DC United - From Washington DC to Mexico City to Columbus, Ohio: In less than one week
- By Joseph Schoenbauer Wed, April 13, 2005
In this day an age, a sports story tale of advice would do well to read, “If at first you do succeed, make sure to bring with you one extra pair of cleats.”
Success has always been a bringer of many gifts, and over it’s first 10 years, DC United has never been a team to shy away from success. In fact, their success has ensured them to be the chief benefactor of this gift giving, more so than any other team in MLS.
For DC United, success has brought with it the gift of championship trophies, individual player awards, and lasting memories. Furthermore, success has also brought with it the opportunity for even more success. By winning MLS Cup 2004, DC United was given the gift of competing in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, something that over half of the other MLS teams have never competed in.
Naturally, the achievement of success has brought with it additional factors, or “gifts”, that DC United has been forced to deal with. First, they have to deal with the added incentive and determination their MLS opponents have when they are playing the champions. Second, they have the huge responsibility of performing on an international stage while representing MLS as a whole. Last but not least, they are given the task of juggling competitions, a task that includes flying thousands of miles more than their opponents and playing more games in a consequential smaller span of time.
DC United’s grueling three game span in three different cities in under a week began last Saturday April 10, 2005 in their home opener in front of an energetic 19,052 fans against the Chicago Fire. Within the first ten minutes of the kickoff it was obvious to see the added incentive and determination Chicago was feeling. As early as the 4th minute, former DC United winger Justin Mapp burst past David Stokes on the left with ease to force a corner. On the resulting corner, Chicago rookie forward Chris Rolfe took advantage of a short clear and blasted a right footed volley. But goalkeeper Nick Rimando showed exactly how his agility more than makes up for his lack of height, leaping quickly to his left to deny goal bound shot.
The Chicago onslaught was not over yet though, as the great pace of Mapp, attacking center midfielder Thiago, and attacking left wing back Ivan Guerrero all forced their way behind the DC United defense on separate occasions. However, DC United’s defensive line weathered the storm and fought back.
Jaime Moreno was looking sharp again. On his first touch of the ball, inside his half, he beat three people before being hauled down. Minutes later, he received a simple pass up the left from Steve Guppy. Gliding into the box, a quick step over wrong footed Chicago defender Kelly Gray enough to create enough space to cross with his left. The cross looked simple enough for newly re-acquired GK from Benfica, Zach Thornton, but he almost bobbled it into his own net, only for it to go just wide for a corner. Throughout the rest of the game Jaime Moreno continued to display his skills. Every time he received the ball it was seemingly stuck to his foot. His bag of tricks on the night included sombreros and step overs, which he combined with his deceptive changes of pace, good vision, strength on the ball and great understanding with Argentinean Christian Gomez to cause Chicago’s defense problems all night.
Despite all the excellent open play, DC United scored first from a free kick in the 40th minute. From the left side, Christian Gomez right footed in-swinger out witted a crowd of players and the flat footed Zach Thornton to fall to the onrushing Mike Petke to tap home from a yard out.
The second half brought an amazing amount of chances early on. First it was forward Andy Herron’s turn for Chicago as he was sent through on a breakaway, only to be spectacularly denied by the fully focused Nick Rimando. Unfortunately for Rimando, there was nothing he could do in the 50th minute. Ivan Guerrero found Chris Rolfe all alone on the top of the box with a looping cross from the left and Rolfe made no mistake with his finish. Nevertheless, the goal was as controversial as the penalty kick goal DC United had given up to Mexico’s Pumas UNAM only days earlier. DC United defender Mike Petke after the game sighted that for the distance he was away from his defenders, he was either offside or track star Carl Lewis, while several DC United fans thought that if it was not offside, than surely it was a handball on Rolfe when he “cradled” the ball to his feet before shooting. Yet the goal stood.
The game was far from over though, as the chances kept coming. DC United’s Alecko Eskandarian missed his second easy chance of the night when unmarked at the top of the 6-yard box. A cross from Guppy was accurate but Eskandarian failed to meet it and it went agonizingly past him as he lay on the field contemplating his lack of good fortune. Moreno almost more than made up for it minutes later though, but his right footed swerving shot was tipped barely by GK Matt Pickens, who had come in for the injured Zach Thornton, and came crashing back off the bar.
In the 61st minute Freddy Adu came on for the short-on-energy Christian Gomez, and got involved right away, linking well with the rest of his midfield and looking to supply forwards Moreno, and substitutes Santino Quaranta and Jamil Walker. Up until the final whistle Adu worked hard, and played several through balls after neatly dribbling away from defenders, but to no avail.
As the final whistle blew, the score remained at 1-1, a fair result considering the chances created by both teams throughout the game.
In the press conference after the game, United Head Coach pointed out the chances missed, undoubtedly with Eskandarian’s two chances in the back of his mind, as the most significant thing to take into consideration leading into the upcoming games. The reflection by the game was also felt in the locker room. Midfielder Ben Olsen believed that the soccer aspect of the game was there but that the finishing was missing.
Perhaps one of the greatest things about playing so many games in such a short amount of time that went unmentioned is the ability to make up for a missed opportunity or unfortunate result. And DC United has just that opportunity Wednesday night, April 13 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal 2nd leg in Mexico City against Pumas UNAM.
After the Chicago game, Ben Olsen was completely optimistic about the team’s chances in Mexico, answering simply “Why not?” when questioned whether DC could get the result that puts them in the final of the competition. He cited the change in altitude as a possible issue, but really it would come down to the players on the field and finishing their chances. The first leg ended in a 1-1 tie.
DC United’s opponents, Pumas UNAM, on the other hand, are very optimistic in getting through to the final as well. Playing at home in a stadium that fits 72,000 fans, they will have an even bigger percentage of the fans cheering for them than they did at RFK. To give them further determination, they have been virtually eliminated from the playoffs of the Mexican league, despite their 1-0 victory on the weekend over Puebla, and are therefore focusing strongly on qualifying for the World Club Cup instead.
In team news, both center midfielders, Gerardo Galindo and Leandro Augusto, who starred in the first leg in Washington DC, have been ruled out. To take their place are two formidable players in Fernando Espinosa and Gonzalo Pineda. Argentinean Bruno Marioni, who scored Pumas’s only goal against Puebla, is back from an injury and looks set to start up top with either leading goal scorer Diego Alonso or Bolivian Joaquin Botero, who played the full game in Washington DC.
If this game didn’t come soon enough for DC United, their next one comes even sooner. Just after the game in Mexico City, DC United must board a plane to Columbus, Ohio, where they amazingly face the Crew just two days later on Friday night. By this time, DC United players may be jet lagged, road weary, and carrying knocks from the past two games. They will have played against Chicago team out to beat the champions at all costs. And they will have played a Mexican team in Pumas UNAM, who has won the Mexican league championship two times in a row, and will be in no way thinking of allowing an American team to beat them in front of their home fans.
To make things more difficult for DC United, Columbus Crew acquired forward Ante Razov over the off-season to pair with inform Edson Buddle up top, making it one of the most lethal duos on paper in all of MLS.
DC United may very well be searching for their extra pair of boots at this point in time, and even an extra pair of legs for that matter. But something tells me they will be savoring this opportunity to show the league and the rest of the world what the MLS Champions are made of. Let’s hope at the end of the amazing journey, DC United has been granted a few more gifts that force them to play more games in the middle of the week.