It wasn’t the most exciting match of the night by a long shot, but DC United did just enough to escape with a 0-0 result against FC Dallas at RFK Stadium on Saturday night. DC’s young defense made sure that keeper Bill Hamid did not have to deal with many shots last night which, for any keeper, is a good thing.
The night was devoid of opportunities for DC. By my count, there were two times where DC could have (and should have) put one in the net, but besides that, not a lot happened. Most of the play looked like unorganized kickball that you would expect at a high school match, with many balls being kicked forward with no target in sight. Even simple passes were in the air, and I didn’t see a lot of playing back. It was all direct and going forward.
I really liked the play of DC’s defense. Even though Dallas doesn’t have anyone that stands out as extreme threats, they are still capable of doing a lot of damage to a team, therefore the fact that DC virtually shut it down was a nice sight to see. After giving up 11 goals in 3 matches, DC has given up just 1 goal in the last 2 matches and that goal was a PK. DC played much better on the defensive end, and they will have to keep that up when Colorado comes to town next Saturday. Caleb Folan is calling.
It was a very well played match by Dallas goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. He proved why he is still one of the best keepers in MLS, and he is the reason why Dallas didn’t lose. DC fans had to be fuming when he made that last-ditch save on Fred’s header in the 89th minute; however you have to appreciate the fact that the save was legit. What a game by Hartman, and I think he deserves the player of the match.
With the draw, DC now has 4 points in their home stand. A win on Saturday would satisfy my goal of 7 points and it can definitely happen.
(image courtesy of Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
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