Roller Coaster
It came down to this: Julius James parked up front because he tweaked his hamstring and couldn't move, manages to head-in the must-win goal to save the season.
So, a crippled central defender proves more effective than Emilio!
But the game did not end there. Fred elbowed aside a ball to keep it out of the United net, and then, after the PK, United marched upfield looking like they were going to score--or else kill someone trying (at last! unfettered purposefulness from United in stoppage time of the last game of the season!), and then . . . Wallace hit the post.
And so arguably the most exciting and wrenching game United had played all year ended, with neither the players nor the fans quite believing it was over, leaving as many questions open as it had answered.
In the first half, it seemed like United was going to backpass itself into oblivion. At the break it looked like United's only chance would be if a Kansas City player got sent off. Maybe the magnificently named Zoltan, who seemed sufficiently volatile.
To be sure, DC had two golden scoring chances in the first half, and during stretches DC had the better of the play. However, KC came out looking more dangerous and organized. United was clearly less urgent and sharp. DC looking like it wants it less in another must-win game . . . again. How the hell was this possible?
Tonight, Soehn started yet another new mix of players. Lack of continuity? Check. Back to a 3-5-2? Check. Shaky unproven defense? Check. And no Ben Olsen to start this, of all games (Soehn starts the banished Szetela instead)? Whaaaa. Yes, the injuries to Quaranta and Namoff are backbreakers, but it was looking like the lineup of the doomed, even before the first whistle blew.
The opening minutes were tight. DC started with its backpassing, often criminal backpassing. Backpassing must be deeply ingrained in the their bloodstream, in their DNA. They'll be giving out an award for the most backpasses at the dinner on Tuesday.
United had some good moments in the first half, and two near goals courtesy of James and Gomez. Nevertheless, KC seemed better at applying pressure and being quicker to the ball. And there's an intangible thing, this playing-like-a-team thing with players that know each other and can anticipate where their teammates are going to be. This thing that KC had and United, come the final match, did not.
Wallace was starting to look very sloppy and discombobulated even before he lost his mark on the free kick, leading to the goal. And then the wheels really started to come off when Gomez left with injury.
The second half brought in Olsen, and his and Moreno's superior vision and experience seemed to pay off immediately. Then came in Boyzzz for Emilio, who hadn't done much. Immediately thereafter, Soehn gave a brief TV interview in which he said, and I am not making this up:
"We need to be more patient in the attack . . . and work the ball around."
Say what? Patient? Work the ball around?!!?! How about playing physical and fast, and getting as many balls as possible into the KC 18, as quickly as possible?
Oh, the swearing that ensued . . .
But then, like a thunderbolt, or, er, a wet noodle, useless Fred struck! Falling down in the box on a soft foul. Useless Fred - good for something after all?
And so we came to the crazy final minutes. James was not having a bad game even before his heroics, and the rest of the team, aside from Wallace who seemed a step behind all night, were fairly okay. But OK was not good enough. During the roller coaster ride at the end, I was reflecting on how it really did not have to be this way. But maybe it did.
This was United's line-up in the first game of the year, way back on March 22, which ended in a 2-2 tie with the Galaxy (after Janicki and McTavish bloodied themselves and LA was awarded a cheap PK):
Wicks; Jakovic (right), Janicki, Namoff (left); McTavish (right), Simms, Olsen, Gomez, Wallace (left); Pontius, Emilio. Subs: Kocic, Burch, Peters, Jacobson, Doe, Khumalo, Moreno.
Have we come very far?
As today passes into tomorrow, DC's playoff hopes hang by a thread. They don't deserve to make it, but I hope they do.
More to come after the dust settles . . .
Talon Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 birds
Yeah, when I heard that Soehn nonsense about being patient, I very nearly turned the game off. Incompetent and gutless. What a combination!
So how long do we have to wait for the heads to start rolling now that we're officially done for the season?
Posted by: Fullback | October 25, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Something told me I wasn't the only one who was completely flabbergasted by Soehn's comments. And then he really screwed the pooch by not going defensive after James scored. Amazing.
Posted by: DCU Curmudgeon | October 25, 2009 at 12:18 PM