a spell like this makes me yearn for some new blood like Veron

We need new players. Bueller? Bueller?

Veron would be a great addition to this team. I would be very happy to see him wearing the United jersey!

The Veron fascination is interesting, but misplaced.

NEEDS:
1) A striker with some speed, strength and finishing touch. Altidore would be my first choice (ha ha) but I'd "settle" for Drogba, T. Henry, or Nery Castillo (dreaming). A new Roy Lassiter wouldn't be bad though. Adam Cristman from the Revs?

Emilio/Jaime are too much alike in that they are quick, good on the ball but when's the last time either outran anyone?

2) Given that Jaime/Gomez are question marks for the future (perhaps replaced by Fred at center mid), an attacking outside mid who can actually cross the ball with a shred of accuracy would be a novel idea. Joe Cole, Damien Duff, Kaka or C Ronaldo (dreaming), but I'd settle for a new Bobby Convey type.

RYAN GIGGS! Perfect, older can follow Becks to the promised land to save us!

Goff,

I don't agree with your assertion that DCs defense is a little better with Vanney in there. I think that, to fans who don't pay attention to what is going on until a goal is scored against us and then decide who to blame the goal on, then yes, the defense is a little better. To anyone who actually pays attention to the game during the run of play, the defense is much worse off. Erpen covered for his teammates in a way that Vanney doesn't. Yes, mistakes were a part of his game, but he worked so hard to cover for his teammates that he covered up as many, if not more mistakes than he made. Vanney makes mistakes, but he isn't as dynamic and disruptive off the ball as Erpen was to the other team. We still get the mistakes, but we don't get the aggressive support for teammates. This trade shouldn't have been made, and I am surprised that you, with all of the soccer that you see, have a hard time understanding that. Vanney is nice player for an over 30 league. For MLS, Erpen is a much more effective player. Try not to get caught up in the, "Oh, wait a minute, someone scored on us. Let's now figure out who to blame it on and let that serve as our analysis of the game!" mentality.

I agree with the poster who said if we're going to break the bank on a DP, it should be a forward who will consistently knock in goals. JP Angel, only better.

1. Really insightful comments SG and exactly the sort of thing we've come to expect from the Insider.

2. Emilio and Moreno are absolutley not the same player. Emilio is a target player and finisher and has done superbly at the role. He just doesn't the service he should.

On the goal, I actually thought Perkins was a bit at fault, as he did not commit to either stay on his line or come out strong for the ball (after Altidore headed it). I know it's a tough call, but he had two like that against Dallas. Seems like he's a little unsure of what the defenders will do, so he hesitates.

Goff,
What's our record on turf this season? I feel like we play a lot worse on the fake stuff.

As for line up changes if/when all are healthy, drop Carrol (that would decrease
unforced turnovers by half), move Olsen to his spot, Gros up to mid, and keep Mactavish in (he's impressed me since coming in, defintely earned the spot). Having Gros be able to out run defenders to the corner will open up space in the middle (even if his crosses aren't going to be spot on).

apropos of nothing whatever in this thread, the Portuguese press finally mentioned Freddy Adu today. They note that due to Miccoli's departure, Benfica is indeed in the market for another striker. The club stated, however, that they have 1.8 million euros to spend; far less than the 5.4 million that MLS apparently wants.

Sorry to say this, but time to FIRE SOEHN! How you let your squad tie a game when up 3-0 and now lose to a team like NY Metrobulls is shameful. He is a poor tactician.

Giggs, while a ridiculous, is the type of player we lack. Of course we're not going to get someone of his caliber necessarily, but that doesn't mean we can't get someone that's fairly adept at taking people on and sending in ball or two. Thinks a Dane Richards, but hopefully better. So I think that's important to look at, but I think that Veron would help just as much. Think here:

Jaime Luciano
Fred Gomez Veron Gros
Burch Vanney Boz McTavish

This line up is definitely mls cup ready. We might still be an up the middle team, but it wouldn't be Mo and Go we've seen for the past two years. Teams would be required to give Gomez space, and it's likely that the attention given to Fred-Gomez-Veron would open up long runs for Gros when he's at his best. Anyways, all I mean to say is that Veron would be a great addition and he's just a viable as a winger at this point.

In answer to your question, Goff, it's definitely too early to tell if Burch is a long term solution but if continues to turn in performances like the other day, I think he earns the chance for us to find out.

Shocking that you think DC's defense is not worse off with Vanney. His lack of speed is a huge liability. His service has also been bad. If Scott had rightly called a penalty on Vanney against Altidore in the first 15 minutes or so, maybe it would be more obvious.

If United are going to acquire someone, I'd like to see them get a quality flank player, moving Olsen back to defensive mid. Carroll seems to be the weak spot on the field right now, and we're making do with two guys who aren't really flank players (post-injury Olsen is not really a winger) and tend to pinch in a bit too much, crowding Gomez.

Goff, I'm not quite as enthusiastic about Fred as you are. He holds the ball a bit too long and loses possession a bit too often for my taste. I'm not saying bench him, but I'd like to see that part of his game develop.

If the defense, with Vanney, is not demonstrably better than it was with Erpen, why did we trade young for age?

Also, who put the hex on DC? Seems like they've never really had all their players available at the same time. It's been injuries or national team duties.

I don't see how this club cannot contend to win a championship. Carroll and Simms seem to be disappointing a bit but they hardly were expected to drive the team and can contribute defensively off the bench. This lineup is among the best in MLS and could look like this when Namoff is also an option:

---------------------------- Perkins ----------------------------
McTavish/Namoff --- Boswell --- Vanney --- Burch/Simms
-------------------------- Olsen --------------------------
Fred ------------------- Gomez ---------------------- Gros
------------------- Emilio --------- Moreno -------------------

Can someone remind me why Yinka Casal left?

Apparently Casal's defense was sorely lacking - not sure if it was due to lack of skill or effort.

RJ - you'd bench the heart and soul of United if you acquired Veron? For shame!! You have to have Olsen on the field if he's healthy.

To everyone STILL asking why we traded young for old in the Vanny/Erpen trade, it's because Erpen is to become a Senior International after this season. United did not feel he was worth the SI roster spot, so they got whatever they could get for him in the short-term instead of just letting him walk after this season.

and what happened is we got nothing for him now.

But DC - everyone is STILL asking because we do not see a reason to keep Vanney after this season. We downgraded our current defense (yes, I believe that it was a downgrade...Vanney is awful and slow and thinks he can still hit a solid freekick) in the year that the MLS Final is being held on our home turf. We'd be better off with Jay Needham next year...

Thank you DC for interjecting some long-term roster tactics into this discussion. Everyone has to understand that, while Erpen was probably a slightly better option than the current Vanney experiment, the coaching and front office staff had already decided he was not the long term solution at the back. They knew that next year he had to become a Senior International player and that was not something they were prepared to do; therefore, they shopped him for what they could get rather than letting him walk for free at the end of the year. Hopefully Vanney will be a tutor for some of our younger talent and can hold the line for the late season run. I am as skeptical as you are on that note but perhaps more moves are forthcoming... cross your fingers.

It may be better for Mr. Kevin Paine to trade McTavish, Boswell, Burch or Carroll for Sannet, Llamosa and Pope and with Vaney DCU can have a old experienced defense.
I believe the yung players like Burch or McTavish need confidence only who can give them that is a good coach; the problen there is the coaching not excuses. DCU need a good coach there is the opportunity to have Capello.
DCU have a potential with the yung players the skills is ready there we NEED a good coach.

Focus people we should be spending our time calling the Mayors office! Now pick up your phone's and call, (202) 727-1000.

Do you really think that Perkins didn't have some fault in the goal? I mean the guy is so damn indecisive when the ball is in the air it is ridiculous. Also how are you not blasting the ref Abbey (which is a girl's name) Okalaja? He was pathetic as usual. Anyways, maybe you should watch the goal again.

Goff - any word from the community event that United hosted yesterday, or response from Payne to your article about the stadium situation? Someone posted an article from WTOP that didn't sound as dire.

DE-What an oversight! Olsen for Gros and things look even better.

So this was B. Carroll's best game in his last 5? Verrrrry generous in your ratings, Mr. Goff. Can't wait for the number when he doesn't get a yellow, deserve a second yellow and doesn't give every other ball away to the other team.

Thx,

Jay!

RJ-

A central midfield of Veron and Gomez would see us give up 3 or more goals per game. Bank on it. Our defense isn't exactly strong, and leaving them with no defensive midfield cover would be suicidal.

I'm also very puzzled by several of the demands posted here. We are starting to turn as hysterical as BigSoccer. Firing Soehn is not the answer. Moreno and Emilio are vastly, vastly different players. It sucks to lose to NY, but really, it was a game that could have gone either way. The sky is not falling.

As for last night's game, I agree with Steven. It wasn't a bad display, except for the terrible finishing on our part. Gomez and Addlery have to score in those spots (or, in Gomez's case, either score or set up Fred for the tap in at the back post). Both teams got robbed of deserved penalties (Vanney on Altidore and whoever grabbed Fred on the freekick), so that's a wash. Boswell got unlucky twice in about 3 seconds, hitting the post and then missing on the bike with Conway entirely beaten. On the balance, I think we deserved a draw.

Things we need:

1. A useful forward option off the bench. Addlery and Dyachenko are not MLS quality, and Kpene, it turns out, is still a project after all.
2. Improvement at defensive midfield. Carroll is pulling a Convey-esque "I didn't make it to Europe" season, which is just not going to cut it. I'll take Simms there now, but I worry about his touch. Unlike the forward need above (which could be addressed by a trade within MLS), I think this one is where our DP considerations should go.

I guess Vanney's defense could / should improve as he gets more time in the lineup and gels with the rest of the team (hey, I'm trying to be an optimist here). Those free kicks and corners, though.... that has got to stop. So much for the "cultured left foot" we heard so much about. Just let Gomez take the kicks.

If I'm disappointed with Vanney, it's tempered by the enthusiasm I feel about Burch and McTavish. They seem like two good defensive prospects who might play a big role this year. One issue, though. McTavish looks uncomfortable when he gets into the attack - he had no chemistry with Fred yesterday. Which is weird because he used to be a midfielder, right? Maybe he's more of a central defender? Anyway, I think that both of those guys will find their place on the team.

DP rumors? Is this the next poplar point waiting game? Zzzzzzzzzzz.....

I think for the right price Veron is a good pick up. You can switch from a box in the midfield (with Olsen and Veron as DM) to a diamond/ unbalanced formation as the game dictates itself. That way you can use Veron's talents without exposing the team on the counter-attack. If you are offered a talent like veron I can't see anybody denying that. Just a thought.

I would like to see Vanney moved to LB and McTavish to CB when Namoff comes back. Then let Gros move back up the wing where he actually looked dangerous at times. Not only is Vanney slow, but he's worthless in the air.

Namoff---McT---Bos---Vanney
----------Olsen------------
Fred------Gomez--------Gros
-----Emilio---Moreno-------

wait a minute. how was the Vanney/Altidore play a PK? Jozy played the ball way far away from himself and took a dive like he always does. For a guy who is allegedly so strong he sure does fall like a sack of potatoes at every opportunity. It's a shame because he's a good player. He doesn't need to flop and it's a really bad habit to get into.

Great posts by Chest and stairs. I think the outlook for our defense looks promising with the emergence of McTavish and Burch. I was much more afraid of the defense falling apart with such a young lineup this weekend than I should have been. When Namoff gets healthy, things will be interesting. I've been hoping for Gros to return to midfield for some time, and finally when I reach the point of acceptance, it happens. Go figure.

Veron would definitely solidify the midfield hole by adding solid distribution, and would consequently alleviate some of the pressure on our middle defense. It would be perfect timing for a push for the cup this year while we still have Gomez and Moreno.

The problem up front is that we have 2 solid starters in Emilio and Moreno--it's just that they haven't been together in so long. Between the Copa America and the injury, I've kinda forgotten what Moreno looks like. If we can get him healthy and back in the form he showed at the Copa America, then we're fine there. I don't think our reserve forwards are worth keeping long-term beside Kpene, but would you really want to use a DP slot on a third forward?

Anyone know what percentage of DCU tix holders are from Mont County, PG County, Fairfax vs. DC?

"A central midfield of Veron and Gomez would see us give up 3 or more goals per game. Bank on it. Our defense isn't exactly strong, and leaving them with no defensive midfield cover would be suicidal...."

Posted by: Chest Rockwell | July 23, 2007 10:30 AM

Do you watch futbol? Veron is what you Yanquis call a "d-mid."

THANKS FOR ERPEN, OUR DEFENSE LOOKS BETTER. SO DID YOU GUYS WIN THIS WEEKEND????

On Vanney-

"Those free kicks and corners, though.... that has got to stop. So much for the "cultured left foot" we heard so much about. Just let Gomez take the kicks. "
Posted by: stairs | July 23, 2007 10:49 AM

Finally! Others are beginning to see the light. Dispel the myth of Vanney's left foot! :)

Thx,

Jay!

Oh, Colorado fan of little maturity. Don't worry, Erpen is good for a little while, and then Senor Hyde takes over.

Hi Colorado fan, just wait till the first bicycle kick back to the keeper or wild slide tackle challenge in the box then we'll talk about Senor Erpen.

Glenn-

I guess we just disagree. Altidore did hit the ball too far away, but Vanney missed it entirely and put his knee into Altidore's thigh. If Mendes had done that to Emilio, we would be screaming for a PK. It balanced out when Fred was hauled back on a ball he could have gotten to, so it's not that big of a deal.

Anonymous person-

No, I do not watch any futbol. I actually just get to this comment section and start slapping at my keyboard, and magically it comes out to be DC United-related every single time. Amazing, isn't it?

Veron is not a defensive midfielder in MLS. Compare his time in Italy and Argentina to his time in England. MLS more resembles (albeit at a lower level) England. Veron was viewed as, at best, a mild disappointment at Man. United. He was asked to do more defending, more running, and more battling than he is used to. His game is less about physicality, and in MLS that doesn't really work for defensive midfielders.

I'm not saying he's bad. I'm just saying that in MLS, he would be an attacking midfielder for anyone playing 442. He and Gomez would not cover anywhere near enough ground to make that lineup work.

On Vanney's freekicks, he has been really bad thus far. If we feel we need a left-footed option, can Burch have a shot at it? He's also left footed, and his biggest goal at Maryland was direct from a freekick in the NCAA final. It can't be worse than not clearing the first man at every attempt.

Goff,

If freddy's 7.5 mill transfer goes through, is it known roughly what portion of that money would be DC's. It seems that could play extremely significantly into a Veron or other DP signing.

Really interesting how much things have changed. It was just a few weeks ago that we were all talking about how we needed more depth in the defense. Now with the emergence of McTavish and Burch, and when Namoff gets back healthy, we will have plenty of depth. And now the conversations are all about depth in the attack. But I think when Moreno and Kpene are both healthy, we've got two high quality forwards in Moreno and Emilio, and a pretty decent back up in Kpene (I still maintain that he was not at full health against Dallas).

Remember early in the year when Soehn was benching guys who were underperforming? I bet that happens to Vanney pretty soon when Namoff is back. And hopefully Soehn has realized after this game that there is no earthly reason why Vanney should be taking free kicks or corner kicks.

Chest is the man. Anyone who questions his soccer knowledge is clearly a newbie and should learn his place.

on Carroll Olsen and the state of the defensive midfield...

this team has enough skilled players that the D-Mid slot can actually be used in a way not used often in US matches - a HOLDING midfield position. especially if you're going to argue/assert that the defensive line is generally solid.

Carroll is a D-mid but not a holding mid. He tries to play as one and isn't that effective. The closest to an effective holding mid in MLS is probably Mastroeni and to some extent Reyna - how creative is he really aside from free kicks these days?Toja (Dallas) shows signs but not consistency

During the Dallas match - there was a brief instant where Benny came back centrally and simply HELD the ball around 3 attackers until he could control the tempo of the game around him. Carroll simply just doesn't do that. Part of his distribution issues are simply trying to play the ball too quickly at times. Simms is just a further squad player, but not going to consistently fill this slot either.

Bringing in a Veron (or a Makalele or someone like that) is bringing in a holding mid. Is it worth it? I don't know. I'd rather try Benny there first (as in centrally) and sit Carroll. If we're up, we can always sub out a wing MF (Fred or Gros or Moose or McTavish even) and simply add the extra body to be a D-mid and kill the game.

Either that or bring in the experienced Holding mid, push Benny out wide and play him like Giggs - run him to death over 70 minutes and then sub him out. Knowing Benny, he'll do what he can for the team.

Goff: nice writeup. "When healthy and motivated, Moreno offers the ability to hold the ball and alleviate pressure from Gomez, Fred and Emilio. He does need to become more of a danger in the box."

Spot-on observations. Moreno runs the team-no one else can do that yet. Wish he would/could take available shots.

Can DC United find (and add) that elusive ingredient that will make a difference (like Gomez did in 2004)?

Goff - I am curious about the Veron rumors. I am in Buenos Aires, and the press here says either Ivan Gazidis or Kevin Payne is in La Plata today to meet with Veron. Are the sources in the US anymore credible than the Argentine press?

"We are starting to turn as hysterical as BigSoccer." ~ Chest Rockwell

Thanks Chest.

Re: Casal's Release

Casal was having trouble adjusting to the heat over here (he grew up in England). That, and he wasn't willing to accept a demotion down to developmental status.

As I recall from replays, the Vanney "foul" was outside the box. And the foul was clearly negated by Altidore's blatant dive. We should be happy the ref's aren't "falling" for it. wah wah.

You never know for sure, but with Erpen on the field I can't help feel that the score would have been worse than 1-0. I feel he is at his worst when faced with a transition offense (usually playing catch-up and committing some agrevious error).

Goff,

in the pre-game discussion you mentioned the team traveled with one fewer sub than usual because of an injury to Brad North.

How about asking Soehn for a further explanation? It seems bringing along an Arguez or a Mupier or anyone would at least allow for the remote possibility of making another substitution and give a green player some road trip experience.

There's not even the expense of an airline ticket involved since the team normally buses up to Jersey!

PS-

plc, Vanney was well inside the penalty area when he tripped up Altidore. OK, maybe Altidore flopped a bit but there was definitely enough contact to warrant a PK. Vanney stuck his leg/knee into the attacker's path and made contact without touching the ball.

Speaking of rumors...I remember that someone had mentioned a rumor about Fred going to Australia on the Australian Four Four Two site. Well, I saw this on there posted yesterday:

"Fred's desire to come back to Australia has given the Roar an opportunity to sign Fred on a 1 year loan deal from M.L.S team D.C. united for the 07 - 08 A-league season."

So, Goff...surely, the loan would not begin until after the MLS season - but do you know if there is any veracity to this one?

To answer a few questions:

MLS, not RSL, will receive the transfer fee if Adu is sold. Allocation money is then awarded by MLS to RSL, which is expected to receive at least $400,000 to use toward the purchase of a new player. Of that, $150,000 and a draft pick will go to DCU as part of the Adu trade last winter.

No news on Veron today. I'm working all my angles. Payne was in DC yesterday so I would be surprised if he were in Argentina today.

The main reason Casal is no longer on the team is because he declined the team's request to drop to developmental after not meeting their expectations as a senior roster player. The heat and homesickness were also a very small part of it. He's apparently trying to hook on with a Dutch club.

I do know why Arguez did not travel with the team to NJ over the weekend, but because I found out off the record, I can not share with you. Sorry. Trust me, it's not a big deal. And even if he or North had made the trip, there is no way they would have played -- neither is ready for MLS play quite yet.

I will host a live online chat on washingtonpost.com on Wednesday to answer additional questions. Details to come.

SG

a major part of dcu's problems are with consistency, soehn can't figure out where to put his players and to keep them in those positions. Except for up front the rest looks like a revolving door, especially the defense which is having the biggest problems. If we had a more depth i think this may work but with the shallow pool there needs to be consistency every game.

Thanks Señor Goff. You are awesome.

BTW - You should come to Buenos Aires to cover the only American playing in the Argentine first division this season: DJ Countess just signed with recently promoted Tigre. I will hook you up with some good steaks and wine!

I will hook you up with some good steaks and wine!

-----

In that case, I will arrive tomorrow!!

:-)

on a side note did anyone see blanco look like a world beater against celtic this weekend...? most enjoyment and attacking flair i can remember in the mls maybe since marco left dc

and yes i no it was only one game of 60 minutes but i was still impressed

Goff, I think your comments are right on the money. I'm in complete agreeement across the board. Not so much in agreement with the majority of the comments posted so far though. Seems like some of you took a big swig of hatorade before writing in. Yeah, the team's been frustrating this year but I think it's crazy to talk about firing Soehn, etc. I honestly thought we were going to see more improvement right around now but the last couple of weeks definitely indicate it's not happening. This is the right time for these questions. The lack of one of our young forwards stepping up combined with Carroll and Simms midfield woes are killing us. Defense is the one area where I think we've solved our problems though we'll have to wait just a little more to see the full results. The injuries and losing players to internationals haven't helped but they're not the problem.

Playing off Goff's comments:

-OFFENSE-
*The young attacking players aren't getting it done. Absolutely right. One would've hoped one of our young guns would've started to stand out a bit by now but it's not working out that way. If it had, one of them would have had several goals at this point and the additional threat would've been major boon to our offensive capabilities- and things would be looking rather better up front than they do now. IMO, this is a big part of why our offense has been faltering this year. You'd think (hope) at least one of the four would shine more! Kpene has shown the best of the bunch but none are a true threat. Moose plays his heart out but doesn't have enough composure yet. 1st round pick for what we've gotten from Dyachenko- Ouch!

As Goff noted, Emilion needs better distribution. If he gets it he could turn into a M O N S T E R goal scorer for us. I agree Fred's getting more & more acclimated, a little better with each passing week. Still, it's going to take more than his continued improvement for us to turn into a high-powered offense.

-MIDFIELD-
* Carroll & Simms- They're not making the egregious mistakes they were early in the season when they couldn't even seem to clear a ball safely but their passing & ball control remain lacking. They turn the ball over an awful lot and are the cause of the end of a lot of our offensive thrusts. You pass them the ball and half the time it bounced 5 feet away from them. We could do still do quite well with one of them not playing especially good, but not with two of them doing so. IMO, the mediocre play of these two is the biggest impediment to our success. Gomez, yeah he's a bit off but I think part of it is Simms & Carroll bringing things down. They're part of the reason he's getting crowded. "Olsen's grit and determination will only go so far in energizing the midfield." Ditto. I love Gros's grit, determination & ability to take the ball down the flanks. If he could just improve those crosses a bit we'd have a several more good scoring opportunites per game and while he still might not be an attacking threat himself, he'd could play an important role as the setup guy. Seems like something he could improve on with some targeted coaching. This season we never seem to be down in the opponents end for more than a minute, not to belabor the beating I'm giving them but I think Carroll and Simms bear the brunt of the blame for this.

-DEFENSE-
Strangely, considering how the season started, I feel best about our defense right now. I realize I'm probably in a very small minority here. Yes, the Dallas game was a fiasco but I think we're getting more solid. Boswell is playing well overall. Vanny's alright and while not an upgrade he has replaced Erpen's erratic play with a more consistent product. McTavish is looking good. Namoff's having a real good year and when he gets healthy and these four spend a wee bit more time together I think they're gonna be tough. No one seems to be complaining much about any of them but Vanney so maybe so I'm not alone in feeling this way. So far so good with Burch. Too soon to say if he's good for the long run. I will say he's 6'2" and 190 lb.s and it's damn nice to finally have some size on the team! Maybe he can start scoring some headers on corners a la the days of Mr. Pope. The main area of concern I have on defense going forward, and actually this applies to much of the rest team as well, is we seem to be gettting outmuscled quite frequently- both on the ground and in the air.

-GREATEST NEED?-
With Moreno, Olsen and Namoff in yesterday we certainly would've done better but the lack of an additional scoring threat and our middling play at midfield would've still been there. I'm not familar with Veron so I can't weigh in as to whether he's the answer. Goff's question is right on target, if we bring someone in do we get a forward/flank player or a mid-fielder? Tough choice, we need to improve at both positions to go where we all want. Assuming we can only bring in one new player, one (obvious) question to ask ourselves is which of our current underperforming players in these positions is most likely get better in the second half of the season and beyond. Carroll, Simms, ,Kpene, Moose, Addlery or Dyachenko? Throw in DeRoux and Mediate if you want. I won't pretend to know the answer to that one but I don't think it's Simms or Dyachenko. Maybe you play the odds and say one of four forwards is more likely to step up than one of two midfielders? Or you could argue Carroll has played better previously as Goff stated and hope he starts to do better. My vote would be that improvement at the midfield position would have the greatest effect. He could potentially improve our ability to move the ball around in the opponents' end, help take pressure off Gomez, improve the distribution to Emilio and others, cut down the number of turnovers committed and also provide a scoring threat. That's a lot pieces of our game that could get better (not to assume he'd be great at all these things). He might also have flanking talents. I don't see a forward or flanking player having as great an impact. Of course there has to be someone out there who's available and fits the bill. In a perfect world, he'd also be someone who'd be with us for many years to come. Even with such a player we'll need to get more out of some our existing players. That's a whole topic unto itself.

Sorry for the mini-novel but I think we're at a critical junction here.

Yeah, Blanco's goal last night looked like a knife slicing through butter.

Which leads me to a total dumb-@$$ soccer newbie question: Are there any current (or supposedly rumored/planned) DP's that are UNDER the age of 30???

Where's the recognition of the clear penalty that Vanney should have given away? It was a stupid late chop in the box...

Didn't catch the Red Bulls game, but here are a few random thoughts nonetheless. I've never understood the team's fascination with Dyachenko, other than his size, nor Simms, other than his speed. I don't think either make especially noteworthy contributions. Fred hasn't been a world-beater obviously, but he appears to have some skills.

A player with tremendous skills is Christian Gomez -- what I have noticed about Gomez, is he's starting to look like Moreno out there. Too often, with his hands on his hips, sucking air -- or spectating when he should be moving. I think Gomez probably lacks the condition he had last year. That's the only thing I think is missing from his game right now, besides the supporting cast he had last year. Who would have thought we'd miss Esky this much?

I have liked Burch, and hope to see him advance to a regular position. He's got more skills than the average defender.

I think Veron would be a fabulous addition to the team. Moreno, is fine as withdrawn forward...though I wouldn't count on him beyond this year. If Veron is talking about coming next season (El Clarion indicated that's his preference here), I think United might look elsewhere for a goal scorer to pair with Emilio, and move Moreno in to the midfield.

Perkins is a little indecisive, but he's pretty good. I wonder, though. Any chance we could swing a deal with RSL again, and get U.Md. local boy Seitz? The only downside there is he might want to move overseas in a few years.

Posted by: Kire | July 23, 2007 03:46 PM

"The young attacking players aren't getting it done. Absolutely right. One would've hoped one of our young guns would've started to stand out a bit by now but it's not working out that way. If it had, one of them would have had several goals at this point and the additional threat would've been major boon to our offensive capabilities- and things would be looking rather better up front than they do now."

Are you kidding??? Emilio has 10 goals. Tied for the league lead! I agree with you that we have issues on offense, but it's hard to argue that no one has stood out. Emilio is one of the few bright spots on the team. How is 10 goals somehow less than "several'?

I don't think he was counting Emilio as a YOUNG gun.