DC Loses: What I, and All Y'all, Saw

Here's what I saw, with the commentary of some sharp thinkers helpfully sprinkled in the text:

- CD Chivas de Guadalajara was not a better team last night. I thought that applied to the first leg if only on a player-to-player level, but, till they tired around the 75th minute, DC looked pretty damn good. And they owned the first half.

- DC looked best working the ball up the field, though they looked more comfortable once the ball left the defense (Facundo Erpen's corner of it in particular; still good for a shocker, that guy). But DC worked the ball well, they found openings, and, for fair chunks of the first half, had Chivas pinned in their own end. The final breakthrough eluded them - notably when the ball came down the wing for Clyde Simms, who as Steve Goff points out, is ill-used at that position - at least until it didn't...

- ...speaking of which, there are a lot of adjectives I'd apply to Jaime Moreno's standing bicycle - clever, inspired if I'm in an expansive mood - but "spectacular?" "High-light reel?" It wasn't that good. But the way it came showed Luciano Emilio's quality, who, as at least one smart guy pointed out, was smothered for much of the game. The take-away is that Emilio is the kind of striker you want on your team, one who can hurt the opposition the one time he slips free.

- Not a few noticed DC's defense getting stretched from time-to-time, especially when what I read as serious fatigue set in (take notice Houston; the lungs will burn more still 3,000 more feet above sea level). The best comment I saw on this, from USSoccerplayer.com's Ian Plenderleith, puts it best:

It wasn't another 5-0 hiding like the one this club suffered at Pumas two years ago in the same competition, and at least the MLS team took the game to the home side and caused them a few jitters by taking a 1-0 lead. Jaime Moreno's brilliantly improvised overhead kick wasn't enough, thanks to the kind of elementary defensive errors that can, at times, be a United specialty."

- I bolded that part because I think DC survived most of these. The crucial, second goal was a pure gaffe, of course, but Perkins kept the score close on at least three, if not four, other occasions; when Moreno said the loss wasn't Perkins' fault he wasn't kidding. And, in spite of what Max Bretos or Christopher Sullivan said, I don't think Bobby Boswell "lost his mark" on the first Chivas goal either (and I disagree with Goff's assertion in the Washington Post's main write-up that this was an "easy goal"; Bautista had to adjust to get the shot around a sliding defender); Erpen got beat around the corner and Boswell moved to cover, which seemed sensible enough. What I'm getting at is that there were more gaffes that could have bit DC; that should be a worrying sign for them. Perkins' thing was an awful, and as I see it uncharacteristic, fluke. The other was a fairly routine break-down. But, as DCenters pointed out, DC only became really lose at the back toward the end. The point is, they'll make mistakes, but they do cover pretty well when they do.

- Turning to a perennial obsession in these competitions, I think it's fair to say DC's approach to the game and wholly competent execution opened some eyes south of the border. Based on stray comments I'm seeing, Chivas knew they had to fight for lsat night's win; more to the point, they appreciate that they got a little lucky.

- I think the favorite thing I read about this game all week appeared in the comments on The DCenters first impressions post; it was written by a Matt W:

"I'm looking forward to SuperLiga competition. And I'm a little let down that we have nothing but domestic league competition for the next three months. This must be how Celtic and Rangers fans feel."

Don't get me wrong, because I love Matt W's moxie and I also believe DC will do well this year, but the folly of that statement returns to the defensive issues I suspect DC will continue to have. The lesson for the rest of the league in last night's game is this: be patient with DC; they will make mistakes at the back, especially when you force them.

All in all, I was sad to see DC drop this game. I still believe they have a better shot at winning it all than Houston (though I can't wait to write the "We're all Houston fans today" post if they do win), but it just wasn't meant to be. Perkins' major gaffe and the earlier, back-breaking goal aside (as if those can be merrily excused), DC played a very good game and they look like they'll be a handful this year. And they have every right to return home with heads held high.

DC United: 2007 Season Preview

CORRECTION at bottom of the page.

And do enjoy the shot of the original, fascism-inspired badge.

Past
MLSnet.com: 2006 Season Wrap
MLSnet.com: Big Questions after '06
My Thoughts on DC United's '06 (Know my biases)

Present
2006-07 Off-Season Changes
Soccer New England's Ins & Outs for (most) roster changes

DC United roster from MLSnet.com

And now, the Future...

Key Men
Christian Gomez (of course) - It’s tempting to say that, without Gomez, DC would be an average team, but that’s not really the case; they're subtly solid all over. He is, however, the brains and legs of their offense, a force that grew just that little bit more menacing with the arrival of...

Luciano Emilio - If Emilio can carry his CONCACAF Champions’ Cup form through to Major League Soccer’s regular season, he’ll not only score a bunch of goals in the league, he will also free up Gomez to do more damage. As things look right now, Emilio raised the bar for David Beckham’s arrival; anyone proving a hotter commodity than the Brit will raise eyebrows and Emilio looks the likeliest candidate to do this.

Bobby Boswell - With Troy Perkins pulling a “church mouse” routine in goal - e.g. he’s the quietest ‘keeper I’ve ever seen - someone needs to lead the D.C. defense, to get in other players’ grills when they screw up or go soft. Steve Goff, the Lord of DC News, mentioned in a post on his blog that Boswell showed a bit of bite in practice this year. If he assumes the drill sergeant’s role, it can only help DC’s defense; for whatever reason, jocks respond to yelling, so the more the better.

Ben Olsen - What Boswell may or may not do in defense, Olsen does for the team. When they need someone to freak-out, fight, and scrap, it’s Olsen who does it often as not (at least when I’m watching). This works wonders when he can get the team to follow.

Additional Assets
That (damned) Tradition - DC’s past successes simultaneously raises the bar for performance and gives players the sense of security that comes with playing for a champion. That’s self-perpetuating, to some extent at least, till it peters out. And, like it or not (and I don’t), it’s not going to peter out in 2007.

Killer Fans - Everyone knows about the environment at RFK. And everyone wants to replicate the environment at RFK. Not many come close. The only “12th man” I’ve really seen in MLS, though Houston fans made it interesting last season.

Liabilities
Defensive Meltdown - No conversation about DC’s 2006 can duck the mystery of what happened with the defense. The team that went from keeping clean sheets and gritting out 1-0 wins in May and June spent the last half of the season looking antsy, clumsy, and lost. Often as I saw it, the phenomenon struck me as an ailment of the head. With the same personnel in place, one gets the sense that it could happen again at any time. A few people out there would say this happened in the second leg of the Champions Cup quarterfinal against CD Olimpia; then again, it went tolerable away against Chivas in the semis. In any case, this is definitely something to watch.

Moreno? - This isn’t a new idea, but I’m drifting toward a camp that says Jaime Moreno is in the twilight of his career and will stand by that till he makes me eat his words. If I were coach Tom Soehn, I don’t think I’d start him at this point, but use him off the bench - and that goes double given the long season. Even as I count him as - well...no, I do - the best player in MLS history, I think his powers are fading, which knocks a side off the oft-mentioned “offensive triangle.”

Unknowns
Foreign Investments - Even if it’s a bit early to call Emilio a proven quantity, there’s at least some first-hand visuals. Observations from camps by various bloggers aside, we’ll have to see how the rest of the DC imports - Fred, Kasali Yinka Casal, Kiki Willis* (am I missing anybody?) - pan out. From what I’ve read they’ve all looked impressive enough, but “doing the business” during the regular season is what counts. Though maybe one, or all of them, will know what to do about...

That Weird Paralysis - Now, every soccer team I’ve ever seen goes through parts of the game where they look just totally fucking clueless, as if they’ve never moved the ball upfield. But DC more-than-common fluidity makes the occasions when this strikes more glaring. It certainly appeared last year down the stretch and in the playoffs and I’ve already seen it this year - from about the 70th minute to the moment when they scored the equalizer against Chivas de Guadalajara. Anyway, this - I don't know what else to call besides an ambling lack of urgency - I just can't explain; the defensive issues looked obvious, but, this? Could whatever "it" is strike again - or, more to the point, again and again?

Prospects - Using Gambling Analogies
Picture a poker game, just a generic one. DC United is the guy who doesn’t seem to pick up anything lower than a straight all night long. His pile keeps growing till he hits a rash of riskier hands - two pairs here, three of a kind there. Even if I count DC more good than lucky, 30 games is a lot and off-nights will happen. DC has the personnel and savvy to win it all, but it all depends on how they ride out those weaker hands. Last year they blew it, though the reasons remain mysterious - to me anyway. Figuring out how to react to hiccups - do you bluff, fold, mix it up, etc. - will be the difference between DC winning the title or going home early the second season in a row.

But, of all the teams in the league, I’d be shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you - if DC didn’t win the East, never mind make the playoffs.

CORRECTION: *I mistakenly listed Kiki Willis as a "foreign import." He's not, as the first commenter pointed out; he's from Ohio fer Crissakes. I also failed to mention Guy-Roland Kpene; and even he spent enough time at U.S. universities that, strictly speaking, he doesn't fit the foreign player billing either.

DC v. Chivas: What Stuck With Me

DC united 1 -1 CD Chivas de Guadalajara (Report)

Overview
All in all, a very interesting game imbued with a kind of “getting to know” you vibe; it’s hard to say whether that’s good or bad for DC’s future. The sure thing, though, is that this isn’t the score DC wanted in pocket for their upcoming visit to Chivas’ Jalisco stadium.

Chivas
To begin, it’s clear to me that, man for man, Chivas is better than DC: by this I mean on the level of individual, technical skill all the way up and down the team, Chivas players possess better “skillz” - e.g. trapping, quick passing, playing the ball into and out of tight spaces. Against that, I wouldn’t suggest that DC is a whole, or even half step below; what they lose on an individual level, they recover tactically.

Speaking of tactics, one of the great mysteries of the game for me was Chivas’, for lack of a better word, impatience. Apart from a flatly magical spell smack in the middle of the first half, where they pushed the ball quickly around the turf and had DC chasing, Chivas spent much of the game hoofing long balls to semi-isolated forwards and midfielders. Such maneuvers served a purpose - it kept the ball in DC’s end and most of their players between the ball and the Chivas goal - but it also failed to produce much offense. Probably a tactic for the road, but it’s fair to question how well it served them (OK, scoreline says tolerably well, but...)

One last point: the Goats defend remarkably well and all over the field. It’s mostly the little things they did well: cutting off passing lanes, generally pressing and, most interesting of all, their players do a really good job of playing the opposition to their defensive help.

Oh, and Chivas’ goal? The finish wasn’t the prettiest, but the cross was lovely.

DC United
Unfortunate score aside, there was a fair amount to like in DC’s game. They played the ball quickly and well for the most part, retaining possession against dogged pressure from Chivas; that held, at least, except on the occasions they reached Chivas’ defensive third and for a twenty-minute spell just before they’re goal when it appeared they had run out of ideas. That’s to say, they found players in useful positions, but just couldn’t make that final, telling pass - except when they finally did. And, apart from the odd giveaway moving the ball out of the back, they defended well - a good sign for them.

Still, the slight hiccup in offensive flow did pose a problem and it hardly helped that Christian Gomez often had to go deep into DC’s back and middle to get the ball. DC did have their moments, most of them down the flanks through Joshua Gros, who made a decent opening or two, and Clyde Simms roving forward down the right. It may be discouraging that these maneuvers didn’t come off in the end, but setting them up is the requisite first step. The thing is, I can’t put my finger on what exactly kept DC from breaking through, but it hit them at the step before the finishing department; they just didn’t seem able to create much.

For all that, scoring the late goal must have come as a massive relief. And hats off to Fox Soccer Channel for getting a good close-up of Luciano Emilio’s sneaky little spin away from his defender.

DC Player Notes
Perkins - didn’t look all that bad, though I thought I saw him pull up every so often; he certainly wasn’t at fault for the goal.

Facundo Erpen - I think it’s probably by habit that I hold him responsible for many of the give-aways in the transition between DC’s defensive third and the middle of the park, but he looked to have had a good game.

(Was it?) Brian Carroll - unlucky on the deflection that led to the Chivas goal. UPDATE: Nope. DCenters tells me it was Bryan Namoff and they should know.

Clyde Simms - is interesting player to watch. For every time he goofs up, there are two instances where he looks solid and one in which he looks very sure. I think I like him.

Ben Olsen - is great heart-and-soul player, the kind of guy that makes a team go.

Luciano Emilio - continues to build a reputation. He was good nearly all night, whether it was coming back to receive the ball and seeing that, against close attention, DC kept possession. But the artful slip from his defender was a natural highlight. Hard not to dub him DC’s man of the match, but....

...I’d give a nod to Bobby Boswell, who looked pretty poised in the back, or Joshua Gros, who, by my foggy recollection (it was late and the Pabst flowing), posed the biggest threat to Chivas’ generally firm defense. (NOTE: that long-haired dude they kept showing - don’t know his name - was their only liability.)

Conclusion
There’s no use pretending this wasn’t the ideal result. I don’t even think this reaches “moral victory” territory. A win was wanted, maybe even needed. DC’s undoing came with being just a half-step off heading into the attacking third.

DC United v. CD Olimpia (The Game I Didn't See)

"Didn't see" isn't totally accurate - I did catch, oh, 20-25 disjointed minutes of the first half - but it's fair to say I can't legitimately add to the commentary on this game. Consider this more a commemoration, a celebration more of the manner of the achievement than the achievement itself. After all, what else can be said about a 7-3 aggregate score-line and the fact that DC won the second leg, 3-2, and looked better tolerably well doing it.

From around the media and the 'sphere:

Washington Post Report
Washington Times Report
An American's View Recap
DCenters Recap

For those of you who didn't see the game, An American's View once again unearthed video highlights - and these are worth watching to see the two goals Luciano Emilio scored, if nothing else.


I note the goals because, watching as little of the game as I did, I caught the first in real time - and it was that good. I'm not talking about the finish either - though that was fine too - but the touch that set up the goal. What has most impressed me with Emilio so far is his awareness of pressure and where the defenders are and where they're going. Maybe it's a function of familiarity with his former teammates - and, writing as a New England fan, I'm hopeful - but, if it's not, this cat will be slippery and dangerous. I think it was Marc Connolly who put himself on record as expecting 14-15 goals out of Emilio, but a few more besides wouldn't surprise me in the least.

I've got one final point to add based on my stop-n-go viewing experience: when I did catch sight of the game, DC had the ball in their possession as often as not; and, as An American's View emphasized, this not infrequently went across the backline, which helped DC kill off the game. That's a major contrast to what I saw in the Houston game...more on that later.

But the take-away here, DC looks the more composed team and that bodes ugly for the season. While it's certainly fair to argue that DC had the lighter opposition, as well as the better first-leg set-up, it's also worth noting that they played above Olimpia over both legs; in other words, you can assume Olimpia is weak opposition, but, the flip side of that is that DC handled them up to, if not above, expectations.