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by Jason Longshore

The Struggles of DC United: A firsthand account

9:32 am in Uncategorized by Jason Longshore

I’m in DC for the weekend, planning my vacation around two DC United games.  The first was last night against Seattle.  In a game where DC had many more of the chances, Seattle popped a goal late to take the victory.  It’s really the story of DC’s season.

First, let’s start with the highlights.  Even for an old, beat up stadium, RFK has a great atmosphere.  It was nice to see that in a largely forgettable season, there was a good crowd on a Thursday night that were into the game.  The atmosphere picked up with every DC chance in the second half.  That’s why I love this team and love the possibilities of MLS.

As for the play on the field, I especially liked the play of second half substitutes Pablo Hernandez and Branko Boskovic in their United debuts.  While the season is pretty much over at this point, there’s hope for the future with these two signings as well as the play of young stars Andy Najar and Chris Pontius.  Hernandez’s movement off the ball was impressive, consistently making the right runs to create space.  He also looked good in the air, nearly scoring with a header that forced a point blank save by Kasey Keller.  Boskovic is a very technically skilled player with a great first touch.  Once he settles into the team, I think he’ll be very helpful in jump starting United’s woeful attack.  I’m still not sure if he wouldn’t be better as a winger, but that’s another discussion.

The defense, which has been playing well lately, ended up killing the team again.  A giveaway in possession by rookie Jordan Graye allowed Fredy Montero to break away.  Montero’s cross found a loosely marked Roger Levesque, who finished nicely with a diving header.  When you can’t score goals, there’s even more pressure on the defense.  DC’s defense has been held together by duct tape and prayers this season, and it shows in the stats.

I’m hoping we’ll get a better overall performance out of the team on Sunday night as the LA Galaxy come to town.  The thought of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle running at this defense is scary though.

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by jeff

Real Madrid Go Undefeated

12:02 pm in La Liga, MLS by jeff

Real Madrid finished their North American tour Sunday going 2-0 with a combined score of 8-1 against Toronto FC and DC United of the MLS.  Madrid came into this preseason with plenty of new faces on the squad.  The additions of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka make Madrid a clear front runner in La Liga and the Champions League.

In the first match of the tour, Madrid defeated Toronto FC 5-1 in front of a sold out BMO Field.  From the opening whistle Madrid dominated every facet of the game.  Watching a match like this shows that the MLS is far, far behind everyone else.  At the half it was 3-0 Madrid, but could been 6-0.  Raul found the back of the net twice in the opening half with Ronaldo also getting a goal.

In the second half Madrid made numerous changes and still dominated play.  Benzema made the score 4-0 off a great assist from Negrado.  Toronto FC would find the back of the net when Gabe Gala pounced on a horrible rebound opportunity from Dudek.  The Toronto fans went absolutely bizerk when they finally put one in.  Arjen Robben schooled the Toronto defence  to make the final score 5-1.

The second game of Madrid’s tour saw them face off with DC United at Fedex Field.  Madrid dominated once again but could not find the back of the net in the opening 45 minutes.  DC United keeper Josh Wicks was by far the player of the match in the opening half coming up with some huge saves to keep United in the match.

The second half was a completely different story.  Madrid’s Arjen Robben took over the match.  Robben is coming off an awful season for Madrid but seeing this type of performance has to sit well with the Madrid coaching staff.  Higuain found the back of the net twice in the second half with Robben also netting a goal.  Final score 3-0 Real Madrid.

With the talent that Madrid can field  every time they take the pitch they are in for a magical season in my opinion.  Look for Madrid to give Barcelona a huge test in defending their La Liga crown.  Madrid also should be one of the favorites for the Champions league this year.  Overall, DC United played a much better match than Toronto FC.  No matter the final score, the MLS teams came out of these matches with an unforgettable experience against one of the best squads in the world.

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