Where: Audi Field When: Wednesday, May 31st at 7:30 PM Radio/TV: Apple, 1190AM No jokes about poutine because Losada doesn't allow it for his players. This is when the season makes or breaks. DCU gave away 3 points on Saturday. This is a winnable match, Miami in Saturday away will be harder, Atlanta the following week harder still. They really need at least 5 points from these 3 matches, but might well only get 2. After the Rooney's meltdown, what will the lineup look like? Figure Canouse is out, so Durkin slots in that spot or is it Palsson with Birnbaum returning to the back line. Najar at RWB, but the backup if Durkin starts in the middle? In that case is Dàjome who has religious objections to playing defense. LWB also is up in the air. Samake sucks, please no more Samake until League's Cup. Santos is a statue, the obvious choice is Greene, but Rooney will go with Santos because "experience." Fundamentally, will this team tear Montreal a new one after that shitshow in Toronto? Or, will they just fold up, afraid to take risks and settle for a draw or worse against a not very good team?
No jokes about poutine?!? Burn the place to the ground! I promise to try to remember we have a game, and to turn on the internet radio at 7:15. Club Foot: 1 Club DC: 2 It would be really nice to see some cohesive activity through midfield into the offensive third. Well, hear anyway
We're a better team than MTL and they have no business being in the game with us. Assuming the team that played in Toronto stayed in Toronto, we'll take this 2-0
Cohesive midfield play from DC?! A guy is out of it for a little while and everyone gets delusions of grandeur... Ok, Chewie, I'm ok...
Canouse should be starting, Rooney said he was fine and could've continued but there was issue with the ref (?) can't remember where he couldn't go back in.
The 6 will be either Palsson or Durkin. If Palsson goes to the 6, then Birnbaum slots in the back 3. If Durkin starts at the 6, he will stay there until Najar needs to be subbed, then he slides outside, Palsson moves to the 6 and Birnbaum enters. My larger concern is LWB. Santos is a statue and Samake sucks and Jacob Greene pissed in Rooney's cornflakes. Greene should be starting, but I assume it will be Santos so Donovan Pines better be ready to cover that side of the defense on his own.
I think he might slide O'Brien to the 6 and Najar into O'Brien's vacated spot. Durkin still the wing back on the right. It's going to be a defensive liability with Pallson also on that side but it should be an aggressive 11 anyway. Go get the goals and win the game.
I think Palsson plays 6 for Iceland. (Now saying he is the "6" for Iceland means that among the proper age and gender cohort who play soccer in a population of about 350K he is the "best" player says not so much.). However, Najar is not a ball winner and is otherwise defensively mediocre, at best. O'Brien really is an "8" and not really a destroyer, so putting those two guys in positions that don't maximize their strengths - especially if Santos is LWB is, as they say, a recipe for disaster. If Palsson is the 6, then both O'Brien and Klich may have to stay home a bit more, but with Taxi in place of TKDP, there will be more intelligent runs into space up front, so Benteke may have some opportunities and O'Brien and Klich can pick their spots. Also, if Andy is RWB, he will be making runs as well, which may open up the pitch. I think what this discussion shows is how important Canouse has been to the way DCU plays at the moment. He can be physically replaced, but his potential replacements create new issues all over the pitch.
O'Brien is the guy that took the 6 when Canouse went out, and Najar dropped into his slot. They were creating a lot with that set up. I agree it's not good defensively but Montreal is not loaded with match winners (knock on wood) so that's a calculated risk.
Well, that would mean Durkin into Canouse's spot then. However, Durkin was one of the "3 Stooges" who got the early hook last Saturday, so maybe he has a nice bunk in Rooney's doghouse at the moment.
That's true, but DCU was chasing the game and Durkin already had been subbed out. Of course Canouse's injury meant Dàjome at RWB so DCU was playing with 10 men on defense.
Yeah, all are options. I hope Durkin isn't the guy but if he is maybe he surprises. I'd sure like to be surprised.
Dajome's really miscast at wing back, even moreso than Durkin. By far his best game was at second striker next to Benteke. The second goal against Toronto is not the first time Dajome's side has been caved in for a goal by the opposing team when he's been at wing back.
You are absolutely right and it highlights the continuing flaws in DCU identification and recruitment of players. DCU had been searching for another offensive piece after Rodriguez went down for the season. The initial stopgap was Asad, who is on a cheap contract, so OK on that one. O'Brien falls into their laps, big OK on that one, but not due to anything DCU did other than hire Rooney last year. Then the search for the offensive spark continues. Robertha goes down so it becomes more dire. So, at deadline, DCU panics. They pick up Hurtado -- fine for what he is -- the Dollar Store Benteke -- but he's not playing unless the ship has already sunk. They then grab Dàjome, a player everyone realizes is miscast as a wingback, and use him primarily as a wingback. If you really need a wingback and you can't do the deal at the transfer deadline, then WAIT, the window will open again in 3 months when more players are on the move. Now DCU has a miscast wingback for the rest of the season and will desperately need to fill O'Brien's spot in July unless they can extend the loan. I think that's the most frustrating thing about following this club. Sure Rooney has the team playing with some sort of system and organization, they are competitive. But that "vision" thing, DCU's FO seems to have the vision of a groundhog with macular degeneration.
I mean, Vancouver was using Dajome out of position at wing back, too, so it's not like DC was alone in that. And it's a sign that he does have some versatility, and that's likely what caught DC's interest. But clearly Dajome is better as a winger (not wing back) or forward.
Tonight's Starting XI in the District. ⚫️🔴#DCvMTL | @InovaHealth pic.twitter.com/df3zQjMEAT— D.C. United (@dcunited) May 31, 2023
Looks like Santos (ugh) and Najar as wingbacks, Pallson in the back three. We'll see how the mid trio shakes out. Let's get some goals and win this convincingly!
Careful there — Iceland has beaten England in the knockout stage of a major tournament in the last ten years. That’s more than anyone in a US shirt can claim.
Home. Recuperating from some kidney stone removal surgery with dinner and the game on the TV. Come on guys, gimme a win for this crappy but successful day! Aside: I am a bit concerned of Rooney's peevishness with the Toronto game. If he mended fences enough to show that 'this is just a move to wake you up' cool. If he loses the locker room doing it repeatedly, very bad. It's also crossed my mind the dangers for the club's cohesion if he starts to 'check out early' with plans to depart and is frustrated with them. I mean, he does sort of need this managerial stuff to go well if he wants to move into managerial jobs in England perhaps, but ... I just don't know how petulant he is. Losada was petulant AF and Ben not really petulant enough. heh.