First Impressions - Chivas USA 3 : 1 D.C. United

It's late, and I've had 45 minutes driving north from the Home Depot Center to think on things, but I'll say this: Tom Soehn is right - This team lacks toughness. But toughness isn't fouls. It isn't yellow cards. It's mental toughness, the courage and precision to execute a turn and clearance as an attacked barrels down on you. It's the ability to push a cross clear to the other side of the field when the 50-50 ball is played too short. It's the heart to run down a ball that's probably beyond your reach but damned if that defender will beat you to the line. And this team doesn't have it.

This team isn't fast, but you can overcome that with toughness. This team isn't tough, but you can overcome that with smart tactical play and players moving to the right places off the ball. But this team isn't smart, and now we're exactly where we are.

United had gone ahead, and had some decent chances on goal (Namoff's header over the bar springs to mind) in the first half. Yet as the night wore on, they ceded more and more of the field to Chivas, and ultimately paid with three goals.

If nothing else, at least Tino Quaranta was the one who actually showed some fight for the shirt, in perhaps the most literal way he could. I was going to wait until August to forgive all, but given that he was the one willing to step up when the rest of the team held back, I forgive him now. He's fighting on the losing side, and that's impressive.

Tom Soehn is right about this team, but he's responsible for this team. Let's get a good night's sleep and check the highlights (especially as I can't believe Chivas was onside for two of those goals, but admittedly I had an awful angle to judge things in the corner of the HDC). Let's think. But then...

But then...

But then I'll know if how I feel now is something other than the momentary depression of a loss, or the sad realization of the what the future is.

Stephin Merritt is Right: I Hate California Girls (Although Our Reasons May Differ)

I am actually in L.A., and let me say this: It's not all that. The weather has not been particularly stunning (yesterday was cold and grey, today is chilly but sunny). The scenery is not inspiring. The hills are splotchy messes of beige, green, and burgundy, as if a frog on an acid trip had painted the landscape in acrylics. The roads are also pretty shit. You think driving north on 295 around Minnesota Avenue has some crappy pavement? Try CA-110 for the entire run.

So yes, I'm in L.A., and I'm hoping to score tickets to the game against Chivas. And finish the debrief (it'll be late, but damn it I have responsiblities.) And really, even if D.C. United as a team is awful, it's at least nice to know that I haven't come here and suddenly decided I want to move. I like D.C. Ol' swampy D.C. That, at least, is nice affirmation of the way things should be.

Washington, D.C., it's paradise to me...

Emilio needs a caption

I think they could have picked a better shot of Emilio to use for a VW ad campaign.. In this picture, he looks like someone shot his dog. In the interest of venting a little, let's have a caption contest - I hear all the big blogs are doing that nowadays.

Delay in Debrief

Sorry everyone, I have some car problems, I'll fix em and finish my writing duties here.

First Impressions - D.C. United 0 : 2 Chicago Fire

...and it wasn't even the worst game we've played this season.

Here's the thing. I'm used to United defenses giving up goals because of bad plays in the back. Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Brandon Prideaux, Bryan Namoff, Brian Carroll... over the past few seasons, they've all commited some horrible blunders that led to opposing team goals. What I'm not used to is seeing a United defense get carved up repeatedly. That had played positioned wrongly, or not picking up markers, or not figuring out where to go. You can point at Quaranta for missing the marking on the first goal, but he had just run back and did anyone tell him where to pick up a marker? Fortunately, that was the only goal United gave up just to poor defending. The second Chicago goal you might try and hang on Clyde Simms, or you can do what I am going to do and just admit that Mr. White nailed that shot.

The thing is, while there were some performances turned in by players who clearly haven't given up and were still fighting (Namoff, Wells, Quaranta all deserve nods here), there was also a lot of tentative runs toward balls that meant that a 50-50 ball turned into a 75-25 ball for red.

Franco Niell not pulling the trigger inside the box is upsetting. Emilio was better, but not good yet. But the touch was off, the play was off, and while it was better than last week against Colorado, it was hardly a reason to feel like things are turning around.

As I said, there were some good things. Wells made some saves he had to make. Namoff looks like he's the only one fighting for the season at times. Quaranta ran til he had nothing left. Emilio started taking shots. But Simms had an off game, Niell wouldn't take shots first time, and Emilio can't find the net, and everyone, just everyone, had a touch that was two stone too heavy.

Your goat, I'm thinking, is Niell, but I'm listening for your saints and sinners as well. And right now, United needs more than anything to just play a technically sound game. Even if they lose. Away to Chivas, after a long week of practice, that's what I want to see. Not a result, though that would be nice. Just some good, sound soccer. We need to see some basic being executed before we start enjoying beautiful soccer again.

The most troubling sign? It was that D.C. United didn't just look slow, they look frightened. And that's a recursive function that eats its own.

Tonight's Forecast: "Tears Shall Drown the Wind"

A few scattershot links before I reach my main point. First, it's going to rain tonight. We play better in the rain, except for those times we don't.

Second, Commenter Bootsy sent us this link to Charles Boehm's blog, in which there might be some dissatisfaction expressed by the Ownership at the state of things:

Principal owner-investor Victor MacFarlane was on hand at the announcement of the VW partnership at RFK Stadium on Tuesday morning, and his enthusiasm about the deal was tempered by noticeable dissatisfaction with his team’s performances.

“I’m not happy. We need to do much better on the field,” said the San Francisco-based real estate magnate. “The team needs to come together – we have the talent necessary, the team needs to gel and start delivering.”

And also a link to Booked for Dissent, where another critique of Tom Soehn is made (and made very well) but also contains an coda with which I am in complete disagreement:

But for all that, those of you calling for Soehn to be fired immediately should stop it. This is an organization that has never technically fired a coach (Rongen’s contract wasn’t renewed, and Hudson’s third-year option wasn’t picked up). And for all the talk at the United-Volkswagen press conference today about the importance both “brands” place on “tradition,” I don’t see them breaking away from any of that in the near future.

First, let me say that while I agree with pretty much everything else that Dave wrote, I am in utter disagreement with the ideas in his last sentences, so unfairly that's the only part I quoted. If you listen to the VW press conference (which Lifton nicely has put on-line for you, and I did listen to) he's right that a lot of talk about "brands" and "management" was invoked. However, more important to me was the statement, once again, that D.C. United's mission is "to win championships and serve the community." That's our tradition. We didn't put up a banner on DCUnited.Com with the word "tradition" next to a picture of Ray Hudson not getting a pink slip. We put that word surrounded by a bunch of trophies. Our tradition is about winning and community involvement, not some management practice. If it looks like 2008 is a lost season because of Tom Soehn, I don't see United's ownership just letting it happen simply because they never fired a coach before.

Now, that being said, I'm not calling on Tom Soehn to be fired. Yet. But I can see a time where it might have to happen, and I'd prefer it happen earlier in the season than later. And yes, I have a name in mind for at least a caretaker coach who could earn the job (and no, it's not Bruce Arena, but I've had this idea and talked it out with someone, and at least they didn't think I was crazy, even though I thought I might be. And no, I'm not telling you yet, because right now is not the time, but it's someone you know.) Still, if United underperforms tonight against Chicago, and in a week and a half against Chivas, could I see myself finally succumbing to the Fire Soehn commentary? Yes. It would require two dismal performances, but I'll be honest, it's something I've thought about.

If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done quickly. A new coach would need to have some time to impose their ideas to turn the team around. A new coach might deserve some time to make a move before any transfer deadlines. And most of all, losing is a habit that gets harder to break.

So if we haven't fired Tom Soehn by Match 14, and the season is gloomy, then let's write the season off and move forward. But if it might make a difference, let's do it sooner rather than later.

UPDATE-3PM: Lifton responds to the post above that, as he says, "ripps him a new one" (the extra "p" means there was more power in the ripping). He says that our post...

...overlooks a major aspect of why United has a tradition, the way Kevin Payne does business. He is far too loyal to discard a coach so quickly (does 2001 ring a bell?), and would undoubtedly go to the wall for Soehn. I don’t see that changing so quickly.

I don’t know the terms of Soehn’s contract, but my guess is that it’s for two years with an option. That seems to be the standard. By virtue of his record last year, as well as his success as an assistant here, Soehn deserves to at least finish out this year before a decision on the option year is made.

I'm sympathetic to half of this argument. I do believe that Soehn has earned some margin of error. I believe that everyone can earn a bad season. The problem was the way this season has been positioned - as a year to really take on the international responsiblities. Failing to retake the Supporter's Shield doesn't bother me much. Failing to be competitive in our league matches while waiting for our next shot at international play? That does bother me. That being said, if United executives come out and say "Tommy's earned this for the remainder of the year" -- well, I could live with that.

However, the other part of Lifton's argument doesn't hold water for me. Loyalty is a fine thing, a noble thing, but loyalty that leads to disaster is not a virtue, it is pigheadedness. It is a form of willful stupidity. Kevin Payne is not a stupid man. He makes mistakes, but he learns from them.

More alumni to haunt us?

Looks like former DC United forward Guy-Roland Kpene will sign a developmental contract with Houston Dynamo and rejoin former DC defender Bobby Boswell. I wasn't a huge fan of his when he was here, seems he had more potential than actual payoff. But compared to Niell and Doe, I'm not convinced either is that much of an upgrade over Kpene. At least on the surface, Doe and Kpene seem to be very similar forwards. Granted, we haven't seen much of Doe ...

Forward Guy-Roland Kpene, who came to the Dynamo on trial a couple of
weeks ago seeking a senior contract, was back with the team Tuesday.

Farfegnugen

Or, It Could Be a Multi-Level Marketing Scheme, So Be Thankful It's a Real Company At Least

The news this morning is of United's forthcoming announcement of VW as the official jersey insignia. By, I'm sure, complete coincidence, last night I was watching a rerun of Top Gear and there was a review of the Volkswagen Golf GTI W12. Jeremy Clarkson noted that this particular car, while seeming to combine the best of various other models, was unfinished, couldn't change directions well at all, and was slower than it should have been. At this point, you should be able to draw the connection.

That being said, short of Ben's Chili Bowl sponsoring United, this isn't bad. There's at least a local connection of sorts, it's a real company, and the money is decent. If it had to happen, and it did have to happen, it could have been so much worse.

So welcome aboard VW, and now let's ask the next question. With a debut on ESPN of the new front-of-shirt logo, and a designated player signing, and all the attention that brings... Does this raise the pressure to get results? Will the front office accept losses with our new corporate partners looking on? I mean this seriously. I think the leash just got a bit shorter.

UPDATE: This is Kinney just adding on to D's post. Goff is reporting that the contract with VW gives them the option to purchase the naming rights for the new stadium...whenever that gets completed. Also, for anyone thinking about going to Thursday's game, apparently VW is picking up the parking tab, so it will be $12 cheaper if you are a driver.

Debriefing for Match 13.06: At Colorado Rapids

Colorado Rapids 2 : 0 D.C. United

Six Word Novel Recap

Gomez-Gallardo. Clavijo-Soehn. Lost Both.

Media, Traditional and Otherwise

The Denver Post, Brian Forbes: "By the time Gomez was replaced to a standing ovation in the second half, having outplayed United's No. 10 — and Gomez's replacement — Marcelo Gallardo, the Rapids had sealed their 2-0 victory to give them 10 goals this season from 10 players."
MLSNet, Geoffrey Urland: "Former United midfielder Christian Gomez set up Jacob Peterson for the Rapids' first goal and former D.C. defender Facundo Erpen scored the insurance goal, with Gomez again providing an assist, as United remained winless in Colorado since the 2000 season."
The Washington Post, Steve Goff: " Unimaginative and uninspiring, United rarely challenged the Rapids..."
UnitedMania, Chris Webb: "With United playing cautiously from the jump, they never gave themselves a chance to win this match. "
MLSNet, Geoffrey Urland: "The statistics show a game that was thoroughly dominated by the home team. United were outshot 17-5, gave up 10 corner kicks while earning only half that many, committed 13 fouls and, most importantly, gave up two second-half goals."
Behind the Badge, The Management: " D.C. United Head Coach Tom Soehn: 'The loss is very troubling, we have addressed a lot, especially having a better road mentality. When looking at individual performances in this game we were just bad all over the field, I can’t even think of a player that did well. '"
The Offside: Colorado Rapids, Kyle: "On Sunday, the Rapids outplayed DC United by any measure, and I still think they underperformed. I really think they could have scored three or four if they had just finished on a few of the opportunities they had in the first half."
Fighting Talker, Aaron Stollar: "Garbage. Absolute garbage...This is a team who’s best striker clearly cannot contribute right now and whose manager and technical director are finding their decisions exposed as wrong on a more regular basis...What is the one thing we all learned about Gomez during his tenure here? It’s that if you pressure him in possession incessantly and knock him down repeatedly, he’ll struggle. We didn’t do that one bit...I’ve officially reached the point where Soehn’s job is officially in jeopardy, at least to me."
Booked for Dissent, Dave Lifton: "I don’t know if United can make the necessary adjustments against a team that is playing very well and perennially has our number. It could just be a home-and-away thing, in which case United right now is no better off than it was under Ray Hudson. Again: one step forward, two steps back."
DCUMD, Shatz: "So despite playing with one more midfielder than the opposition, we were still dominated in the middle third. That right there is a really bad sign. But a worse sign is that Soehn continues to roll out the 3-5-2 regardless of the situation. Coaches always talk about how its important to be able to play successfully in more than one formation. I believe we have the team to be able to do that. So why not take advantage of our personnel and tailor the formation to the situation. Playing at home against a team that is weak offensively: that's a good time for the 3-5-2. But playing on the road against a team with a proven (and vengeful) MVP leading the attack, in a game where we would probably have been happy with a nil-nil draw: not a good time for the 3-5-2."
The Fullback Files: "I'm getting the worrying feeling that I'm on a bus, and the driver's got his eyes fixed on his dash-mounted GPS rather than the 30-car pileup a half-mile up the road and approaching fast. 'Hey guys, this setup worked for us at home against a team with no midfield creativity and no width! Let's do the same thing on the road against a team with a proven All-Star midfield dynamo and some decent wide players!' Jumpin' Jeebus on a pogo stick, man!"
BDR, BlckDgRd: "I'm going to wait past Thursday's game regardless of result and past both Toronto games, the back-to-backs, before thumping the chest of this season and declaring the corpse dead. But everything feels wrong this year, from the front office to the coaches to the players to the stadium experience. Everything."

The Good

1. Bryan Namoff: Even if Mr. Soehn can't name a single good performance, I can. Bryan played his role right, and was one of the few people who knew when to push up to put Colorado attackers into the offside position. Bryan didn't get beat by his marker on a corner kick. Bryan is most of the Good, except in tandem with...
   
2. Defenders, Roll Out: It was nice to see Martinez and Namoff join the attack moving the ball up on the wing. Really, our midfield play only looked functional in those moments.
3. The first half of Santino Quaranta: He played both ways, and again our movement up the wings looked better than anything in the middle. Sadly, he got gassed. Let this not be a metaphor for this season.
   

The Bad

1. We Always Fight the Last War: There's more concern about Soehn. There should be. If our working theory is right, we'll see a different performance against Chicago on Thursday. And, if our theory is right, and we do well against Chicago, we'll see the same ideas for the Chicago game used against Chivas. And that's a recipe for a .500 team...at best.
   
2. Emilio - Financial Market Performance Artist: Either he's hoping for a call every time he's falling down, or he's decided to stage a piece called "The performance of the Dollar against International Currency." It would be better if he covered himself in chocolate first. And said things like "rabbits! rabbits! rabbits!"
   
3. LTJG Zach Wells: Another game, another communication gaff. C'mon, I'm tired of this. We demote Lt. Zach Wells (O-3) to Lt. Junior Grade Zach Wells (O-2). Yes, we're using Navy ranks. No, I don't know why, other than I think that all starking keepers should at least have the rank of Commander (O-5)
   
4. Our game is one of holding the ball...Except when our midfield is dysfunctional. There's a lot of heat at Emilio, but I can't think of a game this season where he got less service. Our midfield was awful. Really awful. Anytime a team manages to simultaneously mark you closely and clog your passing lanes, something is deeply wrong. Gallardo also had one of his worst technical games this season. You could see the ideas in his forward passes, but they were either passes that required a precision that he couldn't execute (between two or three defenders) or they weren't particularly dangerous. No middle ground.
   

Officiating Watch

This was not a particularly challenging game for center official Jorge Gonzales and his ARs. If I have one complaint, it's that Ugo Ihmelhu somehow managed to commit half of Colorado's fouls and not get carded for persistent infringement. The ARs missed one off-side call that I saw, on a DC free kick, but otherwise had little to do, and did it well.

Likert Scale Grade: 3 - Average

Man of the Match

N/A. Merit award to Namoff. Your goat could be any number of players, but I will go with Gallardo.

Adjusted Results

No adjustments, though you might make a case that Colorado deserved another goal to make it 3:0. Still, the result feels about right as is. No change, and for the season D.C. United's adjusted record is 2-3-1 (7pts); 10GF, 13GA, -3GD.

Final Thoughts

What worries me is that I get the sense that Coach Soehn puts a team out there, and that is the extent of his management so far. Too frequently it seems he's relying on his players to figure out how to play the game, as routinely, even in games we do well in, the first 10 minutes are a disjointed affair. It's a strategy that could work, given experienced players, but how do you expect Quavas Kirk or Dan Stratford or any of the other new players to fit into a gameplan where the gameplan isn't necessarily known on the sideline. Instead, there seems to be a general theory and formation, based on the best moments of the last game, and the players are told "Go do something."

Case in point, earlier in the CONCACAF Champion's cup we saw that Franco Niell was fairly adept at running down long aerial balls over the top. Given that he's starting, and given the presence that Mastroeni and Ihemelu had in the middle of the field, might it not have made sense to try that in this match? Even with the narrower field? And yet, to my knowledge, I think I saw one attempt to play Niell into the final third in that fashion.

Now, I fully expect to see a different result against Chicago. But until we see two wins in a row, two games where United consistently makes progress even after a good result, then we have every reason to be concerned about the coaching for this season. We can blame the players, sure, and we can blame the lack of speed, sure, but these are the players we have. Either they just aren't sure how to use each other, or the coaching staff isn't telling them.

First Impressions - Colorado Rapids 2 : 0 D. C. United

That D.C. United lost in Colorado is not much of a surprise, as United has done little else but that for the better part of a decade. That we looked so bad doing it is perhaps something of a surprise. Colorado deserved the win, and deserved the margin. The natural focus of any post-game write-up will be to cast this match as "Gallardo vs. Gomez," and I understand that. And Christian did his part to make it look like D.C. United made a mistake.

The more interesting focus to me is "Clavijo vs. Soehn" and on that mark, I think it is clear that Tom Soehn again trusted too much in previous good results. While we saw a slightly different line-up (Niell for Moreno, and I suppose Burch for Fred) to start this match, the tactical decision making seemed very similar to the last match against RSL. Which is the worry we've expressed about Tom Soehn's United. If something works, try it again until is stops working.

It is, if you think about it, the very antithesis of "Building on a win." There was good and bad against RSL, but rather than take the good and try and add more to it, we accepted the good we had and hoped it would be enough again.

We are not a fast team. That's simply a fact, but not all successful teams need to have great speed. We still haven't figured out what we are, and how to make it work. And while Dave Johnson can talk about this team still "coming together" the fact is that we've had 20% of the season go by now. Maybe it snaps into place in the half-way mark, and I'm more than willing to give it that long. But if it doesn't...

If it doesn't, then I have a feeling that the game I just saw is one I may have to get used to seeing.

Learning to Love the Bug

The Washington Business Journal has announced that Volkswagen and DC United have signed a jersey sponsorship agreement. The deal will bring 3.7 million dollars annually to DC United and is the second largest deal in league history, behind Beckham's deal with Herbalife. There have been some rumblings about this, specifically in the Examiner, so it is not entirely out of the blue, but it sure came quick.

This sounds like a good deal to me, lots of money, an international brand, and a company that has a good history of sponsoring soccer teams. MLS rules will prevent the blue logo that would clash badly with the black and red, much like it used to clash badly with Werder Bremen's green and white, which is one of the main reasons I am pleased with the choice. But I want to know what you guys think. Do you love it? Hate it? Or could you care less?

Thanks to Mike H over at My Soccer Blog for the mock up jersey which is a photo shop job and not the official new look.

Rumination on a golazo

If you watch the highlights of Gallardo’s goal, you’ll hear two quotes that I’ll reference in this post. The first is Dave Johnson saying, “Surely that’s the one!” He’s referring to the fact that a 4-1 score line is likely to stand with only 10 minutes left in the match. I prefer to think, however, that Johnson was speaking more broadly, meaning that when Gallardo buried Burch’s high cross, that goal would certainly rise to the top as an eventual Goal of the Year nominee.

I was so impressed with Gallardo’s goal on Saturday night that I feel like it needs more discussion, dissection. It certainly needs your vote for Sierra Mist Goal of the Week.

When I was watching the match on Saturday night, in real time, and I saw Burch’s cross, I immediately felt that the cross was a poor one. It was lazy and seemed too high and when I saw Nat Borchers coming over to play it with his head, I figured United might at best win a corner. Gallardo however, seemed to not even notice Borchers running on to the ball. He didn’t seem phased at all when the defender jumped to try to head the ball out of danger. He just cocked his leg back and hit it as hard as he could.

There are many similarities between United’s 4^th goal of the night and the 3^rd goal by Quaranta. Both came after crosses to the right wing and in both occasions the goal scorer hit the ball first time past Nick Rimando. But watching and re-watching Gallardo’s goal makes me a little embarrassed that I had been so impressed by the quality of Quaranta’s tally. Quaranta did well to control the cross off the inside of his right boot and touch it just out of reach of Rimando, but still keep it inside the left post. It was a very tough angle and he achieved that deft touch with his body fully in midair. I believe he had the Goal of the Week for about 13 minutes.

But Gallardo blasted that ball and buried that ball. He crushed it. It was an absolute bomb. [And let me now apologize to my wife, who was sleeping next to me on the couch at that point, for exclaiming loudly at seeing the strike, and waking her most rudely.]

One more point: Guevara’s free kick was a brilliant one, no doubt. So I don’t want to say anything dismissive or negative about it in order to try to help Gallardo’s cause for Goal of the Week. But if I have to, I will.

As Thomas Rongen summarized the whole thing, “Thanks for coming!”

Update
(4/30 10:13) Gallardo 47%, Guevara 40% (You magnificent bastards...)