Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 To the DC fans going to the Cup: Travel safe and I look forward to raising a glass with you at the Supporters Bash. Congratulations on winning the East. As for the Cup: May the best team win.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Alright, just watched my recording of last night (which cuts off right when Moreno steps up to take his penalty. ) and I think I'm ready for some rational analysis. This final has all the earmarks of an absolute classic matchup. On one side, you have DC United, 3-time champions and the hottest team in the leage. On the other, you have K.C - tied for the best record in the league, and they earned every point. DC is known to have a little more attacking flair, but KC have shown that they can score when they need to. But that said, I expect this one to be 1-0 or 1-1 at the end of regulation. Both teams are very organized at the back, and neither has a real matchup advantage against the other team's defense. I think this is one that will come down to either the individual brilliance of one player, or a devastating blunder of some sort. On both counts, I think DC is the more likely culprit. KC has nobody on Moreno's level creatively, but they're also not prone to mistakes. Should be a great final. This week is going to be a long wait.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Gros WILL NOT start this game. Again, Gros WILL NOT start this game. Gros has been pretty awful thus far in the playoffs, and was extremely poor yesterday. With Kovalenko back, you can expect Gros to be on the sideline, watching with the rest of the subs. To be honest, I would sub both Freddy AND Quaranta before Gros if offensive subs were needed in MLS Cup.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 It'll be a real shame if Freddy's hands continue to grow past the age of 15 and the ring he's about to get won't fit him anymore in a few years...
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 FYI, the Weather Channel says Carson will have partly cloudy skies and a high of 66 degrees next Sunday. Although there is a chance of rain on Saturday and Monday, as of now they say 0% chance for Sunday.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Of course not. Got on board a westbound seven forty seven Didn't think before deciding what to do Ooh, that talk of opportunities, TV breaks and movies Rang true, sure rang true (Chorus) Seems it never rains in southern California Seems I've often heard that kind of talk before It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya It pours, man it pours Out of work, I'm out of my head Out of self respect, I'm out of bread I'm underloved, I'm underfed, I wanna go home It never rains in California, but girl don't they warn ya It pours, man it pours (Chorus) Will you tell the folks back home I nearly made it Had offers but didn't know which one to take Please don't tell 'em how you found me Don't tell 'em how you found me Gimme a break, give me a break (Chorus)
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 How is Moreno's injury doing? That was one hell of a weak penalty he took last night and he couldn't run for the end of overtime. I would venture to say that DC's Cup chances hinge on whether Moreno can go 90 minutes or not.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 He seemed fine at afterparty
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Anyone else notice how much EZs height helped us last night? At one point he broke up 3 straight crosses with his head. Now I know Nelsen deserves his starting spot. But if Namoff is not 100 percent, I'd go for putting EZ in there.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Legitimate question thought of here... Anyone know the bench rules for the final? Is it just five subs, or do both teams have their entire teams available? I know that even in the conference games that the home team still had the full bench available, which is a great advantage. I'm guessing that it's just 5 per. Thx, Jay!
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 When was the last time anybody remembers Jamie taking a good PK? 1997? Both teams will be playing with all of their players that got them this far (sadly for KC, that really doesn't include Preki, or Klein)....with the exception that ESPN's Stuart Scott is playing in goal for an injured Fat Tony. There's nothing to save anything for at this point, if the midfield can put together the game they had a few weeks ago, KC can be beat.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 While I agree that Gros won't start in the Final (Dema will take his place back on the wing), I have to disagree with everything else you said. He had a pretty good game last night, playing at least 2 or 3 positions (both wings and right back) and playing them well. He fought Dempsey all night long and more than held his own. If either Dema or Stewart can't go for whatever reason, I have no problem in Gros starting.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Moreno had a very good PK on 8/21/2004 for the 1st PK of the Year for DCU vs. Columbus in the 2-2 road draw - Moreno hammered the ball high in the corner - no chance for Busch. After that kind of goal, I do not know why he reverts back to these "finesse/push the kick to the goalie's left" PK's like he did against Chicago (9/18) and NE (last night) which are very easy for goalies to read and then save.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 I agree. When I saw Gros shift to right back after Namoff left, I cringed. While Gros didn't play like an all-star, he remained fairly steady as part of an improvised back line. (If some asked you before the match, could DC win with a back line of Petke, EZ and Gros, you honestly would have had to say no.) I thought the move showed a lot of guts on the part of Nowak and Gros both. Also, doesn't that shift of a rookie wide midfielder to a right back in a 3-5-2 in a tied chapionship game in OT speak volumes on what Nowak thinks of David Stokes?
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Each team will follow home team rules (20 players allowed to dress) if we follow 2003 MLS Cup rules (see below box score for details). For DCU, that means 4 players (Martins, Kuffour, Ara, and probably Quintanilla or Lawson) can sit on the bench but can not dress. November 23, 2003 -- The Home Depot Center Goals by Period 1 2 Tot San Jose Earthquakes 2 2 4 Chicago Fire 0 2 2 Scoring Summary: SJ -- Ronnie Ekelund 1 (unassisted) 5 SJ -- Landon Donovan 3 (Jamil Walker 2) 38 CHI -- DaMarcus Beasley 1 (Andy Williams 1) 49 SJ -- Richard Mulrooney 1 (Craig Waibel 1) 50 CHI -- own goal (Chris Roner) 54 SJ -- Landon Donovan 4 (Dwayne De Rosario 1, Brian Mullan 1) 71 San Jose Earthquakes -- Pat Onstad, Eddie Robinson, Troy Dayak, Craig Waibel (Chris Roner 51), Jeff Agoos, Brian Mullan, Ronnie Ekelund, Richard Mulrooney, Manny Lagos (Ian Russell 70), Landon Donovan, Jamil Walker (Dwayne De Rosario 60). Substitutes Not Used: Jon Conway, Ramiro Corrales, Todd Dunivant, Rodrigo Faria, Roger Levesque, Josh Saunders. TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (3 tied with 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (3 tied with 2); FOULS: 14 (Eddie Robinson 3); OFFSIDES: 3 (3 tied with 1); CORNER KICKS: 3 (Richard Mulrooney 2); SAVES: 9 (Pat Onstad 8) Chicago Fire -- Zach Thornton, Jim Curtin (Nate Jaqua 81), Evan Whitfield, Carlos Bocanegra, Orlando Perez (Kelly Gray 46), Andy Williams (Justin Mapp 70), Chris Armas, Jesse Marsch, DaMarcus Beasley, Ante Razov, Damani Ralph. Substitutes Not Used: Jonathan Bolanos, C.J. Brown, Ryan Futagaki, Logan Pause, Dipsy Selolwane, Curtis Spiteri. TOTAL SHOTS: 22 (Ante Razov 8); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Ante Razov 4); FOULS: 17 (Jesse Marsch 4, Ante Razov 4); OFFSIDES: 4 (Damani Ralph 2, Ante Razov 2); CORNER KICKS: 13 (Andy Williams 7); SAVES: 4 (Zach Thornton 4) Misconduct Summary: SJ -- Craig Waibel (caution; Tackle from Behind) 15 SJ -- Eddie Robinson (caution; Professional Foul) 54 Referee: Brian Hall Referee's Assistants: -Craig Lowry; Darren Engers 4th Official: Noel Kenny Attendance: 27,000 Time of Game: 1:56 Weather: Sunny-and-71-degrees
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 I'm SORELY tempted to dip into my World Cup fund for this. Although, if I do, I might not have a World Cup fund afterwards.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Prideaux was in the game at that point. Back line (if you count Gros as right back) was Gros-EZ-Petke-Prideaux
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 I'd expect the DC fans will out number the KC fans at the game, which should provide an advantage to our boys.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 As a critic of the 3-5-2 early in the season when things were not going so well, I am glad that Nowak maintained the 3-5-2 as it was the only reason DC United beat NE. NE was also playing a 3-5-2 and that made it a more exciting game to watch. My hats off to DigitalTron who strongly argued for the 3-5-2 (I hope he is still around here as his input is missed). Having said all that, I think DC United will have the advantage using the 3-5-2 over KC's 4-4-2.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Several thoughts. 1. KC just got a preview of how to attack and play with DCU. NE showed them how. Relatively direct soccer, very aggressive, attack constantly, use your speed on the front line. In that regard, KC ain't that bad. They've got more speed on the frontline than NE does, probably better combination play and they counter extremely well. But their preference is to sit back, be compact and look to counter. Frankly, as successful as KC has been with that all season (and I know, they've also attacked at times--but when it's even or they're up a goal, they seek to defend first and then counter), they've got a big challenge--keep playing like they've played all season or adjust to push us back on our heels. B/c if they play compact, it gives us the ball and we'll own possession. And that gets our game going quite well. 2. Nellie more than anyone else in this match is the key I think. If Nellie plays like he's capable of playing, than our defense is tight and our attack is allowed to push up and we'll play the aggressive soccer we're capable of playing. We won't make mistakes and Nellie will offset the huge speed advantage that KC has. Additionally, I think we'll seek to play an offsides trap against KC--and I"m much more comfortable with Nellie in the back organizing that. No, I'm definitely not comfortable with Ezra after how he played. I think he's stronger in the middle than he is on the flank and I think he was terrible against NE. He did win numerous balls with his head but his positioning was weak and NE was looking to exploit him. 3. This "might" be a terrible game to watch on TV for objective and unaffiliated fans. B/c I think you've got two of the better tactical coaches in MLS. Both will make adjustments to negate the other. Unless there is a very early goal, I think we'll see a lot of tactical "feeling each other out" for most of the first half with both sides willing to be very patient. The difference is we'll seek to be the aggressor and KC will be more willing to absorb pressure, fall back and thus create space for their speed merchants to run into. 4. I have not seen enough of KC to tell if Gansler will try to take away Moreno. I do think that Nowak will dare KC to beat us with other weapons besides Arnaud and Wolff.
Re: Official DC United vs Kansas City Wizards PRE Match Thread :: MLS Cup 2004 Spend it now. Buy lotto later and hope for the best.....