Thank you sir, may I have another? DC United vs MetroStars Thursday, September 12 • ESPN2 No Flames No Trolls No Smiling No Lauging No Nothing Else And every one of you happy Whos down in Who-ville that still thinks we've got a chance of making the playoffs ... WE DON'T! The Grinch has stolen the playoffs. The Atlantic Cup? Right now I don't think I care. Maybe by Thursday I will but right now I'm just disgusted. Should we play for that? Should we play to spoil things for the MetroStars? Perhaps the players should play for their jobs. Perhaps Ray should coach for his job too. But to be frank, after three miserable seasons, I just don't think anyone cares anymore. And the supporters? Maybe Kevin Payne was right and we really are nuts.
Here's to tearing the MetroDonkeys a new one!!! Play for pride, at least. Oh wait, we were supposedly doing that Saturday.
With Nelsen's season ending injury, it's a foregone conclusion that what little playoff hopes remain are dashed.. Our destiny was in our own hands until the thrashing by the Revs.. Chicago just needs 1 point to eliminate us from their 3 remaining matches to do the job officially, and that is with us winning the 3 remaining matches.. With Nelsen out, the back line now becomes a 4 man backline of Reyes-Pope-Prideaux-McKinley, which is not our strongest and was often torched earlier in the season.. I look for a massive letdown in this game.. United has pretty much staved off the big blowout matched for the entire season but now that we are virtually eliminated, we just might see some pretty lame efforts like the 6-2 pasting at home by the Fusion a few years back.. I hope this isn't the case but this team has spent so much time and energy to get key players healthy and try to break an almost 600 minute goal scoring drought that it has taken a lot mentally from the lads.. Who knows, maybe the opposite will happen now that the perceived pressure is off of them and they can just now play a spoiler role (and how sweet would it be to deny the Metrotards a playoff position)... Not that it matters much but here goes my lineup for Thursday's match: -------------------- Rimando -------------------- Reyes --------- Pope ----- Prideaux ---- McKinley Olsen ------- Williams ----- Etch --------- Convey ------------ Moreno ------- Q2 ------------------ Mathematically we are still alive so I expect Hudson to put our best 11 out there.. Depending on the outcome of this match ( I see a Tards win), we could see an entirely different lineup come Saturday night considering the 2 day turnaround and the fact that we would be out of the playoffs as well.. Metros 3 United 1
it would please me greatly to beat me dirty metro. i have little confidence that it will come to pass. what's the deal with quintanilla?
Another matchup between the two most baffling coaches in MLS. I'm already dreading the sure to be screwy lineups and formations from both teams. JMac
Rooting for United has become like watching a train wreck. But they're still my team. DC 0 Scum 0 They might call this one at the 60 minute mark due to lack of interest.
4-0 Metros. Mathis, Faria (2), and Ramos. Our leading scorer and best defender is out. Can I get a refund for the last two tickets I have...seriously.
United is playing the Metros...I'll support DCU and I do care what happens...but I don't figure I'll enjoy it.
My glass is half full (of whiskey, thank goodness) Still the eternal optimist, I will go out on a limb here DC 2 Scum 0 I just can't sink to predicting a loss to the Scum, despite my faltering confidence in this teams ability to win against anyone. Maybe we should run out the youth squads.
Sigh, these are the times that try mens souls. I could care less about Dallas. We need to beat the scum, but we won't. 2-0 scum.
At this point Hudson should go with players who might actually be here next year. Start with a lineup like this: ----------------------------Rimando Reyes-----------------------Pope------------------------Prideaux ---------------------ITT------------Alegria Olsen--------------------Convey--------------------The Car%$$#^^. Damn: Mappy -------------------Q2--------------Q1/Curtis Thinking here: - Play Convey in the middle for the same reason that Billick is playing Redman at quarterback: We have to know if Convey is the future here and the only way to do that is give him the keys and tell him it's his position for the rest of the season, no questions asked. Wins at this point are not important. far more important is figuring out if several players should be back- and if Convey (who will be back) can get comfortable in the middle. Of course, I'd be much more comfortable if someone who has a better idea of hoiw to play offense than Hudson were coaching the team. Before we spend so much money on a foreign a-mid, let's see if a cheaper homegrown one will do the job someday. Don't expect the world, just expect desire. -Don't play Olsen at a-mid because 1) he's such a good winger, and 2) if he doesn't leave the team this winter, he probably will after next year. Convey is the possible long-term solution here, not Olsen. -I know Hudson has forgotten Curtis completely, but Christ, give him a chance as the forth forward for next year. -Time to give Mappy some playing time, see if maybe he could be a major player next year, if not a starter. Also, another reason to move Convey to the middle. -The d-mid situation is very unsettled. I know Hudson has also soured on Chino, but give him some PT next to ITT, sort of like Convey at a-mid: keep him at one position for the remaining three games. Probably though he has less of a chance to succeed than Bobby does. -Nelsen being out is not so big of a problem if he truly is a free transfer after this season. I mean if MLS doesn't have a contract on him, why shouldn't Nelsen go to England, show teams over there that he's better than Berhalter (and younger) and get them to pay him a relatively small sum of $300K? I know the transfer market is depressed but that affects the paying of transfer fees more than the salaries like what Nelsen would get- which is more than what MLS or DCU will offer. So since I figure he's gone than might as well play the three man backline, see if it works well. -I expect however to see guys like Villegas, Zambrano, Etcheverry, Alevanja, and Moreno- guys who have little chance of being back next year.
I personally can't wait for Thursday. I think it'll be one of the most competitive, exciting matches of the year. You all are forgetting that the skill difference between these two clubs has never mattered. I think it was 1997 when DC was en route to their 2nd consecutive championship and the Metros were already eliminated from playoff contention. The Metros started a bunch of reserves, including then unheard of goalkeeper Zach Thornton, and ended up dominating the game and scoring a handful of goals in a rare win. These games are ALWAYS close, hard fought and exciting, and they are usually decided by a 1-goal margin. You all are starting to depress me. Even though I think it'll be a great game and I'm looking forward to it, by no means do I think it'll be a route. JMac
United may have taken a large calibar bullet to the head but I still have faith that we can beat the Metros. I will be there for my team and so will my Barra brothers and sisters. Cheer up, we still have two more kegs to go! Plus the Redskins won. Vamos Redskins!
Cool, another fins fan. But I greatly desire to claim the naming of this rivalry cup between the Metros and United. I'm so damn sick of people contesting votes. Let's win our first Atlantic Cup. None of this Liberty Cup rubbish. -Tron
You must be kidding or terribly bias against the truth!! Convey scored 3 goals in 22 games.He has one foot,the left one.He is way sub-standard as a wing, he was not able to pass Ziadie, a A-league defender !! He plays with the head in the ground, crossing passes that nobody can reach.A center midfielder has to have both feet, head up, a lot of talent and physical strenth. Where have you seen any of those qualities in Convey?? I have forgotten : a central midfielder has to be able to run 120 min.,walking on the field is not allowded in this position. Give me a break, why trying a formula that has no chance to begin with ??? What is gonna accomplish ?? May be to convince you and others that ,at this time, he, truelly, is a very limmited player.I think, without 2-3 strong midfielders we will be next year where Convey & Co brought us now !!!! Try just to imagine where we will be if we can get 2-3 players like Reyes, for example. Frankly, I think it is time to send the kidds to bad !!! About the next game: forget about it alltogather !! We are not in the competition no more, they are !! We had no real motivation, when we played for the playoffs, do you think we have any reason to fight hard for this game now ?? I don't think so !! " Les joeux sont faites, rien ne va plus !!" in other words : It is over for us and nothing will change that !!
Sormum, not attacking you here. Just a question, out of pure curiousity. From the players available on DC's roster, what lineup what you put out there on Thursday? Don't say the Richmond Kickers' lineup. We're trying to be realistic.
Come on sormun that's not fair! You only listed four players in those lineups, you know we can't win playing 7 men down! Give us a complete lineup. Who's going to play up front if you have Moreno & Quintanilla in the midfield? Who will play in back with Nelsen injured and Reyes in the midfield?
Villegas-dribble only, plays ZERO defense, worst passer of all United midfielders, no vision, is much like a poor-man's version of Maricio Wright was while in MLS. Luckily he's a smaller salary-cap hit. Playing Moreno in midfield is redundant, he spends all of his time there when we list him as a forward lately anyway. Olsen as a midfielder is a good idea, and one most of us agree with. Eliseo at left mid is a possibility, but he doesn't have the speed to play it in a 352--no defense. I agree he could do a decent job at attacking mid. Reyes is a no-brainer. I wholeheartedly support him in midfield, but with Nelsen injured your back line would have McKinley and Eliseo as cover, two of our slowest players. Your first midfield lacks a ballwinning dmid, they'd be constantly run over. -Tron
Sorry,I believed the question was about the midfield.The "necessity " team will be: Nick Prideaux,Pope,McKinley,Reyes Olsen,Eliseo,Moreno,Villegas Zambrano, Curtis or another alternative: Nick Prideaux,Pope,Namoff,McKinley Olsen, Eliseo,Moreno,Reyes Zambrano,Curtis
No Dmid. Neither Eliseo nor Moreno can play that position at all. That's a totally unrealistic midfield. With that thought why not just start 10 forwards in front of Rimando?