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U.S. Open Cup: FC Dallas at D.C. United Match Night Commentary

  DAL_Primary_COL DCU_Primary_COL

By AVI CREDITOR

Two winless teams in league play will look for a change in fortune tonight, as FC Dallas and D.C. United square off in a qualifying round U.S. Open Cup match at RFK Stadium (7:30 p.m., live streams here and here).

The two clubs have a bit of a history in U.S. Open Cup play, with D.C. United winning the most recent match, a 2-0 result last year en route to finishing as the tournament's runner-up.

We'll likely see some new faces in both lineups tonight as the teams balance their rosters before this weekend's MLS action.

I will be providing live commentary from RFK Stadium, so please follow along and feel free to share any thoughts in the comments section below. Enjoy the match (commentary after the jump).

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POSTGAME – Cristian Castillo scored the other goal for D.C. Bruno Guarda and Dax McCarty tallied goals for Dallas, who will turn its attention to this weekend's game at New England.

That's all for me from RFK Stadium. Hope you enjoyed the match, and have a great night!

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POSTGAME – Adam Cristman had two goals and an assist, but Andy Najar wins man-of-the-match honors here, with his goal and assist. He created a number of opportunities for D.C. and netted his first professional goal. A night to remember for Andy Najar.

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90th Minute – And there's the final whistle! D.C. United 4, FC Dallas 2. United will host Real Salt Lake in another play-in game for a spot in the final 16, and FC Dallas' U.S. Open Cup run is over before it can even get started.

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90th Minute – Najar walked off on his own power, and looks to be OK as he stretches out. The last thing United needs is another key injury. And yes, the 17-year-old Andy Najar is already a key to United's attack.

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90th Minute – Najar is down for D.C. Hopefully it's only cramps. The medics are out to take a look.

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90th Minute – Another failed D.C. clearance almost leads to another opportunity for Dallas. United will be happy with this victory, but it hasn't been a perfect performance from the back line to say the least.

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90th Minute – FOUR minutes of stoppage time for Dallas to seek two goals.

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88th Minute – SAVE PERKINS!!! He robs McCarty! His header off a corner was headed under the crossbar, but Perkins made a strong, confident catch. A much better performance from Perkins, who has been shaky in the early-going for United this season.

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86th Minute – Tiyi Shipalene will replace Adam Cristman, who gets a great hand from the crowd. Two goals and an assist tonight in a starting role for Cristman.

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85th Minute – The video stream wants to know who your man of the match is. I'd go with either Najar or Cristman. Probably Cristman.

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83rd Minute – Edward is back for Dallas. It looked like he had a bloody lip that needed to be stopped and cleaned. D.C. possesses as the final minutes are upon us.

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82nd Minute – Shea's header goes over the bar as FC Dallas is grasping onto hope at this point. United has been the better team and has made the most of its chances.

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81st Minute – SAVE PERKINS! He denies Wiedeman from the top of the area. The shot was set up by Pearce, who has done a nice job creating chances for FC Dallas.

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80th Minute – Wiedeman actually came on for Avila. Edward is off getting his face tended to by the Dallas medic, as the visitors are playing with 10 men right now.

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78th Minute – Yiesley holds the ball up well for Dallas to create an attack, but United defends well. Yiesley has looked good in spurts tonight.

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75th Minute – Jaime Moreno comes on for Cristian Castillo, and Andrew Wiedeman comes on for Edson Edward as each team makes a substitution. Four subs allowed in these qualifying Open Cup games.

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74th Minute – Quaranta's left-footed shot is stuffed by McCarty after a nice D.C. build-up. On the other end, Perkins intercepts a ball from Pearce that was headed for a wide open Shea. It's amazing that Shea hasn't scored tonight. He has had so much space to work with.

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74th Minute – Nice defending by Jordan Graye, who takes the ball away from Brek Shea. Shea tried to take on two United defenders, but Graye won the ball cleanly. He's settled down after a shaky beginning.

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72nd Minute – Edson Edward draws a yellow for his challenge on Najar by the sideline. The kid's speed is quite the asset.

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71st Minute – Shea sends a left-footed cross wide of the goal after receiving a nice inswinging pass from Pearce.

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70th Minute – Pearce has shifted to the left for FC Dallas now, still in the midfield. McCarty seeks him out with a long ball, but it's defended well.

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68th Minute – Quaranta's in a central midfield role for D.C. right now. United had abandoned that plan, but now that he's paired with Simms perhaps things will be different. Shea's long attempt goes well wide, as Dallas' spirit seems to be broken.

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67th Minute – Anthony Wallace receives a yellow and Castillo's free kick from the right side is mishandled by Hartman but cleared away. Is this the same Kevin Hartman that was one of the league's better goalkeepers?

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66th Minute – Dallas does need Pearce's attacking skills being down two goals. We'll see if he can help create. His overlapping runs at left back are what makes him dangerous with the national team.

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64th Minute – Heath Pearce is coming on for Atiba Harris. Pearce is running over to take Harris' spot at right midfield. That should prepare him for a potential trip to South Africa, right?

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64th Minute – Yielsey puts one over the bar! The rookie has created some chances tonight for Dallas, no doubt.

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63rd Minute – Santino Quaranta is coming on for Brandon Barklage. Really unnecessary in my opinion, but D.C. is coming off a bye week, so maybe the D.C. staff wants to give some of the regulars some run.

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61st Minute – 4-2 United as D.C. is on the attack again. Who knew these teams had so much firepower waiting in the wings?

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60th Minute – Hartman has had a nightmare of a night. He's off his line again and Cristman lobs a header into the empty net. Assist by Clyde Simms.

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59th MinuteGOAL UNITED! ADAM CRISTMAN AGAIN!!

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58th Minute – Rodney Wallace committed the foul. He compounded a poor clearance by committing the foul in the box. Easy call for the ref, and FC Dallas is somehow right back in this one.

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57th MinuteGOAL DALLAS! Dax McCarty sends the PK to the right, Perkins goes left, and FC Dallas is right back in the game! 3-2!

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56th Minute – PENALTY!

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55th Minute – Clyde Simms returns from injury as he comes on for Morsink. D.C. needs Simms' presence in the midfield when it returns to league play for sure.

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52nd Minute – Wow what a sequence of action. Najar actually had an almost identical shot to his goal saved by Hartman and Boyzzz Khumalo's shot off the rebound went wide. Then on the other end, a poor clearance attempt went right to Guarda at the right edge of the 18, and he blasted an accurate shot past Perkins. 3-1, D.C.

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52nd Minute – GOAL DALLAS! Bruno Guarda shoots home a failed clearance to pull Dallas within 3-1!

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52nd Minute – Najar ran onto a brilliant cross from Cristman and headed home a beautiful goal to give United a 3-0 lead.

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51st MinuteGOAL D.C. UNITED!! ANDY NAJAR WITH HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL GOAL!

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50th Minute – Announced attendance: 2,804. Uh huh. If you say so.

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49th Minute – SAVE PERKINS! He robs Yiesley of a goal by snatching his drive from the top of the area. Avila, whose distribution has been nice tonight, set up the shot.

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48th Minute – Harris sends a teasing cross through the top of the six-yard box, but only United defenders are there.

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46th Minute – No changes for United, who move from left to right. Dallas going right to left in search of two goals to tie this one up.

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46th Minute – Dax McCarty and George John are on for Eric Alexander and Ugo Ihemelu.

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HALFTIME – T-shirt slingshot time. Settle down guys, there should be enough for everybody tonight.

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HALFTIME – Curt Onalfo headed to the showers early, but the lineup he's put out there has produced tonight. The front trio of Castillo, Cristman and Najar have done their jobs. More importantly, subs like Santino Quaranta, Clyde Simms and Jaime Moreno will likely be able to remain unused and will be fresh for Saturday's Atlantic Cup clash with New York.

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HALFTIME – Dallas' staff has spoken about the importance of this tournament, given the organization's connection to Lamar Hunt, after whom the tournament is named. We'll see if Schellas Hyndman's commitment to the cup means appearances for Jeff Cunningham, David Ferreira and Dax McCarty.

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HALFTIME – D.C. leads on goals by Adam Cristman and Cristian Castillo. Brek Shea caused the most trouble for United's defense, but Perkins came up with the big save when he needed to, and Dallas' only other threat went wide. Finishing in the run of play hasn't come easy for the Hoops this season.

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45th Minute – Silly challenge by McTavish on Shea, as he takes his legs out from under him. Harris' low free kick is saved by Perkins, and D.C. United heads to halftime with a 2-0 lead.

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45th Minute – Two minutes of stoppage time.

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45th Minute – Barklage heads it high! He had a clean look on goal but sent his header over the bar.

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45th Minute – Najar shoots one wide, but it's deflected for a corner. The better play would've been to pass it right where he had an open man in stride, but he earns the corner nonetheless.

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44th Minute – Najar's speed is causing anxiety, if not problems, for the Dallas back line. Even when he's off the ball there are some tense moments back there.

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43rd Minute – The El Salvadorian contingent on hand LOVED Castillo's goal. He's a rock star to them, even though his first few games with United have been less than stellar.

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42nd Minute – Cristman sends one over the bar after a great extended run by Najar. D.C. is the better team right now, no question.

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41st Minute – In Hartman's defense, Barklage was cutting across his area and missed the header, and that could've messed up his timing.

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40th Minute – You wouldn't expect a keeper of Hartman's ability to flub a ball like that. Yikes. Dario Sala, your job appears to be safe.

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39th Minute – GOAL UNITED!! 2-0! Cristian Castillo's free kick just awfully misplayed by Hartman, who mishandles it into his own net!

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38th Minute – Hard foul by Guarda but no card. D.C. with the free kick from about 40 yards out.

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36th Minute – Cristman's offside as he chases down a long pass. He scored goals in bunches for the University of Virginia, and he was a useful player in New England. We'll see if he can keep it up tonight.

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35th Minute – Castillo's corner is headed away to the sideline, but D.C. maintains the ball. Better from United.

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34th Minute – United maintaining possession now, with some nice passing and a sweet ball down the left side from Talley to Wallace. Rodney's cross is defended, but out for a corner.

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33rd Minute – We'll see if this lights a bit of fire under United's players. The "crowd" sure seemed to enjoy it.

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32nd Minute – Curt Onalfo has choice words for referee Chris Penso after another United foul on the right sideline, right in front of the D.C. bench.

And Onalfo has been sent off!!

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31st Minute – Castillo gets a header on frame for D.C. after a nice build-up, but he's offside, and Hartman caught it anyway.

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30th Minute – Brek Shea has WAY too much space to operate with, as he's moved to the right side. Keep an eye out on that.

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29th Minute – Rodney Wallace gets a harsh yellow after colliding with Avila. Foul, yes. Card? Eh, I don't think so.

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27th Minute – Dallas is having the better part of the action now, as D.C. hasn't threatened much after scoring the opening goal. Granted, United hasn't played with a lead all year, so this is new territory.

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25th Minute – YIESLEY JUST WIDE! Nice counterattack by Dallas, as Avila received the ball, took it right down the middle of the pitch and laid it off to the Seattle Sounders' public enemy No. 1. His low shot skipped wide of the far post.

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23rd Minute – A ball that probably should have been intercepted by Perkins gets pinballed around the box, and Talley's a bit shaken up. After a few strong early minutes, D.C. hasn't been as sharp.

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22nd Minute – Terrible effort by Anthony Wallace, as his low kick goes directly into the wall. Dallas retrieves possession.

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21st Minute – Morsink sees yellow as he takes down Shea, who was knifing through the United defense. Dallas will have a free kick from about 30 yards out. Shea is a one-man wrecking crew for FC Dallas tonight.

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21st Minute – The benefit/con of having a small crowd is that you can hear EVERY comment that's shouted loud enough. High comedy at RFK tonight.

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19th Minute – Najar is playing up top as more of a striker than a midfielder, and he's looking sharp. His potential is sky-high right now.

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18th Minute – Najar with a clever steal inside Dallas' box, but his ball to the top of the area isn't near Cristman. Gritty work by Najar though, he's got some quick feet.

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17th Minute – SHEA COMES CLOSE! Another long ball for Shea down the left flank and he sends his shot across the goal mouth. Rookie right back Jordan Graye is having a rough go of it in his D.C. United debut.

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16th Minute – Avila's free kick toward the far post is too far for Alexander, and D.C. dodges a bullet.

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15th Minute – Foul juuuuust outside the area as Guarda gets taken down by the left corner. Free kick Dallas.

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14th Minute – Harris is offside in the box as he corrals a long pass. Credit Dallas for immediately putting pressure on after conceding the opening goal.

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14th Minute – Morsink's back as Dallas controls in the D.C. end. Shea has been disruptive as he receives another long ball and sends in a dangerous cross.

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12th Minute – Morsink's down and being tended to by the medical staff. Looked like a hamstring strain. Obviously. This is D.C. United we're talking about, where hamstring injuries run rampant.

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10th Minute – Dallas tried the same long ball twice in a row, connecting the second time. That's Carey Talley's job to not let that happen.

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10th Minute – SAVE PERKINS!! He robs Brek Shea from point blank range. Just after he came off his line to grab a long ball intended for Shea. Nice save Perkins.

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8th Minute – United controlling the run of play thus far. The passing hasn't been pinpoint, but they've got an early grasp on this contest.

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6th Minute – Not much buildup at all, but Hartman came well off his line to give Cristman the easiest of chances. The assist goes to Andy Najar.

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4th MinuteGOAL D.C. UNITED!!! Adam Cristman with the chip over Hartman!

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4th Minute – Long attempt into the box is handled by Hartman, but D.C. regains possession.

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3rd Minute – Rodney Wallace earns a corner for D.C. as the dozens in the stands go nuts.

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1st Minute – Atiba Harris tries to earn a corner, but he's defended well and concedes a goal kick.

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1st Minute – Hoops are going left to right in the red and white horizontal striped jerseys, D.C. United moving right to left in the all blacks. Kevin Hartman and Carey Talley are tonight's captains.

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PREGAME – The winner of tonight's match goes on to host Real Salt Lake in another qualifying game. The winner of that match advances to the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16.

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PREGAME – I'll try and go light on the sarcasm, but this is not exactly going to be American soccer at its finest tonight.

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PREGAME – Prediction? Based on the starters D.C. gets the slight edge. How about 1-0. Or PKs. Either way, I think D.C. moves on.

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PREGAME – This would've been a nice opportunity for Bill Hamid to make his debut in goal for D.C. United, but this will also be a good chance for Troy Perkins to put together a nice performance to get the good vibes going again.

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PREGAME – The NHL's Capitals have a Game 7 tonight. The city is pretty wrapped up in that. Pretty bad timing for a U.S. Open Cup game that would've already had a pretty low attendance. Although I don't think many thought that it would take the Capitals seven games to advance out of the first round. Moving on before Capitals fans start getting heated…

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PREGAME – There's about 48 people here. I counted. Dallas should be right at home…ZING

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PREGAME – Here are tonight's starting lineups:

FC DALLAS

————-Yiesley———Avila———-

–Shea—-Harris—-Guarda—-Alexander–

–Wallace—-Ihemelu—–Edward—-Loyd–

——————–Hartman——————

SUBS: Sala, Pearce, John, Ferreira, McCarty, Cunningham, Wiedeman

D.C. UNITED

——————-Cristman———————

—-Castillo——–Najar———Khumalo—-

———–Morsink————Barklage——-

–Wallace—-Talley—-McTavish—-Graye–

———————Perkins———————

SUBS: Hamid, Rice, Adams, Simms, Shipalane, Quaranta, Moreno

Comments

  1. A few notes.

    Andy Najar scored his first professional goal. This is a huge steppingstone for the young teenager and I’m hoping this can translate into success as early as this season. His speed is his best asset and United could use that 24/7 espicially considering the lack of speed that some of the other positions have.

    Adam Cristman scored his first goal for DC United and I’m very impressed with him. If he starts with Jaime (which looks in doubt since the Luciano Emilo signing) he could provide energy.

    Even though Cristian Castillo scored his first goal with DC United in this game he still looked very unsure of himself at times. Hopefully over time he can sink into this team fully and we can see some of the vast talent he has.

    Early on on the game (while it was still 1-0) Onalfo got thrown out. Avi called it perfectly as it energized the team and got them going to the ball more and really showing a increase in effort. I think Onalfo should become more fired up on the sidelines and really get on the United players for lack of effort. That could really give the players a wake up call.

    Finally I thought that Jordan Graye had the appearence of someone who was playing not to make mistakes and wasn’t very loose at all. However I felt that later after he settled in he showed the talent that he has.

    All in all it’s not a terrible first win. United finally got some goals flowing and got to exersize some young talent. Hopefully United can build on this win.

    Reply
  2. PREGAME – I’ll try and go light on the sarcasm, but this is not exactly going to be American soccer at its finest tonight.

    You didn’t succeed, and I don’t blame you.

    Reply
  3. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLL

    De PACHUCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

    Unreal.

    Reply
  4. thats how it happens man hahhahaha. i was either grabbin a beer or talkin on the phone when 5 goals were scored.. whatev just DC and Dallas

    Reply
  5. Fire Shellas! Please FDC, this guys is trash. Every week it’s the same crap. Not expecting anything from NE

    Dallas – Last in the West and the only club without a win in any competition this year …

    Reply
  6. Does anyone think it is hilarious that DC resigned Emilo. I laughed after reading it, Payne made it sound like they were always considering resigning him if his terms were reasonable- yeah right! I bet they would trade Perkins straight up for Fred right now as well. Only if the Union wernt the second worst team in the league.

    Reply
  7. how about a TFC vs Montreal stream? I think they’re sold out at BMO, and I’d rather watch a game on the continent where folks get excited for it.

    Reply
  8. Well New York Red Bull win for better feed and video- feels like they are fast forwarding a digital camera and the hum makes the video unbearable.

    Reply
  9. Predictions/wishful thinking:
    1) DC still can’t score, losses in PKs.
    2) The only former Hansa Rostock player in this game gets injured if he gets subbed in.

    Reply
  10. I was kind of hoping to see more of Pearce, but this tournament rarely merits the starters to actually start. I am interested in seeing how Brek Shea will do. Fulham were interested in him at some point.

    Reply

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