Match 2- DC United x Chivas USA
April 8, 2006
RFK Stadium
Washington, DC- By Brian Weeks, Tuesday, April 11, 2006
United was the beneficiary of a questionable non call which was crucial to their 2-0 victory over Chivas USA at a soggy RFK Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Jaime Moreno took advantage of United’s good fortune to secure the victory with goals number 95 and 96 of his exemplary MLS career, a little less than a week after a blown call cost DC United the full three points against the New York Red Bulls. On Wednesday the league issued a memo explaining that Youri Djorkaeff’s free kick should have been disallowed by the referee because two Red Bulls players were in an offside position and interfered with goalkeeper Troy Perkins’ vision on the play. Saturday’s controversy was also generated by a free kick. Juan Pablo Garcia hit a screamer in minute 84 which the Chivas players felt crossed the line and bounced back into play. United led 1-0 at the time. The ball was struck with such velocity that the assistant referee was unable to determine if the ball had indeed crossed the line, and Moreno put the match out of reach with his second goal of the afternoon in stoppage time. Referee Marcel Yonan’s non call on Garcia's strike took some of the attention away from two players who did not start the game, namely Freddy Adu and John O’Brien.
United Coach Peter Nowak decided to continue with the 4-3-3 formation which had produced two goals in the second half against the Red Bulls. Christian Gomez returned from suspension to fill his customary attacking center midfield position. Freddy Adu, ineffective at times against the Red Bulls, was not rewarded for his two-assist performance out of central midfield and started the match on the bench. Gomez, Ben Olsen, and Brian Carroll started the match in midfield. United’s backline consisted of Joshua Gros, Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, and John Wilson from right to left in front of goalkeeper Troy Perkins. Nowak continued with a forward line of Alecko Eskandarian on the left, Moreno in the middle, and Lucio Filomeno on the right. Chivas USA, who signed US international John O’Brien from Dutch side ADO in midweek, continued with the same lineup which had produced a 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake at the Home Depot Center last weekend.
By the time the match started at 4 PM local time, the Washington DC area had already been inundated with nearly twelve straight hours of constant drizzle. The RFK Stadium field held up remarkably well considering the conditions, and the quality of play in the first half did not suffer as a result of the wet conditions. Both sides were able to keep possession and created numerous chances in the first half. Moreno was much more active than he was against the Red Bulls in the first 45 minutes of Saturday’s match. He had one of United’s best chances of the half in minute 16 when he was released down the left side. However, Moreno’s indecision allowed Chivas defender Tim Regan to recover to block the shot, and the ball was cleared for a corner kick. United’s three forwards each presented problems for Chivas in the opening half. Eskandarian continued to build on his bubbly second-half performance against the Red Bulls and looked dangerous all half. In minute 32, Filomeno received the ball with space on the left wing. He held the ball until Eskandarian could surge into the box, and crossed onto the striker’s preferred left foot. Eskandarian was unable to direct the ball on target from ten yards out. United had another excellent chance in minute 40. Filomeno held the ball up well at the top of the penalty area and squared the ball back for Olsen, who found Eskandarian free on the left. Eskandarian took a touch into the area and played a cross-shot which somehow eluded a diving Filomeno and was cleared into touch by the Chivas defense. Chivas looked like a much improved team from the one which United beat handily in July of last year, but couldn’t translate their first-half possession into any meaningful chances. Their best chance of the half didn’t even result in a shot, as former Mexican international Francisco “Paco” Palencia had his shot blocked by Boswell after finding an opening in the box in minute 25. The match remained scoreless at the half.
Nowak made one sub at the half, and it was a puzzling one, as Clyde Simms entered for Lucio Filomeno. Why Nowak opted for another defensive center midfielder is anyone’s guess, especially when United were playing at home and in search of a goal. Filomeno may soon be asking what more he could have done in his forty-five minutes of action. He was very good going forward, displayed good skill in holding the ball to spring his teammates, and nearly scored the first goal of the match on a few occasions. The substitution necessitated a tactical adjustment, as United reverted to a 3-5-2 formation with Josh Gros moving to right midfield. Chivas continued with the same eleven which had started the first half.
The second half started in sloppy fashion, as both teams were unable to hold possession effectively. Erpen was particularly guilty of several awful giveaways, but his tackling was rock solid all afternoon. Chivas USA thought they had opened the scoring in minute 51, but Garcia’s finish was disallowed due to offside. Chivas began attacking with more fervor in search of the opening goal. They were unable to capitalize on a number of half chances, and United made them pay in minute 59. Gomez picked the ball up deep in United’s half and carried the ball shortly past midfield before slipping a through ball for an onrushing Moreno. The ball had a little too much pace on it, but Moreno stuck with the play and Chivas keeper Brad Guzan was forced to come off his line. The sliding Guzan only succeeded in deflecting the ball off Moreno and into the back of the net. United could have been 2-0 up two minutes later, but Eskandarian scuffed his shot from 10 yards out after more good work from Gomez and Moreno. United got another break in minute 63 as a low Francisco Mendoza cross hit a seam in the penalty area and deflected off Perkins’ face. Chivas had two other golden chances to score in the next ten minutes. Ben Olsen was able to clear a Palencia shot off the line, and Claudio “El Emperador” Suarez was unable to finish a nice Razov feed as he shot over the bar after breaking free of the United defense. United’s luck was even more apparent on Garcia’s free kick attempt. Replays seemed to indicate that the ball crossed the line, but the speed of the initial deflection made it impossible for the linesman to decide if the ball had crossed the line. Garcia protested vehemently, but Yonan allowed play to continue. Substitute Freddy Adu was instrumental in the buildup to the second goal, as his first-time pass from behind the midfield stripe released the speedster Jamil Walker down the left. With acres of space in front of him, Walker played a diagonal ball to an onrushing Moreno. The ball was a bit behind the newly blonde Bolivian, but he was able to strike it first time with his left foot. Guzan could only get a fingertip to it as it spun off his hands and into the net.
United will look to make it two wins in a row next weekend when they host the Houston Dynamo, formerly the San Jose Earthquakes. The Dynamo, led by 5-goal scorer Brian Ching, has opened the season with a win and a loss. United will have to improve on their performance against Chivas USA in order to defeat the Dynamo, who were the winners of the Supporters’ Shield in 2005. Nowak again faces a selection headache, as Adu was impressive in his 15 minutes of action on Saturday. He will look to find a place for Freddy from the start against the Dynamo. Saturday may mark the end of Nowak’s experimentation with the 4-3-3. If so, look for Adu to start at left midfield in the 3-5-2. Chivas USA returns home to California for the Derby of Los Angeles against the Galaxy at what is sure to be a packed Home Depot Center in Carson.