3... That means, if they don't win and we lose, we're still guaranteed a tie with Columbus. If we draw and they lose, we're in.
Any combination of 4 points gained by United or lost by the Crew (which the scenario above would dictate) would seal our playoff position.. Just got off MLSnet.com and the following United players are on yellow card caution (meaning with their next yellow, they are out of the following league match unless it's the last match of the season): Ivanov Nelsen Kovalenko Nelsen is obviously out this weekend but yellows by either of the remaining two will leave them unavailable for Columbus on Oct. 19th at RFK Considering the good job that Chino did last weekend, might Ray hold out Dema for the more important and most probably clinching playoff game against the Crew? I wouldn't bet against it.......
I pretty much agree with Chris. I am hoping that the back line can hold Twellman scoreless, at least till half-time.There is psych value in that, IMHO. If the lads can keep it i our favor thru the half, the confidence will help carry them to the whistle. A strong back line, and attack like the 44duece!! Vamos United!! Mark For those who don't get the reference, the 44Deuece was the 442nd Reg Combat Team, the Japanese-Americans fighting in Europe, one of the most decorated units of WW2.
No disrespect to Chino, as he did a good job in Columbus, but Ray has to play Dema. New England is a physical team, and he is the one player on DC United who does not shy away from a physical game. DC United has to go to New England to get a result, any other mindset could prove disastrous. DC United can play a cautious calculated game and get a result. Let's not forget who is ahead in the standings. New England has to come out to play (if they want to pass DC United in the standings), which could turn out to be the best thing for DC United. Both New England and DC United have been playing good soccer lately. It should be quite a matchup.
Think we have to look at last game and answer a few questions to get the big lineup answer: 1) Does Etch have enough in the tank to equal/improve on last week's match? 2)Do we have upgrades available and where? 3)Are we satisfied with pulling a point on the road this game as well? Reading my opinion as well as other's posting here- think we conclude the answers to be 1)yes-given a week between matches 2)yes 3)yes- given a tie will leave us 2 chances at home to win and clinch a playoff berth. So- before any continued debate arises about playing Stokes, think we can settle on Warren in for Clint, Petke in for Nelson,Dema in for Alegria, with a possible exception with maybe Dema coming in for Chino 2nd half if we're down.So - we have --------Warren Prideaux--Petke--Namoff Stewart--Q2--Dema/Chino--Convey ---------Etch----------- ----Cerritos--Martins Subs- Stoichkov,Chino/Dema,Esky,Ivanov,Geddes of course, Ray could make a firm decision with either Dema or Galin and try and go w/o either one making the trip,opting to rely on Stokes instead.
Dema has been our MVP this year (ok, maybe co-MVP with Nellie), with the playoffs still a doubt, he NEEDS to be on the field.
Yeah, I can't imagine Dema not playing this week. It's not like playing him will get him another yellow card. Afterall, he only has five for the year in 29 games. That suggests that he may make it through the game.
Everyone seems to include Martins in their starting lineup. Yes, he has created "scoring chances" while playing but has anyone noticed that his touch is equivalent to a High School players. He is tall and fast but there have also been plays where his lack of skill/touch has turned over an attack. I would rather see Stoichkov start the game and come out the 55th min for a sub...What do you guys think?
If Llamosa is still injured, I like our chances. We need someone to compete with Joseph this game. He's playing well. Don't let Ivanov mark anyone.
I give Martins the benefit of the doubt. He hasn't even been on the team a month, but his contributions have been pretty good. He is a strong forward capable of holding onto the ball and establishing possession. My biggest problem with him is that he seems to be a ball hog, but I attribute that to his desire to score and earn his spot on the field. I think he's earned his spot on the field and having him as a starter while Earnie plays the wing is a win-win situation. This game will be really interesting to watch. Too bad I'll have to make due with webcast.
I hope this is how he does it. Especially with Olsen out now, against the Revs we'll need a more "all-action" approach. We can use Etch off the bench if we need a goal, or perhaps for a forward if we're up to slow things down and keep possession. I don't know where people are coming up with Ivanov as a defensive midfielder. The one time we tried that in preseason, Hudson flat out said it didn't work and we were thrashed. He's a defender, period. Hate to break this to you, but every single forward that's ever played has had bad touches that ended an attack. I think you're being extremely harsh on Martins. Stoitchkov doesn't play as a striker, and Cerritos seems suited to being a second forward rather than as an out and out striker. *** There are a couple keys to this game. Mostly, keeping our intensity level equal to New England's from the start (without going over the top), and cutting the service to their strikers off. It's going to be a very tough game, and I doubt either team will win by more than one. Our defense is playing well enough to hold them to a goal, so it's down to us to produce against them. Llamosa and Franchino are both questionable, so their backline is a bit unstable right now. Playing the hardworking lineup Chris posted will also be much quicker in attack as far as moving the ball goes, which will unsettle them even more. A draw here will be a good result. We're up against a hot team, and on the road. We don't match up with the Revs all that well, and Twellman has a history of scoring on us freely. This game is going to have more to do with who we face in the playoffs than making it (the crucial game there is against Columbus in 2 weeks). It would be great, though, if we can pick up the win and all but eliminate Columbus. I have a feeling we'll be in a 1-1 tie, though.
This is the most likely scenario i've seen posted and will probably be our starting lineup However, Q2 tends to get beat on the wings quite frequently, which is when he tends to get those silly yellow cards for whacking somebody. I think the lineup we had against the cows last week is a good one. Just sub in Dema for Chino and we're set. That way earnie and bobby can cover NE's wingers which is the most dangerous aspect of their game. Another option (which I like) is to pull Marco off and put namoff into midfield. So it would look something like this: ---------warren--------- ivanov---petke---prideaux --------namoff---------- earnie--q2----dema--bobby ------martins--ronald---- But I'm not the coach... I just play one on TV
Diablo might be called up I doubt DC would release him, or even have to, but an article in one of the Bolivian papers writes that Acosta is trying to call up Etcheverry for the Honduras friendly this weekend. Another player has gone AWOL and the squad is looking for a replacement. The article is in Spanish. http://www.lostiempos.com/hoy/pde11.shtml
I think this is about our best option, let's hope we see it. The one possibility is that Hristo is on top with Cerritos. As long as both he and Marco aren't out there together the rest of the "worker bees" around him can cover the space and he remains deadly with the pass and shot.
I see no reason why DCU wouldn't let Etch play in the Bolivia game on Sat, and then fly to Boston for our game the next day. Etch probably wouldn't play much on Sunday anyway (since Hudson plays him sparingly on the road), so why not?
-------------- Warren ---------------- Ivanov ---- Petke -- Prideaux -- Namoff Stewart ----- Dema ----- Etch ---- Convey --------- Martins --- Cerritos ---------- This seems likely to me. Don't see why we'd need to play Q2 on the wing instead of Etch. Stewart has more speed and touch for that spot, though it may impact the recent run of form he's had with Cerritos. That allows us to have Etch in the middle with ample cover. If it's not working out, we can always go with Q2 on the wing and move Stewart inside. I like the idea of Martins and Cerritos upfront. Obviously, with Etch out there, it takes away the chance of putting Stoitch upfront, which I wouldn't be a proponent of anyway. I'm not sure about Martins lack of touch, but I think that given a couple games he'll begin to find it. The back line looks solid, despite absence of Nellie. We need speedy backs like Namoff and (hopefully) Ivanov to choke the NE forwards off. I hope Twellman doesn't run through us like he's done in the past. Welcome back, Warren. Did you catch the garter? All in all a good, solid lineup for a crunch match-up despite injuries and absences. The key will be midfield and containing the NE strikers, but I'm optimistic. Play for the win but I'll be content with another draw.
tv i am pissed that i wouldn't be able to see yet another DC game..... my saturday is gonna suck. but i can't complain because in cali we used to only see MLS on ESPN, now FSW started showing a game each week, so i guess i will wait till it's turn to show United's again.