Round 2, Leg 2 - DC United 2:1 Pachuca

Pachuca advances 3:2

I sit about even with the top of the six yard box on the gravel end of the stadium. So sometimes my perspective is influenced by what happens right in front of me. Rarely does the in stadium replay help in deciphering whether what my eyes tell me happened actually happened. I'll give you two examples:

1. My eyes told me that Emilio was butchered after misplaying the ball in the box right in front of me. Penalty! I read on Soccer Insider that Emilio says the player got the ball first and even though it looked like a dangerous play and I think clearly would have been a foul outside of the box, it did not deserve a penalty. Huh.
2. At the other end of the field, my eyes told me that Fred had a clear chance on goal but was pushed off the ball. Penalty? This one apparently deserved one due to a shirt pull I couldn't see and still haven't. Damn RFK MicroTron scoreboard.

It is really difficult sometimes to know whether or not a referee is blowing the game. I try so very hard not to blame the refs, but MLS makes that extremely difficult with the inconsistencies from week to week on how the game is called. My biggest beef last night was the yellow card on Emilio. Never have I seen a more obvious example of an official determining that he was going to give a card to a player the next time he did anything questionable and then not even get that right. Emilio leaned against a Pachuca player looking up for the ball. He didn't use his arms or elbows, he didn't even push the Pachuca player off his spot. He simply leaned with his rear while trying to get position. Needless to say, I wasn't hopeful for a well called game after that. It wasn't the regular MLS horror show, but it was inconsistent.

I really like the 3-5-2- lineup. I think Moreno's best position is withdrawn forward or attacking midfielder. If Martinez can play on the right side of the defense, DC United might have a viable alternative formation. And this isn't a knock on Burch. Just a more offensive formation. When Benny comes back (soon I hope), that would be a pretty potent lineup. McTavish was the weak link. Too many times the offensive buildup ended with a bad pass off his foot. He has a tendency to loft passes into the offensive third giving the defense time to get under the ball. He wasn't bad, just not the player I want to run the offense through. Pachuca clearly decided to find Fred and Gallardo and mark them closely, so that left the right side as the path of least resistance. Fred and McTavish switched sides a few times to try and throw the defense off, but it didn't seem to make a difference.

Gallardo was very good controlling the ball and distributing it. His free kicks/corners were not great, but I hope that is just my own comparison with Gomez and Etcheverry. Not every player who wears #10 will be able to put it in the upper corners from twenty-five yards out. Martinez continues to impress and Wells had two excellent saves. Peralta was a step slow, but against arguably the best team in North America. Niell was fine, but his goal was offset by his inability to do anything when he gets possession. He won't shoot or pass. He just holds on until he is dispossessed. But, all credit for taking the one timer and scoring. Gallardo had a similar chance a little earlier, but instead tried to improve his angle and ended up not getting a shot off. Sometimes you just need to put the ball on net.

Was it just me or were there a ridiculous amount of deflected crosses? It seemed that every attempt at a cross from the wing was blocked by the defence before it went ten feet. Just great defense by Pachuca.

Overall, this felt like a 1-1 game, but given the quality of the opponent, I'll take it.

Grades

Forwards (Emilio and Quaranta) B-

Emilio didn't have his best game. He was put in position to make something happen and just didn't have the ability to convert his chances. Quaranta was adequate. He was well positioned and even tracked way back to play some defense when the positioning got way out of whack. He looked like David Stokes backpedaling and stalling for time (I honestly think he would have continued all the way to the end line if the Pachuca player hasn't passed), but I appreciate the effort.

Midfielders (Gallardo, Fred, Moreno, Simms, and McTavish) B+

A good game from this group. Moreno was effective for about 75 minutes and I think it was a direct result of not having to make the long runs down field. He and Gallardo seemed to mesh well together in the middle with Simms playing stopper behind them. I want to see more of this formation.

Defenders (Namoff, Peralta, Martinez, and Wells) A-

The goal was more a result of pressing for the score rather than a defensive lapse. Excellent game from this crew.

Substitutes (Niell, Burch, and Dyachenko) A

Two goals from this group. What more can you ask for?

One final comment about Greg Garber's comments about DC United not doing well in these tournaments.

Shut up, Greg!

Round 2, Leg 2 - DC United vs Pachuca

Not much to say other than United needs to play a perfect game. Pachuca wants this as shown by their resting players this past weekend. United trails 2-0 and away goals don't matter.

I expect the starting lineup to be Moreno, Emilio, Gallardo, Quaranta, Simms, Fred, Namoff, Peralta, Martinez, Burch, and Wells.

Prediction:

DC United 1:1 Pachuca

Pachuca advances 3:1 on aggregate.

Round 2, Leg 1 - DC United 0:2 Pachuca

A couple of streaks continue. DC United still hasn't won a game in Mexico, and DC United has been shutout in back to back games. It's games like this that make me believe that there should be stricter altitude rules. DC United was equal to the task through the first two thirds of the game. However, with about thirty minutes to go, United suddenly was unable to maintain possession. Some awful passes resulted in lengthy Puchuca ball control and the inevitable goal eventually came. Maybe Wells took his eyes off the ball to try and anticipate the cross he thought was coming, but it was just a great shot. The second goal looked to be a bad job of marking by Gonzolo Martinez. The Gonzolos had a good game, but here, Martinez simply seemed to lose track of his man.

A one goal loss would have been admirable and perhaps fortunate. A two goal loss was deserved.

Grades:

Forwards (Emilio and Niell) C

Unable to maintain possession and Emilio seemed a step slow all night. I never thought they were close to scoring. Were there any shots on goal?

Midfielders (Fred, Gallardo, Simms, and McTavish) B-

A mixed bag here. Fred had a good game. I think he was the best DC player. McTavish was ineffective. Simms was average. Gallardo was good, he was just a bit off in his timing with his forwards.

Defenders (Namoff, Martinez, Peralta, Burch, and Wells) C+

An uneven performance. Some nice defending would be negated by a clearance directly to a Pachuca midfielder.

Substitutes (Quaranta, Dyachenko, and Mediate) C

Nothing remarkable other than Santinos memorable slip which allowed a dangerous possession to end with a whimper.

Preview of Round 2, Leg 1 - DC United at Pachuca

Everyone knows the statistic: DC United has never won a game in Mexico. I know it, you know it, the players know it, Pachuca knows it, Alexander Ovechkin knows it, Barack Obama knows it, even my ninety year old grandfather knows it. So why bother showing up? It's a foregone conclusion, right? United will get a tie or go up a goal at home and then will come up short on the road. We've seen it before many times. So, forget it. Send in the scrubs. Concentrate on the regular season. Focus on the...What's that? United gets the second leg at home? Well then. That's different. And Moreno's back? That's great! Go for it guys. We'll see you when you get back.

Prediction:

DC United 1:2 Pachuca