Pre-Match/In-Game Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

MLS Week 3

D.C. United (0-0-2, 2 pts.) vs. Houston Dynamo (0-1-1, 1 pt.)

TV: MLS DirectKick, MLSLive.tv

Radio: WFED 1050 AM (English), WACA 1540 AM (Spanish), WZHF 1390 AM (Spanish), WLXE 1600 AM (Spanish)

Injuries: Louis Crayton (hip flexor strain), Fred (hamstring strain), Santino Quaranta (hamstring strain), Devon McTavish (head laceration), Greg Janicki (head laceration)

I don't really know about their status.

Come on, let's get that first win!

No Flames, No Trolls

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Don't you want a - want a fanta?

OK, so I think that Houston is a shell of their former selves without DeRosario. I base this masterful observation on the two games I've seen of theirs so far and the reports of the SJ game.

I'm probably wrong, but I see our makeshift defense being able to stay in there just enough.

2-1, DCU. Emilio, Simms; Boswell

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Crush the evil orange ugliness that is Houston 1836!!!!!

This should be a decent test for both teams, I haven't really gotten a chance to see Houston play yet, but that doesn't stop me from being absolutely sure we can beat them by 3 - assuming we can score more than 3........... and I'll even say a defender scores at least one pretty goal for DC

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

So if you assume that both Fred and Tino are on schedule and therefore available for this game, who do you play?

It looks like you've got seven guys (Pontius, Wallace, Gomez, Tino, Fred, Moreno, Emilio) competing for five spots.

I for one am in no rush to take out Pontius and Wallace.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Agreed. I like the bite that Wallace brings to the game. I prefer to see Pontius up top, but that means that Jaime would have to sit.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Ya gotta do what you gotta do.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Having Jaime giving 30 hard minutes at the end of the game isn't necessarily a bad thing. Easing Tino, Fred, or both back into the flow by giving them 30-45 minutes by starting Wallace seems like the pragmatic thing to do anyway.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

-----Emilio-----Pontius------
-----------Fred-------------
--Wallace--------Tino-------
-----Simms---Jacobson------
---Namoff---Janicki---Jakovic
----------Crayton-----------


I would that we would give Benny a break after playing the full 90 Saturday and starting against LA. I put Fred in as AMID because it's his natural position and I haven't seen much from Gomez yet, maybe he could use a break.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

'Tino is a natural forward who has been doing his best for us out on the wing. I remember numerous discussions last year about the fact that we were playing him out of his natural position. Why not keep either Wallace or Pontius out on one of the wings (Fred on the other, natch) and put Tino up top?

I'd start with this...

-----Emilio----Tino------
---------Gomez----------
Wallace------------Fred

and then at some point in the second half, sub out Emilio and Gomez and shift to this:

----Moreno---Tino-----
---------Fred-----------
Wallace---------Pontius

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

At this point, Jaime at the end of last season is better than Gomez right now.... i hope jaime could refind that form, and we can put him in the middle, cause he really did just come back from getting surgery on his knee.....and it takes a bit to get back in gear. Gomez too i hope he refinds his form, but at this point he just isnt the same impact player he used to be, being able to dribble people, and rush through like a tank......


And people are putting up their line ups, here's mine:

-----------------Emilio------
-----Pontius----------------
-----------Gomez------------
--Wallace-------------Fred--
-----Simms---Olsen---------
---Namoff---Janicki---Jakovic
----------Crayton-----------


If Fred isnt ready, put Q' there, personally Q' isnt the player Pontius is, So far Pontius IMO owns Tino' at his position of Supporting Striker, only thing Q' has over Pontius is he works better with jaime, but that very well could change with time.

If olsen cant start, or needs a rest, Jacobson looks like his replacement in time, solid but not quite Olsen.

If janicki can't start in the middle and is still hurting, put Jakovic there, Burch on the left, namoff on the right, but put wallace on watch if Burch goes up too much, or have them switch with Burch on the wing and wallace on the outside for lateral runs.


Edit: Put in Jaime for Either forward who is doing bad, and give him the last 20-30 mins, depending how well or how bad we are doing meaning, if we are tied or losing put him in for 10-20, if we are winning give him 30-35, if we are tied bring him in at teh high 70s point.

I really want to see Moreno and Pontius up top though, i have a feeling if they can build a relationship we can have something really interesting if they can learn how to feed of each other like Gomez and Moreno had before gomez left.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

I assume that Ching will be back for Saturday, yes?

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Moreno had a very mediocre game Saturday, but he did play that beautiful pass to Pontius cutting behind the defense. Pontius chested it down like a vet, but just couldn't finish -- but that will come. I think the two of them are very "soccer smart" and could develop a very good relationship. The downside is that neither is a poacher -- that is something Emilio is good at, and possibly N'Silu. What I think that means is if Moreno and Pontius are on the field together, Pontius is playing outside in midfield.

I also have a good feeling about Saturday -- the reports are that Houston's defense is not playing well and they lost DeRo which creates a huge void.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

I don't like that, though.

The problem is that we have three good players, Emilio, Moreno, and Pontius, who are fighting for two spots. I'd like to see them all on the field. I'm pretty sure that Emilio and Moreno can't play in midfield. Maybe Jaime could have a few years ago, but I don't think he has the wheels now. Pontius might be able to play as a midfielder, but I think you lose a lot if you don't let him 'post up' and play up top.

Jaime doesn't look quite ready yet, so I think I'd like to see him get 45 minutes a game for the next two or three games to get him into match fitness. If he doesn't make progress, then Tommy has a decision to make.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Me either. I think the answer is simple. If I'm the coach, I watch them at practice and whoever shows me they are fit, sharp, and hungry gets to start. That's what we call "competition", which some of our guys may not be real familiar with right now.

I'm just gonna trust that Tommy puts guys on the field based on this criteria. I'm going to say that I think, and I hope, we'll see Wallace on the left, with Fred on the right, Moreno up top, and Tino and Pontius on the bench. But I expect to see both of them on the field at the end of the game.

But that's gonna get us points, make the players we have better, and give us something to cheer about.

Audio stream, beer, and a lonesome evening with the guys in black.

I'll take it.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Hopefully, this week, we won't have 'tired legs' as Soehn put it last week. I don't understand why we would anyways, seeing as how it was just the second game of the season.

And Wicks said the ball was slippery, but I don't recall Busch ever mishandling a shot. But maybe thats just my mind forgetting.

You guys know about the game before the game at 4:30? Anyone going?

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Audio stream? You can't make the game?

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Nah, gotta skip this one. Be at the next one though. Haven't been to a Friday night game in a while, I think I missed the one we had last year or the year before.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

I kind of agree with you, but if you look at Etcheverrys role, he never was a good defender, he was always either almost up top as a supporting striker, or he would go veeeeeery deep to recieve balls to the back where the defenders were to distribute one of his accurate air through balls/ accuarte passes. Im not saying Moreno can play like Etch' and do similar, but like many great players, Riquelme for example, a good coach makes sure he can stay up and play little to no defense/ conserve energy and have other guys with wheels cover for him( wallace, simms... even maybe olsen?) , like pelegrini at Villareal.

I hope if the gomez experiment turns out to be a failure we can try moreno right behind the two forwards.


Right now i love what i see out of pontius, hes my fav. player to watch right now on DC. I hope he can turn out to be that player that we all wished out of quaranta but at 25 or almost 25 i think its fair to say he will never be the next coming of moreno. In 2 games which i was able to watch, so far IMO pontius is more of that moreno replacement we'll ever get in american blood than quaranta ever could be. Hes a decent winger, in that he can do runs frmo the wings, and is good for good 1-2 passing and finishing, not so much controlling the midfield like a classic 10' or even Jaime who is a mix of a '10' and a '9'.


I just hope jaime could find his way back to form ( ), possibly drop to the middle, have pontius and emilio upfront...... and we just DESTROY!!

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

I understand what you're saying, but Marco and Jaime have always been very different players. Marco was a classic playmaker and distributor, and didn't look to score (mostly.) Jaime was a classic goalscorer with speed and moves. The problem is that right now, even with Simms and Olsen behind him to take much of the defensive duties away from the attacking mid, Jaime doesn't seem to have the fitness to play in the midfield. He might get there with a bit more time and work, but it looks to be an uphill battle for him.

I really do think that he'd do best coming in as a late sub. He wouldn't feel he had to pace himself for a whole match, and he could go hard against tired defenders. However, his competitive nature might not allow him to take that role. That competitiveness was what made him great, but it might get in the way a bit now.

I don't think I'm willing to commit to Pontius completely after seeing him in only two games. He did well as a rookie, but keep in mind that he played his first (and best) game against a defense who played five yards off him. He won't have that luxury often - most defenders aren't as brain-dead as the ones LA puts on the field.

That said, I was very pleased with what I saw from him, and I hope he continues to get a lot of playing time, but I'm more cautious about him than you are.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Exactly.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

If we can afford it, I'm hoping Fred and Quaranta don't see the field unless we're absolutely certain they're fully recovered.
We're playing well enough now that I'm comfortable running with the guys we have now instead of risking further injury.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

That's what I would go with.

Re: Pre-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

What Friday night game!?!

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

Shouldn't that be 3-0?





Bobby owes us at least one positive own goal.

Re: Pre/PBP/In-Match Thread: D.C. United vs. Houston Dynamo:: 4/4, RFK

I subscribe to the MattMathai school of though on this, that Bobby, while a good defender, needed the change of scenery of going to another team to get his career untracked. In other words, the move was good for Bobby and not necessarily bad for us. That said, ever since the trade he seems to be one of these guys like Landon who gets especially jacked up to play against us, especially at RFK.