Pre-match: The Uniteds v. the Fires - 22 August 2012

I hope he was joking about Geiger.

Here are some regicial baby animals.

He'd have to be, unless someone wanted actual fire.

Did PB69 start this thread?

Might be the most important game this team has played in years. We win, things can get put right We lose, and I'm guessing there'll be some serious morale rebuilding needed.

This team -- and the fans -- are on the edge. Lots of early success and then nothing (save the Montreal game) all summer that really has felt that good.

Wednesday will be huge. Especially since mid-week crowds are small, we really need to be LOUD.

I hate to have to ask, but anyone really know the ref for this?

I haven't seen it posted, and I think I've already angered all the folks in the ref forum sufficiently to never get an answer again.

and the Metropolitan Police would have to bring out their riot squad to protect him.

Might be the most important game this team has played in years. We win, things can get put right We lose, and I'm guessing there'll be some serious morale rebuilding needed.

This team -- and the fans -- are on the edge. Lots of early success and then nothing (save the Montreal game) all summer that really has felt that good.

Wednesday will be huge. Especially since mid-week crowds are small, we really need to be LOUD.

I hate to have to ask, but anyone really know the ref for this?

We are 4 points behind the Fire with one less game played. Still too close for my liking and still too close to Montreal. Though I'd still like to see Montreal knock someone else out of the playoffs just because I'd like the chance to go back up there this year.

And hey, baby warthogs!! Awww!!!

Who do we have left on the team? Hamid, Bosko, Dudar, and most likely Woolard are all out for Wednesday. That means Willis is in goal. Andy in back? Trading Cruz is looking real smart now.

I'm actually glad we have a game this soon after Sunday's nightmare. Hopefully they can use some of that anger as fuel to go out and beat the shit out of the Fire.

Not necessarily what I'd like to see, but I think we'll see:

-----------Tan--------Pajoy---------
Pontius---------DeRo--------DeLeon
----------------Kitchen--------------
Korb-----Jakovic---McD------Najar
---------------Hamid----------------

Bench: Wolff, Salihi, King, Saragosa, White, Willis

Is Hamid suspended or something? I don't know why he wouldn't play. Neal and Santos are injured, I believe. Also, I wouldn't be surprised to see Wolff get the start over Tan, but Salihi and Pajoy together I can't imagine happening.

I'm expecting next to nothing from the forwards, so the rest of the team will need to be at their best. I'm hopeful.

That's one of my least favorite boards on BS. Unfortunately, it's periodically worth visiting. You would think someone would be willing to discuss game management, but as I said in the post-game thread, too often that board gets so caught up on individual incidents and breaking plays down frame by frame or by using several photos to support a decision, they forget there are 90+ minutes in a match. I couldn't even get a single response to Williams not leaving the field of play after his red.

I hate Bridgeview.

In other words, they don't care about game management, as is evinced by Geiger being "their best."

Well, moving on, have no doubt we'll get a two-bit, myopic ref with Parkinson's, who left his guide dog at home for being sore from all the buggering. And also we'll come out angry and paste those motherf#&kers.

Anything less than 5 goals and 2 broken clavicles and I will be disappointed.

You should probably specify a team for those items.

Tan and Pajoy? Don't we have time to sign someone with even less experience on this team before the game Wednesday? I seriously worry about this.

Seriously, unless there's a nagging injury, it's unacceptable that those two guys would start in front of Salihi. If that were the case, somebody has got to pay the piper for it, because it means have 3 under performing DP's, which is the hallmark of a horrible team.

Really, I'd go with Pontius and Salihi up top. How is Saragosa on the wing?

Well, they traded Cruz and Neal is hurt. Saragosa isn't going to play the wing. Possibly Wolff I suppose. No one wants to see Salihi play more than I do, but it seems Olsen wants Pajoy. Salihi with Pajoy seems an odd combo. Could happen.

I visit the referee board all the time, and they do talk about game management quite a bit. Problem is, they can only really do that for games they've watched in their entirety. If they haven't watched a game, all they can go on is the individual calls in question, and IMO, the calls at the end of the game were for the most part correct (the one that probably wasn't was the 2nd yellow to Williams, but he then proceeded to earn it by flopping ridiculously in the ensuing melee). As most DCU fans seem to be pointing out, though, it was game management that was the issue.

Anyway, is Hamid out for you guys or not? As far as I saw, he never received a red card. I'm expecting a tough game for the Fire, in part because your team will be extra motivated to put those last few minutes of the Union game into the past. How do you see the absences of Boskovic and Dudar affecting things?

I'm going to post this here because it's as good a place as any.

The 'Playoffs are a certainty' thread was closed by NattyBo yesterday morning because it was 'bad juju' and 'playoffs are a certainty when we make them'. I have to assume this was the reason because this was the last post and he did not respond to my personal message, which was respectful and courteous.

Even if the thread title and OP were not tongue-in-cheek (for instance, I'm not really going to let someone punch me in the face), this thread should have been left alone to die a natural death. If I have the power to keep United out of the playoffs, I would also have the power to get them the Cup and I would do that instead. It's ridiculous.

Saying playoffs are a certainty when we make them and closing the thread is akin to saying don't talk about the playoffs until we're in. It's disappointing and I don't understand it.

No reason why Hamid should be out, apart from being quick to irrational behaviour. As for the rest, who the hell knows? I still haven't determined Ben's pattern for when to employ them and when not. I, personally, think our set pieces will suck, and as long as your knuckle-dragging, unibrow thug-beasts are up to their usual form, we'll get beaten up and have few calls go our favour.

I'm sorry, that was rude. I meant to say "very few calls go in our favour."

I'm gonna have to punch you in the face. It's not personal.

But seriously, though, yeah, sucky free kicks, and a poor transition from the backline to the forwards. Basically, about the same it's been every other time Bosko doesn't play.

From the MLSNet preview:

REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. MLS Career: 4 games; FC/gm: 23.0; Y/gm: 2.0; R: 4; pens: 3
AR1 (bench): Craig Lowry; AR2 (opposite): Jeff Muschik; 4th: Jorge Luna Hernandez

INJURY REPORT (may not be current, I think they update later than when the guide was posted):

• D.C. UNITED – OUT: MF Lance Rozeboom (L knee ACL tear); DF Robbie Russell (L plantar fasciitis); DF Daniel Woolard (concussion-like symptoms); DOUBTFUL: FW Maicon Santos (R toe soreness); PROBABLE: FW Dwayne De Rosario (L shoulder soreness)
• CHICAGO FIRE – OUT: DF Cory Gibbs (R knee meniscus repair); MF Logan Pause (L pneumothorax)

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: DC: Branko Boskovic (through Aug. 22); Emiliano Dudar (through Aug. 22)

Rookie ref has disaster written all over it. DC and Shitcago historically have had some hot-blooded games in the past. Benny's not the kind of coach to tell the players to take it easy.

Thx,

Jay!