DC United failed once again to win two in a row, and this one hurt. The match ended 1-1. This was probably the best chance they had to win this season, and it ended in disappointment. I’m a huge Arsenal fan, and I’ll just throw this out there: DC United tying Montreal at home is worse than Arsenal losing to Wigan. This just should not have happened.
The Montreal goal came in the 68th minute when Lamar Neagle’s cross sailed over the heads of both Joe Willis and Chris Korb and found the head of Bernardo Corradi who simply headed it into the open net. If it wasn’t for Maicon Santos’ goal just a few minutes later, things could have been even worse. Instead of hammering all the negatives, I’ll look at a few positives to take away from this match and then move on to the Red Bulls.
First is Maicon Santos, who has been the surprise player on the offensive end so far this season in my book. He’s already bagged four goals and averages almost four shots a game. He’s beginning to get into the good habit of being in the right place at the right time and has scored some great goals outside the box as well. He’s a threat anywhere in the offensive third. Maybe his early season play could attract some attention opposing defenses which could open up more room for Salihi and De Rosario? I can only hope.
Another positive was our defense. Yes, that Montreal goal was sort of soft, but then again our defense wasn’t at 100%. In fact, I wouldn’t even say they were at 70%. With both Emiliano Dudar and Dejan Jakovic out due to injuries, and Ethan White still recovering from surgery, Ben Olsen had to use the outside back Robbie Russell to fill in one of the center back roles. Basically, three out of four of our center backs were out for that match. Taking into consideration that United is playing three matches in eight days, and the last match in this span is against the Red Bulls who have discovered how to score goals by the dozen, Olsen is probably smart to let Dudar and Jakovic get a little extra rest. Overall, this match was a favorable matchup for DC United, but unfortunately it just happened at the wrong time. When they come back to RFK on June 30th, the result should be much better.
But for now, there is not a lot of time to waste. On Sunday, the New Jersey…I mean New York…whatever…Red Bulls are coming back to RFK for the 78th matchup with DC. And just like last year, this match will be featured on ESPN2. It seems like the Red Bulls are finally getting it together this year, with the exception of Rafa Marquez. The defense allows a lot of goals, but the offense scores more. They lead the MLS in goals scored with 16 (the next club has 12). So what do we do about this?
I’d start with praying that Dudar can come back and mark Henry. If he can keep Henry at bay, then the Red Bulls are just another average mid-table team. If DC comes out wanting the win, they’ll get it. But they have to play much better than the Montreal match. This match will be hard seeing as it’s the third game in a week, but this team can do it. Plus, they’ll want a little revenge for the 4-0 loss last year on national television. What better way than returning the favor on ESPN?
I’d say more about this matchup, but I’ll let this video do the talking. And yes, it does feature Alecko Eskandarian’s Red Bull celebration, something some Red Bulls haven’t topped yet.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=
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(image courtesy of dcunited.com)
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