There needs to be some Yakuza-style atonement...

pinky nubs for everyone...

Goff thanks for making the trip and covering the action.
Fire Soehn Hire Olsen/Gros
Good news only 4 days till the next game!

For those lacking fortitude, call for Tom's head. I'll stay the course, because I believe he can turn this around. Additionally, changing coaches may feel good, but isn't going to make this team play better.

Stay the course - don't react to your emotion. For a change, think. It may surprise you.

I thought Doe did pretty well. He kept possession well and letting the ball through his legs to an open Moreno was veteran-like.

Thanks for doing everything you do, Goff.
Bad news, there are only four days until the next match....

I'm still not panicking.

Not to make excuses, because we were outplayed, but we need Fred and Olsen back. Our wide play and combinations is what creates chances for Emilio, and we didn't have any of it today.

Olsen isn't coming back anytime soon. Getting Fred back would definitely help.

we lack creativity. we need fred back. we lack leadership, we need olsen. we lack a good work ethos, we need gros. there are so many problems that have compounded to create this mess. i don't see stuff getting fixed anytime soon.

I see other MLS teams find a way to take points even when they have injury issues.
DC just isn't doing that this year....and all I can come up with is the coaching.

Chivas didn't have s..t tonight and they won. NE has had tons of injuries and they are still respectable.....

WTF....

oh...and Santino was almost 100% at fault for the third goal. he kept the dude onsides by loafing...and still loafing he didn't track flores who ended up scoring while Santino was checking out his new tats.

I see other MLS teams find a way to take points even when they have injury issues.
DC just isn't doing that this year....and all I can come up with is the coaching.

Chivas didn't have s..t tonight and they won. NE has had tons of injuries and they are still respectable.....

WTF....

oh...and Santino was almost 100% at fault for the third goal. he kept the dude onsides by loafing...and still loafing he didn't track flores who ended up scoring while Santino was checking out his new tats.

Link to updated happenings in Dallas.

http://nivelcanchablog.aldiatx.com/

For those non-Spanish readers, I'd recommend to use one of those free online translators available.

Link to updated happenings in Dallas.

http://nivelcanchablog.aldiatx.com/

For those non-Spanish readers, I'd recommend to use one of those free online translators available.

An update for those interested about the happenings inside the locker room at Dallas.

http://nivelcanchablog.aldiatx.com/

For those non-Spanish readers, I'd recommend to use one of those free online translators available.

D.C. United post-game.

Soehn now has four games to save his job.....tick tock.

Good gravy... I fell asleep and missed the train wreck. It appears this team has ZERO leadership at the moment. While its great to bring in guys who have good resume's, you still need the blue-collar types to be the glue, especially with the turnover DC's had this year. I don't see anyone who is taking that role - and Benny would, but he's not there and we need to quit saying "If Olsen was there then ____ (fill in the blank)..." Because someone else has to step into the vacuum now - and I don't know if that person, other than Jaime, is even on the squad. Everyone is either brand new or too young and inexperienced to be the guy who can hold everyone accountable. Dang this is getting really troubling.

A couple of things stand out:

Wells is awful. He caused the first goal which opened up the flood gates. Thought he could have shut down the second as well. He is not quick enough and spills. How bad can Carvallo be that he can't get a start when Wells is so bad.

Repeated use of Dyachenko indicates that the coach has to take a lot of blame. He is not MLS caliber, especially as an attacking mid. How many passes to the other team do we need to see that.

Who is going to step up and protect Gallardo? Every team has figured out now that to stop DC just hack Gallardo. No one protects him. Benny would.

I thought Doe did very well in the first half and Luci poorly in the second. I would start Doe for a few games to let him earn the spot.

I turned it off when Niell came on. That's the same as throwing in the towel.

We are the worst team in the league at this point.

First half: good possession and distribution, game mostly on the ground, lovely Gallardo goal. Second half, air ball, turn overs, disaster. The interesting time to be in the locker room would have been half time. Was it something like, "You guys are doing great out there. Let's shake it up a bit. Doe, take a rest."???

Also, whose fault is it if the players aren't physically fit or mentally tough enough to stay in the game for 90 whole minutes? Sadly, I think the preseason was the opportunity for that and now we just have to hang on.

I went to bed after the first Chivas goal; I could sense the doom.

they looked horrible all game!!!! just because they had a lead doesnt mean they looked good! They have no leadership its time to make a change!!!!

I give Soehn two more games and that's it. if we screw it up against Toronto (esp at home), I can't see him lasting. that's not giving into emotion as one of the above posters suggests. yes, players need to take the blame as well, but you can't make wholesale changes at this point to the roster. A message has got to be sent. Soehn, as much as I like him, has done many a stupid thing this season - and it's obvious he cannot turn this team around. How happy is VW to be associated with the worst team in the league right now. Beep beep.

Bruce Arena anyone?

Goff - I know you'll be flying back, but I hope you can answer. Does Soehn ever come out really ticked and mad post-game? Does it seem like he's got that fire in the belly, so to speak, or does he seem a bit defeatist in attitude? It just seems like he's a broken record when I read his comments. I'd like your take on his attitude, since, at least in print, it comes across like he is almost throwing his hands up.

Blame has to go to the coach. The minute he changed Doe to Emilio, I thought it's over and the worse Gallardo to Dychenko. Even though Doe has not done too much in the first, flow was much better up top. As soon as Emilio came on it was a dead zone. I don't understand why Sohn needed to bring Emilio so early! Unless, there was some concern over Gallardo being knocked off a lot why let him come out so soon? All defenders made really stupid mistakes and misjudgments.

Man, if I read one more comment about getting the ball out wide, I'm gonna throw up. Going out wide is for losing teams who don't run triangles, and don't have any blood thirst for the goal (sound like a team we know??) Wells is pathetic. Soehn should be fired for playing him and Dyachenko. But the reality is, this front office is where the biggest bunch of losers are. Aside from Eskandarian, Nelson, and Gomez, they have brought us the cheapest set of players they can find since 1999. Run them out of town Volkswagen! As for bringing back Bruce, that's the equivalent of bringing back Diaz-Arce; a total publiciity stunt. Yeah, let's bring back Bruce so we can get watch 5 more years of passing the ball back to the goalkeeper so he can boot 50/50 balls up field. Brilliant! The smartest thing the Red Bulls did was run Bruce out of town. Now they have a real coach with an attacking mentality; not a team that throws the ball out wide so screaching little girls in the stands can make noises while one meaningless cross after another is headed away by defenders who laugh at those tactics.

Hard part about this is there is more than one issue. What do address first; mental breakdowns, motivation/heart, injuries, technique, leadership, lack of team identity/style, speed of play, bypassing the midfield 90%, etc...? IMO they need a good team shrink. The game between the ears is the most important right now.

Quaranta. Watched him last night and I think he deserves more than a 5. He was good on both sides of the ball, and seemed to show a lot of intensity, heart and maturity that was lacking in his earlier days. 6.

Wells. Not impressed. Two potential saves (especially the first) need to be made at that level. Howdy Doody would have ate them up.

Martinez. I would have given a 3.5. Second half was bad. Was he even on the pitch?

Well I have never posted a comment to an article in my life - that is how bad it has become......

@downtown: that's a great observation and something about which I'd like to hear more. It seems as though Soehn says the same thing after every match--we made some mistakes/we've got to do better. Obviously. But, where is the pi$$ and vinegar? It seems as if this team is defeated before it even takes the pitch. And, to me, that all stems from the coach. Tactics, aside, he needs to be one lighting the fire under these boys' ar$e$. Otherwise, it's going to be a long season (and one that Soehn may not see the entirety of.)

If Moreno scored on his golden opportunity it would have sealed the game probably but no he wasted it. When you think of every possible way to figure out who is at fault, I also think, it's the coaching staff. Trying to figure out which formation would work should have been figured out at the tranining camp. Every single game has a different formation and that tells me that Mr. Sohn doesn't really know what the hell he is doing with this team.

Maybe United needs to give Lucio Filomeno a call...

Oh, wait, this is a team full of Filomenos...

I took my dad two three games last season. After the August New England game he refused to watch United again as long as Soehn was head coach. During the game I asked him to get up and move because his attitude was bothering my son and me. He blamed the coach for sitting back with a lead. He had seen this at the Dallas game we alost gave away that season. I told my dad it's not the coach, it's the players on the field who are sitting back. I have not taken my dad to a game since.

I now seee my dad is right, the coach sits back with a lead. You cannot win in any sport with that mentality. Once we took over first, at the New England game I mention, we sat back for the rest of the season last year. It aches me to admit my dad, whose only sport was hand ball, was right.

It looks like soon he will go to a game with me at RFK again.

Wow... I went to bed at the half and thought DCU had the game under control. I didn't check the score before reading this, so I was puzzled.

DCU is in sad straits.

A couple of things stand out:

Wells is awful. He caused the first goal which opened up the flood gates. Thought he could have shut down the second as well. He is not quick enough and spills. How bad can Carvallo be that he can't get a start when Wells is so bad.

Repeated use of Dyachenko indicates that the coach has to take a lot of blame. He is not MLS caliber, especially as an attacking mid. How many passes to the other team do we need to see that.

Who is going to step up and protect Gallardo? Every team has figured out now that to stop DC just hack Gallardo. No one protects him. Benny would.

I thought Doe did very well in the first half and Luci poorly in the second. I would start Doe for a few games to let him earn the spot.

I turned it off when Niell came on. That's the same as throwing in the towel.

We are the worst team in the league at this point.

Posted by: RRP | May 18, 2008 7:14 AM

____________________________________________

I agree 100%. Wells is very poor. You can sense Gallardo is not happy with the physical play of MLS. The opponent senses that and takes advantage of it. Niell and Dyachenko have played past their trial. They provide no help when trying to keep possession. Benching Emilio for 60 was not enough of a statement. Let Doe play the full 90 if he is fit. The coach does sound like a broken record with his post game comments. Arena, Olsen, or Gros are not the answer to replace Soehn. We need someone with experience beyond a player. Arena had his time. He failed in NJ and they are stuck with one of his biggest mistakes. The time to hit the panic button is now. DC is the worst of 3 struggling MLS teams playing in Super Liga. You can forget about glory this year.

I love Martinez, but a 5 is way too high. He was terrible. In the first half his passes all either went out of bounds or right to Chivas. In the second he was trying just be a battering ram rather than defend. Unfortunately Harris is just as big and strong as he is.

Simms allowed the second goal to happen by standing and watching Sacha run right past him.

Wells really does need to come up with some saves. The third goal went right through him. He almost got beat near post from no angle because he was too far off the line.

I agree somebody needs to protect Gallardo. If the pathetic referees aren't going to do it we need to do it ourselves.

Senor Goff, your ratings are a sad example of the plague of grade inflation.

The last time we looked this bad was when we were dismantled before the season started and had more new guys than old. I would like to pose a question. If we have all the talent, why does the coach have problems guiding them? Maybe it is time for a change. He can take the assistant and the goalie coach with him. We could get an interim coach and a trainer. Why can't they put Quaranta on the front line. At least he is tall and can maybe head a ball. He is hopeless in the midfield. Doe looked like a doe in the headlights. He avoids the ball so he doesn't have to do anything with it. Are we the only coach who has had a GM since we started the league? Maybe we should think about that one too.

Sorry, I meant the same GM since the league started.

Note to Will Chang: it's the management, stupid.

The back three idea just doesn't freaking work for this team, with these wingers. How long will it take for that arse Soehn to figure it out? All it takes is a decent opposing winger to spread out the three and have at it. Especially when it seems DC's flankers are not at all willing and able to track back. Maybe that shyte formation will work at the high school level, where you can just keep subbing the wingers to keep them fresh, but it doesn't hold any water when put to a serious test -- or else you'd see a whole lot more of it, wouldn't you?

The players aren't playing for the coach, they make no effort to adapt their game to his "system", and he seems to be incapable of fitting a strategy to the exigencies of the moment or available personnel -- when things don't go according to plan, he's like a man stumbling around in a cave without a flashlight when other coaches and teams seem to be able to adapt.

Barf bags, anyone?

Let the imquisition begin.

ps Nothing short of firing the coach will turn this around. He's lost this team.

No, Kevin Payne did not run DC United from 2001-2003.

Missing key players is a moot point. Chivas is perhaps the most injury-riddled side in MLS, basically missing their entire back line and half of their attack. They have played like garbage all season.

Yet, in a battle of weak vs very weak, the very weak team managed to scratch out a win. Their first come-from-behind win in four years.

We have to get past "we need this guy or that." The reality is the only player coming back is Fred. The team staff have to deal with that.

For comparison, Chelsea were missing Drogba - the best striker is England, Essien - the best utility midfielder/defender in England, and a host of other important players for an entire month due to the African Nations Cup. Did they cry and whine? No. They got stuck in and fought it out, eventually catching ManYoo and running the race down to the final game of the season.

It shouldn't be that hard to win in this league. Somehow Soehn has made it look more difficult that it is. Moreover, they have failed to build a team around their best player (Gallardo) and have wasted their investment by not finding players capable of capitalizing on quality service.

Emilio has been given a pass for way too long. He has been allowed to become lethargic and complacent. For his lack of effort, he was rewarded with a pay raise and a chance to kick back and drink iced tea for 2/3 of last night's game.

The coach sets the tone - and the tone sucks, right now. Nowak would have ripped everyone a new poop chute. I miss him. Then again, Nowak came from a background that prized work ethic, discipline, and effort. It seems Soehn did not learn enough from Nowak, or, his personality is just up to the task.

Aside from a purge of the roster, the coaching staff must go. We keep hammering Soehn, but what about Simpson? Many years as GK coach. Former MLS keeper. Yet no one has been able to set Wells straight. I can only imagine what Carvallo is doing or not doing in training to keep Wells as the #1. The communication is still dismal - Namoff almost kick Wells face into Row Z on one play. First step and angles are up for debate (too many near post goals...almost got beat near post from the corner flag last night).

Etcheverry now!

Emilio has a good kick. How about him in the wing half back since he is there anyway trying to get the ball and setting Jaime up?

So, why was the Gallardo sub made? Injury? Fitness? The pressing need to get Admiral Ackbar out there to sell more action figures?

Thx,

Jay!

Let's face it: DCU got whacked by the Chivas reserves. Totally unacceptable.

The team has the worst goal differential in MLS, the product of poor play all over the field. Worse still, their play is ugly. Their style has vanished. Now they play kick-ball.

Last night's second half confirmed signs earlier in the season that Soehn can't motivate his club. Sure, he has to play the cards that Payne deals him and contend with injuries. But these are not excuses for the overall lethargy that afflicts DCU. That rests with Soehn.

DCU needs a new manager. Harkes? Olsen? Ritchie Williams? How about Paul Mariner, the New England assistant who is said to be ready and willing to move to a top job? Whoever, the time for change is now while time remains to salvage some pride.

Is more change needed? Players, obviously. But how about the front office. Has Payne lost his touch? Would DCU be better right now with Boswell, Perkins, Carroll, Vanney, Gomez? Their replacements as a group are not performing except for Gallardo. Even then, he's past his prime and even when fit doesn't seem to be able to last an entire match.

Where are the promising youngsters? At other MLS clubs, it seems. Payne searches South America for expensive part-timers and backline donkeys. Nicol and Mariner attend the U-20 World Cup and return with two exciting and talented players from Ghana.

Maybe DCU will rise from its cesspool and rescue its season and make me eat my words. As a DC fan, I hope so.

And maybe the MLS will begin playing up to the hype of its owners and some of the media covering it and actually be one of the world's top second-tier leagues. Yesterday, I watched a pair of promotion playoff matches in England's fifth division. That was good futball. Not the crap MLS provided later in the day.

Its time to give Carvallo a shot. Wells can't get the job done. He looks shell shocked the same way Perkins was last year after his big mistake in Mexico. Bench Wells! That might be the shakeup that wakes up the backline.

If a big name international coach cannot be found, I turn to Bruce Arena. As long as he does not try to bring his "son" (Claudio Reyna) to D.C.United. Arena is still a winner. He showed that even in New York.

sweet! i'm glad i didn't watch this game. i'm glad i didn't even DVR it..

Time to get rid of Soehn and Wells.

Might as well dump Chad Ashton and Rod Dyachenko while we're at it.

This team is done without drastic changes. They're probably done with them, but something has to happen to salvage this season. It starts with the coaching staff.

If Jose gets the start in Toronto on the turf don't be surprised if he gets shelled again.
The timing sucks, I would rather have Niell in Goal than Wells but we already payed the price starting Carvallo on turf in Utah.
Honestly I think Olsen should get the Interim coaching duty.
Anything would be an improvement. It's obvious everything they've tried doesn't work.
I feel sorry for Gallardo. No one protecting him, and though I know he's had his share of crapping the bed in his long career I do know he signed with United expecting a hell of a lot more help than he's getting.
I really hope Doe's dummy that Moreno blasted over the bar is in the highlight reel.
Priceless!

That was generous rating for Wells.

The is funny - blaming wells? what about the midfield after Gallardo was subbed? Simms was gone - Dyachenko - could have had a bigger impact by sitting on the bench.

Emilio and Niell - did they even touch the ball? Emilio actually did look good for about 5 min when he first came in.

Gallardo was awesome last night and for a few segments of the game the other players actually kept up with him...I think he is too good to play along Simms and is forced to cover for him WAY too much thus taking him out of the attack.

DC needs to splash some big bucks for a superior DM - maybe try to sell Emilio on ebay??

So, basically, it's halftime, you're congratulating yourself for having turned it around. You decide to hunker down defensively and kill time to preserve your lead, mindful you have to play again in four days. Then: You bring in Emilio ,who scores two brilliant goals, ending his bad snap, which instantly restores the team's morale, and it's off to the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup. It's a perfect plan, except not. Ugh.

BTW, where is Chest Rockwell?

Any word of a player's only meeting where Olsen, Moreno and others can try to explain playing with heart and the tradition of DC to the new guys? If Soehn's "pep-talks" aren't getting it done they should just take matters into their own hands

"If a big name international coach cannot be found, I turn to Bruce Arena. As long as he does not try to bring his "son" (Claudio Reyna) to D.C.United. Arena is still a winner. He showed that even in New York."

Wow. Are you saying NY were winners? IT IS TO LAUGH.

Arena won't have the advantage of being the Legendary Bruce Arena to his mostly South American players. His petulance, favoritism, scapegoating, lining up players way out of position, simplistic tactics, and inexplicable trades won't be viewed as they were by the players in NY for a year and a half (until he proved he didn't know what he was doing), as experiments by the Best American Coach Ever. DC's foreign players don't know who he is, and won't care about his resume, but they will see a guy who is even more baffling, and uncommunicative, than Tommy Soehn.

Hiring Arena would take a salvageable situation and make it a ruin. As a Metro fan, I say you should hire Arena. But objectively, this would be a totally desperate, sentimental move that takes no facts into account, just assuming that Arena was a poor coach in NY because NY is categorically a failure, and in a good situation he would be fine.

DC has tried this with three recent ex-Metros, and as much as you like Doe's effort (and his one dummy, please), they're all sub-MLS level. Putting on the magical VW shirt doesn't change a thing. Hiring Arena would be just about the biggest mistake DC could make.

I concur with all of the above, and would like to thank all the DCU supporters who came out to section 138 last night. We gave it our all.

Dear Front Office,

I hope you witnessed the United chants and the flags waving in section 138 last night. We follow a team that has more than just tradition it has passionate supporters. DCU fans are everywhere nationwide and DCU is in our hearts, though a bit shattered at the present moment. We deserve a better product on the field not in 3 to 4 games from now but rather on Monday morning when Sir Goff informs us that Mr Soehn was asked to step down. Once again i must remind you that last season's success was due to the fact that Mr Nowak left a well assembled team which any given coach could have led. Is the current turmoil not enough evidence that the current head coach is not! We know that the FO will do whats right for the heart(fans) of this team.

Yours truly,

Shattered Hearts

I like the idea of bringing ABMOD in to coach. I thought he did an admirable job while he was the interim coach at RBNY, and if anyone can light a fire under the players collective rear-ends, it's the Ankle Biting Midget of Death.

* For those confused by the reference, ABMOD = Ritchie Williams.

Isn't Williams under contract to work for RBNY? It would be disruptive for us to lose our assistant mid-year with no compensation, and in fact, I don't now that any assistant has been hired mid-year by another team. So if you really want the ankle-biter, I think Burch would do nicely.

The FSC guys kept saying Gallardo isnt 90 minutes fit?

The following players/coaches need to get the boot:

Soehn, Emilio, Dyachenko, Wells, Carvallo (only reason he is his here is because he doesnt count as an intl player), Niell.

Go scour the A-League at this point and get the best keeper there because there is no other option than a trade.

This is really bad and I think it is going to continue to get worse over the next five games.

I'm back with more keeper commentary. This is what I said last night while watching the game:

68th min- Almost a goal for Chivas because Zach Wells is again out of position. He is consistantly playing for a cross and not cutting off the angle. He got a lucky save. If you watch it from the back angle, you can see that he should be out a step or two towards the offensive player and over one step towards the end line. He's so frustrating to watch! Up till that point, he hadn't been tested. Lucky guy.

And as I write this, he clears a ball out of bounds. And then he comes out and loses the ball. He should've been able to hang on. That being said, I don't know what Clyde Simms was doing at all on that play. Goal Chivas.

Again, I know that it comes off as me know-it-all, but so what. Wells is horrible. I have a game tonight and I know that I won't be making the same dumb a*^ moves as him. I'm going back to when he mis-cleared the ball on the play before the goal. The ball was played back to him and all he has to do is clear the ball upfield. Instead, he clears the ball out of bounds (when there was nobody pressuring him by the way) and give Chivas back the ball 50 yards closer to goal. I think that this was the play that started everything.

His defense did not help him last night. Martinez did his best, but the others were horrible.

http://qsoccer.blogspot.com/

Don't like Simms? Why don't you guys trade Kirk (who's not getting any minutes anyway) to Real Salt Lake for Kovalenko?

I think he could provide that bite in the midfield that you all are looking for and protect Gallardo.

To me it seemed like the wheels came off the bus when Gallardo was subbed. Prior to that Nagamura was all over Gallardo and it still wasn't slowing Muneca down. I think the real problem was Gonzalo Martinez not being able to keep up with Atiba Harris.

Harris should have gotten a penalty kick in the first half when Martinez muscled him off the ball in the box, knocking him down. I guess that goes back to match planning and who among the coaches was paying attention to the Martinez-Harris potential match up. Martinez was way too slow and in the second half he was beaten repeatedly. Atiba Harris was the key player in all three goals, he just didn't get credit on the first one because Wells gave up a rebound that fell to Jesse Marsch.

Honestly, I think DC's problems have less to do with the attack and the midfield and more to do with the Peralta-Martinez centerback duo that's been stillborn since the beginning of this season.

Certainly there is a ton of blame to spread around - really cruddy play all around. However, Wells is clearly a stand out in this group of crud. He must go, we must dump our second "designated player" and find a new top flight goal keeper.

Any word of a player's only meeting where Olsen, Moreno and others can try to explain playing with heart and the tradition of DC to the new guys? If Soehn's "pep-talks" aren't getting it done they should just take matters into their own hands

Posted by: emanon | May 18, 2008 11:31 AM
_____________________________________________
Benny needs to take a couple bars of soap, rap them real tight in a towel and beat the crap out of the new guys while they sleep. Let's just hope Gallardo doesn't cry and run back to France.

Q do you have any time your schedule to play for United?

Yo Mastodon you dis Doe's dummy but honestly it was really nice to see a player with some sort of idea of his position on the field and the players around him.
He's light years more powerful than anyone else that's out there.
Emilio would have taken the pass and then promptly fumbled for it and lost it.
NIell may have made a similar move but more likely he probably would have just fallen down.

"Don't like Simms? Why don't you guys trade Kirk (who's not getting any minutes anyway) to Real Salt Lake for Kovalenko?"

Uh, yeah, RSL is going to trade a guy who has played every game, and is second on the team in assists, has allowed Javier Morales to flourish, and has by all accounts been a key leader in RSL's revival, for DC's trash.

Absolutely delusional.

Look, Doe's not a bad player by any means. He was good for about a dummy a game last year (and defenses figured it out, too), and he's got nice pace, though a rough first touch and an inability to shoot accurately. He's best used as a late game sub when you're ahead, a guy who pressures and can get past the back line for counters.

It's a measure of how dire the situation is that he's now a starter for a team with the aspirations (ego) of DC.

"heart and the tradition of DC to the new guys"

Stop believing your own hype.

Gallardo: played for River Plate, founded 1901, 32 league championships, 2 continental championships, 1 world title; played for Monaco, many league championships and cups.

Emilio: played for FC Koln, founded 1948-- three championships, four cups

Carvallo: played for Universitario, founded 1924, 30 league championships.

Martinez: Udinese, Napoli, Millonarios. Niell: Argentinos Juniors (over a century old).

This is getting boring, recounting this stuff.

But understand this: a thirteen year old club that won almost all of its trophies by being the only decently run, consistent outfit in a fledgling (and very poor) league, and since has vacillated between being terrible and acceptable, is not going to impress ANY of your mercenary players. I get the feeling that it gives you guys a little tingle, looking into the mirror, but the players on your team aren't going to care.

The guy who said to stay the course is out of his mind. This team is terrible and seems incapable of improving without major personnel changes, on and off the field.

This reminds me of an NBA team who purposely won't play for their coach because they want him fired. Soehn keeps talking about how these guys won't give their all....but he doesn't inspire them to play. You can blame the front office for not getting the right players, but in reality, we had the right players. They just didn't want to play for Soehn. The mass exodus after Soehn's first year at the helm (Gomez, Carroll, Boswell, Perkins) was due in large part because Soehn drove them away. Who wants to play for a coach that never accepts the credit and always deflects the blame? Who wants to play for a coach who constantly embarrasses his own players? I can't stand it when Soehn subs out a player just before the end of the first half simply so the world can see who he's blaming for the team's poor performance. Other coaches publicly support their players during a bad stretch and coach them out of it. Soehn calls them out and benches them. I predict the players will soon get what they want and Soehn will be replaced. Then we will be able to see who wants to play.

Beat by the Chivas reserves. Playing against a 3-5-3, in which most of the defense has been pulled out of a pick-up game in a local park and offered a contract, and the offense still managed to look non-threatening for much of the match. Yeah, United is the worst team in the league. If I heard FSC correctly last night, Dyachenko has committed the second most fouls in the MLS and he comes off the bench most of the time, that's. . . impressive?
Heads need to roll and while some deserve it more than others, only a couple of this team are really safe. Like Jaime, and maybe Namoff, and that's only because they haven't screwed up so tremendously as to make us howl. And Gallardo might not be what people want (and he might not be worth the money, but I will say I think he is), but he's not the problem either.

Bad News: We are in the cellar and playing wretched soccer.

Good News: The MLS regular season does not mean a hill of beans, and with a new coach (hopefully sooner rather than later) and some trades we'll win enough games to get into the playoffs.

Once we get to the playoffs we'll see.

It's really a sad state of affairs that no one can argue with Mastodon Juan today because, well, he's been right about everything he's said.

Bruce Arena would be a horrible answer. I don't think Olsen is about to become interim coach either, because he doesn't want to retire yet. I'm more in the Rongen/Harkes camp.

"MLS regular season does not mean a hill of bean"

Butbutbut... isn't the Supporters' Shield the "REAL" championship of MLS?

What a laugh.

"But understand this: a thirteen year old club that won almost all of its trophies by being the only decently run, consistent outfit in a fledgling (and very poor) league, and since has vacillated between being terrible and acceptable, is not going to impress ANY of your mercenary players. I get the feeling that it gives you guys a little tingle, looking into the mirror, but the players on your team aren't going to care."

@Mastodon Juan:

Yes, we all understand that this is the new revisionist cant from Metros fans. I hear this all the time. The facts are, however, that in winning its titles, DC beat whoever it faced. If we were poor, then everyone else (and perhaps especially Metros) were pathetic.

SS is a trophy but MLS Cup is the real championship of MLS until such time as MLS goes to single table which they will never do. In any case, MLS playoffs is about all we have to shoot for now. SS is out of reach, regional championships/cups are unattainable given MLS sorry roster limitations, so no MLS team, good or bad, is going to win one of those.

What is truly laughable is an empty trophy case. At least we don't have THAT problem.

The answer to our problems is simple. Get Peter Crouch up top alongside the midget. Then we'll truly be a freak show.

Look, this is a fixable situation.

The expectations that many DC fans have are completely unrealistic. It's not the "shirt" or "badge" (MLS isn't that old, and DC hasn't done enough, for that level of "tradition," no matter what is embroidered on the shirt or what Rongen says in his broadcasts), it's not the fans (sorry, plenty of teams with fewer and quieter fans have won more in recent years). It's not necessarily coaching-- mediocre coaches have won championships, look at Rongen or Gansler.

Too many new foreign players were brought in without a convincing case that they were better than what was there before. What sort of message does that send the American players?

Gallardo was signed without any plan being made for how to use him. The way he drops back to get the ball turns the DC attack into molasses. Sullivan was talking a bit about this-- Gallardo at River had quite a few very technical players around him, and he was a fulcrum for the attack, not a pure playmaker. But as much as DC can control possession by knocking the ball around the back, when the team goes into the attack, someone makes a dumb decision, Emilio stops making off-ball runs, etc. It would have worked better with Veron. Bad break, but Gallardo is still a gem. I just don't think he works with the team (Emilio in particular).

And I totally agree with the contention that losing Olsen is the key issue. He's a great leader and a ferocious competitor. Forget the "badge" and the "tradition"-- he's just absolutely uncompromising about winning, and very hard to replace. The thing is this: DC has been very, very lucky with avoiding long-term injuries to key players over the last several years. A few games here and there, but no season-enders for the main guys. In MLS, if you lose one of your top guys, you're almost certainly screwed. It's frustrating, but it's a fact. What's important is distributing the leadership and developing an internal talent pipeline, and DC has utterly failed to do that.

First off, thanks Goff for your reporting and coverage. But I have to echo the sentiments stated above...is Soehn as TICKED OFF as we are, or is he just a simple pull-string toy that keeps spewing the same lines, hoping that he has not yet been found out for what he really is - which is OVER HIS HEAD?

@ JSF
"Lacking fortitude", "stay the course", what the hell do those empty cheerleading sound bytes stand for anyways? Look we are all hurting here and I don't mean to have a go at a fellow fan, but seriously, if you can't appreciate Soehn's serious shortcomings as a head coach then you have got to be kidding me. Did you watch last night's game? Preki studied the situation and came out in the second half and immediately made some tactical adjustments that paid dividends right off the bat. We were under siege from the get go. Soehn got outcoached and his team coughed up a 1-0 half-time lead and was outplayed and beaten by an injury riddled CUSA. Once again, not to have a go and not to get off topic here BUT I have heard those sound bytes before, and even then they were a lazy response and even lazier attempt to address a situation of clear and evident failure and blatant ineptitude.

Now, I will will continue where I dropped off last night. SOEHN MUST GO!! Call it emotional or sentimental. I don't give a flying f***. DC should be happy that they have emotional, passionate fans. Isn't that what our sport is all about? So while we are all in agreement that Soehn must go, I heavily disagree with the sentiments of bringing Arena back. Are you kidding me? We all saw what he did to NYRB - they are still suffering for his bumbling, head scratching ideas. We have to break this homer cycle and inject some new blood into this system. We need a new and capable MLS coach, and that ain't BA. I like the Paul Mariner (sp?) idea, but I just don't see NE giving away such a talent to a rival so easily. But we have to broaden our definition of a replacement beyond BA, that is if we are a serious club that takes winning even more seriously.

As for the players, hmm, let me hold off on that until later - because, right now, if I were to say what I want to, if I were to mention what has been brewing in me since last night...serenity now, serenity now!

Anyhow, it's fixable through continuity and leadership. I don't think Olsen has what it takes to be a head coach now, but he needs to be brought into the coaching staff, because there are no alternatives right now to the leadership he brings. Either Emilio or Gallardo has to go, and I think it has to be Emilio. Without Gomez, he's too static and waits on the ball. I don't think you'll be able to get much for him without giving up that DP slot, so he probably has to be sold at a very low price outside the league. A shame, considering the reported offer in the off-season, but he has looked AWFUL this year and I doubt anyone would pay more than 10% of that offer now.

What's needed is a skilled, passing forward like Moreno used to be. No way that DC will get rid of Moreno and keep Emilio, but that would probably be ideal if you're going to build around Gallardo. Fred coming back will be a big help. Wells sucks (lots of people got really excited about his call-up into US camp, but that's a big "I told you so" for me), and either he needs to go, or DC needs to figure out how to trade for a defender like Conde, who is rock solid and organizes the back line well.

Not much other advice, but with some good planning, DC could be in the top 5 or 6 and make the playoffs. One thing is for sure: Payne either needs to fire Soehn, or to admit that the gamble of swapping out the squad to make a splash in international play was a failure on his part. It has to be demoralizing for the staff to hear him take credit for the successes and blame everyone else for the failures.

Mastodan Juan: you are the only sane person on this board. Keep posting. Again, without Esky, Nelson and Gomez, this franchise has been a joke since 1999. DC clearly won most of their hardware because we had two great Bolivians and a few other stars early on; the rest of the league had nothing. Take out the workmanship of Esky and Nelson, and this team has been a joke for 8 years, winning the unimportant games and showing how weak they have been/are during the playoffs. "Kevin Payne: lost his way?" He's the king of tradition hype.

As a confirmed contrarian, take note that Tommy apparently convinced Gallardo that he was dropping too far back (especially in the 4-4-2), because what was immediately noticeable last night was that Gallardo stayed high - and it paid off. And for those who are down on Quaranta, watch the replay. He was fighting to the last minute, on D as well as on the attack. Namoff, too. After those three, the quality drops off considerably.

Damned insightful there, Mastodon Juan, I wish I could have a go at you but alas what you speak is truth. I simply have nothing (other than the we have more trophies than you na, na, na-na-na swipe). This round goes to you, sir. :)

I got an idea:

Emilio and the DP slot for Conde, $150k in allocation money, and a high draft pick or a decent young player (Carr?).

Emilio would do well in Chicago, Conde would help big time with the back line, the money would go towards a strong young player up top, and Carr would help on the right side.

Losing the DP slot would be a blow to big plans, but big plans are NOT what DC needs right now.

You know, I have always rejected out of hand the idea of Etcheverry as Coach. But I am reconsidering. But is he available? Does he even want to coach? He was a great and gifted player, and that does not always translate into being a great coach, but at the same time if anyone is going to get through to our South American as well as North American and other players, Etcheverry with his stature and backround likely can. Etch sure spent a lot if time teaching the other players when he played. Maybe he can do it from the sidelines as well.

Let me say that Chicago fans will hate that idea. I read that Chicago Tribune blog and the mutual level of delusion from Chicago fans and my fellow Metro fans was embarrassing. They really think that Conde and the 10% of the cap he takes up should lie fallow to teach potential complainers a lesson.

But this trade would help both teams, I think. The important thing is that DC have a stronger presence on the back line to protect Wells, a better link from the back, an on-field leader, some cash to sign a young, dynamic forward to complement Gallardo, and possibly a way to get some young, developing talent on the field (maybe on the right side). And Emilio and Blanco would be great together-- Chicago's only problem is their lack of a reliable striker.

@Mastodon Juan
I thought the FIRE were against trading Conde to another Eastern Conf rival (if you can consider us as such a threat) or was it just RBNY?

They claimed it was the east. That might be bluster. If they were making a trade that clearly improved their team, I suspect they would pull the trigger even if it helped a rival.

But this Conde thing has transcended reason, so I could be wrong. Hamlett has a rep as a serious carrier of grudges.

I disagree with those who don't see Arena as a good coach. I think he's a great coach and was pretty surprised when NY bailed on him after a short stint (whatever happened to building for the long-term up there?). I'm not saying Arena is the only answer, but I'd be honored if he'd accept the job at this point given how bad we look. Bruce is a winner.

Arena completely lost a pretty fair team with stupid trades and baffling tactics. He looked totally disinterested during games. The idea that this is the inevitable result of some miasma of failure in NY is foolish.

Tactically and personally, Arena is inflexible. His favoritism towards some and his doghouse for others led to a dysfunctional situation.

I saw Williams suggested as a possible coach. How about Harkes?

I suspected last year that Soehn was the new Rongen. Its kind of looking that way. I just don't have a lot of confidence in him.

No fire on this team at all. No one like Olsen (hurt) or Petke to kick ass. These guys are thinking country club atmosphere, much like the Redskins under Snyders watch.

Soehn has no heart to light a fire on these guys. I'm guessing Olsen did it in the locker room and on the field last year.
Moreno? No way, a lot like Ripken, not a leader just a great player.

I see them losing both to Toronto this week to fall to 2-8, then you pull the trigger and can Soehn, Kasper, who put this mess together and Ashton. I like the idea of bringing in Richie Williams. He did a great job when he was leading the MetroDung.

Right now DC United is the MetroDung with trophies.

New York is the only example of Arena not succeeding. And that was primarily because he was not given enough time, although the miasma of failure that is the New York franchise certainly played a part. I would not argue with bringing Arena back. Though as I said I am beginning to think Etcheverry might work out well. I wonder what Lothar Osiander is doing?

i think it is bruce arenas time. also bring in some player that would make an impact to this team. A player i have watched closely is amine chermiti. very good forward from tunisia. http://youtube.com/watch?v=ds4RUN029Y0&feature=related take a look at him.

DC should be fined heavily for those bush league tactics regarding the press. They aren't the only offenders in the league, but MLS needs to do something.
Plenty of other sports freeze out the press. MLS should be doing everything possible to get more ink out into the public. Sports editors are becoming more starved for content, why not give it to them MLS?

Wow, it's sad when I have to go to BigSoccer for cogent analysis.

Aren't you guys tired of the worn out "everyone sucks," "fire everyone," and "my 6 year old daughter's team could beat those guys" mantras?

We did in fact play about 50 minutes of excellent soccer last night. If Wells saves his initial butterfingers moment for a different night, maybe we walk out of there with 3 points, maybe with 1 point, but the player ratings all go up by at least 2 points.

It could ahve been something to build on, but we shouldn't be rating our players solely by the final 25 minutes of play.

IF YOU CALL THT EXCELLENT SOCCER YOUR CRAZY AND HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT SOCCER

I can understand that Soehn is in over his head regarding his coaching ability. He was a good assistant and is a bad head coach. That happens all of the time. What I can't accept is how badly he handles the players. What do you do when your team cancer is your head coach? Something has to happen; Soehn has got to go.

Dadryan,

I would love to play for DC but I am shorter than Carvallo. But that's the reason that I feel that I know the position so well. Since I don't have the height at the keeper position, I have to rely on my positioning in the box. People don't realize, and this includes those who call games and our very own, amazing Goff, that Wells can make amazing "reaction saves", but he has to make them to make up for bad positioning. Compare him to a Tim Howard reaction save and you see a keeper who is in position and doesn't have to work as hard.

Every week, I lambast Wells for his bad positioning and people hardly ever believe me. Watch him closely and you will see what I mean. Also, read my above post about his "reaction save" in the 68th minute of last nights game to show exactly what I mean. That save reminded me of the goal that Pachuca scored in the first leg of their match. Anyone who seriously scouts keepers will be able to see that he guards for the cross instead of protecting his inside post and cutting off the angle on a possible shot. That tells me that he doesn't have very good footwork going side to side. All teams have to do is go down the wing and shoot near post if they are within 15 yards. It would be a goal 80% of the time. I'm sure that most team's scouting departments see this.

Hey Goff, if you ever want to discuss the keeper decision, let me know because I would love to do that sometime!

http://qsoccer.blogspot.com/

So say we get out of LA with 1 (heck even 3) point(s) agaisnt a poor injury riddled CUSA team, would that have justified keeping Soehn? I take no joy in calling for a person's job, but he's not the man for this position and as SAF puts it, "it's a results oriented business." Soehn is not getting the job done and he simply has to go. If I can find something positive from this disgrace its the fact that a win would have just been a band aid over a gaping hole in the skull, which would have prolonged Soehn's tenure and mismanagement of the club. This result (more so than the previous ones) exposed him and some members of the team - changes have to be made. Sorry, but it is what it is.

Too many new foreign players were brought in without a convincing case that they were better than what was there before.

Posted by: Mastodon Juan | May 18, 2008 1:33 PM

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

Although most of what MJ has written today has been spot on -- that one line captures 75% of the the season's woes. I put the other 25% down to losing Olsen.

Q i believe you on the postitioning issue. That was me heckling Blanco about two seconds before he up and shot that goal when Chicago came to town.
I had everyone around me looking at me like it was my fault, but even as fan who knows jack diddly about being a goal keeper I couldn't understand why he was so far out.
To the fans at games with their back turned to the game socializing with other men, please don't make yourself look like a total idiot blaming me for Goals being scored against United. Yes fatty if you are reading this I am talking to you.
I am saying that even I have noticed from early on that Wells seems to be in the wrong place a whole bunch of the time.

I'd like to see Marco as an assistant coach for United before he gets the full title. Then again, I think the problem is with the players on the field, not so much the coach.

Maybe El Diablo could like a fire under the players, but maybe not. If not, I'd hate for Marco to struggle as a coach for United.

Who was protecting Gallardo last night? He was getting chopped up left and right and NONE of our players were doing jack crap about it. Olsen would never stand for that.

Did anyone see this afternoon's action in Dallas? I just got in and checked the score, and it looks as if it was an interesting affair.

And we thought we were going to do well this season... sigh...

LA plays some exciting football. What makes their games even more interesting is their defensive inabilities. FC Dallas attacked as much as LA did. Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan just had good days.

I can't believe Buddles got hat trick. That is shocking. Let's not hope LA won't trash DC on national TV on 6/29.

Did Beckham get a yellow card for pushing Serioux after the foul?
Can't speak spanish and it seemed like Becks just kept running his mouth even following Serioux as he was leaving the field and taunting him.
The stadium looked full but what's up with that?
Can Beckham do no wrong?
He had a blatant foul a couple weeks ago that he did get carded for but I just wonder about why Gallardo can get his ass kicked in a game and end up getting carded for complaining about it, and DB gets to do whatever he wants.

I am feeling like the Chelsea fans were mid-season. If it takes DC dropping the next 3 or 4 games to make Soehn's termination justified, then so be it. The time to rebuild is now so we can at least have a shot at SuperLiga and USOC.

can the guy that has the "FIRE THE COACH" sign please break it out for the next home match. win or lose wed.

As bad as DC looks now I can't imagin having Real Zaragoza relagated today even though their team is filled with quality stars.

Steve McClaren is available. Can DC get him?

it looks like Donovan's jerky punk ways have rubbed off on Becks. Where's the class?

Did Beckham get a yellow card for pushing Serioux after the foul?
Can't speak spanish and it seemed like Becks just kept running his mouth even following Serioux as he was leaving the field and taunting him.
The stadium looked full but what's up with that?
Can Beckham do no wrong?
He had a blatant foul a couple weeks ago that he did get carded for but I just wonder about why Gallardo can get his ass kicked in a game and end up getting carded for complaining about it, and DB gets to do whatever he wants.

Posted by: Dadryan | May 18, 2008 6:29 PM
____________________________________________
It's because MLS refs are inexperienced wannabe's.

I'm thinking that with Gallardo's penchant for dropping back further to receive the ball, something akin to a 4-3-1-2 could work out quite well.

--------------OTC-------------
Namoff-Peralta--Martinez-Burch
McTavish---Gallardo---Cordeiro
-------Q2.3/Moreno/Fred---------
---------Emilio-Q2.3/Moreno/Fred

This leaves Simms out, but it could be worth experimenting with him in CB or playing RM and McTavish at CB.

I think we're lucky to have the flexibility
to play either Q2.3, Moreno, or Fred at either CAM or alongside Emilio up top, this also leaves one of them available off the bench (preferably Moreno).

MLS referees are inexperienced and inexperienced. As much as we complain about about our referees, we don't have an MLS 1, 2, 3, and 4 full of 30+ game for referees to get experience. All they can do is to call what they think they see or should see.

Beckham has always had his little bite at the Ref's, I don't think it's Landon rubbing off on him. In fact, I'd worry that Landon is getting justified in his actions.

I think Serious got red carded for a foul that looked much worse than it probably was. But when you foul Becks, you get get carded.

Gallardo, on the other hand, is a doll, and not nearly as attractive, I mean, popular, as Becks is. Therefore, he won't get the cards.

On the same front, Gallardo is not nearly as intimidating as Marco was (or Blanco is) to not get a yellow for dissent.

Looks like Beckham did get the yellow but it was weird that he felt like it was ok to follow dude and waive bye bye at him.
That is punk and shouldn't be tolerated right?

I was seething every time Gallardo got hacked down and the rest of the team just pussy footed around.

Pretty much exemplifies their lack of heart. I was, and still am, disgusted.

IF YOU CALL THT EXCELLENT SOCCER YOUR CRAZY AND HAVE NO CLUE ABOUT SOCCER

Posted by: CHRIS | May 18, 2008 3:54 PM

If you call that cogent analysis, you probably have no clue about... oh wait.

The most puzzling of the subs was taking out Burch. I mean I understand removing a defender for an attacker but why not sub out Mediate instead of Burch? Burch at least can serve a decent ball from the flanks and this pretty much moved Martinez onto the flank and left a very inexperienced Mediate in the middle, they didn't even move Mediate out wide when the sub happened.

@ Goose:

While true that KPs title changed in those years and he gained more responsibility in the AEG organization, his desk did not move, nor did his meddling in the player acquisition and management side of United.

Where to begin? Gonzalo the Human Battering Ram Martinez? Every week I am amazed that he isn't carded for his shoulder charges, when he makes no effort to play the ball. Amazingly. he isn't even whistled for a foul. I f he weren't so damn big, his targets would turn aroound and punch him. Despite his efforts to knock out Harris, class won out.

What about Marc Burch or Rod Dyachenko, who seemed bound and determined to pick up yellow cards every week? Why does Burch look surprised? He uses his leg like a woodchopper's axe.

Anyone who thought DCU looked really good in the first half wasn't paying attention. They were making the worst giveaways and were very fortunate that Chivas couldn't create a single good shot.

The second half disaster was pretty memorable but actually they were making the same mistakes early on.

I guess Carvallo couldn't do much worse than Wells -- at least he won't be leaving that near post open every time. What does Mark Simpson do every day? Why isn't his addressed? Wells range seems really limited. I fear we need a better athlete there.

Scoring? Hah! Emilio's contract has to be shipped as soon as possible, and a real DP-level player brought in. Unlike some here, I thought Doe looked fairly decent. Better than anyone else I've seen in a DC uniform his year up front. Jaime wasn't awful, but his touch seems largely to have deserted him.

Quaranta, as ever, made some mistakes, bu he also made things happen. He is definitely a net plus in the lineup. There were only three other players I might say that about last night, or possibly, four. Haven't made my mind about Namoff's play -- he made one wonderful defensive stop, but he didn't drive the attack at all.

I hate to blame the coach, because I don't see how anyone can win with this collection of players...but you have to believe the defense could be better organized, and the offense more dangerous.

I have found a silver lining. There is little chance of yet another stunning playoff disappointment.

Unless the FO can shake up this team, there is little chance of making the MLS Cup playoffs. Prepare for a lengthy rebuilding program. We're going to have some high draft picks, so I hope the FO is looking at American talent.

@ JSF
"Lacking fortitude", "stay the course", what the hell do those empty cheerleading sound bytes stand for anyways? Look we are all hurting here and I don't mean to have a go at a fellow fan, but seriously, if you can't appreciate Soehn's serious shortcomings as a head coach then you have got to be kidding me. Did you watch last night's game? Preki studied the situation and came out in the second half and immediately made some tactical adjustments that paid dividends right off the bat. We were under siege from the get go. Soehn got outcoached and his team coughed up a 1-0 half-time lead and was outplayed and beaten by an injury riddled CUSA. Once again, not to have a go and not to get off topic here BUT I have heard those sound bytes before, and even then they were a lazy response and even lazier attempt to address a situation of clear and evident failure and blatant ineptitude.

Posted by: Kosh | May 18, 2008 2:04 PM
==========================================
Did I watch the game? You ask me if I watched the game. Not on TV, because I spent my time, money and energy and went to the game. So, after getting off a 5 hour plane flight, I see your ignorant crap about platitudes and your "expert" opinion on coaching and approach. FU and KMA.

Don't assume that I am not hurting either. JF Christ - I'm a season ticket holder and a fan since the beginning. I believe that changing coaches at this time will hurt the team and would be more prudent to stay the course.

Save you time on your response - because this thread is dead to me.

I wonder how rubbed the wrong way Goff is gonna be this week with not only practice being closed to the media but also being barred from the locker room.
Hope MLS fines United.
Shoot hope Goff had some fun other than trying to do his job while in California.
Night.

I wonder why it's the coach's fault that one player retired, another is gone for the season & may retire, two more were shipped out to other MLS teams, and still another moved to Europe.

Because what's left is pretty much not good enough for MLS. That's not the coach's fault.

Look at your upper level management. Soehn can only do so much with what he has. And United does not have 11 MLS quality players to field at the moment.

Soehn can't wave his fingers and suddenly change that.

United are bad. If they don't change their player personnel, it will not improve. Changing coach's will not change a thing. Changing the people that choose those players could improve the situation.

The Christian Gomez situation looks even dumber and dumber. Talk about a major mess up. Someone should be fired for that.

1. Gomez is gone. Get over it.

2. Benny is gone, at least for the foreseeable future. Get over it.

3. Carroll and the rest of the players who were here last year and no longer here this year are gone. Get over it. The questrion is where do we go from here, not to whine ad nauseum about Gomez not being here. Give it a rest!

In terms of players, we have what we have until we make some trades. But even the roster we have, which looked good on paper but is not as good as many of us thought it was, is still seriously underperforming. We should have won convincingly at Chivas, no ifs ands or buts about it. They had six defenders out. Give me a break.

There are likely to be some trades, but one or two more losses and the first tone out the door is going to be the coach. DC United has gotten to the point of "the losing has got to stop". I respect the arguments that people make for keeping Soehn, but in sports when the losing snowballs like it is now for United, the coach gets shown the door, no matter how good a coach he might be. Kasper likely will have to go, too.

Of course, who do we trade? Not many of our players have any trade value right now, either for performance or salary/age reasons. For now we may be stuck with getting our current players to play better, and they are capable of playing better than they are now. I just don't see Soehn as able to bring it out of them.

Let's face it, a number of our players have no business seeing the field in this league, much less starting a MLS match. Players like Simms, Burch, Mediate, Dyachenko, and Doe are all extremely weak (I'll give Doe a pass b/c he hasn't seen the field much, but I'm not expecting miracles from the man). Players like Niell and Moreno don't offer much on the offensive side of the ball, and Emilio has been absolutely worthless this season. Wells is a below average keeper in MLS but I still think we can get by with him in net if we would actually play some defense. Those of you who keep yapping about Gomez really do need to take a chill pill. We would still suck with him at the helm, so get over it.

We're terrible, but man, those South American boys are HOT!!!!!

We're here, we're queer, we're drinking all the beer! DC GAY U-NI-TED!!!!

Hey Hoost it's good to see I'm not the only person out here who is sick of people whining
about losing Gomez.
We can't get him back and we've heard it enough already folks. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
I can't wait to find out if MLS is going to say anything about United not letting the press into the locker room out in LA.

Totally agree with Mastodon Juan. The "gutting" of last years team (who won more points than any other team in the league) and replacing them with high priced South American talent, has made many of our American players feel like second class citizens on this team and it shows. Especially now, when it seems that our new "talent" is extremely disappointing !! Last season is starting to look VERY good !!

June is the next transfer window, I believe.

Is any help on the way?

To do list:

Send Niell back to Argentina.

Find a complement to Fred on the opposite wing.

PLAY DEFENSE.

Is there a rule that the clubs should give access to post games? I don't know. I think first of all MLS doesn't attract a lot press. To that end I think it was bad move by United not giving press access.

No Fred the last two games, no bite in the midfield. The drastic fall off from early when we competed with the likes of Pachuca and Harbour View are a distant memory. That's to say we can't get it back. We need Peralta and fred back in the lineup along with a healty McTavish. And it'd be nice if Emilio got his head and his heart back into it. This can still be a very good team.

Players like Simms, Burch, Mediate, Dyachenko, and Doe are all extremely weak (I'll give Doe a pass b/c he hasn't seen the field much, but I'm not expecting miracles from the man).
Posted by: Hoost |

That's ridiculous. Burch was a real find last year and really helped to shore up the defense. Players like Simms are the role players that you need in a league like this that has limited resources.

Maybe Soehn should give Nowak a call for some advice. Under his past leadership, this team won. Soehn needs to instill respect and maybe some fear into these guys.

@sky
Yes there are rules about teams allowing access to the press.
It's news to me but looking around @ a few other blogs written by some other reporters yesterday I come to realize that KP and crew screwed the press out of doing their jobs. Especially a pain in the butt for Goff who traveled all the way from washington to be shut out of practice and also being barred from the locker room to gather post game quotes.
Sounds like the writers had to wait around forever and to get anything and many of the player's couldn't talk(Gallardo?).
Maybe team officials didn't want the players to reveal too much about what's happening but it sure does sound to me like Payne is worrying about his job now too.
Is it weird we haven't heard anything from SG yet? Me thinks so.
I'm wrong all the time though sooo.

KP ain't going nowhere. He put together the ownership group and has financial stake in the team. Unless MacFarlane buys him out he's here to stay. So let's move on to your regularly scheduled bashing, shall we?

at least we scored.

@JSF
Dude, chill. As I said WE ARE ALL HURTING. I respect and commend you for being a season ticket holder, and twice over for making the trip to LA. I did not mean to have a go, dude. You're pro Soehn and I am not (not any more). Either way we are all supporters of the same team and would like to see it succeed. So at times like these its easy for tempers to boil over - could have been so with the way I structed my post. In any case I meant no insult.

I just expect more from this team and even more so from the guy leading them. We have some serious talent issues and injuries, but I really thought we had more to offer than CUSA in that game, expecting a win was not unfair in my judgement. I just have this feeling that Soehn's lost the guys, it seems like they are not battling for him anymore. That's why I think it's time for him to leave.

I know that we don't have relegation and there's also the arguement that the regular seaon does not mean much, but we've chewed up 25% of the season and I don't see us making much ground in the next 25%. Plus we have 3 tounaments to play in still and this team needs to start tasting some success here and pronto if it is to break free from this funk. I think bringing in someone new ASAP will help salvage the situatuion.

We're on different sides of the fence on this one, but still supporters of the same great team. Did not mean to come off as an attack in my post, dude. Just a little miffed at what's happening to our team.

Hire Bruce Arena and have Ben Olsen become his assistant coach. Benny can gain experience and eventually take over the club.

I think we need some more "strategic alliances" with some South American clubs. That's our front office's best idea yet. Seems to really translate into results and great new talent!!!

We don't have a single young star that would sniff a cap with the USMNT. Great job front office!!! Great scouting!! Go pay another $190K to Niell and, what, $400K to Emilio??!! What a joke.

I would really like to know what the F.O. saw in Niell. His timing on Saturday when he came on was completely off. He gets bumped around A LOT due to his size. What are his strengths?!???

We need Fred back and soon. Doe did well in the game, he's not great but at this point he looks better than Emilio. I think it's time to sack Soehn, but I'm not too sure about bringing back The Bruce. Emilio looks like a lost cause, we should just sell him now and hope we can find another DP in the summer transfer window.