Unfortunately, United's ridiculous impotence in OT is an even stronger case to keep it around.. The sole purpose of having the OT is to get a late game winner and United have supplied 5 teams this season with late winners.. If the entire season went through and only a total of about 5 or 6 games were decided by OT, then it would be considered to be dropped as most teams would end up with ties anyway.. The funny thing is that if you asked each and every player in the league, not a single one would admit honestly that they would prefer to play OT.. OT is MLS's last vestige of hope to "Americanize" the Worlds game.... At least MLS has graduated from the stupid clock counting down and the dreaded shootout..
I'll take the shootout over this OT nonsense any day. That was pretty exciting and at least kept me interested. Or they could do a regular shootout. Anything but what we have now.
I think your last paragraph is key. Yes there is a mental block, but not only in regards to OT. Our team has little offensive strategy and finds itself hanging onto games it has the lead in instead of getting a two goal lead. (Take two home victories a month ago- how we barely hung on vs LA and how SJ tie us before Olsen gets lucky with an Onstad miscue. These were regulation victories that shhouldn't have even been close.) For two years now, when we go on the road we play a defensive lineup that has no chance of scoring two goals, and is lucky to get one. This team just doesn't believe that it can really win a game. It doesn't play a full 90 minutes. Ever. That's a huge inditement of the coaching staff. It singles them out in this league that otherwise has parity written all over it. The problem isn't OT; afterall several other teams do quite well with it. Rather it's how our team approaches OT, and games in general. It's Hudson's biggest failing. He routinely gets outcoached. Even Andrulis outcoaches him: that's pathetic.
ugh... I just watched the tape... we sucked. I can't believe Warren's and Petke's miscommunication that lead to that first goal for Columbus. Hristo's dive was atrocious. From 135, it really looked as if he had been knocked down, so I can see why the Ref called it, but still, if I were that ref and going to suck as much as he did, then I would have carded Hristo for it. The damn fool should have held composure and shot the ball. I don't like divers... at least not ones that look like that. Other notes... Where's our midfield? We couldn' carry the ball through the middle and we sure as hell couldn't keep Columbus from breaking through it. Convey's first touch is crap. He may be fast, but if he demands the ball and then loses it, I'd stop passing it too him. Plus, he had a great chance to score there late off the service from Namoff... but... no dice. The second PK was legit... the ball was out of play, but Warren did cause the foul. Ref sucked Petke's goal was awesome... the only bright moment in the game. On a side note, immediately after the game I made my way out to Fairfax for my last game of the season... I made it for the second half and scored a goal and got an assist (off a throw-in ). At least my team knows how to win... I think the final was 5-0, but I stopped counting. Bad performance by DC United... I have a feeling this playoff race will be decided next Sunday I can't believe the season is almost over... oh how time flies... it seems like just yesterday we were at the Exchange meeting the new players... I'm tired and sore... let's all hope that DC can take something out of this defeat. G'night -ted
he... dc will not be the dc of old until bigsoccer etch-basers change their wicked ways. this downfall by dc started when some unitarian preacher called etch the root of all evil, followed by another devil-wannabes and assorted kin blaming etch for their lousy quiche. in order to change this, benjamin-the-knave must be sacrificed. we all know knave is a jolly fellow, a dear lad, and he will gladly sacrifice himself for this cause. barra brava should sport him on their shoulders when he is totally drunk after this penance has been complied with.
Well remember, Olsen and Kovalenko signed extensions to the league, not DC United and I'm sure that MLS is happy to have them. But, a new coach comes in having to deal with salary constraints and loyalty issues. Assuming that Etch does not return, that's 270k cap money to use. But, Ivanov was an Allocation, as was Stewart, and they will count fully against the cap now. Plus, Esky, Santino, Devin, Carroll will likely all be off of P-40 next year. That's not even including the typical salary escalator clauses of most players. So, the 270k gets spent very quickly. So, in order to bring in new team focal points, you need to offload salary. IMHO, Olsen, Kovalenko, Stewart, Cerritos, and Prideaux are the most likely. Nelsen will likely require a very significant raise to re-sign. If Olsen and Kovalenko just re-signed, it is likely for more money, not less. Every coach assembles talent that works well in his system and players that are loyal to him. So, there will be a significant turnover if there is a change in coaches. Do not think that DC United has very many sacred cows. Olsen may stay, but I cannot see a new coach keeping Kovalenko who would most likely show very strong loyalties to the former coach (Hudson). I'd more likely see him in Colorado or somewhere. -Digital
Would you deal Esky for Clint Mathis even-up? I can't think of two guys that would benefit more from a change of scenery. Mathis has slowly worn out his welcome with the Metros, while Alecko has given new meaning to the word "dissapointment". If Bradley had Esky, he'd be starting right now and would be battling it out with Damani Ralph for Rookie of the Year.
Why would Dema have strong loyalties to Ray? He seems like enough of a professional to put those aside even if they run deep.
I agree in part with that. Kovalenko and Olsen may be traded, but I doubt both. I see a lot of our recent additions (Barclay, Eski, Ivanov, Alegria, Q1) being used as trade bait for younger players. Chicago may want to offload or stock up on new players. This team needs to get a coach willing to develop young talent (not saying Hudson hasn't done this, but there are coaches who can do it better), a core group of players to build around, and to make sure that we stay under the cap without becoming a crap team. Your original suggestion to me read like a slaughter, gutting our team of talent and keeping youth players that aren't very good. Barclay was the worst selection we made in terms of youth, as he has not shown any skills at this level. Neither has Q1 for that matter, but he has potential (just not with DC). Next week may be the straw that breaks our back. Another overhaul might be necessary for us to weed out the bad talent, while keeping the good. There is definitely room for improvement.
If only it were that simple I'd gladly sacrifice myself. Though ... uh ... if I may ask ... what exactly do you mean by "sacrifice"?
Oddly enough, I believe that. Hell, we'll trade you Eski for Pope. Mathis would be a(nother) cancer on our team.
Considering Barclay is 20, Eski is 21, Alegria is 23, and Q1 is 19, how young do you want to go? Also I think the only ones with much trade value are Eski and Q1, Barclay needs to spend some time in the A Leauge and Chino is Chino.
Folks did the ref really screw you guys over? You take away the penalties, and you still lose 2-1. It was pretty evident United's game plan was to sit back early on, when Buddle ripped that shot off the crossbar. No one closed him down, and I didn't see any midfielders trying to recover and pressure him. And in a way, you guys are lucky he wasn't a very good official, because he missed two blatant elbows thrown by Stoichkov, including one on the play he awarded yall the penalty. I don't know if this constitutes trolling, but Hristo is a dirty bastard, and he gets a lot of calls because of his reputation, and by harassing the refs. Finally, who would yall want from Dallas for Convey? How about Vaca straight up? Or a Vaca & Glinton, or Vaca & Dunseth/Hendrickson/Bonseau package?
I'll take Gbandi and Brad Davis. And yes, the ref did screw us, both ways in fact. He failed to give a red card on a tackle from behind on Kovalenko and at the same time gave us a penalty for a dive. Then again he gave a pk for Buddle after he had already taken a shot. If the ref was consistent, then there would have been a better match and who knows who would have won.
How anyone on this board can claim that the ref screwed DC United is beyond me. He gifted us a penalty kick when he might just as well have given Hristo a yellow for diving. Had he done the latter we would have been down to 10 men long before Eski's overtime ejection. We lost that game plain and simple. Scapegoating the ref is just dishonest. Losing sucks but conning ourselves into the belief that we were robbed sucks more.
I'm not using the ref as a scapegoat for the loss. I just want to watch one damn MLS match where the ref knows what he's doing. There were some terrible calls and non-calls (on both teams) that had me yelling at the TV. My roommate must think I'm nuts, but I get pissed when the ref can't control the game and doesn't let the game play itself out.
We had gone 366 minutes without a goal from the run of play since Cerritos scored the second one in our road win over the Scum. Olsen got hurt at about the 30 minute mark of that streak. Coincidence or cheddar? Sachin
Most of us aren't blaming the official, just stating that the officiating was awful. (Not really up for debate)
In some ways we're lucky. Our penalty could have been Hristo's second yellow for diving also. He was truly horrible...but we were the second best team out there and the score reflects that. They played better and more like a team. They won.
CWeedchop--those are powerful numbers about the impact OT has on this record and the playoff race. That, to me, makes a strong statement about Hudson. If the team played terrible "D" or didn't work hard or had no heart, we'd see a lot of late goals in the 80th minute (and no comebacks). We don't--instead, the reverse. That the team than collapses in OT tells me more about Hudson (and ability to use subs, team tactics, adjustments in OT) than making any kind of statement about the players. D-tron, I'm not so convinced that Nelson will go to Europe this off-season. I think Olsen and Dema resigned b/c they are realistic on their options. Olsen didn't have an outstanding season (only some games) and his role also didn't allow him to shine. Plus he's coming off an injury. Dema tried Europe a year ago and has no illusions on this matter. And there are only so many extensions/new contracts the league can sign at one time. So I'm not so sure Nellie is gone. As for trades, I think that is a function of once the off-season happens, coaches see what gaps they have, who they re-sign, who's in the draft. The league can re-sign a player and then a team cuts them--happens all the time (even to good ones). Ultimately though, so much depends upon who the coach is for next year (as to who returns). And we will (like almost everyone else in MLS) have cap issues. I think you're wrong though on the P-40 situation. The general rule of thumb is: when a player is considered a "starter" or of starter caliber, than they lose P-40 status. Thus, Quaranta and Martino lost P-40 status last year. Given their minutes this year, no-way Carroll, Stokes and Eskandarian are NOT P-40 in 2004 (and thus roster and cap protected). And yes, there may be a significant house-cleaning (once again) this off-season regardless of the coaching situation. Even if Hudson returns I see a lot of players being purged--that's just his style. And it may be (until a bigger cap) that the only way to have a roster with continuity is to have 2-3 great players to build around with a lot of youth and cheap players. And that isn't this roster. So expect turnover regardless of the playoff and coaching situation. Unbalanced schedule isn't a good enough argument (to me) for OT. After all, if Chicago mass USMNT callup, they're a much weaker team to play. Balanced schedule means nothing in this league where the two supposed favs for MLS Cup (LA and Columbus) are 4th place finishers at best for the playoffs and small rosters/international callups dramatically change the look and talent of a team from week to week. Finally, I don't think "we wuz robbed" by the ref. But I think it was a chaotic and messy game that the ref produced (for instance, on the Buddle/McBride PK, at the game it was difficult to figure out what was going on for a while as United players ran to the corner (to talk to the AR there) and the ball was kicked off the field at one point while the Columbus players staked out the penalty spot. Calls and noncalls--messy and incoherent--that only add to the frustration level of the loss.
I can't believe that no one has noted how invisible Cerritos was in the middle for the first 70 minutes of the match. He made a couple nice 40 yard + runs through 3 or so Crew players, but I don't think he had more than a couple positive balls forward the entire time he was playing #10. Sure would have made more sense to start Namoff at dmid, with Kovalenko in front of him and Cerritos and Martins up top. Hristo is clearly more effective against tired legs. Bring him in at the 70th minute if we need a goal. Who's decision was the starting lineup? Hudson, Trask, or Asst. Coach Stoitchov?