Magically, I don't feel bad at all that we were unable to score 1 goal against the worst team in the league, at home, with a two man advantage. The fact that we were playing for a home 1st round playoff match and a chance to reward the fans while Cincinnati had absolutely nothing to play for didn't faze me at all.
Yeah, there were always at least 2-3 defenders standing back around or past mid-field when we were up two men. You're playing the worst team in the league, up two men. Push numbers forward and Cincinnati will eventually collapse. A loss wouldn't have made a difference, we's still be in 5th.
Believe it or not, I'm feeling a bit better today. Here's why: I believe that DC just set the MLS record for most consecutive shutouts. The defense is the best in the East and it's not even close. If the offense can manage to score a goal, DC's chances are pretty good against anyone. (I'll also just note that in 90% of games, that FCC handball gets Varred. I'm not totally unhappy that they didn't even bother to look at it, but that gets called more often than it gets ignored.) So DC will be on the road for the rest of the season. I actually think that plays to their strengths. When they're expected to show creativity and enterprise like yesterday, they play like abstract expressionist diarrhea. But when they can commit everyone to defense, take the air out of the ball, and play professionally, they're at their best. Finally, away to TFC is a far better matchup for DC than home to RB. Russell Canouse or Felipe Martins trying to be creative against a heavy press is a recipe for hilarity. They're much better when they can sit back, absorb pressure, and hope Hamid can save more penalties than whichever scrub TFC puts in goal after 120 minutes of scoreless anti-soccer. Bennyball or bust.
Sure, but what have you seen in the last 216 scoreless minutes that leads you to believe they can score while preventing the other team from scoring? We've seen year after year that the playoffs are another level that DC has been woefully unprepared for. So, sure the defending will keep it close, which gives them a chance, but there really is no reason to be confident. DC has too much talent to be a smash and grab team if it were only coached by someone who had any idea of what offensive tactics are.
Comically, we most consistently threaten and score when playing to counter... Now all we need is for our defenders/d-mids (AND &*!^*$& HAMID) to recognize and play to space in front of those early runs (Amerikwa, Arriola, Kamara, Rooney, Segura all make 'em).
From justsportsstats.com - Coach Olsen's record prior to the 2019 season: "Ben Olsen compiled a record of 98 wins, 118 losses and 68 ties in his coaching career with the D.C. United. He began coaching during the 2010 season and last coached during the 2018 campaign." Coaching Record: Regular Season Playoffs Season Team G W L T SW SL Pts Pts% Win% 2010 D.C. United 12 3 8 1 0 0 10 .278 .292 2011 D.C. United 34 9 13 12 0 0 39 .382 .441 2012 D.C. United 34 17 10 7 0 0 58 .569 .603 2013 D.C. United 34 3 24 7 0 0 16 .157 .191 2014 D.C. United 34 17 9 8 0 0 59 .578 .618 2015 D.C. United 34 15 13 6 0 0 51 .500 .529 2016 D.C. United 34 11 10 13 0 0 46 .451 .515 2017 D.C. United 34 9 20 5 0 0 32 .314 .338 2018 D.C. United 34 14 11 9 0 0 51 .500 .544 Totals 284 98 118 68 0 0 362 .425 .465 10 3 5 2 .400
I was just thinking about this question: Who would you rather bet on right now, DC United or the Galaxy? Defense wins championships, right?
I don’t see the Galaxy getting past Allianz United. Though with Zlatan anything can happen. Zlatan Imawhinybitch. James
If we had him, we would love having him on the team. He's old but can still play at a great level in MLS. Of course, he is a winny b*tch. But, any team that once started Stoichkov has no historical basis for complaining about that. Stoichkov, as I recall, once broke a teenager's leg during a training session at American University. Is that a false memory?
it is not, that guy was a petulant twat. (not the AU kid ) I would also much rather NOT have Ibra on my team.
Yeah, at this point it isn't so much tactics in any individual game, but ingrained habits and mentality. We got so defensively drilled that we couldn't shift gears when the game scenario unambigously called for attack.
I don't think this is right. IIRC, they canceled the 2013 season on account of the painful screeching that happens in my brain any time I try to think about that year.
[QUOTE="tallguy, post: 38221604, member: 48801" Stoichkov, as I recall, once broke a teenager's leg during a training session at American University. Is that a false memory?[/QUOTE] No, it happened. I arrived just after the match started, to find those in attendance looking stricken. The match was called off. Stoichkov took offense at the AU player's attempted tackle and took revenge. I was told that, had it happened in a league match, he would have been suspended and fined - heavily.
Strangely enough DC United was the 2nd DC team to win an open cup http://amofb.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-us-open-cup-and-washington-dcs.html Seattle’s Mitre FC, who advanced to the Final with a 5-4 victory over Busch SC, stood between España and the Open Cup trophy... With both teams failing to score the game went to a penalty shoot-out, the first Final in the history of the U.S. Open Cup to be decided in that manner - the tournament used a two-game playoff to decide the winner until 1968 when it changed to a single game final. España won the shootout dramatically 3-2.