D.C. United v. Shitty FC

How did that work out for us up there?

 

To be fair you can't run a traditional transition in the Bronx. Field is too small. The game is technically in a permanent state of chaotic transition.

RFK is much wider which means that with a high line there could be space to isolate Nyarko and Sam and get them behind the defense.

This is all theoretical of course. Columbus is an attacking team that gives up transition opportunities, and we had zero ideas on how to execute that.

 

That's OK, the official printed schedule we have says Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

That last game up there looked like a weird hybrid of indoor soccer and regular high school soccer. Painful to watch, even before we got blown out.

 

Back when I worked, a customer asked me for a pocket calendar. In those days we used to pass them out by the score. It was well past June so I replied that we took great pride in personalized service so if he called me, I'd gladly tell him what day it was. Apparently United neither cares nor knows when the next game is and your personal service ends when your check clears

 

Far more likely and based in logic and those 2, used together should get you red carded on Big Soccer

 

Lots of fans dressed as orange seats at RFK today.

 

The Unimas broadcast on Cox HD is a huge improvement in video and commentary and they actually had a handheld panning both sides of the stands from the end zone and it looked pretty crowded. New York looks like they might have someone who can play on a normal width field (extreme sarcasm) so it should be satisfying to watch

 

3 points ... I'll take it.

I think MOTM honors will have to be shared by Boswell and Acosta. I can't make up my mind on who played better. Honorable mention to De Leon who flew under the radar a bit, but as far as I can tell he's really earning his new starting position.

If we can make a MOTM honor for player off the bench, it's clearly Le Toux. I really loved what he brought to the game late. Every touch he took helped the team. He filled the center forward role to perfection, taking difficult traps under pressure, bringing Acosta into the game and even setting Franklin up for what should have been a goal.

 

I'm watching the game now. What I've seen so far is that the team looks better with Jeffery instead of Sarvas. Did I say that David Villa is a diving bitch?

 

Yes, I've been calling for Le Toux for some time now because he plays off his teammates while Ortiz is more of a one-trick pony. Boswell was as good as I've ever seen him; Jeffrey looked every bit as good as Marcelo IMO; and Ben showed his confidence in Nicky by keeping him on the field and moving him to different positions when subs came on. (when Francis came on for Nyarko Nick moved to LW and Francis took the RB position; then he moved to RW (I think) when Neagle replaced Sam.)

I know Harkes has loads of talent, but he doesn't seem to make much of an impact out there. Of course, it's hard when you play alongside Acosta, who wants (and probably deserves) the ball most of the time, but still I would like to see Harkes (or someone else?) get more involved.

 

BTW, the attendance was very good, almost 19,000 (a full house at Audi Field!), but it was very late arriving. When the match began the supporter's side wasn't half full. Traffic, or too much tailgating?

 

I don't know why the lines were so long at every entrance, but that is what made it a late arriving crowd. The people were there, but couldn't get in quickly with the wandings. I wasn't sure if it was related to the first responders in front of the stadium for a while. Of course RFK likely has more entry points than audi Field will so...

It was good to see Lucigol.

 

it eventually filled up. I heard there were long lines at the gates. I came in 1/2 hr early.

 

The traffic was a ********ing shitshow. ********ing Cherry Blossom parade ********ed up the traffic in downtown DC. Once we got on the SE/SW freeway, the on ramp to 295 North was not moving. I took 295 South, exited on Howard Road, went up to MLK, then to Good Hope then onto Minnesota. Minnesota was a shitshow as well, got off on E, went up to 37th, and then back down to Minnesota just before the Capitol Street overpass. We didn't get to our seats until 10 minutes in and we left 19th and M at 3:10 PM.

 

As for the game:

That was the best game NDL played since his rookie season. Just a monster game from him.

Sam's goal was the product of a very smart player. He suckered the NYC defense into essentially passing him the ball. Really sweet goal.

Bill Hamid is a ********ing wall. How he made that save when sprawled on ground is something I simply cannot explain. MOTM.

Acosta gets mugged out there every game. The second goal was a product of his hard work and other players "crashing the net."

Harkes needs to become more offensive. He has to look for a run up the channel late. That came at the end of the game and he put a weak ass shot on Johnson. Young man, when the goal mouth is wide open, rip the shit out of the ball, don't aim it.

Agree about LeToux, high soccer IQ, helped at the end.

I am so glad Boswell is back in the middle, the defense is so much more organized. If there has been an MVP since 2014, it's him. His name better ********ing go up on the Wall of Honor in the new stadium.

 

Now that I think about it, I literally did not notice Jeffrey for the entire 90 minutes. Which for his position means he did a good job. Stay at home, keep the shape and don't make any major mistakes.

As for Villa, I'm not sure it's the diving so much. I think it was just a ref that gave him the DP treatment. You literally were not allowed to touch Villa today. On the other hand Acosta, Ortiz and Le Toux could not buy a call.

 

I also have to give Olsen 50% credit on that goal. The team was well drilled on how to high press, and it paid off on that play. Vieira insists on playing out of the back 100% of the time which means at least 2-3 times per game they'll give you a gift. The key is to have someone there in position to take advantage. Even after we went up, Olsen stayed committed to the press. In the last 10 minutes I sometimes counted 4-5 DC players pressing the ball in their half and it was clearly stressing them out.

 

There's only one of those ...

 

Especially since Acosta scored, I wasn't clear in that last post. The real Lucigol was in the stands.