily influenced the play. Unfortunately, they tended to disappear in the second half. Moreno's assist moves him into sole posession of 5th place on the MLS All-Time Assists list with 88. Congrats, Jamie.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Olsen, and Simms) B

Not the best game from this group. Fred tried to impose himself on the game in the second half, but as often as not, his passes went to Chivas.

Defenders (Boswell, Vanney, Burch, Perkins, and Namoff) B

Two deflections resulted in goals. I don't hold them too responsible for that. What I do hold them responsible for is the reckless challenges. You can't have three of four defenders playing with yellows. You take away the aggressiveness. And why didn't they sub in McTavish for someone who had a yellow?

Substitutes (Carroll and Mediate) B-

Carroll did some nice running to try to kill the game however he was ball watching at the top of his own box which almost resulted in the go ahead goal. He's maddening, that guy.

Preview of Game 23 - DC United at Chivas USA

DC United, 13-3-6 (W-D-L), go west for a matchup of the two hottest teams in MLS. DC United is on a six match MLS winning streak, outscoring their opponents 14-1 in that span. This is the last of three straight on the road for DC. United took the full six points at Dallas and Toronto. DC United improved their road record to 6-1-5 with a +7 goal differential. United leads the league in points per game (1.91 PPG) and is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference, tied with New England (1.83 PPG) with one game in hand. United is also in 1st place in the Supporter's Shield race.

Chivas USA, 11-3-6 (W-D-L), have been on a tear recently, winning five of their last six games. Even more impressively, they have won the last three by shutout. Chivas is excellent at home and really should be considered the leader in the West due to the fact that they have four games in hand on Houston. Chivas is undefeated at home this season with a 7-1-0 record and a +11 goal differential. They are in 2nd place in the Western Conference (1.80 PPG), three points behind Houston and in 4th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United will be without Josh Gros again, but otherwise should have the full compliment of players. Coach Soehn appears to be rotating players on defense, so the back four is a bit up in the air. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Kpene, Carroll, and Moose all should get in during the second half.

With eight games remaining, United needs about twelve points to have a good shot at retaining the Supporter's Shield. If DC wins this game, then they only need nine points from the seven remaining games, five of which are at home. It's a great time to be a United fan.

Prediction:

DC United 2:2 Chivas USA

Game 22 - DC United 4:0 FC Dallas

I have to say this is the most surprising result of the entire season. While I thought DC would compete well against Dallas, I would never have expected them to run them off the field. Olsen's brace, Fred and Gomez with tremendous, momentum seizing goals, and Perkins in complete control were huge developments which I think have significance beyond this one game. United's run of six straight wins while outscoring the competition 14-1 is the best run I can ever remember. Included in those games are 3-0 wins at New England, 3-1 win at home against New York and this 4-0 win at Dallas. You could argue those teams are the three best teams not in Washington, DC. So what does it mean? United is now in the driver's seat for the Supporter's Shield. They are playing better than anyone else, they have eight games remaining on the schedule, and five of those are at home.

The Good:

• Another clean sheet
• Excellent midfield play
• DC now atop the standings

The Bad:

(For the first time, this section is empty)

Grades:

Forwards (Moreno and Emilio) B+

Nice steady play. Emilio easily could have had the second Olsen goal. I wonder what was happening on the sideline after Emilio was subbed out. The head coach went over to him, he had his head in his hands. I hope it was simple frustration about being the first sub and not some injury or anger at the coach. It warrants watching.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Olsen, and Simms) A+

All four goals came from this group. Just spectacular all around play. This foursome should remain unchanged for the rest of the year.

Defenders (Namoff, Vanney, Boswell, Burch, and Perkins) A+

One goal in the last six games. Boswell fits right back in and plays a great game. Burch contributed to two goals with crosses. And Perkins backs up his August MLS Player of the Month award with another outstanding game.

Substitutes (Mediate, McTavish, and Dyachenko) I

I honestly didn't pay much attention to the game after it went to 4-0. Lots of company over and I got distracted.

So United sits at 42 points with eight games to go. When I started looking ahead with twelve games to go, I never would have imagined getting the full twelve points in the next four games. I had them getting seven points, so they are five ahead of pace to get to 54. If they win the game against New England, that should put them in clear control of the Eastern Conference. And the game this week at Chivas is a "six point game" and could put a serious dent in Chivas' hopes for the Supporter's Shield. Big week coming up.

Preview of Game 22 - DC United at FC Dallas

DC United, 12-3-6 (W-D-L), head to Texas for a game with FC Dallas. This matches two of the hottest teams in MLS against each other and is a rematch of one of the quirkiest games of the season. DC United is on a five match MLS winning streak, outscoring their opponents 10-1 in that span. Brian Carroll is unavailable due to yellow card accumulation. Christian Gomez is one card away from sitting out the next game, as well. Everyone else should be available after a fill week of rest except for Josh Gros. This is the second of three straight on the road for DC. Taking the full three points at Toronto was a great way to start the trip. United evened their road record at 5-1-5 (W-D-L) with a +3 goal differential. United leads the league in points per game (1.86 PPG) and is in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind New England (1.83 PPG) with two games in hand. United is also in 2nd place in the Supporter Shield race.

FC Dallas, 11-3-7 (W-D-L), are cruising along in the Western Conference. They appear to have a playoff spot locked up and are looking to solidify their position one of the top teams in the West. FC Dallas is 6-1-2 at their home stadium with a +7 goal differential. They are in 3rd place in the Western Conference (1.71 PPG), two points behind Houston with two games in hand, and in 5th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

Brian Hall is scheduled to ref this match, which leads me to my new favorite statistic. Hall has reffed thirty games each for United and FC Dallas in his career. FC Dallas' record is 16-6-8 (W-D-L) in his matches. United's record? 13-5-12. So one team is eight games over .500 and the other is one game over .500. I was unable to figure out how long Hall has been employed by MLS, but I will guess that he probably averages four United games a year, being that there are six games a weekend over thirty weeks, and I think he works every week. So his thirty games would go back to around 2000. During that time, United has a record of 89-50-94, or five games below .500. FC Dallas has a record of 92-43-96, or four games below .500. Almost identical records over the last seven and a half seasons. Yet, in games overseen by Hall, United is one game over .500 and Dallas is eight games over .500. Now, this isn't an indictment of Hall, the three time MLS referee of the year. However, is bears watching. Patterns like this are terrible for referees. The records of the teams they ref should be similar to their overall records after enough games have been played. Thirty games is a large enough sample to start drawing conclusions from.

United will be without Josh Gros and Boswell is still riding the pine. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Vanney, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Kpene, Addlery, and Moose all should get in during the second half.

With nine games remaining, United needs about fifteen points to have a good shot at retaining the Supporter's Shield. If DC wins one of the next two games on the road, then they need twelve points from the five home games. It's looking better and better.

Prediction:

DC United 1:1 FC Dallas

Game 21 - DC United 1:0 Toronto FC

DC United stole three points on the road to further enhance their chances at the Supporter's Shield. Toronto FC clearly played the better game, but DC cashed in on their only shot on goal of the first half and made it stand up with some timely defending and poor finishing by TFC. With Emilio, Olsen and Gros not making the trip to Canada, United's attack lacked possession which resulted in Toronto pushing their attack throughout the game. Perkins played very well and was the difference between three points and none. With the win, United moves into second place in the Eastern Conference and in the full table, three points behind New England with two games in hand.

The Good:

• Perkins and the defense pitch another shutout.
• Another early goal to put the opponent on their heels.
• Simms was great again in the midfield.

The Bad:

• The forwards, more below.
• The substitutes, more below.
• The field, more here. Once again, the field proved to be as big an influence on how the game played out as anything else. The turf in Toronto doesn't give a true bounce and whether it was because of the wetness or if that's how it always plays, the ball skipped all over the place. I've been to Toronto. I know they can grow grass there. It's a real shame MLS hasn't strapped on a set and dictated that outdoor turf is verboten.

Grades

Forwards (Dyachenko and Addlery) D-

Can we end the Dyachenko experiment for 2007? Unimaginative, uninspired, and unskillful. And Addlery was completely unable to control the passes he was given, passes Moreno and Emilio are able to handle regularly. I don't understand why Kpene was not give the start over either of these options.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Simms, and Carroll) B

The offense, the little that there was, came from this group. Carroll looked better on the wing pushing up field without the responsibility to distribute from the middle. Gomez and Fred were the best players on the field not named Perkins. Simms continues to show why he deserves to be on the field. And did you see the stat in the Post? United is 16-5-3 (W-D-T) with Simms in the lineup over the last two years. Wow.

Defense (Burch, McTavish, Vanney, Namoff, and Perkins) A-

Another clean sheet for this group. Perkins was great, but the fullbacks didn't have their best game. Still it is the result that counts. United has given up the fewest goals in the Eastern Conference and is third overall in GAA at 1.10.

Substitutes (Kpene, Mediate, and Moreno) C-

As well and Moreno played, this group was unable to maintain possession of the ball and allowed Toronto to begin peppering the defense, make runs in the box and keep possession for almost the entire second half.

Preview of Game 21 - DC United at Toronto FC

DC United, 11-3-6 (W-D-L), head north for an "international" league matchup with Toronto FC. This game involves two teams heading in opposite directions. United is on a four game MLS winning streak, outscoring their opponents 9-1. Toronto on the other hand is falling through the floor recently. Toronto hasn't won since July 4th (0-3-5), and has been outscored 15-3 in those eight games. For the season, United is 4-1-5 (W-D-L) on the road with a +2 goal differential. United (1.80 PPG) is in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, three points behind New England (1.77 PPG) with two games in hand. United is in 3rd place in the Supporter Shield race, also led by New England.

Toronto FC, 5-5-11 (W-D-L), are looking to salvage their season with a late run for a playoff spot. Their recent run of play suggests that they will end their freshman season out of the postseason. Toronto is 4-1-5 at their home stadium with an even goal differential. They are in last place in the Eastern Conference (0.95 PPG), nineteen points behind New England with one game in hand, and in 11th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United won the only previous meeting between the two clubs 2-1 in Toronto. United will be without Luciano Emilio, Ben Olsen, and Josh Gros, and Boswell is still in the doghouse, so the lineup will feature some different faces. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Kpene, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Mediate, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Vanney, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Carroll, Dyachenko and Moose all should get in during the second half.

This is the first of three straight on the road for DC. With ten games remaining, United needs about eighteen points to have a good shot at the Supporter's Shield. If DC wins two of the road games, then they need twelve points from the five home games. It's doable.

Prediction:

DC United 2:0 Toronto FC

Game 20 - DC United 3:1 New York Red Bulls

Due to fraternal lateness, I missed the first two goals of the game. There is nothing more depressing than waiting outside the stadium for someone and hearing the crowd erupt. And to have it happen twice was torture. We were in our seats by the ten minute mark, and at least it was United up two instead of the other way around, but well, you know what I mean. So, Olsen cleans up in the box and Gomez knocks in a deflected cross to put United up early. This is the kind of opportunism United had been lacking lately. A month ago, Olsen would have been a step late and Gomez would have launched it over the bar. This is a good sign for the future. The two penalties looked legit.

All in all, a good game. United pulled all three points, retains the Atlantic Cup again, and moves to thirty-six on the season with ten games to go split evenly at five at home and five on the road. United has the best points per game average in the league at 1.80, exactly the pace needed for fifty-four points. If I am right and that's what they need to get to to win the Supporter's Shield, DC United needs eighteen of the final thirty available. Other than Gros, who is out indefinitely, United is healthy and look to be peaking. There are options available in the lineup at all positions. I feel better about the season now than at any point this year. Of course, United heads out on a three game road trip which will determine the course of the season. But no pressure, guys.

The Good:

• Moreno notches #109. Long time coming, he and I both wish it had come in the run of play, but I'm glad he got it. I don't think he'll hold it long, but like Art Monk, he deserves to have it associated with his name. Congrats, Jamie.
• Other than a few slips, the defense was solid again. It looks like the problems of the Spring and early Summer are behind the back line and Perkins had another good game.
• Simms was very good as the defensive midfielder. It has to be his job now. Right, Tom?
• I thought this was a well officiated game, except for one offside call which was really bad. I believe it was on Emilio and he hit the post on the ensuing shot. Could have been costly.

The Bad:

• The trip by Perkins in the box was unnecessary. I don't know why goalies reach like that for the legs of forwards in their box when they are that far away from goal. If they trip the player, it's a goal from the spot almost guaranteed. If they miss, maybe it will still be a goal, but at a lesser percentage. And on top of it, he had help behind him.
• Boswell's benching is bothering me. I wish there was more information on it, as everything now is speculation. If he just got put in the doghouse, that's one thing. If it is because the staff thinks Vanney is the better player, I can't agree with that assessment.

Grades

Forwards (Emilio and Moreno) B+

Moreno had a few near misses and Emilio played a very good game. Jamie also moved into a tie for fifth place on the MLS All-Time Assist list, tied with Cobi Jones.

Midfielders (Fred, Olsen, Gomez, and Simms) A-

A great all around game from this group. Gomez continues to improve his form. Maybe not to his 2004 or 2006 level, but he is making his darting runs and putting the defense on their heels. Speaking of which, Fred has struck fear in the heart of quite a few players. He is finding lots of space to work with and is doing very creative things with it. I thought he had an excellent game.

Defenders (McTavish, Vanney, Namoff, Burch, and Perkins) B

Other than the penalty, they played a solid game against a few very dangerous attacking players. Angel was threatening for much of the game, but you can't expect to completely shut him down.

Substitutes (Carroll, Dyachenko, and Mediate) C+

They did their job, kill clock, but I wasn't impressed by any of them.

Jamie Moreno - MLS All-Time Goals Scored Leader

United's #99, Jamie Moreno, now stands alone atop the list of the greatest goal scorers in Major League Soccer's twelve year history. Moreno scored number 109 on a penalty against New York in DC United's 3-1 victory. Congratulations, Jamie.

Preview of Game 20 - DC United vs New York Red Bulls

DC United, 10-3-6 (W-D-L), return home for the deciding match in the Atlantic Cup competition for 2007 against the New York Red Bulls. United was victorious in Columbus last Saturday, beating the Crew 2-0. The Brasilians, Fred and Emilio, each tallied for the Red and Black. United is on a three match winning streak (all shutouts) in MLS play and hasn't lost at home since April. For the season, United is 6-2-1 (W-D-L) at home with a +8 goal differential. United (1.74 PPG) is in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind New England (1.77 PPG) with three games in hand. United is in 4th place in the Supporter Shield race, also led by New England.

New York, 10-3-7 (W-D-L), are flying high after their thrilling 5-4 victory over David Beckham and the LA Galaxy in front of a home crowd of 66,000. New York is 3-2-4 on the road this season with a -5 goal differential. They are in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference (1.65 PPG), six points behind New England with two games in hand, and in 5th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

The Atlantic Cup will be decided by this game. According to mlsnet.com, the tie breakers are as follows: "Goal difference is the first tie-breaker, followed by away goals; if still tied, United (as holders) will retain the cup." So if DC and New York tie the game, United will win on the first tie breaker as they are currently leading 2-1 on aggregate goals.

United and New York have split the season series thus far, each winning on their home field. United will be without Josh Gros who suffered another concussion early in the game against Columbus. He may be out quite a while to be sure he doesn't suffer any lingering effects. Former United players Dema Kovalenko and Santino Quaranta are out for New York. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Carroll, Kpene and Vanney all should get in during the second half.

This is United's last home game for a while. The next three are on the road. To continue their chances for the Supporter's Shield, United needs at least a tie. I continue to think fifty-four points wins the Supporter's Shield. United has thirty-three points with eleven games remaining, six at home and five on the road.

Prediction:

DC United 3:2 New York Red Bulls

DC United retains the Atlantic Cup

Game 19 - DC United 2:0 Columbus Crew

I said United needed at least five points out of the twelve available in the four road games coming up in the next few weeks. United did an excellent job of getting the first goal, keeping possession, and finally scoring the second goal to seal the game. DC's talent advantage was apparent all game and overwhelming in the second half. Fred had possibly his best game in the Black and Red. Gomez looked better than he has in a month. The defense pitched another shutout, held the Crew without a shot on goal in the first forty-five minutes, and Burch was dominant on the left side. With Boswell and Olsen getting a rare healthy scratch, this bodes well for the many games coming up in the next few weeks.

The Good:

• A second goal to go up 2-0. First in New England and now in Columbus, maybe United is figuring out this road thing.
• Emilio notches another with a heady play on our old friend Ezra.
• Fred scores from distance after Gomez hits the post. It seems like a rare play to have a ball go off the post and still score in the run of play. Fred's shot was absolutely crushed.
• Simms returns to the starting lineup, this better not change.

The Bad:

• Vanney still looks a bit shaky, but not a bad game from him.
• A weak offensive effort in the first half.
• Gros suffers another concussion. He may have to sit for a while.

Grades

Forwards (Emilio and Moreno) A-

Emilio scores his 14th goal and Moreno plays 86 minutes. Luciano did lots of running to seal the game.

Midfielders (Gomez, Fred, Simms, and Gros) A-

Best game from this group in a while. Excellent possession in the second half. Gomez hits the post and Fred cleans it up. Fred then slots a great pass that Emilio put 5-hole for the second goal. Simms played a great game. The lone dark spot was Gros leaving early.

Defenders (Burch, Namoff, McTavish, Vanney and Perkins) A

Another shutout, another 'A'. Spectacular game from this group. Controlled the air, intercepted crosses before they got to the middle, and Perkins was decisive and agressive.

Substitutes (Mediate, Carroll, and Dyachenko) B

Mediate did very well subbing in for Gros in the 9th minute. Carroll and Dyachenko didn't make an impression in limited minutes.

Preview of Game 19 - DC United at Columbus Crew

DC United, 9-3-6 (W-D-L), head to Columbus for an MLS matchup with the Crew. United lost to the Galaxy in the semifinals of the SuperLiga on Wednesday in LA. However, in MLS play United is on a near-month long winning streak! (OK, it's only two games, but still, it sounds good.) United is looking to build on their last road game, a 3-0 pasting of New England. For the season, United is 3-1-5 (W-D-L) on the road with an even goal differential. United (1.67 PPG) is in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference, six points behind New England (1.71 PPG) with three games in hand. United is in 3rd place in the Supporter Shield race, led by New England and FC Dallas (1.80 PPG). United has two games in hand over Houston.

The Crew, 6-8-6 (W-D-L), are 1-1-1 in their last three games including last week's 3-2 loss to FC Dallas. Columbus are a very good home team with a 5-4-1 record and a +6 goal differential. They are in 5th place in the Eastern Conference (1.30 PPG), ten points behind New England with one game in hand, and in 8th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United lost to the Crew back in April, 1-0. United should be completely healthy with no one out due to cards. Hopefully the coaching staff saw what the rest of us saw and Simms will return to the starting lineup. I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Carroll, Gros, Kpene and Moose all could get in during the second half. This begins the toughest stretch of the season remaining. United has four of the next five on the road. If they can pull more than five points out of those four road games, United has a real shot at the Supporter's Shield.

Prediction:

DC United 1:0 Columbus Crew

SuperLiga Semifinal

Let's try a running diary for this game which seems all the rage on the Internet these days...

I hate the starting eleven. Vanney and Carroll in the midfield will seriously slow down the attack.

Hard tackle by Beckham on Moreno. No ill intent. Yellow for Beckham was deserved.

Moreno almost beat Cannon from midfield. If the shot was in a corner rather than the middle, it would have gone in. That's an Etcheverry move.

Carroll is giving the ball away constantly, as per usual.

Hard tackle by Olsen on Beckham. Poking the ball first saved Benny from a yellow of his own.

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Beckham's free kick was beautiful. It's much harder to stop it when you step the wrong way, Troy. Were you guessing?

Moreno is shoved off the ball in the box, that should have been a penalty.

Beckham is playing much better tonight than last Thursday. He is moving well and seeing the field. Not good for United.

36th minute. Carroll just kicked it into a Galaxy player's back from 6 yards away. He never looked up. Dreadful.

McTavish got away with a take down in the box. Also should have been a penalty.

Moreno came up hobbling after getting legs tangled. Eek.

Halftime: Gomez and Simms better be on the field at the start of the second half.

The first half was end to end action with lots of long passes and near misses. What was noticeably missing was any kind of possession. The midfield is not playing up to snuff.

Beckham is still playing at the start of the second 45. Good for MLS, bad for United.

Gomez is on for Vanney. No sign of Simms. Carrol wasn't traded at halftime for a bag of balls either.

Beckham sets up Donovan for a breakaway goal. Gros completely crapped the bed on that one slowing down and missing the ball while Landon ran past him. Then McTavish deflects it around Perkins who was in good position. A tough prospect just got tougher.

Emilio narrowly misses a goal. Nice reflex save from Cannon.

Cannon is on fire. He stops Emilio again point blank.

Audio problems are still annoying when they are speaking Spanish and you can't understand 90% of what they say.

Telefutura has resorted to showing every good looking Hispanic woman in the stands. Not a complaint, more of an observation.

This portion of the blog brought to you by State Farm.

Beckham just hit Donovan again wide open running down the wing. That's four times and one goal.

Free kick for LA. Beautiful save from Perkins on another bending ball from Becks.

More pretty women in the stands.

Carroll had his best play of the game so far chopping Martino down at midfield. He's running to the sideline. Could he be coming off? No, just instructions from the coach. An excerpt:

Sohen: You know all the stuff you've been doing so far tonight?

Carroll: Yeah?

Sohen: Quit it.

Looks like Kpene is next to come on. You know who I want him to come on for.

Emilio taken down inches outside the box. Really close to a penalty.

Beckham comes off after playing 62 minutes. He played a great game. Let's see if United can get things going now.

Galaxy just missed the third goal.

Wow, Kpene in for Boswell. He would have been tenth on my list of players to come off, right before Perkins. Moreno back to midfield it looks like and down to three defenders with Gros tracking back a lot and Namoff moving up.

Is it just me or can Fred only cross with his right? He just missed Emilio with a beautiful one, but to put it on his right foot from the left side, he needed to cut back and gave the defense time to adjust.

Twenty minutes to go. United needs a goal soon to have a chance.

Cobi Jones comes on for Martino. Didn't we have a moment of silence for the late Cobi at the game last Thursday?

Olsen has been surprisingly ineffective tonight.

Lots of crosses from the touchline going over everyone's head and out of bounds.

ATeleuturra wants us to vorte for the game MVP. I'm voting for D: Otro Jugador. I think he plays midfield for Galaxy.

Carroll just rocketed a shot from 35 yards away which Cannon pushed over the bar. He scored on one of those early last year. Coincidentally, his last good shot.

More women in the stands. This is great. I'm used to coach's wives or hot actresses dating/married to players. Random LA hotties is a nice change of pace. Well done Telefutura. Now please fix your sound issues and well get along just fine.

Gomez goes down in the box from a forearm in the back. Play on.

Xavier is an angry young man. Always with the yelling that guy.

Ten minutes to go. No pulse. Someone call 911!

Five minutes to go. Beginning CPR.

Four minuted to go. A Moose sighting!

Whistle.

Time of death, 11:59 PM.

DC United 0:2 LA Galaxy.

Preview of SuperLiga Game 4 - DC United @ LA Galaxy

DC United travels to Los Angeles for a semifinal match against David Beckham and the Galaxy. If it seems like we just watched this game, well we did last Thursday. United won 1-0 on an Emilio goal. In the meantime, LA went to New England and lost another game 1-0 with Becks not setting foot on the field. The word on the street is that the man from England will start this one, his first start in any game since joining MLS. So get a nap in if you are in the DC area as this one starts late, 10 PM Eastern.

Other than Moose, whose name hasn't surfaced since his surgery, and Burch, who is out due to yellow card accumulation, everyone should be available. That being the case, I expect the starting lineup to be Perkins, Boswell, McTavish, Vanney, Namoff, Fred, Olsen, Gomez, Simms, Emilio, and Moreno. Kpene, Gros, and Carroll should get time in the second half.

Prediction:

DC United 2:1 LA Galaxy

Two Months To Go - A Look Ahead

A very crowded schedule awaits DC United as they head into the final third of their regular season schedule. DC has put itself in fine position for a run to the playoffs, but the next four weeks may determine everything. While they have been dominating at home, on the road, DC is far from the same team. Their goal scoring (8 goals in 9 road games) and overall record of 3-1-5 (W-D-L), leave much to be desired and if they aren't able to correct the trend, the last month may be a drive to make the playoffs, not push for the Conference title or the Supporter's Shield, both of which are within reach. United has seven games in the next four weeks, six of which are MLS league games. Of those six games, four are road games. United will need to average 1.5 PPG in the road games and 2 PPG for the home games to keep pace with league leading New England and FC Dallas (1.80 PPG). Should they do that, DC will be at 51 points at the end of the regular season. New England and FC Dallas only need to average 1.5 points per game to reach 51 points. So the thought here is that it is a race to 54 points for the Supporter's Shield.

So looking ahead, here is how DC United gets the 24 points necessary by October 20th. Six games at home, six games on the road.

8/18 @Columbus W
8/22 NYRB W
8/25 @Toronto T
9/1 @ Dallas L
9/6 @ Chivas T
9/9 New England T
9/12 Real Salt Lake W
9/23 @ Chicago W
9/29 Toronto W
10/5 @ Kansas City L
10/13 Chicago W
10/20 Columbus W

So United needs to win seven and tie three out of twelve to get to 24 points. Looking at the schedule, it is possible, but not probable. United would need to really take advantage of the five out of seven at home to finish the season. Most likely United slips up a bit and loses three of the road games and one at home.

Since MLS went to the thirty game schedule, here are the point totals for the top three finishers. In 2006: 55, 52, and 48. In 2005: 64, 59, and 54. In 2004: 49, 49, and 43. In 2003: 53, 51, and 45.

My guess right now is United will finish with 50 points and in third place in the full table. From the three losses way back in April that started the season, that's a fine place to be heading into the playoffs.

Game 18 - DC United 1:0 LA Galaxy

There are three different story lines following this game.

DC United moves into second place in the Eastern Conference and remains a Juggernaut at home. As bad as United has been on the road this year, they have been that good at home. More than two and a half goald per game, only one loss on the year, and a ten game unbeaten streak in all competitions. So, this makes winning the Eastern Conference even more important. Home field advantage could mean everything come the playoffs.

United's red card luck continues. This makes three of four where United is up 1-0 and is the beneficiary of an opponent's red card. Two of three they have won the game 1-0 and one 1-1 tie. This will not continue. Combine this with DC's recent run of futility near the goal and it could go bad for United if they can't muster the second goal on a semi regular basis.

A spectacular night for soccer at RFK caused me to wonder what the night would have been like at a soccer specific stadium like the one proposed at Poplar Point. If instead of 30,000 extra seats, there were only 7,000 extra seats, the demand would have been enormous. This is what United needs to move to the next level in the local sports pecking order. If on a normal night, you couldn't get good seats by walking up to the stadium, more people would buy tickets in advance. If on a good night, the game might sell out, even more people would buy tickets in advance. If more than a few games sell out, more people will buy season tickets. None of that happens when there are 15,000-30,000 tickets available every night.

Grades:

Forwards (Emilio and Kpene) B-

Emilio nets a great goal but leaves a few on the field. Kpene looked better and dangerous.

Midfielders (Fred, Simms, Olsen, and Gros) B

Fred seemed a bit out of sorts in the first half sending passes with the wrong pace or just struck badly. He looked much better back on the wing with Olsen in the middle. Gros was very good, if not dangerous. With Burch in the back and Gros on the wing, United is better. Unfortunately for Josh, when Gomez is healthy, he is odd man out I think. Simms was consistent and defended well.

Defenders (Boswell, Namoff, McTavish, Brurch, and Perkins) A

Boswell was a beast marking Landon. Burch was great again and set up the lone goal with a very nice pass. Namoff and Mctavish I have no specific memories of, which for defenders is a good thing. Perkins was in complete control.

Substitutes (Moreno, Carroll, and Mediate) B

Moreno nearly had #109 and looked better than last week. Carroll and Mediate did nothing of note.

Game 18 Quick Comments

Now that was a fun and frustrating night. A spectacular crowd, which reminded me of the crowds that would arrive when Michael Jordan would arrive in town with the Bulls. They wanted their team to win, but wanted MJ to score 50. Well, another #23 arrived in town and his every move was watched with eyes and binoculars, recorded with cameras, and screamed at when he did something new (warm up, put on his jersey, take off his jersey).

Thank goodness Emilio put away one of his half dozen chances because he and the rest of United couldn't hit the net tonight. United deserved to win, but they were awful at finishing.

Full recap tomorrow...

Preview of Game 18 - DC United vs LA Galaxy

DC United, 8-3-6 (W-D-L), come home for a Thursday night game against LA on national television. The big question is: Will David Beckham Play? The answer is probably not, and he probably shouldn't. I will be disappointed if he doesn't play like everyone else who has a ticket to this sold out game. But, the man is clearly injured. He did everything he could to play for Real Madrid when they needed him to secure the league title. I have to believe he is very aware of the criticism he and his team are receiving and if he could play, he would play. Maybe he makes a token appearance in the second half, but I hope it is only if he is healthy enough to do so. He signed a five year contract and will be coming back to DC every year. I for one will give the man a break and hope he is healthy enough to help the league expand it's reach later this year. If he can inspire one or two internationals, like Shevchenko, to come to MLS this winter, he will have succeeded in my mind, regardless of what he contributes on the field.

DC United looks to capitalize on its surprising and dominating win over Eastern Conference leading New England with four starters unavailable. Everyone trained this week, but Moreno (back) and Gomez (thigh) are still questionable. United has been very strong at home this season with a 5-2-1 (W-D-L) record and a +7 goal differential. United averages 2.63 goals per game at home in league play. They are in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference (1.59 PPG), six points behind New England (1.74 PPG) with two games in hand. They are in 5th place in the Supporter's Shield race, seven points behind Houston (1.70 PPG) with three games in hand.

The Galaxy, 3-5-5 (W-D-L), have only played three league games since the end of June (1-2-0) including Sunday's 0-0 tie with Toronto, and have played only thirteen league games all season. LA are 0-3-2 on the road season with a -3 goal differential. They are in 5th place in the Western Conference (1.08 PPG), twenty points behind Houston with seven (!) games in hand, and in 12th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United and the Galaxy tied their only meeting this year, 0-0 in LA. United will should have everyone available, if not in the starting lineup. I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Kpene, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Carroll, Gros, and Moreno should get in during the second half. Beckham or no, United should outclass the Galaxy and build on their impressive victory in New England.

Prediction:

DC United 3:1 LA Galaxy

Game 17 - DC United 3:0 New England Revolution

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.

The Bad:

• 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.

Grades:

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.

Preview of Game 17 - DC United at New England Revolution

DC United, 7-3-6 (W-D-L), heads to New England for a Sunday afternoon matchup with the Eastern Conference leading Revolution. DC continues to struggle on the road with a 2-1-5 record and a -3 goal differential. United averages 0.63 goals per game on the road in league play. They have been shut out four different times as well. Jamie Moreno and Guy-Roland Kpene should both be available to play the full 90, so United should have a more potent offense than they have been able to trot out there recently. They are in 5th place in the Eastern Conference (1.50 PPG), nine points behind New England (1.83 PPG) with two games in hand. They are in 8th place in the Supporter's Shield race, ten points behind Houston (1.79 PPG) with three games in hand.

New England (9-6-3) are unbeaten in their last six games (4-2-0) including Thursday's 2-0 win against Kansas City. The Revs are 4-4-1 at home this season with a +10 goal differential. They are in 1st place in the Eastern Conference (1.83 PPG), four points clear of Kansas City with one game in hand, and in 2nd place in the Supporter's Shield race, one point behind Houston.

United and the Revs tied their only meeting this year, 1-1 at RFK. United will be very tired as this is their 5th game in fifteen days. With Moreno, Kpene and Namoff available and Vanney quesionable and, I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Carroll the Elder, Namoff, Burch, Gros, Boswell, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Kpene and Simms should get in during the second half. I'd prefer to see Simms in place of Carroll, but I'm not hopeful.

Prediction:

DC United 1:1 New England Revolution

SuperLiga Game 3 - DC United 0:1 Houston Dynamo

What to take from the loss:

1. DC United needs Moreno on the field. I don't know if it is him or the rest of the team, but when he is on the field, everything seems to flow more smoothly.
2. Moreno took a cheap shot in the box from behind right in front of the referee. Should have been a penalty.
3. Direct evidence of why Boswell isn't a forward. Swing and a miss!
4. Kpene isn't nearly as skilled as I thought he was earlier in the year.
5. Carroll still hasn't played a good game this year, regardless of the competition. He was finally subbed out by Simms with under ten minutes to play. I just don't know what the coaches see in Carroll.
6. I'm not sure who hired the officials for these games, but they have been consistently one sided. Game one was pathetic at 22-6 for fouls, game two was better at 18-15 against DC, game three was 20-15.

EDIT: With the Club America win over Morelia, United is through to the semifinals.

SuperLiga Through Two Games

DC United is tied atop the Group B standings with 4 points along with Houston Dynamo. Morelia is in third with 2 points and Club America is in fourth with no points and is eliminated from advancing to the semifinals. United and Houston will go through with win, or a tie and a Morelia loss or tie, or a Morelia loss. DC and Dynamo play on Wednesday in Houston.

United has looked good in their first two games. The games appeared very similar in how they developed. DC takes an early 1-0 lead, the opposition has a player sent off, and United tries to hang on. Against Morelia, a volley from distance into the upper corner against the run of play cost United the full three points. United seemed to learn from that mistake and controlled the midfield and the pace of the game against Club America on Sunday.

I watched the game with my father-in-law, a Brazilian born soccer nut and he had some interesting comments on United's personnel. He was very impressed with Burch. His crosses were useful and he seemed to mesh well with Fred. He was very excited by the first half that Gomez had and was raving about him during the halftime. He could see Fred was very talented but still acclimating to the wing as he kept drifting to the center on occasion. Emilio had an off night, but he could see the vision. He loved Simms as a sub and wondered why he didn't start. And because I wear the #14 to all games, he took a particular interest in Olsen and saw why he is my favorite.

So this experience has caused me to look at what my "Ideal Eleven" would be at this point in the season. This assumes complete health for all players on the roster.

...................................Perkins.................................

Namoff.............Boswell...............Vanney.................Burch

...................................Simms...................................

..............Olsen..........................................Fred.........

....................................Gomez..................................

......................Moreno.....................Emilio................

Subs:

McTavish
Carroll the Elder
Gros
Addlery
Kpene
Moose
Nolly

So there is your 18 man game day roster. I firmly believe that group wins the Eastern Conference.

And on a side note, I hope DC United and the District officials have a plan in place to open as many parking lots as possible for the LA Galaxy game which is now sold out. Trying to force all cars through Lot 8 and letting that overflow into Lot 7 is a slow, painful process. Please, please, please open Lot 7 completely with multiple entrances. Lot 7 is gigantic, easily accessible from two exits off I-295 and always underutilized by those in charge. Have four people at each entrance to all lots taking money, not one or two. I really don't want to have to leave 2 hours early for that game to be in my seat at kickoff.

Game 16 - DC United 0:1 New York Red Bulls

Quick recap...

This result is not a surprise given the lack of personnel available. Moreno, Olsen, Namoff, Kpene, and Moose were all sidelined. So, Burch got the start along with Simms, Gros moved back to midfield, and the result was a reduced attack. Not that there weren't chances. Boswell narrowly missed twice. Addlery had a great chance as well.

Now, the missed call on Fred in the box was atrocious. His jersey was torn for goodness sake. But, I am tired of blaming officials. United was outplayed. Fred got a red for being stupid, Carroll was invisible again, and DC's depth was show to be a bit lacking at this point in the season. Hopefully the SuperLiga will be a better result.

Grades:

Forward (Emilio) C
Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Gros, Simms, and Carroll) C+
Defenders (McTAvish, Vanney, Boswell, Burch, and Perkins) B-
Subs (deRoux and Addlery) B-

Preview of Game 16 - DC United at New York Red Bulls

DC United, 7-3-5 (W-D-L), travels up the NJ Turnpike for a Sunday afternoon game looking to rebound from the second half collapse against Dallas last week. Jamie Moreno left the game with a hamstring injury and his availability is questionable. United's bench is very thin so Moreno's ability to play will be key to their chances to post three points this week. DC has been struggling on the road with a 2-1-4 record and a -2 goal differential. They are in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference (1.60 PPG), two points behind New England (1.73 PPG). They are in 5th place in the Supporter's Shield race, nine points behind Houston (1.83 PPG) with three games in hand.

NYRB (7-3-6)has won only one of their last six games (1-1-4) including last week's 1-0 loss to New England. They also only have two wins since May. Perhaps their hot start in April (3-1-0) was similar to United's cold one (0-1-3), not indicative of the real strength of the team. Midfielder Claudio Reyna has not been on form the last few weeks and was pulled early during the 4-0 drubbing by Houston two weeks ago. Juan Pablo Angel hasn't scored in four games. However, Josy Altidore should be back from the U-20 tournament and in the starting lineup which makes them a much more dangerous team. NYRB are 4-1-2 at home this season with a +9 goal differential. They are also in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference (1.50 PPG), two points behind New England, and in 5th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United has had great success against the Red Bulls over the last few years in a very one sided rivalry. With a win, United will clinch the Atlantic Cup for the fourth straight year. Moreno and Namoff are questionable for this game and Moose is out after having groin surgery to repair a hernia. I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Carroll the Elder, Vanney, McTavish, Gros, Boswell, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Kpene and Simms should get in during the second half.

EDIT: Since Moose, Namoff, Kpene, Moreno and Olsen won't make the trip, this is going to be quite the interesting lineup. Addlery is the obvious choice to replace Moreno. The midfielder is more interesting. I'd go with Simms, but Mediate and Jeff Carroll are also options. A more remote possibility is Burch on the backline, with Gros moving to winger. What Soehn does will be very interesting. I'm actually very intrigued now as to what he does.

Prediction:

DC United 2:1 New York Red Bulls

EDIT: With all the substututes, new Prediction:

DC United 1:2 New York Red Bulls

Ralston: MLS Career Assist Leader

Steve Ralston moved into first place on the all time MLS career assist list this weekend with number 115, breaking his tie with Carlos Valderama.

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.

United Knocked Out of US Open Cup

I know I am late to the party commenting on this, but here is my take:

1. I hate artificial fields. It's a different game when you play on them. The turf at Toronto's stadium isn't bad, but seriously, is it too hard to require all outdoor fields to be grass to play in MLS and in major US tournaments?
2. I'm not sure I understand why this game was awarded to the lesser rated team. If I remember right, if the previous round's result had been reversed, United would have hosted the game. I'm not saying home field determined the result, but one of these teams just flew back from Houston and then had to bus it north to Pennsylvania. Which brings me to...
3. If United is only going to start two of their top eleven, screw it and withdraw. I hate the fact that DC lost this game playing a bunch of scrubs. If they lost with the top lineup, fine. What a sour taste this leaves.

Game 14 - DC United 0:1 Houston Dynamo

This was a game that followed the script almost to perfection. Unfortunately it was Houston's script. United displayed an excellent possession game in both halves. It didn't lead to very many offensive chances though. Gomez had one excuse-me-shot off a free kick smack the cross bar on the bounce, and Emilio had a one-on-one chance which he put directly into Onstead's legs. And that was the offense. Defensively, United was stellar. If only Fred had stepped up with the back line offside trap or Addlery had not jumped over the shot from the top of the box, this would have been a scoreless draw. Perkins was fantastic again, Boswell and Vanney controlled the middle, and Gros and McTavish played steady on the edges.

The Good:

• Perkins continues to excel. Only good things happen when your keeper is at the top of his game. This bodes well for the rest of the year.
• Boswell and Vanney look good together in the middle. I'm guessing United will stay with the 4-4-2 for the rest of the season.

The Bad:

• Olsen, Gomez, and Carroll were invisible for large stretches of the game, especially Carroll.
• Addlery and Emilio had great difficulties controlling the ball with a defender on their back. Lots of giveaways on passes that bounced away.

Grades:

Forwards (Emilio and Addlery) C

Emilio didn't convert his one chance and Addlery had none.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Carroll the Elder, and Olsen) C

Full of great possession signifying nothing.

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

Perkins had no chance to react to the deflection, but otherwise the defense was first rate. I only wish they wouldn't clear crosses to the top of the box so often. I don't think it led directly to the goal, but if that had gone to the side or out of bounds, things may have turned out differently.

Subs (Burch, Simms, and Dyachenko) C+

Another ineffective performance at forward for Dyachenko. Simms was fine in limited action, Burch looked pretty good moving forward pressing for the equalizer.

Steve Ralston Ties MLS Assist Record

Steve Ralston assisted on New England's lone goal to tie Carlos Valderama's record of 114. Ralston, Cobi Jones (87), and Jamie Moreno (84) are the only active players in the top 10 for career assists.

Preview of Game 14 - DC United at Houston Dynamo

DC United, 7-2-4 (W-D-L), moves on to Houston for a Sunday night match. United should have some of their walking wounded and Copa America players back for this match. Boswell, Namoff, and Kpene should be available. It is not yet certain if Moreno and Olsen will make the trip. DC is 2-1-3 on the road with a -1 goal differential. They are in 1st place in the Eastern Conference (1.77 PPG), one point ahead of New England (1.69 PPG). They are in 3rd place in the Supporter's Shield race, six points behind FC Dallas (1.71 PPG) with four games in hand.

Houston is red hot after spanking New York on Thursday 4-0. Brian Ching leads this well oiled offensive machine which recently added Nate Jaqua from LA. They score a ton at home (13) and have only allowed four goals in eight games. The Dynamo are 5-1-2 at home this season with a +9 goal differential. They are in 2nd place in the Western Conference (1.73 PPG), three points behind FC Dallas, and in 2nd place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United stole one on Wednesday and Houston will be ready. They are at full strength and are playing well, unbeaten in their last seven while only allowing three goals. If Boswell, Namoff, Vanney, and Gros play well, United has a good chance to draw with Houston. However, that is a tough task as this will be the first time they will have played together. I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Addlery, Gomez, Fred, Moose, Carroll the Elder, Vanney, Boswell, Gros, Namoff, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Moose, Dyachenko and Simms should get in during the second half.

Prediction:

DC United 1:2 Houston FC

Game 13 - DC United 1:0 Kansas City Wizards

DC United pulled out a well earned three points on the road this week to move into first place in the Eastern Conference for at least one day. United also now has the most points per game in MLS. FC Dallas has played four extra games and has 29 points, but their PPG of 1.71 is less than United's 1.77.

United was without four starters and was able to play just enough defense and convert one goal scoring opportunity to record their first shutout of the season, a 1-0 win over a very tough Kansas City. With none of the defenders on the field who started the season, United looked to veteran newcomer Greg Vanney to solidify the back line. However, the combination of McTavish and Perkins were the stars of the game as they deflected a dozen solid chances by the Wizards offense.

The Good:

• Excellent positioning by Perkins. He was quick in his decision making, and he was able to make himself big and reduce the open area the Wizards had to shoot into.
• McTavish was able to make up ground and get in the way of open shooters and had at least three sliding blocks of players with an open net to shoot into.
• The Brazilians, Emilio and Fred, showed great poise in creating and finishing the lone goal of the game.

The Bad:

• The midfield continues to have trouble maintaining possession. Giveaways in the center of the field were prevelant and resulted in immediate counters that put the defense in terrible positions.
• Vanney was not the smooth operator he was advertised as. And one particularly bad giveaway should have resulted in a goal. Hopefully this will work itself out over the next few games.

Grades:

Forwards (Emilio and Addlery) B

Emilio extends his goal scoring streak to five consecutive and does it in traffic. An amazing bit of skill from him. Addlery had a disappointing game following his Player of the Week honor.

Midfielders (Fred, Gomez, Moose, and Carroll the Elder) C+

Fred was the most dangerous player on the field for United, and Gomez played well with several darting runs through the midfield. Moose was erratic and deserved the midgame benching. Carroll was good defensively, but almost invisible when United had possession.

Defense (Gros, McTavish, Simms, Vanney, and Perkins) A-

Hopefully, this is the last time we see this particular back line. Boswell should be back soon and Namoff as well. But, for all it's difficulties, a clean sheet speaks for itself. Well done.

Subs (Mediate, Dyachenko, and DeRoux) B-

Mediate was passable as a replacement for Moose on the left wing. Dyachenko and DeRoux didn't make an impression.

Moreno Scores at the Copa

Casal Released

As reported elsewhere, DC United has cut ties with Kasali Yinka Casal, the 19 year old Englishman. He played very little for the team and counted $40,000 against the cap. So three changes in the last week. I'm still looking for signs of an overall plan. I can be patient. Really, no rush.

Preview of Game 13 - DC United at Kansas City

DC United, 6-2-4 (W-D-L), travels to Kansas City for a Wednesday afternoon game looking to improve upon their pitiful road record. United will continue to be shorthanded with Boswell, Olsen, and Moreno missing due to Copa America national team duty and Namoff and Kpene questionable due to injury. DC is 1-1-3 on the road with a -2 goal differential. They are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference (1.67 PPG), two points behind New England (1.69 PPG) with one game in hand. They are in 6th place in the Supporter's Shield race, six points behind FC Dallas (1.63 PPG) with four games in hand.

Kansas City welcomes DC to on a four game winless streak (0-2-2) including last week's 1-1 draw with Toronto FC. The Wizards are 3-1-2 at home this season with a +3 goal differential. They are in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference (1.62 PPG), one point behind New England, and in 4th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United only posted three of six points in their two games against the worst MLS has to offer. Now comes the hard part. Going to Kansas City short handed is always a tough prospect. Fortunately, Kansas City is not at full strength either. United killer, Eddie Johnson, is in Venezuela. Greg Vanney will make his first start with United, possibly on the left side of the back line. With Boswell, Olsen, and Moreno out of the country, I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Addlery, Gomez, Fred, Moose, Carroll the Elder, Vanney, McTavish, Gros, Namoff, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Dyachenko and Simms should get in during the second half.

Remember, this is a 1 PM Wednesday start. Don't forget to program your DVRs if you won't be home in the afternoon on the 4th.

Prediction:

DC United 1:1 Kansas City Wizards