PBP: Aiming for “mid” - the 2026 consolidated match thread - all competitions

Is the main feed blurry for everyone? The other camera angles are very crisp. This is a rough watch having to squint and through the main gameplay.

 

Great save! We are lucky it's still tied

 

No idea how neither of those went in. The xG must have been a million on both of those shots.

 

A half is over.

 

Nah, looks fine to me.

 

Fotmob and MLS have Philly at just 0.8 for the half. DC is at 1 according to MLS, and 0.6 on Fotmob.

 

Good lord Markovic is a BEAST.

 

This is painful we have no ability to possess the ball or attack right now.

 

Well past that point. We’re getting bossed all over the field by a rock solid wooden spoon contender.

 

I didn’t bother watching the last 2-3 games. Now I know why.

 

This ref sucks ass. Every 50/50 call goes Philthy's way, and a lot of fouls by Philthy are not being called at all.

 

1 point

 

A tie on the road is fine.

The team desperately needs chance creators.

 

So DCU wins the 2 leg Wooden Spoon series with the Union

 

Both of my son's house league teams, back in the 90s, looked better than either of those teams.

 

I'm well past the point of being satisfied with the team being "hard to play against."

We aren't the worst team in the league and we won't win the Spoon, but our games are, hands down, the hardest to watch. These 0-0s and 0-1s aren't building up to anything.

 

Furthermore, it's simply the back line hoofing the ball 40 yards upfield. No reasonable attempt to play thru the midfield at all.

4 goals in 8 games, in which they've been shut out in 5 of those

This team needs a MINIMUM of 3-4 new offensive players at the transfer window. Will the FO do it? Hell no they won;t and we will have to suffer through what most likely be the worst offense in MLS history based on their recent play

Peglow is ********ing worthless. I know Pirani is the whipping boy amongst most DCU fans but Peglow is really where attacks go to die. He loses nearly every 50/50 challenge and when he does get the ball, he almost 100% of the time makes the wrong decision

Hopkins is playing his worst stretch in his young career. I know his skill set is groomed for playing centrally but he does next to nothing either in central midfield or playing off Baribo/Luis

i'd rather he play out wide. Speaking of which, another waste space is Herrera out wide. Did absolutely nothing tonight. I'm done with him. Send him packing along with Peglow and Pirani at the transfer window

 

Iloski was awarded the Lowe's "Best Assist" in a 0-0 match.

 

I thought Pirani had an excellent game tonight.

 

I had the thought that Peglow might make a better fullback rather than a winger. His work rate is obviously higher than his overall skill level. His defense is better than his offense. Problem is he definitely isn’t better than Kurokawa.

Both teams were garbage on the night. Bright spots were Markovic, Peltola, and Johnson. Baribo will improve with better service and better players around him. Everyone else could be easily replaced during the summer.

 

What will the good doctor say about such an effort to obtain the coveted road point?

 

https://bsky.app/profile/jasondcsoccer.bsky.social/post/3mjstqlfuy22z

 

I really think DC United was hoping Pirani could show something to make him worth something on the transfer market. But I'm guessing they've given up on that. I would not be surprised to see him released outright sometime soon.

 

I watched the first half normal. It was so aggressively dire that I switched to “recap” for the second.

Our central midfield is the strength of this team. Close behind that is the defending triangle of Bartlett, Robles, and Johnson.

You can’t compete in today’s MLS if your creative players are Hopkins, Peglow, and Herrera. Miles and miles worse than you see on a median MLS team.

Frankly, the best thing this club could do is put a fire sale price on Peglow and Pirani and stop fooling themselves about those players. They’re big earners and they just can’t play soccer at this level.

After a glimmer of hope early on, this is looking like the most tedious season they’ve ever had. Unless Munteanu turns out to be the best or second best player outside of Johnson, we’re not going to win the spoon, the defending is too good for that…but we are going to threaten all kinds of MLS records for fewest combined goals in a season. The defending is IMO pretty darn good. If Munteanu is a solid creative force, maybe they’ll make the play in game.

I need to go ahead and pick my favorite non DC team to follow this season. I don’t feel like investing 90 minutes every week in this eye bleeding soccer.

 

Play through the midfield? That just gives the midfield a chance to turn over the ball in a more dangerous position.