Match 31- DC United x MetroStars
October 8, 2005
RFK Stadium
Washington, DC- By Brian Weeks, Sunday, October 9, 2005
On a rainy Saturday night, United was unable to keep up their recent string of impressive results and fell 2-1 to a MetroStars side which is attempting to climb back into the postseason race. By losing to their long-time rivals before 18,751 disappointed spectators, United missed a chance to move into a tie for first place heading into the final weekend of regular-season play. Instead, they will have to settle for a second-place finish and a first-round playoff match up with the third-place Chicago Fire, who lost 2-1 at home to the Columbus Crew. The New England Revolution clinched first place in the Eastern Conference by tying 2-2 in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night. The MetroStars kept their playoff hopes alive with the victory over United and now are tied on 44 points with the Wizards. The first leg of the two-leg conference semifinals will be played the weekend of October 22-23.
DC United had been in magical form coming into Saturday night’s match. They had not lost in league play since September 3 and had not lost at home since a 3-2 setback against the Los Angeles Galaxy on August 20. United followed up last Saturday’s 4-1 thrashing of the MetroStars in New Jersey by outclassing Real Salt Lake in midweek and emerging with a 3-1 victory. On Saturday, United played their third game in nine days and looked uninspired in losing to a MetroStars team who had not beaten United in three previous games during the 2005 season. Poor field conditions, inconsistent officiating, and perplexing substitutions made this a match which United would like to soon forget.
United attacked the North goal in the first half and had trouble moving the ball on the water-logged field. The forty-eight hours of consistent heavy rain in the days preceding the match contributed to the poor state of the field, which was most noticeable in the areas where sod had been placed over the Washington Nationals baseball infield. United attempted in vain to attack through this area throughout much of the first half. Freddy Adu started in place of Santino Quaranta, who was with the US National Team in San Jose, Costa Rica. Quaranta saw action off the bench in a comprehensive 3-0 victory for the Ticos, who clinched a World Cup berth with the victory. Quaranta’s absence was the only change to United’s first-choice squad.
Freddy Adu and Jaime Moreno struggled to make a connection throughout much of the first half. Adu often dropped deep into midfield, leaving Moreno isolated up top. Christian Gomez also struggled to establish a rhythm in the opening minutes of the first half, and it was the MetroStars who struck first in minute 17. Colombian Sergio Galvan Rey found a bit of space behind the defense and deftly controlled Amado Guevara’s perfectly-flighted through ball before slotting into the United net past an onrushing Nick Rimando.
Besides the goal, the MetroStars rarely threatened in the first half. United’s backline of Prideaux, Erpen, and Namoff effectively shut down the MetroStars’ forays into United’s half. As the half progressed, United began to assert itself more. Ben Olsen was taken down at the top of the box in minute 30, and Christian Gomez smacked the resulting free kick off the arm of Amado Guevara in full view of referee Abiodun Okulaja, who presided over the DC United x Dallas Burn Open Cup debacle back in August. The ball ricocheted off Guevara’s hand and onto goalkeeper Tony Meola’s right post before rebounding to the foot of defender Facundo Erpen, who shot errantly wide. United had another excellent chance in minute 35, when a misplaced ball by ex-United midfielder Mark Lisi led to a golden chance for Dema Kovalenko. Gomez picked the ball off deep in the MetroStars end and played a quick one-two with Moreno before slotting the ball to a streaking Kovalenko, who had only Meola to beat. Kovalenko controlled and brought the ball onto his left foot before shooting high and wide past the near post of a relieved Meola. United was let down by poor finishing on two more occasions in the first half, as Argentineans Gomez and Erpen each failed to convert 1v1 chances against Meola in minutes 40-41. The MetroStars looked set to enter the locker room with a morale-boosting 1-0 lead despite United carrying much of the play. However, another MetroStars giveaway in their own defensive third deep in injury time let Adu in on a break and he was taken down by defender Carlos Mendes at the top of the box. Moreno beautifully placed the ensuing free kick into the upper-right hand corner of Meola’s goal, setting off wild celebrations amongst the United faithful. Moreno’s goal put him within striking range of league leader Taylor Twellman, who has 16 goals to Moreno’s 15.
DC United did not attack with as much fervor in the second half. While United Coach Peter Nowak proclaimed that he was “extremely disappointed” with the team‘s effort, he also left open the possibility that it may have been a result of heavy legs after United’s “rough week” in which they played three times in nine days and had to travel cross-country after Wednesday‘s match in Utah. In the end, poor finishing let United down. Despite out shooting the MetroStars by 13-7 and creating at least twice as many goal-scoring opportunities as the visitors, United was unable to finish against Meola and the MetroStars’ defense.
The MetroStars got the winning goal in minute 68, as ex-University of Maryland product Seth Stammler got around left-back Prideaux and cut the ball back to an onrushing Youri Djorkaeff, who finished with a stinging shot from 15 yards past Nick Rimando and into the lower left corner. It was goal #10 on the season for the Frenchman, and was one of his few contributions to the match. United had a few chances to tie the game in the remaining minutes, perhaps the best of which was Erpen’s scissor kick in minute 85. Jamil Walker added pace off the bench after he entered for Joshua Gros in minute 63, and he tormented the MetroStars defense with his incisive running. His entrance pushed Adu to outside midfield, where he continued to create havoc. Adu constituted United’s best, and perhaps only, attacking threat throughout the majority of the second half. Walker and Adu seemed fresher than the other players on the field, and it came as a surprise to many when Freddy was taken off in minute 77 for left-back John Wilson. Nowak said, “Johnny brings a lot going forward…Freddy was sometimes too deep, sometimes too far away.” As United’s main attacking threat watched from the bench in the last quarter hour, it became apparent how much United also missed Quaranta’s energy, especially while chasing the game in the second half.
With the arrival of Argentinean Lucio Filomeno, whose debut was delayed because of the poor field conditions and a lingering knee injury, United would seem to have an embarrassment of attacking riches heading into the playoffs. However, if they struggle with their finishing like they did on Saturday night they may need to start manufacturing goals. Nowak inserted giant defender Bobby Boswell with his third and final substitution in minute 86, but he was unable to get his head onto one of Gomez’ set pieces in the dying minutes. Despite the loss, United claimed the Atlantic Cup, which goes to the winner of the season series between the two rivals each year. DC beat the MetroStars twice, lost once, and drew once during the 2005 campaign. Nowak deemed Saturday’s defeat a “cold shower”. United will look to regain the momentum which they had carried into Saturday’s match when they play the Columbus Crew on October 15 at RFK. With the final standings set, it would seem that United has little to play for against Columbus. It remains to be seen if Nowak will start a full-strength side or rest his regulars in preparation for the playoff opener the following weekend.