McCann was pretty good. He was beaten for speed a couple of time but for the most part played pretty well. Jalen Robinson was a mess when he came in. He kept holding the ball out of bounds when his teammates were telling him to let the ball go out. He did this several times in a row which added to the pressure on the team. I also saw confusion on coverage on corners that imo lead to the goa by Orlando. If you are going to 3 center backs we really need to be clear on assignments. They clearly were not.
Honestly the play was pretty poor in the second half. Still i’ll take 3 points on the road any day of the week. For some reason we had never won previously down in Orlando (and they have been a really bad team at times).
I don't understand why everyone is complaining about the white away jerseys. You could see their bras right through the shirt. It brought back all sorts of great memories of being in junior high a LONG time ago...
Orlando deserved a point out of this game. They didn't suck. They are going to be a tough out for a lot of teams this year. They came in with a good gameplan. (from what I couild see, that was occupy Moreno and Canouse with threats, use the wings and overload the corners of the 18 to draw out defenders) It very nearly worked. I think if we played them at home, we'd have gone in for a high scoring affair rather than low, maybe tried to pin them back more with Arriola and shift some of our transition burden to the right. But away, our response was probably the right one, and borne out by the result.
I just hope Mora can recover. That was not good. He'll have a concussion on top of whatever other injuries he sustained. I'm pretty sure they were trying to figure out how many teeth he'd swallowed at one point, and I'm not even sure how he got a laceration on the right side of his neck. My bet is a broken jaw in the bargain. The same guy ran over Titi in the second half at full speed. Must be nice to not have to be aware enough of the situation to avoid seriously injuring another player.
Mora update: Injury update | @JosephMoraCR arrived in D.C., this morning and will be evaluated for surgery, updates to follow. We want to wish him a speedy recovery. ♥️#DCU pic.twitter.com/Pq9MqPqvUx— D.C. United (@dcunited) April 1, 2019
D.C. United’s Joseph Mora to undergo surgery for broken jaw - The Washington Post #dcu #mls https://t.co/d3VEGsl7c5— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) April 1, 2019
Dwyer did get him on the knee with a super high cleat. It was a very slight touch, but could have been much worse if Rooney hadn't done so much to minimize it.
Times like this you wish there was a Tom Wilson to take care of this type of crap. Mora was unlucky while Titi was mugged. In both cases the guy did nothing to pull out of either contact.
I think Robinson came on well after the goal. But you are correct that he made a few mistakes. As someone else posted, Durkin would have been better.
LIke I said after, I don't think this was a good game for him. I think your criticisms of his play were on point. I just thought it was an overstatement to say that he was a "non-entity". That, plus a couple of moments from Rodriguez, I think.
I think losing Mora made a big difference in United's play on the left...McCann wasn't bad by any means, but it's clear that there wasn't as much chemistry or spatial awareness and vision on that side. When it comes to the officiating, all I can do is throw my arms up and go "are we really surprised?" anymore. Yeah, Dwyer's challenge on Rooney was absolutely a foul, but so was Rodriguez getting steamrolled in the box, and that one was FAR more apparent and frequently called. I'll just take solace in the fact that usually those calls don't go our way at all, so I'm OK with the ones that do. The second half wasn't pretty, and the purps definitely pressed hard, but for how many years would we have lost that game? I'll take it. I saw the goal coming as soon as (Segura?) let Dwyer have space vacated by Birnbaum.
In the Mora's Broken Jaw story in the Post, I just noticed this ... ---------- McCann is expected to start in Mora’s place, but the injury further depletes United’s depth at the outside back positions. Oniel Fisher, who had ACL knee surgery last fall and suffered subsequent complications, is not expected to return until late in the year. Chris Odoi-Atsem is getting himself back into shape after undergoing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Rookie Akeem Ward, a left and right back who has been starting for second-division Loudoun United, is a prime candidate to provide cover for McCann. ---------- Had we heard of these complications before?
people may whine about the Flo streaming service but their emag has good commentary - https://www.flofc.com/articles/6425...complaints-about-the-dc-united-free-kick-call
Good 3 points against an inferior opponent who could only muck the game up and play rough and dirty throughout the 2nd half. DCU clearly struggled with the physicality of the match, and the ref did NOTHING to control the game or reel in the over the top physical play of the purple goon squad. DCU midfield played quite poor- the passing accuracy was off, as was the ball retention. Personally, I think they felt footsteps behind them all game and it threw them off mentally... because they knew they would get clattered if they didn't get rid of the ball quickly. And no foul would be called to protect their legs. I typically don't like complaining about the officiating, but the obvious lack of player protection in that game was shocking. I'm stunned nobody was injured (Mora's terrible injury aside). It was stunning only ONE yellow was issued to Orlando all match. The constant hugging/holding on Rooney should have earned a yellow. Titi getting run over in the box should have been an instant yellow (at least) AND a penalty kick- no questions asked. That player made zero attempt for the ball- simply ran over our player like a Rugby match. One could even argue the FK foul on Rooney warranted a yellow for intent. Numerous other dangerous plays in the match easily added up to yellows, but were not even whistled for fouls. Simply atrocious officiating. I for one was giving the TV screen a double middle finger to the ref and all the Orlando players when the 2nd half whistle blew and DCU had secured all 3 points. A previous poster mentioned this team will be tough to play at Audi Field and be high scoring... I COMPLETELY disagree. This return home match will be officiated properly like our previous home matches (home team players protected)...and Orlando will most likely be playing 10v11 or 9v11 like RSL was. Orlando will lose 3 or 4 nil. Purple Goon squad has no chance.
Just looking on some quasi reputable medical websites about recovery from jaw surgery. It varies based on the severity but it seems to be at least 6 weeks. And I imagine that's conservative given that playing requires return to fitness and ability to take a hit in the jaw again. I don't see him back until after Gold Cup break at best.
Sounds about right. McCann will get match fit real quick. Depth is very thin, I watched Ward in part of the LU game Saturday and he didn't look MLS ready -- although others said that was his worst game at LU. I guess Arriola becomes the emergency right or left back for awhile.
What I learned from this game is that Orando's players, coaches, and fans continue to the biggest whinerbabies in the league.
Well, that was a hard game to watch. The goals were fabulous and the first half looked like a clinic. Really looked like we were a whole level above OC in the first 45. Then it nearly all fell apart. The reffing became a vicious cycle. No call --> harsher fouls rinse repeat. I was pleased we didn't follow suit, but I am concerned that this could be a weakness if later we face a team that is just playing to foul. How that PK wasn't called is beyond me. After about the 60th minute we really struggled. We were still the prettier team to watch, but the guys looked way too tired after a week off. They had ample ability up 2-0 to simple Barca the ball around -- but as the game wore on they couldn't complete passes because of fatigue. If we want to play sophisticated (and that's our style now hallelujah) then we need the ability to keep that regardless of when. It should have helped us to wind time off the clock. Not sure what the fatigue thing was about. Ben's subbing really needs to get sorted out. Arriola is a beast and was covering ground. Acosta not so much. Arriola has played back and is fast. Not sure the logic of taking him out unless there was a ding. Robinson clearly didn't know what his role was and that nearly cost us. Not his fault. Do they even play the nickel defense in practice? And WTF about waiting for the sub. Toward the end Acosta and Martinez were jogging around like sheepdogs in July and yet Ben waits until the 83rd minute? Last thought -- where/when can we use Zoltan? He's not a defensive sub. He doesn't play as fast as the other kids. I only ask because, aside from his enormous price tag, we will need to find a way to put him on the field at some point, if only because we'll need him later. I'm struggling to figure out if he can play the style we've now got. Last last -- Hanes 3 pack is not a look. I will not buy a jersey that I could make at target with a sharpie. We're playing mostly beautiful soccer. Why pollute it with Hanes and Flo?