Sorry, posted this at the bottom of the previous post:

Pretty good turnout for a weeknight game.

Seems like every time the DC baseball and DC soccer teams play on the same day/night, one of them wins and the other loses. Is this the curse of RFK?

congrats to jaime!

great atmosphere tonight. great game from fred and simms. perkins had a sweet pass to fred on the wing to set up the first goal, but his distribution as weak otherwise.

Atlantic Cup Champions 2007!!

Soehn, on Simms: "One thing we do when Clyde is on the field is we win. As a coach, it's great to have a lot of options and we're going to keep changing it up and keeping our legs fresh if we can."
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Huh? "One thing" we do is win? What other "thing" is there? Maybe try playing Simmy instead of Brian "Turnover" Carroll and keep winning...

"it's great to have a lot of options..." Yes, yes it is. But you just said that Simmy = winning, so I don't really see the need for options, do you?

Oh yeah, and Goff:

In your Saturday article, you wrote that DCU "has only the MLS championship and Copa Sudamericana, a Latin American tournament this fall, to pursue."

What about the Supporters Shield?

Only a 7 for Olsen? You're tough, Mr. Goff. His hustle resulted in two goals.

Notice how Moreno, unlike Bonds, didn't take 10 minutes to prance around and talk to the crowd after his record.

I would certainly give Burch more than a 6 ... he did some fantastic things tonight. I believe he will become a great addition to this team for years to come.

Burch has been United's best defender for weeks, but he was a little off tonight against Richards on the flank. Still good enough for an above-average 6. Olsen's 7 was about right -- he was all over the place, scored an easy goal, set up another, missed on a pass or two in the final third, but a strong 7. (Remember, 5 is average.)

Supporters Shield? Yeah, yeah, I know it's another thing they're pursuing and maybe I should've worded it differently, but it's all part of the MLS campaign toward MLS Cup. (Yes, I know there are rewards for finishing first overall.)

I'm fairly certain Burch lost a point for falling over his own face which lead to the pk goal.

That being said, I never realized how much I'd absolutely fall in love with this kid. Burch has done amazing things for this team.

"Random fact: United is 10-3-2 in league play since their 0-3-1 start."

Wow. It really feels good to be a fan of a club where complaining about only getting 32 of the last 45 points is tolerable.

Also, Hooray for Fred.

"One thing we do when Clyde is on the field is we win. As a coach, it's great to have a lot of options and we're going to keep changing it up and keeping our legs fresh if we can."

- Give Tommy Boy a little credit on this one. Simms solidifies our defensive half, even if the tradeoff with Clyde is less than stellar passing forward. Think the Coach just wants to keep his guys hungry for the playoffs and rested when we get there.

Wow, Vanney sure sucked. I mean, that was the worst trade in MLS history. Wait, take that back--sports history. He was so terrible! Why does Soehn think he is any good? The one thing I don't know is who should get fired first: Vanney or Soehn.

What? It's not two weeks ago? Jumping to conclusions isn't a viable way to pass judgement?!

Although DC put on a great performance tonight, when I saw Emilio go down, am I the only person thinking we are awfully thin at forward.

Burch is a forward. Am I the only one who wants to see what he can do up there?

"Only a 7 for Olsen? You're tough, Mr. Goff. His hustle resulted in two goals."
UVA to RFK

C'mon, he was up against "Defender of the Year" material in Chris Leitch. Who only let him blow by 4 times in the first half. A soccer purist would give Ben a 5 for not passing that last effort sooner in the first half :) I was surprised Il Bruce left Leitch in.

Congrats to Jaime. Unfortunately Chivas plays LA Thursday, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that Razov gets 2 hat-tricks. And when Kreis gets fired (I can't see why they haven't already) it's only a matter of time before he joins some team to scrape up a few more goals. We need Fred, Christian and Jaime to get in the box and earn a few more PK's before this record is safely in DC United's hands.

Thx,

Jay!

What? No player ratings for the reserve match?

"You just knew the record would come on a penalty kick, right? Three months after he tied the all-time mark on a PK, Moreno broke it with a PK." Goff

Didn't Pele score his 1000th on a PK?

My falling on my face, giving the ball away that lead to the PK was my tribute to Claudio Reyna...

Burch, if that was your intent, then you forgot to feign a knee injury.

A goal is a goal is a goal. At least on a night your team wins 3-1, wins the impressive Atlantic Cup and your striker and captain scores a record-breaking goal. :)

------------------------------------------------------

Huh? "One thing" we do is win? What other "thing" is there? Maybe try playing Simmy instead of Brian "Turnover" Carroll and keep winning...

"it's great to have a lot of options..." Yes, yes it is. But you just said that Simmy = winning, so I don't really see the need for options, do you?

Posted by: edgeonyou | August 23, 2007 12:27 AM

Funniest part of the game for me was as BC was coming on my son said,"Oh no. We're in trouble. Brian Carroll stinks now!!"
Too funny. He gets this insight from watching sporadically and attending just a couple of games this year.

Otherwise, great to see Jaime finish the quest. He is a class individual and truly deserves this record.

Great attendance for both mid-week matches -- even 12.5k in KC.

To be fair to Burch, he had to go against "Cheap Shot Artist" Richards all night long. Richards never missed an opportunity to hack someone late or to hit someone with an off-the-ball hockey check. Salazaar just didn't pay attention. Nor did anyone watch all the off-the-ball hits on Dyachenko and others... Same old Metros losing and hacking...

i thought the defense, despite a slip or two from burch and mctavish, was very solid. would like to see the wingers center the ball a little sooner as opposed to getting trapped at the endline. and way too many touches in the box. shoot the ball already. love rongen's comment about it being, "a man's game." congrats to jaime, but a few more goals might prevent razov from breaking the record next year.

It was too bad they closed the stadium for the reserve game-- Goff any insight on why? Figure the stadium crew still had to stay there for the friends and family that were allowed to stay.

As I explained in my online chat yesterday, the team and stadium were not going to keep security and maintenance personnel on the job for an extra two hours.

For a reserve game? No chance.

Re: Goal Record. If Razov surpasses Jaime, he won't hold the record long. Twellman has 85 goals in 6 MLS seasons. Since Twellman doesn't appear to be headed overseas and his MLS seasons won't be interrupted by national team call-ups (ouch!), he is the best candidate to set a long lasting record. BTW MLSnet lists Jaime as tied for 5th in assists (with Cobi Jones). Only Preki and Kreis are in the top 10 in both goals and assists.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've ever lost when Benny scored.

Haven't read the other comments yet, so I'll post first, but did anyone else notice the United Jersey on a fan as Segares walked out after his red card? The guy's right over the tunnel.

And, secondly, what about the fact that there were fans in Kansas City? Wow.

Glad to see Bobby went full 90 and kept a clean sheet on D in reserve, but other than your published quotes, is there any indication that Boswell did something in particular to deserve two straight benchings?

Did you see how Richie, Bruce and Harkes did even not stand up and applaud Jaime?

That's pretty pathetic boys.

Way to go MLS scheduling games on the same day the US national team is away on a friendly. Nice to see the league continues to isolate itself from the rest of the football-playing world and disrespecting the importance of the national sides. Think small, you are small.

I think the 12K in KC was a result of Blanco playing for Chicago. DP's are certainly making a difference, both on the field and at the gate.

"the team and stadium were not going to keep security and maintenance personnel on the job for an extra two hours."

Given the recent posturing by Fenty and DC United's appeal to the masses, and the fact that the DC Sports Commission runs RFK, was the decision to close the stadium a snub of DC?

Way to go MLS scheduling games on the same day the US national team is away on a friendly. Nice to see the league continues to isolate itself from the rest of the football-playing world and disrespecting the importance of the national sides. Think small, you are small.

------

Huh???

The MLS schedule was set many months before the USA-Sweden match was finalized. And unfortunately, MLS does not have the flexibility to shift stadium and fixture dates after the fact.

As for player availability, a USA friendly in Europe means most of the call-ups will be from Euro clubs anyway.

Random fact: United is 10-3-2 in league play since their 0-3-1 start...

I realize that DC is not the dominant team that everybody hoped for, however, this proves that they are better than the mediocre team that some have accused them of being. Compare our point total now with last year's Supporter's Shield-winning 55 points with 10 games remaining and I would say that we are looking pretty good. Not meaning to jinx anything but I personally am beginning to get excited...

So I'll bite on my thoughts.

How great was it to see that DC, especially late, was able to swing the ball, possess it, and really work it around? That'll make it tough for them to get good service to the forwards, if they don't have the ball.

Altidore gave me a few weak moments, but nothing that crazy. A very good job in the back by all those guys.

I wanted to see Boswell come on in the second half, just to boost his confidence and so I could applaud him. Glad to hear he did so well in the reserves, and here's to a class act for not making a big deal out of it. It's why I love following DC United -- guys like Benny, Moreno and Boswell are class acts who love the game and put the team first. Would love to get the Supporter's Shield lined up.

paulm, also compare our goals for, goals against, and number of games played versus the rest of the Eastern Conference. Looking very good...

quote:

Did you see how Richie, Bruce and Harkes did even not stand up and applaud Jaime?

That's pretty pathetic boys.

Posted by: BobF | August 23, 2007 09:42 AM
----------------------
Umm, actually, not only did Bruce directly acknowledge Jaime, (I think I saw a thumbs up or a wave) he shook Jaime's son's hand when he came off the field with the ball. I didn't see anything from Harkes or Richie

Harkes was the first player to congratulate Jaime on his first career MLS goal. Against the LaLaGals no less.

"Way to go MLS scheduling games on the same day the US national team is away on a friendly. Nice to see the league continues to isolate itself from the rest of the football-playing world and disrespecting the importance of the national sides. Think small, you are small. "

Posted by: Mikenrochester | August 23, 2007 09:55 AM

Who cares about a stupid friendly. Those things should just be done with gone. Look how many players from the Euro leagues drop out of them with various strains and bruises after playin 90 min. for their club teams. Club futol rules! United over national team friendly any day.

"Given the recent posturing by Fenty and DC United's appeal to the masses, and the fact that the DC Sports Commission runs RFK, was the decision to close the stadium a snub of DC?"

Posted by: I-270, Exit 1 | August 23, 2007 09:59 AM

Are you wearing a tinfoil hat?

actually his first goal was vs. the old Tampa Bay Mutiny.

That was a pretty good performance. It's a shame the shutout string had to end. That PK call was pretty weak. Richards basically just took a dive. Angel looked pretty disgusted at the end of the game. Do they not have a player name phonetic pronunciation guide for our clueless stadium announcer?

I was shocked to see actual people in the stands of those KC highlights. Were they computer generated?

"Harkes was the first player to congratulate Jaime on his first career MLS goal. Against the LaLaGals no less."

Posted by: AlecW81 | August 23, 2007 10:34 AM

Actually, it was against the TB Munity. Comcast had the flashback last night.

"The MLS schedule was set many months before the USA-Sweden match was finalized. And unfortunately, MLS does not have the flexibility to shift stadium and fixture dates after the fact."

It's a FIFA international window that was set before the league schedule, even if we didn't have a friendly planned. With the advent of the DP this season, MLS NEEDS to respect the FIFA blackouts or lose all their best players on certain dates. It's actually much better now than it will be in future seasons due to WC qualifying. By not respecting the international dates, we look bush league.

Harkes was the first player to congratulate Jaime on his first career MLS goal. Against the LaLaGals no less.

-------

Moreno's first career MLS goal was at Tampa Bay on Aug. 7, 1996.

That's not to say that we need to take off for UEFA or COMNEBOL tournies, but at least for the normal 2 or 4 day windows and perhaps the CONCACAF events like Gold Cup.

"By not respecting the international dates, we look bush league."

------

MLS is not alone. There were league games in Ecuador and Paraguay, as well as a Copa Sudamericana match (Cruzeiro-Goias), played yesterday.

Hey Joe S. - the only reason I wouldn't want to see what Burchy can do up top is because it would leave a gaping hole in our defense. He has been absolutely solid defensively and perfect as the overlapping back serving up tasty crosses.

So glad to see him get the senior contract that Columbus was unwilling to give him.

How does the Copa Sudamericana apply to DCU? Does DCU get to jump up a qualifying round or something? They play the Guadalajara Goats at some point, right? Is it that the non-South American teams duke it out for one spot?

A highlight (among many) from last night's match:

Late in the 2nd half, Olsen chest traps a high ball that pops up, sits on his shoulder, and rolls behind him. He tries to back-heel it, but the ball goes out of bounds.

My son goes "Cool!! Great move!!", the crowd on that side cheers the effort, and Olsen acknowledges the crowd with a wry smile and a half-wave. Great stuff all around!

How often would you see that sort of interaction in any other pro sport, or in many other MLS towns, for that matter?

My bad on the random fact -- DCU is 11-3-2, not 10-3-2, since their miserable start. My apologies. The original post has been corrected.

DC is starting in the round of 16

Bottom of this page has the match schedule

http://www.conmebol.com/articulos_ver.jsp?id=61167&slangab=E

This match will be rebroadcast on CSN in the Baltimore/Washington area Saturday afternoon at 1500 hours (http://midatlantic.comcastsportsnet.com/tv-listings.asp?date=&listdate=8/25/2007).

Blah blah blah, Jaime's awesome, blah blah blah. But how about the game in KC!! It sounded like they had at least 17 people at the game. That's amazing.

Gracias, emanon! :-)

I see a ton of individual mistakes made by everyone in our defense - a ton of them. But everybody is working so hard for each other that the mistakes are being covered up by supporting defenders. The young guys have really injected some life into the defense. I don't know how good the defense will be when push comes to shove in the playoffs, but at least they are a fun group to watch and root for.

Are you wearing a tinfoil hat?

Posted by: Dick Braggadocio | August 23, 2007 10:47 AM
---------------------

Are you completely ignorant of DC politics?

Best line in SBI's blog about last night's game:

"Hello all. I'm here at RFK Stadium, or as the Red Bulls like to call it, hell."

Great game last night. Even though I don't give a rat's patootie about the Atlantic Cup it's always good to beat a Division rival and it's great to see Jaime get the goalscoring record.

Too bad about Emilio. I saw him holding his hamstring as he left the game but he didn't seem to be limping as badly as some others (like Jaime) sometimes do with a hamstring injury.

I wonder if we start Kpene or move Gomez or Fred to forward in Toronto? I wouldn't mind getting a look at Mupier who apparently scored a couple in the secret reserve game last night.

I've only seen Mupier at the Open Cup game against Harrisburg where he badly volleyed a wide open close-in chance over the crossbar. But someone put together a slick YouTube video of his college highlights that's pretty impressive:

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Mira+Mupier&search=Search

All the slick moves in the video are of course against NCAA-level defenders. But it would be nice to see him try some of that stuff in Toronto.

If you watch that YouTube clip you should adjust the volume according to how much you like or dislike gangster rap!

Are you wearing a tinfoil hat?

Posted by: Dick Braggadocio | August 23, 2007 10:47 AM
---------------------

"Are you completely ignorant of DC politics?"

Posted by: I-270, Exit 1 | August 23, 2007 12:26 PM

Yeah, man, I LIVE in the city, or as Journey would say, the ci-tay. I don't live on I-270, exit 1. So, keep your little Fredneck thoughts on DC politics to yourself, Ricky Bobbie.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we've ever lost when Benny scored."

I think that had been true until this game against Jersey in 2004 (same one where Freddy scored his first MLS goal).

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20040417&content_id=328&vkey=news_dc&fext=.jsp&team=t103

I remember because right after Beninho's goal, CSN showed a graphic with DCU's record when he scores and totally jinxed the team.

And I believe it's official, we have our first instance of name calling among United fans on the blog.

Dick, don't take it personally. I-270 makes fun of everyone, and I for one, am happy to be made fun of by him.

"I-270, exit 1... Fredneck"

I underestimated you. You also don't know geography.

Silentbob: Thanks for the correction. At least we have a really good record when he scores.

This was a great game to be at.

We were on the La Norte side and hung around after the game because my wife wanted a picture with one of the players. We were about to give up after Fred left, but then some other dude came out in jeans and started signing autographs. I made her leave once I realized that it was none other than Santino Quaranta!

Football Manager has a 6 rating as average. . . . Where's the consistency!

"I wanted to see Boswell come on in the second half, just to boost his confidence and so I could applaud him."

You mean he doesn't think he's God's gift to women?!?!?

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