I agree with you Mike in that we came out flatter than a pancake and Hudson said as much after the match and was not happy with the effort.. However, I will have to disagree with you in that United did go forward in the second half to try and get the game winner.. They simply became the gang that couldn't shoot straight.. The only time this team bunkered was in OT and this is completely expected when they go down a man.. It hurts to keep losing games in the last minute.. This is the 3rd OT game we have lost in the 99th minute.. At LA, home to both the Mutts and Columbus..
Can anyone on this team score a damn goal? So many chances, and they got nothing. They didn't force great saves out of Busch, they couldn't put the ball on frame, yet they could have won, but they didn't mark McBride well enough. I would like to strongly disagree with the comment that having Etch out there would have helped as well. We had this one (at least as a tie), it's the defense's fault. Also, if Ivanov is back next year, heads need to roll.
What a horrid ending. Celebrating after Petke's goal then ten minutes later crying when McBride scores. The only thing to do now is drink. A lot. Goodbye.
I, too, thought Walsh's yellow in OT was his second of the match because I thought he picked one up almost immediately upon entering the match. According to MLSnet's boxscore, though: Misconduct Summary: CLB -- Eric Denton (caution; Reckless Foul) 20 DC -- Hristo Stoitchkov (caution; Reckless Foul) 22 CLB -- Brian Maisonneuve (caution; Reckless Foul) 38 CLB -- Mark Williams (caution; Professional Foul) 44 DC -- Thiago Martins (caution; Reckless Foul) 72 DC -- Dema Kovalenko (caution; Reckless Foul) 73 DC -- Alecko Eskandarian (caution; Deliberate Handball) 92 DC -- Alecko Eskandarian (caution; Reckless Foul) 93 DC -- Alecko Eskandarian (ejection; Second Caution) 93 CLB -- Diego Walsh (caution; Reckless Foul) 98
Yes, two of many players who played like crap today. We did not deserve to win, nor did we deserve to tie. This game was poorly played by both teams and we were just worse. It reminded me of a 1996 game without Etch, Diaz-Arce and Moreno ... a few good kicks here and there, but a lot of crapola. Chino let Westie (or was it Cunningham?) ghost past him without even attempting to body him up, leading to a goal. He made a nice cross to Petke, but other than that, he was abysmal. Ivanov routinely let people fly by him. Why on earth weren't Nelsen and Petke on McBride and Buddle!?!?!?!? Before the McBride winner (when he was guarded by our speedback Prideaux!?!?) McBride was marked by Ivanov. WTF!?!?!? The Crew have exactly two aerial weapons, so Nelsen and Petke should have been joined with them at the hip. Mark Williams ... I'd take my chances with him in the air. Then again, I'd probably have put David Stokes (rather than Chino) in at right back and moved Ivanov up to right wing where he could impact the game offensively. Convey showed some spirit, and had a dozen or so good moments, but quite a lot of crap touches. Hristo looked pretty bad other than the PK. Cerritos looked pretty solid on the ball, but didn't really create anything, and should have been played up top. Martins was mediocre, Eskandarian was terrible. Quintanilla was poor. Prideaux was decent for most of the game but should NEVER have been matched up with the Crew's primary aerial threat. Namoff was mediocre. Petke was quite good (my MOTM) but should have made sure he and Nelsen marked B & McB especially towards the end. Nelsen was decent but spotty. Ivanov was poor. Warren was poor. He failed to communicate on the first goal, he came off his line against brick-touch West allowing Westie and clearly lost the footrace to give a PK. He concedes the near post on a header from a very tight angle to McHead. Not a horrible game for a rookie, but his inexperience really showed today. We sucked, and deserved to lose. Like everyone else, I'm quite frustrated. -Digital
We will not make the playoffs I missed the Petke goal because I was fed up and started to walk out. I should have kept going. This team will most likely be in 5th place after next week's game and miss the playoffs. The ref sucked. He should get a red card. The only way Ivanov could have been more helpful to the Crew is if he was in a yellow uniform and MLS allowed them to play with 12 men. In spite of this, I'll renew my season ticket and try to steel myself for more misery next year.
I was at the game but arrived late. I missed teh first two goals. What a soul-sapping ending. For the most part, DC seemed to lack cohesion, especially after Stoichkov left. DC's midfield looked like chickens with their heads cut off. No patience, no maturity. DC was lucky the Crew didn't win earlier. It was only Petke's heroic effort that kept DC from dropping the game easrlier. And then Eskandarian made his immature blunders in overtime; that certainly could be said to have been the final straw because DC was already on its heels when at full strength. For the who thought Ivanov played well, when he and Alegria were out there on the same side, it looked to me likean accident wainting to happen. Ivanov had some decent restarts, and a nice diagonal cross to Stoitchkov, but his defense is still very worrisome. He positions himself poorly and lets players get by him in midfield. The resulting jailbreak ruins the shape of the back line as players shift to cover the exposed wing that he opens up. I can't help but think how different things would have been had Reyes not suffered his knee injury. Columbus' speed would have been totally neutralized by Reyes. Against Alegria, Quintanilla and Ivanov, the door was wide open. I have to be out of town next weekend so this is my last regular season home game. I don't feel so bad about missing that game for some reason. . . When you think of it, not having Reyes, Quaranta, Etcheverry, Stewart, Olsen and Rimando means the team is missing some serious horsepower. But it's really the Rimando and Olsen injuries that have gutted DC. DC may back into the playoffs, most likely because Chicago will take it to Columbus. Under the circumstancers, it's not easy getting excited about the playoffs the way this team is playing right now.
Just back from the game and haven't read the other comments so I may be belaboring the obvious. What a great game. DCU showed great heart, grit, and effort. Unfortunately, it also showed poor team play, poor passing, lack of quickness to the 50-50 balls, lack of coordination and little understanding of where teammates were going or what they were going to do. I can't say that DCU deserved to win this game. The Crew were quicker to the ball, applied pressure all over the field, great short passing around the box and more dangerous shooting (two off the post). On a scale of 1-10, Ivanov should get a -2. He was absolutely terrible. Individually the rest of the team did ok. Well, except for that lamebrain Eskandarian getting two yellows in the few minutes that he played. I was also wondering if Petke and Warren speak the same language. The first Crew goal was such a dumb play by those two. I'm going to have to look at the tape of the game to see if the ref. was as bad as he seemed. Lousy attendance for an important game. DCU may sell a lot of season tickets to the core fans, but they have not done much to attract the few million other people in the DC area. Next year is going to be a tough sell for them if things go tits up next week.
you guys keep forgetting one thing ........... don't Columbus play Chicago next week??? aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh, that's our chance to make the playoffs!! LOL and seriously, isn't anyone else happy that Harkes and Wheelock said that we have Freddy on the way next year!!!!!!!!! Have faith and bring out allllllllllllllllllllllll of your friends for the game on Saturday. I know that I will!!!
Ivanov gets a 1. He got manhandeled by West and Buddle numerous times and toepoked a ball (in the box) to a Columbus player. Add in his complete stop on a breakway (why the hell didn't he keep running?) and he just looked bad. I doubt he's on this team next year much less in the US.
I was going to try and write a paper tonight (its due Tuesday), this game took away any chance of that happening.
But what you don't know is that (a) Sh!tcago cliched the Supporters Shield, (b) they'll rest some key players to keep them from getting injured entering the playoffs and (c) they want to beat the crap out of the Crew in the playoffs. Beating DC doesn't do much for them just as beating the MetroStars didn't do much for you guys in the nineties; beating us gave you guys that extra high and motivation to win MLS Cup all those times.
We'll see if we can help you out there. You do realize that with the 5 points you've lost in OT, combined with the points lost by the people that robbed you, you'd be 2nd place and not 4th (well, that's where you'd be with no OT at all). Maybe Ray's English background has left him unprepared for OT. Petke's goal would have been a much better ending to the match. Sorry guys, I hope we bail you out!
Not disputing whether on the Crew penalty was deserved (it didn't look like it to me but my angle wasn't so good) but didn't the referee initially signal for a corner? And then, after several minutes of standing around and talking while West was being attended to, he went over to the linesman and came back awarding a penalty? What happened?
My beer-sodden nightmare Oh, man . . . you know what makes me truly sad (besides what I watched in utter disbelief tonight from section 132)? The thought that DC might lose again next week, only to see the Crew get simultaneously dismantled by the Fire. To back our way, demoralized and playing like crap, into the playoffs -- now that would well and truly suck. Most of you guys don't think we deserve to be in the playoffs this season, and at this point neither do I. I only wonder what the players will think if that scenario comes to pass....
That's what I don't understand. We played like crap for sure. Warren played well positionally, but did a poor job communicating with the backline. Hopefully this is just a rookie thing and nothing else. Both PKs should not have been given. Stoich dove like a madman and the Warren call was bizarre. It either should have been a PK and Warren getting a yellow card or a corner, but this half-call was awful. Petke's goal was sweet. It was textbook all the way. Cross comes in, Petke puts in the one place he could have. Oh well... On to next season. Even if we make the playoffs, this season is lost. Sachin
No, he pointed straight to the spot. Without OT, we have a good team. We have a crapload more points and are in the playoffs already. With OT, we suck. That's it.
Yes, i am just having a little fun with my comments because i don't want to burst into tears. LOL however, I really expect us to go out there and beat KC this weekend. If we don't, then we don't DESERVE to be bailed out. Hell, if we don't get at least a tie against KC, i plan to ROOT for Columbus to win, because it serves us right to not make the playoffs under those circumstances. Better to be out now than to get embarassed by Chicago playing as lackluster as we've been playing. bottom line is that DC missed SEVERAL wide open scoring chances, from Convey's partial break to Thiago's one on one with the goalie. We score on either of those and its all a moot point. I'm just waiting for Freddy Adu to help us next year. VIVA ADU!!!
No, he pointed straight to the spot. And I still hate OT. Without Ot, we have a crapload more points and are already in the playoffs. With OT, we suck. That's it.
I have never seen a more uninspired effort by a team with a chance to bury the opponenets and clinch the playoffs. I don't want to hear who we did not ahve available. Did anyone see the lineup NE put out there last night?? It didn't stop them. This team is not worth my effort to type anymore. They suck.
i know how you feel because i actually paid money to sit at that game. however, guess what? i'll be sitting right back in that stadium THIS SATURDAY for another game. and when we pull it out, i will be sitting in that stadium the following week for a playoff game in which we'll probably get routed by Chicago. they may suck, but they are still our team!
No draft pick Dallas must be rooting for us to continue our tumble into the offseason. They could end up with the top two draft pciks if we don't make the playoffs.