Official DC United vs Chicago Fire POST Match Thread [R]

[Knave]

- Final Score -

DC United 1 :: 3 Chicago Fire

- Scoring -

CHI - Own Goal (Ryan Nelsen) - 29
DC - Earnie Stewart 3 (unassisted) 58
CHI - Justin Mapp 3 (C.J. Brown 1, Kelly Gray 1) 65
CHI - Kelly Gray 1 (Logan Pause 2, Scott Buete 1) 83

No Flames - No Trolls

[Footer Phooter]

Ugh. We stink. Can't even beat a team without its best players.

At least NE lost.

[GUTuna]

Not exactly a triumphal return for Nelsen.

And I really had no idea the Eskandarian was so key to our offensive output.

[grumpydcu]

DCU's A team v Fire's B team. What a f****** disgrace.

[tmas]

I can't wait till Esky comes back next week.

[sch2383]

Since nobody could see this one, I figure the bitching will be less than usual, but it is pretty sad that we can't beat Chicago when they were missing so many of their top line players. But hey, at least New England lost, so we aren't in last palce.

[GUTuna]

I can't wait till Esky comes back next week.

I said the same thing about Nelsen before this week. But I'm thinking being at home is more important than anything. We're horrid on the road. Even with our players. After all, the Chicago lineup wasn't exactly full of their stars.

[vincero]

A karmic and deserved result. I guess the team and coach learned from their last outing in Chicago.

DC with 5 shots , 2 on goal. Chicago 6 shots with 6 on goal and a 50% scoring clip.

How many games has Nowak played for the loss or the tie this year? With defensive subs when DC is losing.

Nine of Chicago's 29 points have come from DC and fortunately for them they play DC one more time.

[natqueencole]

How many games has Nowak played for the loss or the tie this year? With defensive subs when DC is losing.


And just where was he supposed to get offensive players tonight???

:confused:

-- N

[GUTuna]

And just where was he supposed to get offensive players tonight???




Amen! There wasn't anything on the bench to help us.

[nick]

As I said a few weeks back, stick a fork in them they are done. Come on. 3-1 to a nothing and I mean NOTHING Chicago side.

This team CANNOT win on the road. We are so so in scoring at full strength with Alecko and Jaime. Anything less and we can't score.

In the midfield we look better than we are. There is no real attacking midfielder that can control the pace and tempo of the game. Gros is useful on the left wing but Stewart has been a nothing all year, absolutely not worth a max salary. Olsen and Kovalenko are strong role players but they have little to support. Freddie is a gifted kid but a kid non the less.

At the back we bleed goals. We have a below average rookie keeper and we continue to employ a 3 back scheme with players who don't have the speed and range to play 3 in the back.

If it weren't for New England being absolutely horrible folks we would be clearly out of the playoffs ----again..... Evan if we do squeek through to the "8 of 10 team playoffs" our inability to win ANYTHING on the road guarentees we will be out in the first round.

I need a drink. Cheers to 05....

[mellon002]

So maybe if we get rid of our best players we can win.

[Bobaloo142]

So maybe if we get rid of our best players we can win.

No way! We're nothing without Stokes.

[JoeW]

The sad irony about this team is that we have been so futile against Chicago and Dallas all season. Dallas is now last in the West and Chicago (as someone else has pointed out) has 9 of their 29 points from playing us. Now one of the losses to Dallas was reasonable--the vivisection when he fielded the A-league lineup. But this is not a case of a mediocre team that can't beat good teams. We're a team that can't beat teams we should beat and we can't beat teams on the road. Ugh.

[Th4119]

And I really had no idea the Eskandarian was so key to our offensive output.

It's amazing what having a true striker on the field can do for a team, isn't it? Alecko is one of the best forwards in MLS in terms of making runs off of the ball, which opens up a ton of scoring chances for himself and anyone else in the attacking third. Even though he has solid numbers this year, he really is a player that you can't just look at stats to judge his true value to this team.

[Izzy]

Amen! There wasn't anything on the bench to help us.
that's why! why can't DC go and buy a Haitian player for cheap to help them out of this funk.

Haiti has some very good defensive players, and some good defensive midfielders too, about try one of them? also that would bring a lot more haitian fans to the DC's games.

pass this message to the Dc management staff. please do something DC.

[Morenita]

So...what place are we in now in the east coast standings? Fourth?

[DangerMouse37]

A team that loses consistently on the road -- that is this bad this consistently -- needs serious motivational help.

Before at least they were playing attractive football, but now, its crap.

Has Nowak checked out or reached the limit of his coaching ability? Is there no leader on this team that can help them get pumped for must win games?

WTF? No shots against the Chicago practice squad? Come on.

[vincero]

And just where was he supposed to get offensive players tonight???

:confused:

-- N
I dont know that a player necessarily needs to have an "offensive" label but it would obviously be preferred.

You might start by putting in Kuffour as the first sub. Grant it near all of the fans did not get to see the game but I doubt it looked like DC was controlling the match or threatening for the most part suggesting to Nowak a goal might come. Waiting until the 79th minute for an offensive sub? He should have been ready to go in for Olsen instead of Carrol.

If Olsen is hurt/ exhausted etc and has to come out I still dont see the Carroll sub as an absolute necessity. Heck, you are already losing, why not put Stokes in the midfield or the back and move Namoff up. At least he would provide some sense of a possibility of scoring on a set piece. Carrol brings nothing offensively.
Whatever happened to ?Thompson. Why not call up a forward from a lower division? Anything.

[Sandon Mibut]

So, we're in fourth place, again.

Last year, fourth place got Ray Hudson fired, and he got more points - at least through 24 games - than Nowak has. Does Piotr get the benefit of the rookie coach doubt?

The defense, a strength of the team last year, is last (tied with the MetroStars) in goals allowed. Can't say we've improved there.

The team is INEPT on the road. This is coaching. The players either aren't prepared to win on the road, don't believe the can win on the road or don't have a game plan given them to win on the road. Either way, it comes back to Pitor.

In fairness, we are a better attacking team. Last year, we averaged 1.27 goals per, which was eighth in MLS. This year, they're fifth, 1.33. So, if I'm gonna fault Piotr for the above, he deserves credit for this improvement.

But, at the end of the day, it's the only area in which United is better than last year.

While it could easily go south again, Chicago appears to have righted its ship and I expect them to make the playoffs. So, the final spot will come down to United and New England. (Man, how big is that Kamler own-goal looking, now?)

The team can still sneak into the playoffs in fourth place, but for my money, this is just another chapter in the same old stank the team has delivered the past five years.