What a way to tell Nick goodbye! 81' | @USeguraCR 5-0! Cool, calm and collected! Brilliant finish! #DCU | #DCvRSL pic.twitter.com/4FYFxvJ3KB— D.C. United (@dcunited) March 17, 2019
Well they have been up 1 or 2 on RSL. They’ve had some easy finishes missed that a better tram would have punished them for
In the end it doesn’t matter if RSL did this to themselves or had it done to them. Winning begets winning and Rooney has this team becoming a family. He's DeRo on crack, where DeRo could make plays happen and get us to win, the comradery was no where near evident in 2012 because DeRo was too big of a head to want the culture to shift. The clear best player tonight was Rooney but number 2 is Moreno.
My MOTM was Arriola's ligaments. I've seen those tackles end seasons. Honorable mention to Acosta's face. Who said being short doesn't have its benefits. But seriously, I wouldn't read too much into this game. RSL gave up at halftime. But from a DC perspective you can only play the team in front of you. If they give up, so be it. The important thing is another shutout. The second most important thing is that this game allowed more players to get involved int he offense than usual. Goals from Rodriguez and Segura and assists from Jara and Moreno. And Stieber and Durkin finally got some minutes. This is important because you don't want to put all your eggs in the Lucharoo basket. Getting more players involved allows the confidence to spread throughout the entire team, not just a couple of individuals. Even Hamid got a chance to make a big save at the end.
The ref called it tight. Advantage dcu. Titi was much better. Sick goal, too. He does not shield the ball well and is pushed off of the ball too easily. However, overall huge improvement.
Rooney and Moreno locks for team of the week. Salt Lake with awful giveaways, but United did use an effective, timely press, so kudos to the coaches.
Another effing cold night. Garber and those fools are being punished by poor attendance for starting the season too early. As for the game, what I noticed from the start was the selective high press DCU used. Instead of pushing high, they sat back a little until RSL cycled the ball back to Rimando. At that point, the key was to cut off all passing lanes except to RSL's left back who is Opare like in his inability to play with the ball at his feet. The second goal was the result of that pressure bottling up RSL until they coughed it up for Rooney's second. Hard to say much more because as noted, RSL packed it in after halftime. However, Titi's volley was world class, Took it out of the air and hit side netting. GOTW candidate for sure.
That second goal was all Rooney but not just in the obvious way with the finish. He directed each of his teammates where to apply pressure over multiple RSL passes that would lead to a turnover. This was before RSL ever played it back to Rimando. Before the turnover, he told Rodriguez which passing lane to cut off on their right back, which is why the RSL left back/mid even got a pass with so much pressure on him in the first place. It's no coincidence that Rooney was in the exact right passing lane to be wide open to take a touch and have a free shot 1v1 on Rimando inside the box. Rooney knew where the turnover was probably going to occur and drifted to be where his teammate was facing. I've never seen such incredible soccer IQ, even among world-class pros. That sequence alone was worth the price of a ticket.
I thought they weren't as bad as many of the other homers. These guys offered some criticism and offered strong compliments for DC. And they weren't annoying or hard to listen to. Still, it's unfortunate that ESPN+ (for those of us out of market) NEVER plays the DC feed. There's got to be a reason.
They may be as tired of "It's in the net!" as I am.* * I kid! I kid! I know many love it. I've never been among them (but I do like Dave Johnson).
I think one has to go back to 2010 to get to the later starting seasons. Social media has been reminding me all week that 10 years ago, I was having a blast at the Carolina Challenge Cup and Folly Beach. That would put the season start for 2009 (and, I think, 2010) at around March 25. I also prefer the later start in the season.
I am coming around to really appreciate Junior Moreno. I admit I was annoyed when he (and/or Canouse) pushed my fave boy Durkin to the bench, but he has grown on me. I thought of him as primarily a defensive guy, but last night, especially when RSL was shorthanded, he became a very effective part of the attack. And Rooney conducted a master class on how to orchestrate an attack. He is a true "field general."
I kind of thought the ESPN announcers were the best commentary in a game I had heard in a long time. They seemed to understand DC fairly well and it’s history and gave shoutouts to all the supporters groups of the team.
I like early season start but I love cold weather. For me soccer is meant to be watched with a hoodie, a scarf and a couple of shots before the game. As long as I'm not getting soaked by rain. I'll take last night over a mid day game in July any day ... Also consider that MLS preseason is already a bit long by global standards. Taking 4 months between competitive games is not ideal for the modern pro soccer player. In Europe their summer offseason is closer to 3 months, sometimes less.
It's just staggering the difference Rooney makes on-field. Lucho is a joy to watch, but before Rooney people could swarm him, and now that's a dangerous gambit. I'm glad RSL saw the first red for the high boot...it was far more egregious than the red Gomez got against RBNY when Dax ran into Gomez's foot, and I'd have been pissed it it was let go or given a yellow....even if it was only waist-high, so is Lucho's face.
DC United player salaries for 2018, as released by the MLS Players Union, as of May 1, 2018. Player Pos Base salary Compensation Zoltan Stieber M $999,999.96 $999,999.96 Luciano Acosta F-M $550,000.00 $652,000.00 Paul Arriola M $624,999.96 $638,999.96 Steven Birnbaum D $500,004.00 $525,004.00 Yamil Asad M $436,363.56 $520,522.65 Darren Mattocks F $400,000.00 $416,666.67 David Ousted GK $350,000.04 $369,166.71 Frederic Brillant D $264,999.96 $299,999.96 Nick DeLeon M $275,000.00 $275,000.00 Patrick Mullins F $249,996.00 $249,996.00 Russell Canouse M $247,500.00 $247,500.00 Taylor Kemp D $140,000.00 $140,000.00 Junior Moreno M $120,000.00 $139,500.00 Ian Harkes M $104,500.00 $137,737.50 Ulises Segura M-F $136,999.92 $136,999.92 Kofi Opare D $118,125.00 $133,125.00 Steve Clark GK $120,000.00 $130,000.00 Jared Jeffrey M $114,996.00 $124,996.00 Joseph Mora D $90,000.00 $104,250.00 Chris Durkin D-M $80,000.00 $89,166.67 Jalen Robinson D $75,000.00 $75,000.00 Bruno Miranda F $67,500.00 $71,976.09 Dane Kelly F $67,500.00 $69,500.00 Oniel Fisher D-M $68,906.25 $68,906.25 Travis Worra GK $68,906.25 $68,906.25 Chris Odoi-Atsem D $54,500.04 $59,500.04 Steiber is way overpaid. In effect, we have the highest priced player other than Rooney sitting on the bench and can't make the top 15/16 players. What the team needs is a strong forward to backup Rooney (and Quincy is not it) and a quality Centerback.