It was a hard and physical match at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. A crowd of 15,651 watched DC United and Seattle play to a 0-0 draw which saw both clubs hitting the post on close chances. United didn’t hold any punches back in this match which saw 27 total fouls committed, 14 of them coming from the Black and Red, and two early yellow cards.
The first half didn’t see many chances for each club. Both midfields were shutting the other one down. Seattle probably had three or four chances/shots, but nothing that really stood out except for Montero’s shot that was easily saved by Joe Willis. United found themselves with an excellent chance in the 23rd minute after a good run and low cross by Nick DeLeon set up Hamdi Salihi in front of the goal. Unfortunately, the strikers shot hit the top left corner of the crossbar. Despite the missed chance, DeLeon’s play continues to be a highlight for the midfield. The second half saw a bit more action out of both clubs, including Seattle’s own post shot, but both were unable to capitalize.
Osvaldo Alonso was one of the most dominating players in the entire match, both on the offensive end and defensive end. He was up there with the forwards setting up chances, but also played back a lot to win important tackles that kept DC off the board. I don’t like Seattle in any way, but I do have a lot of respect for this guy after last night. If it was not for him, Seattle would not have won the match. Joe Willis was able to come through again this match for his second shutout of the season. He wasn’t required to do too much during this match thanks to the United defense that held Seattle to just two shots on goal.
After the first 70 minutes, I would give the match to Seattle. They pressured DC a lot causing bad passes and turnovers when it counted. Communication, or lack thereof, also doomed a lot of potential DC chances. But after Branko Boskovic came in, that completely changed. The midfielder did a good job holding the midfield and distributing the ball. At the end of the match, I felt United was more dangerous in those last minutes with him on the pitch, and I hope to see him more and more. He’s still recovering from ACL surgery, but after last night, I was very impressed with his play and hope to see him in the Starting XI very soon. His move allowed for Dwayne De Rosario to move up to the forward position, a position that many feel lets him be more effective in a match. Maybe we’ll see a De Rosario/Salihi pairing very soon.
Oh and hey Marc Burch…Woolard would have scored on that header.
(image courtesy of Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
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