A little wry and ironic humor of the good that came out of the 2002 season: 1) Nick Rimando made me forget all about the loss of Scott Garlick, as Rimando proved he is the greatest keeper DC United has had. 2) Ryan Nelsen became a rock at the back and quite effective going forward. 3) Return of Beninho Olsen! 4) Milton Reyes actually filled in the right back role! Any others?
Other bright spots: S. Zack's quality work with the fans. Can't blame him for the product on the field. The 4-2 win over the Scum. Bobby Convey's OT-gamewinner against L.A., and the ensuing parking lot party. My return to DC, and return to the rolls of United season ticket holders. Watching losses in person is better than reading about them on the internet - plus, our home record was actually pretty good, so I got to see some nice wins.
Bright spots..... Rimando - his shot stopping ability and his quickness off the line have been drastic improvements over Ammann, Simpson and Presthus.. Nelsen - has been a rock all season (despite Ray parking him on the bench early in the year) and now appears to be looking elsewhere (can't say that I blame him considering the two crap years he has had to deal with here).. Reyes - his closing ability is tremendous and makes some sparkling plays, yet he gets caught out of position a little too much and needs to improve on the offensive side of the ball.. Convey - improved defensive play and a few goals to boot.. He has slacked off lately (possibly from the shoulder injury) but since his butt kicking from Hudson, he is one of the few players to respond positively.... Overall defensive improvement....
Marco's free kick against Chicago....what a beauty Quintanillas first home game and the non-issue the whole El Salvador fan thing turned out to be. The viewing party in Georgetown. We still have the best front office in MLS The 4-2 spankings of the Scum and the Quakes. The First annual Barra Brava/Screaming Eagles dual tailgate. Chico
All Barra Brava tailgates Ben Olsen's return Getting Reyes, Rimando and Q2 Marco's free kick against Chicago Bobby Convey's OT-gamewinner against L.A. Overblown hype of Hispanic Heritage night. The 4-2 thumpings of the Metro monkeys and the Quakes. The real Hispanic heritage day, hosting Boca Jrs. (Game was boring but it was one of the best Barra tailgates of the year) Getting tossed out of the Chicago game and getting my wife pregnant the night before. Mini Barra onboard. Nelsen our new "super striker" The bonita chicas at Barra tailgates Yelling at Petke and rattling the fence as the Metros went to their bus MLS All-star game fun,rain and a pitch invasion
Maturation of Santino. Improved team spirt even when last in the league. MLS' improved attendances (except for DC) encouraging our prospects for the future. Anschutz and Hunt's dedication to the sport. DC United's understanding and appreciation of the fans, starting with a willingness to listen to the supporters groups, big soccer, and even arranging face-to-face question and answer sessions with the coaching staff. Players sticking up for one another through thick and thin. The Liberty games--9/11 commemoration games. Marco winning MVP of the All-Star Game. -Tron
Nelsen, Reyes, Prideaux, Rimando were great. I only got to go to one game and that was the all-star game and that was great. I think the greatest win for me personally was at the beginning against Chicago because it gave me a lot of hope that this season wouldn't suck and for a while it didnt. Then July came and it just kinda sucked from there on out.
The All-Star game was nice. The World Cup was nice. Nelsen, Rimando, and Reyes have been great. It's great to see Olsen back on the field. The rest has mostly sucked.