Steve:

According to the official Superliga rules, the tiebreakers are the same whether there are two or three teams involved. Head-to-head, goal differentials, total goals, then a drawing of lots. As soon as one team means a tiebreaker criteria, they advance, and the tiebreakers reset for the remaining two teams.

If Morelia beats America 1-0 on Wednesday, and DC and Houston tie 1-1, it seems like the teams that advance will be chosen by a random draw. How fun!

Many thanks, Mike. A Morelia-America tie would make things much simpler.

Gee, I wish we'd won that Morelia match, I hate counting on: a) Other team's results and b) Our road form at the skinny Robertson Football Field

Ugh. I am thrilled DC eeked out a win, but again the lack of killer instinct and dismal finishing showed itself as likely hallmarks of this season.

Second match in a row where DC scores early, ends up a man up after a red, and cannot go in for the kill. With their hand on the opponents throat, they simply will not or cannot squeeze the life out of the other team.

With the number of chances he has wasted, I truly wonder whether Emilio will be in their long term plans (and Addlery for similar reason). What good is a forward who cannot score?

That sort of tepid approach will get us killed against Houston or Chivas.

We (fans) have complained about a lack of quality defending, but it seem that this middle strech of the season has shown that their FINISHING is what truly lacks quality and class.

DC needs a ruthless (or at least ruthless by MLS standards) finisher. Period. They can defend as well as anyone, but without someone to carve out goals, they will be mediocre.

Burch has been a nice revelation. I hope he remains consistent so that he nails down a place as the "owner" of the left back position for next season.

Goff, when you say turf do you mean turf or like grass?

Erick:

A forward who cannot score?

Luciano Emilio
MLS: 16 appearances, 10 goals
CONCACAF: 4 appearances, 4 goals
Superliga: 2 appearances, 0 goals

Total: 22 appearances, 14 goals

Generally, a striker is considered good if he can average a goal every other game. 14 in 22 is about 2 in every 3.

Emilio has been badly off the past couple games, but comparing him to Addlery is like comparing AC Milan to Real Salt Lake. He will get a garbage goal in the next game or two, his confidence will return, and things will be back to normal. Relax.

That said, I would have liked us to grab a couple more goals tonight. I thought maybe we went defensive too early (though obviously I'll take a 1-0 win). America wasn't really creating anything and Dyachenko looked good; couldn't we have given him a couple more minutes before bringing on Simms? The moment he came on, we began a 30 minute stretch of attempted keep-away, and goal differential may come back to haunt us now. It really blows that we couldn't keep that Houston game at home.

Watched the game on a tiny, tiny mlsnettv screen online. Hard to see but looked like DCU had a great game. The ball moved nicely, defense was tough. Horrific foul against McTavish. Beating them was adequate recompense, though. DC created many chances. Emilio should have had several but they will come. I think he is in a slump but will soon rediscover form, they always do, let's not panic. America looked crap but we beat them fair and square. Good game, good win.

you get, what you paid for. someone said that before. Emilio is not but a mediocre futbol player that never made it in brazil or any where else but Honduras, we pick him up from a league that is inferior to ours, for the money they spend for Emilio. we should be getting someone better!!!!!!!!!

The people ripping on Emilio are idiots, plain idiots. He is going through a dry spell for a couple of games, but that's all. Other than Roy Lassiter, I can't think of another DCU player who can clinically finish in the fashion that Emilio does. Unlike Jaime, who often gets too cute with the ball, Emilio generally just tries to stick it in the net, no matter how ugly it looks.

Emilio has been a great pick up for DC United. For my money, he has done better than our other Brazilian acquisition -- Fred.

The good thing is, even though a +1 GD is hardly formidable, it's one of the largest GD's anyone in the tournament has so far. Been pretty low-scoring, as every game has been 1-0, 1-1, or 2-1 at this point. If we win by one against Houston, or America has a comeback and draws or ties Monarcas, then we're good as gold.

7.5 for Gomez. Right on! That was last years MVP finally back to play.

I really hope he keeps this going and maybe one day Moreno, Gomez, Emilio and Fred will all play well in the same game and we can finally live up to our potential. The only thing our team is missing is consistency.

Regardless of the number of exclamation points, koolcaio is an idiot.

Hey, Chest Rockwell posts here!!

Marc Burch looked phenomenal last night. He's quick, good tackler, good penetrating runs up the sideline, incredible spot on crosses. I hope he continues to play this strong. BC had his best game in a long time as well. What's up with those C.A. fans? Harrassing the 12th man drummer, throwing bottles, smoke bombs on the field, crude/lewd...the longer the match went on the uglier they got.

"What's up with those C.A. fans? Harrassing the 12th man drummer, throwing bottles, smoke bombs on the field, crude/lewd...the longer the match went on the uglier they got."

You left off throwing rocks at cars in lot eight as they started their long walk home. Hard to believe but far less class than the ESC.

Emilio wasnt supposed to be and isnt a world class striker.

However, he was a great signing. He fights for balls in and around the box. He does well getting into position for Gomez to get him the ball and lays off decent balls in the run play. Sure he isnt going to run by people from midfield or hit the upper 90 from 35 yards out (like Zavagnin), but he a quality player who fits in well on the this team.

DC's strategy of paying $150K for guys who have dominated lesser leagues means its going to be hard to hit homeruns, but easy to hit for average. Emilio isnt going to turn into Juan Pablo Angel overnight, but he also isnt going to turn into Luciano Filomeno.

I was about to get down on the team because no Americans seemed to be developping into dependable players, but Burch and McTavish have been very solid recently, and maybe there is still hope for Dychenko.

Emilio is the shizzle that dcu needs up front. No one scores every match, unless it´s high school, and even then people get shut down occasionally.

Fred is not very effective in his current spot. The best left winger play I´ve seen in a while with dcu has been Burch on the overlap. Other than that, I swear there was tumbleweed rolling across the left flank. What would be so wrong with shifting Fred to the center or right flank, moving Olsen to Destroyer, and putting a serviceable defensive mid on the left side?

DC has a new left back. When everyone is healthy I assume Burch will remain in the line up. He better be there.

It's a shame HOuston drew, if they won, they probably would have fielded a weak side against DCU. Now, I doubt it.

Great to see America crash out. What a riot.

So Goff - is Vanney really injured or has Tommy Soehn finally benched him for poor form? Injured or not, the front office has to now be kicking themselves for pulling the trigger on this trade. Do you have any insight as to how they feel about Vanney since he's been with DCU?

Great match by Burch - perfect wing back play with some nice crosses. Now that Namoff is working himself back into the fold, I'd really like to see this backline for awhile:

Burch - Boz - McTavish - Namoff

Luciano "it's in the net" Emilio is a stud. Support the boys when they are down, don't rip them apart. He'll return to form. I seem to remember a bunch of people on here screaming for Erpen to leave. Look what that got you. Let's not start acting like fickle bs posters.

"but he also isnt going to turn into Luciano Filomeno"

You mean the striker who never really got a chance with United, and then went to the Argentine first division and scored 7 goals in 7 games, finishing the season as the second leading goal scorer for a club that got relegated?

Actually, what I really wanted to say was the fact that Emilio gets himself in a position, receives the ball, and gets the shot off is an indication he has a nose for goal. He may have a low percentage of converting shots into goals, but I bet he has a lot more opportunities than many other strikers.

And to add to J's list of great United strikers besides Lassiter, I would say you forgot Diaz Arce....

We are in bad shape for this tourney. America has nothing to play for, is out of shape and is trying to find their way without Blanco. Morelia is showing fitness and heart which should allow them to beat America. We needed to score more goals last night and we failed. I believe we need to win in Houston to go on and that is not my expectation with Emilio and Gomez (freekicks excepted) firing blanks. I was happy to see us own the ball and put away the game last night but that strategy hurt us in regards to this tourney.

So good to see Namoff back on the field!

DC is not going to manage a tie against Houston. We need to hope for an America win or a tie in that match. So far this season we have not shown the talent or poise to run with the best, and Houson has shown they are one of the best. I'm just hoping that Soehn has the coaching moxie to have the boys peaking in September and October and that we haven't already seen the best. I'm not trying to be too negative, but just letting the numbers speak for themselves. We've been mediocre this season.

I thought we played well last night.

* Gomez was the Man of the match, IMHO.
* Burch looked good (I wouldn't give him an 8, though! More like a 7).
* Perkins organized the D well last night--I wouldn't give him a much lower grade than the others.
* Olsen looked great last night. What a cross on the the goal!
* Re: Emilio, the guy is a stud. Strikers have their ups and downs, and he certainly should have scored last night. But, his strike rate is good, and he's a weapon. I like him a lot.
* Re: Fred, is he insurance if Gomez walks at the end of the year? I could see him slipping on the #10 jersey.
* Re: Goff, is it just me, or is he the only one writing articles worth reading in the WaPo's sports section this summer?

Aren't Morelia and Club America going to arrange things so that Morelia wins by at least two goals and goes through? That will leave the other spot to the winner of DCU/Houston, or if they tie, under the tie-break rules, drawing lots.

Contrary to other posters reports, the sky is NOT, I REPEAT, NOT, falling. That is all.

RB - I was thinking the same thing. I'm guessing that Am­érica would rather see its compatriots Morelia advance than allowing both MLS squads go forward. They can lose 2-0 and all but guarantee an FMF team in the semis.

Oh well, with the form they showed last night, DCU can win in Robertson Stadium. Any chance Jaime is ready to go on Wednesday?

Just wanted to echo most of the comments on here about Burch. Kid is a stud, has great field vision, knows when to make those overlapping runs, and has a wicked left foot. DE is spot on above. With the emergence of Burch and McT, I don't see room on the field for Vanney. Grab some pine, dude. Good to see Namoff out there last night. Once he's healthy, seems like Gros could return to the midfield.

Seems to me like when that happens, maybe Soehn can give Fred a run up front with Emilio? We don't have another solid option up there after Jaime.

Re: Emilio - He's in a bad slump and it's all in his "kitchen". Ala "Bull Durham" I think we need to cut the head off a live chicken to break the curse.

Re: Defense - They're inexperienced but consistent and determined. Burch's size/strength and distribution will keep him in the lineup.

Re: Next round - At first I didn't want to advance, but we're so close it woudl be a shame to not go thru. That said, if we go thru and play chivas (AGAIN!) I think we need to create a new cup or something to commemorate our growing rivalry...or at least long history of games. Have we palyed any other non-US (MLS or USL/A league) team more than 3 times?

America is NOT going to make an 'arrangement' with Morelia. That'd be like asking us to throw in the towel against Red Bull to assure they go through to the next round. Could you honestly see us doing them any favors, ever?

If I'm monarchas, I'm very worried, because I'm facing a shamed, angry and embarassed America club, one that thinks it is not only better than us, but the best team in Mexico. In order to save face, they must put Morelia down, and hard. Monarchas is not in the cat-bird seat, by any stretch. We are.

The worst thing is that their game is after ours on Wednesday, so they will know how our game finished and play accordingly. WHY AREN'T THE LAST GAMES AT THE SAME TIME?

"WHY AREN'T THE LAST GAMES AT THE SAME TIME?"

TV

Did anyone catch those america punks that were in the car speeding up near the exit? they got pulled over and I overheard the officer tell them that they are getting deported? Wierd to see Im not sure if they were causing any issues inside the stadium, but if they were KARMA is a -----

glad that DC and Hou both sit on 4 points. while Morelia is at 2.

DC has to go in and fight for a result, if they want to advance (and have a shot at the prize money).

SuperLiga is certaily turning into a useful event for United. A third pressure-packed game will help this team.

I was actually amazed at how much more fire Morelia seemed to be playing with than what America brought to the field in SuperLiga. I wouldn't be surprised if America goes home with 3 losses, and Morelia somehow reaches the semifinals.

Was Perkins rating because he had that one bad punt? The rest of the game he pretty much could have come sit in the stands with us and the result would have been the same.

In my player ratings, everyone begins with a 5 and moves up and down as the match progresses. Perkins didn't have to do anything the entire night so he just became stuck at 5.

Marc Burch - Maryland Terps represent! He's a great find back there and should develop nicely.

Emilio just needs one trashy goal and he'll be back into good form.

I can remember a lot of people questioning Kevin Payne's acquisitions during the offseason and the start of this season because it looked like DC was amassing too many forwards and attacking players. Funny how things change. I'd say that KP knew what he was doing because clearly this time has no attacking depth. With Moreno out and both Dyachenko and Emilio subbed off, it looked like the rest of the team gave up on trying to score because they knew they had no one capable.

Couple quick comments.
-- I'm now in love with the Erpen-Vanney trade because it is directly responsible for the emergence of Marc Burch by allowing him to break the starting lineup. His defense is pretty solid, but his best attribute is his ability to push forward and spread the field and deliver a cross. If he can prove his consistency in the next few games, he will earn a starting spot ad infinitum.

--It was wise to put in Kpene and Namoff to help bring them back to match fitness as quickly as possible. Coaches manage seasons, not just games.

--I don't all the negativity on L. Emilio. No one ever finishes every chance perfectly, but he's consistently been able to get in good position and create opportunities. I can't wait to see him and Moreno both healthy and playing together again.

I think we may be in good shape for next week. Morelia was class last night against Dynamo and when I turned it on the second half, it was clear that it was just a matter of time until they got that equalizer. Still, an awful goal allowed.

Anyone else see the retaliation that was exactly the same as on Boswell from Wednesday by Mullan? Man, he was lucky to only get a Yellow there. Would have been nice for him to be sitting out Wednesday's game.

I love Emilio still, I like Goff's player ratings but thought that Gomez should have finished two more goals. I hope that Soehn and Kaspar are spending this whole week finding fun shooting drills for the team to just hit, hit, hit balls past Perkins (or one of the backups so we don't destroy Troy's confidence).

A very good performance, and shows that the team learned from not playing smartly and possession against Morelia. If they'd played possession early in that game, we'd be in great shape with six points. Such is how it goes ...

Vamos United.

P.S. Anyone know where I can get a replica United shirt? After the game last night I traded mine with an America supporter for their America shirt, so I need a new one. And MLSnet has only smalls left.

Also, anyone else think that the 18,604 attendance number seemed awfully low? Everywhere I looked the stands were packed.

Fred was left alone on the left side for huge stretches of time. Like it or not, it seems the defenders were most often comfortable building first through Bennie on the right. Fred needs to be a bit more vocal on the left to let people know he's out there. It certainly may be that he's not as comfortable out there, but having seen what he is capable of, I think it's a bit of a waste to have him out on that side. I like the notion of pairing him with L.Emilio.

Regarding Burch: Awesome! His crosses are fantastic. Swung in with great pace, well placed. Keep him at left back. Gross at left mid, Namoff at right back. Boswell, McT in the center. Trade Vanney for a draft pick or something.

G-Unit...

I think you can usually find DCU shirts at the local sporting outlets...Dick's, Modell's, maybe even Sports Authority. You can luck into them on EBay too - I just got my hands on a sweet circa '99 away shirt (when they had collars!) for a mere $15.

That's great that fans in the stands are exchanging shirts. Too bad the CA players on the field didn't show the same level of sportsmanship.

Nice game by Gomito. He put constant pressure on CA.

Emilio gave his usual 100% effort despite being subjected to some hard fouls.

Benny outclassed CA on the right flank. Not only did he run rings around them, but his shtick clearly got under their skins (which admittedly isn't too hard to do:))

"P.S. Anyone know where I can get a replica United shirt? After the game last night I traded mine with an America supporter for their America shirt, so I need a new one. And MLSnet has only smalls left."

Soccer American if you are in the MD metro area. There is one in Kensigton and another in Columbia or you can try, like the other poster suggested, Sports Authority, Dicks, or Rockville Soccer in, where else, Rockville.

The real question from last night is this: is America's fat striker supposed to be that fat, or is he a subscriber to the Clint Mathis Off-Season Fitness Plan?

I second Soccer America in Kensington. Last year, I tried the other places to get a replica for a gift. I finally called Soccer America. It should have been my first stop based on the phone call:

Me: Do you have any DC United jerseys in extra large?

SA: Home or Away?

Me: I'll be right there.

Dozens of posts to this blog, but hardly any of them complaining about the refereeing in last night's match in any major way. These were CONCACAF-supplied officials, weren't they? It's not often that they survive scrutiny by the readers of this blog essentially unscathed.

Great to see Namoff and Kpene back in action.

Actually I really liked all of the substitute decisions last night. If we had subbed in Simms for Dyachenko (instead of Addlery for Dyanchenko) in the Morelia game then we might have 6 points right now.

OK, I'm stumped. Why would you give your DCU jersey for a CA jersey? Did you respect them that much that you felt compelled to trade?

CA played like a warm turd.