August 2008 Archives

August 2008 Archives

D.C. United Reserves Top Red Bulls 2-1

08/31/2008 1:12 PM by Cris Cruz

WASHINGTON, DC (Aug. 31, 2008) – The D.C. United reserves defeated the New York Red Bulls reserves 2-1 Sunday morning at the RFK Training Complex on the strength of two goals by Ryan Cordeiro. With the win, United moves to 5-4-1 (16 pts.) while the Red Bulls dropped to 2-5-0 (6 pts.) in the MLS Reserve Division.

The Red Bulls tested United goalkeeper James Thorpe early in the match, as a free kick from Sinisa Ubiparipovic went directly towards the goal, but fell easily into Thorpe’s hands. However, it was New York who took the early lead when a foul inside the box resulted in a penalty kick for the visitors. Thorpe guessed incorrectly as Gabriel Cichero struck the ball towards the left corner.

United’s best chances in the first half came from midfielder Ryan Cordeiro, who struck several shots that went just wide off the mark. His efforts finally paid off, when in the 35^th minute guest player Dwight Barnett had a shot on goal that New York keeper Danny Cepero saved. Cordeiro, however, was able to collect the ball and shoot a low strike towards the far post for the equalizer.

The second half saw a host of substitutions for both teams, as they each looked for the game winner. Only a few minutes into the half, it was Cordeiro again who took a similar shot to his first half goal and again connected with the net to put D.C. United up 2-1.

Both teams had a few opportunities late in the second half but neither could convert. D.C. midfielder Quavas Kirk created a couple of chances but his shots went wide left. With time winding down, the visitors fought to tie the game but could not get the equalizer. The referee blew the final whistle and the match ended in a win for the Black-and-Red.

The D.C. United reserves will again play on September 9 when they visit the Kansas City Wizards.

Scoring Summary:

NY: Gabriel Cichero (penalty) 15’

DCU: Ryan Cordeiro 35’

DCU: Ryan Cordeiro 48’

DC – Shots: 8, Saves: 1, Fouls: 8, Offside: 2, Corner Kicks: 3

NY –Shots: 10, Saves: 1, Fouls: 6, Offside: 1, Corner Kicks: 4

Misconduct Summary:

None

D.C. United: James Thorpe; Pat Carroll, Dane Murhpy (Francis Doe 62’), Craig Thompson, Mike Zaher; Ryan Cordeiro, Rod Dyachenko, Ben Olsen (Pat Healy* 46’), Quavas Kirk (Jonathan Burklo* 87), Thabiso Khumalo*, Dwight Barnett* (Greg Janicki* 46’)

Substitutes Not Used: Zach Wells

New York Red Bulls: Danny Cepero; Hunter Freeman, Gabriel Cichero, John Gilkerson; Luke Sassano, Gordon Kljestan (David Roth 46’), Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Matthew Mbuta* (Chris Megaloudis 62’), Danleigh Borman; John Wolyniec (Jerritt Thayer* 73’), Sahr Senesie* (Sainey Touray 20’)

Substitutes Not Used: Terry Boss*, Matt Avellino*

*Guest Player

(photo by Matt Mathai. Thanks, Matt!)

3 Comments

Reserves

MLS game #22: DCU 0 - NYRB 0

08/30/2008 9:29 PM by Kyle Sheldon

A missed penalty and a missed opportunity. Darn.

The locker room mood was not a pleasant one post-game. A number of players said it felt like a loss. In a way, that outlook is a good one - the team isn't happy with a draw at home. They want to win and feel like they should win.

Another positive was the return of Marcelo Gallardo who came on in the 70th minute. It was his first appearance since June 29 and he made an immediate difference in the game, releasing several players behind the defense with clever passes. He will certainly inject an entirely different look as he gets back into shape and back to feeling comfortable with the team.

The team also gets to keep to the Atlantic Cup, as the season series finishes 1-1-1. With all things being equal this year (including goal differential), United keeps the cup as the previous year's holders.

Additionally, Louis Crayton makes five saves and gets his third shutout in four games.

The focus now turns to Wednesday and the U.S. Open Cup final. United will play the Charleston Battery in its first championship game since MLS Cup 2004. In its history, D.C. has played in nine championship games, winning seven of them. That's pretty good. The team will look to make it eight of ten Wednesday night at RFK Stadium. If you don't have tickets, get them now.

UPDATE (11:11 p.m.): Post-game quotes below and a couple game photos here.

D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN

On Jaime Moreno’s missed penalty:

The guy’s made a lot [of penalties]. He tried to hit it in the corner and put power on it. Sometimes when you hit it as hard as he did I think you lose some of the accuracy. He put a lot into the game and I’m sure fatigue had something to do with it. Obviously, he’s as disappointed as we are.

On Jaime Moreno needing rest:

We’ve given these guys time off recently and we’re going to keep managing it. It helps getting some guys back [from injury]. Although it wasn’t many minutes for some of them it was important to get them acclimated and playing a little bit. So hopefully we’ll continue to give guys some minutes and it will allow us to rest other guys.

On Marcelo Gallardo:

I think offensively he’s always a threat. We still have to focus on making sure he’s fit enough to do all the work. Tonight it was important to give him some minutes. He injected life. Unfortunately we didn’t come out with the result we wanted. I think everybody was pretty disappointed. Soccer fitness is a key to playing and he’s not there yet but you can still see he’s got some special qualities when he plays. He injected some life.

On Luciano Emilio:

He pulled himself out; he was feeling tight. He’s a veteran and wanted to pull himself out to make sure he’s available [for the Open Cup final]. We’ll evaluate him more tomorrow.

On the match:

I don’t think we were very good with the ball in the first half. We had to make a few adjustments. The game was there to take it. We’ve been better with the soccer part than in the first half so I was a little disappointed coming into the locker room because we talked a lot about possession. I think we got better in the second half. The build-up to the penalty was pretty good soccer. Unfortunately the result of the penalty didn’t go our way.

D.C. UNITED FORWARD JAIME MORENO

On missed penalty kick:

It’s not an excuse you know. I powered IT, I usually don’t power that much and put a little more speed than usual. The keeper didn’t move so it wasn’t a good penalty kick.

On whether he was tired:

I was cramping the last 10 minutes but still, that’s not an excuse.

On the return of Gallardo:

It’s good to have people healthy again. You can see [Luciano’s] struggling now with muscle [pain]. There’s so many games that we play and unfortunately having so many people injured, you don’t have a break. But that’s how it is. You’ve got to keep digging in and keep working.

D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER LOUIS CRAYTON

On shutout:

It’s for the entire team, we all worked collectively and yes I’m grateful for the shutout and for the entire team.

On having to leave the goal area multiple times:

I know everyone was kind of nervous but I talked to my defender’s yesterday and I told them – It was all planned that we were going to be playing in this lineup because of [Dane] Richards and because of [Juan Pablo] Angel. I was watching Richards all the time because he was coming from his side, coming across and going behind my defense so I had to come out to cover the situation.

D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER SANTINO QUARANTA

On the game:

It’s good to have games like that this time of year. Both teams fought hard and it felt like nobody really wanted to make a mistake. It felt like a playoff game, it really did. It was a good fight. I think we should have won the game.

On Jaime’s penalty kick:

It’s unfortunate that he missed, he makes so many. He’s our captain, it’s just one of those things. It’s unfortunate.

NEW YORK HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO

On the match:

I think we did enough to win the three points but in a way we let them off the hook. But I’m very pleased to have a clean sheet and contained a very good team going forward, especially at home. A clean sheet will prove to be very good for us and for what we’re trying to do here.

On their defense:

I told the guys this morning I watched Inter against Sampdoria and I watched top players like Stankovic and Figo competing becuase that’s what this professional sport is all about. You have to be able to compete and when you have the ball, you play. We created very good chances today so Juan Pietravallo as well as Seth Stammler were immense in the midfield and hopefully they continue doing their job.

On D.C. United’s play:

They throw everything during the first 20 minutes, they have the support from the fans, which I think is very good. But we controlled the game. They had some possession but they didn’t create that [many opportunities]. I don’t recall a clear shot but there was one when [Luciano] Emilio turned and had a shot on goal. That was when we lost the ball coming off the back. So it wasn’t really that they created a lot. They just played off our mistakes. Aside from that I think we controlled the game and in the first half we should have been up 1-0.

On getting a shut out for the first time against United:

This has to go a long way for the guys that are more familiar with that stuff than me. One thing for sure is that we had the best chances in the first half. I think we’re probably a little bit sad in the locker room because we all know that we deserved the three points.

NEW YORK FORWARD MIKE MAGEE

On the game:

We’re pretty happy with the result. We came in this game knowing it would be an ugly game. We knew we wanted to get a shut out, play hard. We had chances but to come out of a game in D.C. 0-0 is a really big accomplishment. It was one of those games where it’s a battle. It was really hot and humid, guys were cramping as we were running around.

NEW YORK GOALKEEPER JON CONWAY

On Jaime Moreno’s missed PK:

He’s very good at taking PKs. Occasionally he tries to hit it down the middle. I took a chance that that was going to happen and just kind of stayed put. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the guy miss.

On the 0-0 draw:

It just shows how tough this place is to play in. Obviously we’re happy with our effort tonight to get a 0-0 because this place is tough to play at.

3 Comments

New York Red Bulls

DCU vs. NYRB: Starting lineup

08/30/2008 6:30 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Kickoff is about an hour away. Tommy's main changes come in the back line tonight, as he shuffles a few guys around, while Santino Quaranta moves from the attacking midfield spot to the right flank. Here's what they'll look like at the first whistle:

Louis Crayton; Gonzalo Martinez, Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish, Marc Burch; Santino Quaranta, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide, Ivan Guerrero; Jaime Moreno, Luciano Emilio

And here's what the 4-4-2 formation will look like:

------------Moreno-----------Emilio---------------

---------------------------------------------------------

Guerrero--------------------------------Quaranta

---------------Vide----------Simms----------------

Burch-------------------------------------Martinez

------------McTavish--------Burch----------------

---------------------------------------------------------

----------------------Crayton------------------------

0 Comments

New England Revolution

MLS game #22: DCU vs. NYRB

08/30/2008 9:30 AM by Kyle Sheldon

United and the Red Bulls meet at RFK Stadium tonight for the third and final time this regular season. Somewhat amazingly, both teams have earned a 4-1 win at home earlier in the year (United on June 15 and New York on August 10), which means tonight's game will determine the Atlantic Cup winner - given to the team that wins the season series between the two rivals. Should the game end in a draw, and because the first tie-breaker of goal-differential is knotted up, D.C. would keep the trophy by virtue of being the current holder.

So, what do you need to know? Tonight's game is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español. If you can't make it out to RFK Stadium and aren't near a TV, you can listen on radio as well - in English on 1050 AM and in Spanish on 1540 AM.

There's lots to read out there in the world of the world wide web. Here are some of the must-reads:

Steve Goff in the Washington Post writes about Clyde Simms' near constant presence on the pitch.
In the Washington Times, John Haydon writes about the long-standing DC-NY rivalry.
John Haydon also writes about Jaime Moreno approaching the milestone of becoming the first player to be a part of the 100 goals-100 assists club.
In the Washington Examiner, Craig Stouffer writes the team is facing its most challenging stretch.
Charlie Boehm spoke with players about the desire to break the standings deadlock (game notes here).
Mike Martin of UnitedMania.com with his preview of the big game.
The Capital Weather Gang says clouds should clear by kickoff.

We'll take your score predictions in the comments section below. Pick the correct score and you may very well win two tickets to an upcoming United game.

Did I miss anything glaring?

11 Comments

New York Red Bulls

Video: The Bachelor

08/29/2008 5:20 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Earlier this week, Devon McTavish visited the Mix 107.3 studios to promote the radio station's Bachelor contest. What is the Bachelor contest? Well, if you take part (and are female), it might culminate in a date with United's young defender/midfielder. More info here on how to win.

And here's the video from his station visit... What exactly is a "hipster?"

3 Comments

Devon McTavish, Video

Photo of the Day: U.S. Open Cup trophy arrives

08/29/2008 11:45 AM by Kyle Sheldon

The brand new 2008 U.S. Open Cup trophy arrived at RFK Stadium this morning from Chicago. Wednesday night's winner will get to hoist the trophy post-game. See a full shot of the trophy here.

4 Comments

Photo of the Day, U.S. Open Cup

Will you be there?

08/28/2008 10:27 AM by Kyle Sheldon

D.C. United will play in its first championship game since 2004 next Wednesday, September 3 at RFK Stadium. The team has a long history of winning trophies, but the path to get there is never an easy one. The team needs your support... will you be there?

21 Comments

U.S. Open Cup, Video

CCL update: Metapan and Marathon draw

08/28/2008 10:21 AM by Kyle Sheldon

A quick CONCACAF Champions League (CCL!) update from last night... El Salvador's AD Isidro Metapan and Honduras' CD Marathon played two a 2-2 draw last night at Metapan's home stadium. The two teams will meet in Honduras for the second leg of the two-game, total-goals series on September 9, with the winner advancing to United's Group A.

More info on the CONCACAF website.

Who would you rather face (as if you have any idea which team is better...)?

0 Comments

Champions League

Photo of the Day: Ouch

08/27/2008 5:30 PM by Kyle Sheldon

That's the side of Bryan Namoff following Saturday's 3-0 win over the Rapids. A rapids player's cleats apparently missed the ball (and the ground) and found Bryan's rib cage... either that or a dragon attacked him. Just another day at the office for ol' #26.

9 Comments

Bryan Namoff, Photo of the Day

Video: Emilio on the U.S. Open Cup

08/27/2008 3:00 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Following two goals in United's 3-1 win over the New England Revolution in the U.S. Open Cup semis, Luciano Emilio was named as the USOpenCup.com Player of the Round. The Brazilian speaks below about the semifinal win, other championships he's been a part of, playing against the Charleston Battery next Wednesday and his sweet jean jacket (not really, but I kind of wish he did).

Will you be there?

1 Comments

Luciano Emilio, Video

DCU on Twitter

08/27/2008 10:47 AM by Kyle Sheldon

We're going to try a little DCU trial run on Twitter. For those of you who don't know what Twitter is, I'll let them explain:

"Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?"

You can follow us by clicking here.

You can see updates via that webpage and can also get updates sent directly to your cell phone, if you so choose. If you have an iPhone, check out Twitterific (that's what I'm using and it works pretty well). Can anyone offer suggestions for the best thing to use on a Blackberry?

Give it a day or two and let us know what you think in the comments below - should we keep it up?

UPDATE: Just thought I should provide a little encouragement for folks to join us on Twitter. Join Twitter, become our "Follower," and leave a reply (on Twitter) and you'll have a shot at winning a 2007 MLS Fact and Record Book signed by former United player Alecko Eskandarian. Yeah, there's only one of these in the world and it could be yours!

5 Comments

News

CONCACAF Champions League kicks-off

08/27/2008 7:52 AM by Kyle Sheldon

Last night, the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League tournament began with three preliminary round games taking place. In the first leg of the home-and-away set-up, both MLS squads lost on the road, as Joe Public (Trinidad & Tobago) defeated the New England Revolution 2-1 and Chivas USA fell 2-0 to Tauro FC (Panama) - on one of the worst fields I've ever seen a meaningful game played on.

Most interesting to D.C. fans, though, is the 6-0 win by Cruz Azul (Mexico) over Hankook Verdes (Belize), as the winner of the series will advance to take part in United's Group A. D.C. and Deportivo Saprissa (Costa Rica) have already secured spots in the group, while Cruz Azul is in good position to lock up the third spot. The final spot will go to the winner of Metapan (El Salvador) and Marathon (Honduras) who begin their two-game series tonight.

The second leg matches for this preliminary round take place the first week in September, while United begins play in the tournament at home against Saprissa on September 16. You can see the full schedule here.

Tickets for United's three home matches in CONCACAF Champions League are on sale in the form of a hard-to-beat 3-game pack. Check it out at dcunited.com.

Does anyone know if the Metapan-Marathon game is on TV tonight? I can't seem to find it listed anywhere...

5 Comments

Champions League, News

Video: Fred interview outtake

08/26/2008 5:55 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Fred is from Brazil. Fred's language of origin is, therefore, Portuguese (I know, I was confused to learn that he doesn't speak Brazilian, too). Fred also speaks a bit of Spanish - and less English - but whenever he gets interview requests, folks ask him to speak in either of those two languages and not his native Portuguese.

Below is a video from a recent interview Fred did on camera for us, in Spanish... as you'll see, he stumbles over the words first, but then gets thrown off by our videographer's cell phone going off. Really, this is only funny because Fred has such an infectious laugh!

2 Comments

Fred, Video

Devon & Joe want to sell you booze

08/26/2008 2:40 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Devon McTavish is a busy fellow.

This afternoon (around 5 p.m.), he'll be on DC radio station Mix 107.3 taking part in a little promo called The Bachelor. Tomorrow, he and teammate Joe Vide will be guestbartending at Jimmy's Old Town Tavern in Herndon, VA to benefit the club's non-profit arm, United for D.C.

You can join Devon and Joe - and other DCU staffers - at Jimmy's from 7-8:30 p.m. In addition to selling you delicious beverages, the two players will be available to sign autographs and take photos (perhaps you can put in a good word for yourself or a friend for the Bachelor contest, too!).

Directions to Jimmy's Tavern can be found here.

1 Comments

Devon McTavish, Joe Vide, United for D.C.

Audio: Tony Limarzi is excited

08/26/2008 2:23 PM by Kyle Sheldon

A lot of folks have commented on the fact that Santino Quaranta's second half goal against Colorado over the weekend was not nominated for the Goal of the Week (but, Joe Vide's did!). Unfortunately, Saturday's game was only broadcast on Altitute Sports, who didn't put a camera behind the north goal (as team's normally do) and thus didn't have the best angle to view Santino's dipping, swerving shot.

Do you know who did have a good angle? The radio voice of D.C. United, Tony Limarzi. Tony's broadcst booth is near the northwest corner flag and was therefore directly in line with the trajectory of Santino's goal. THAT is likely the reason he was so excited...

And here's the video in case you want to watch both at the same time..

10 Comments

Audio, Santino Quaranta

Reserves fall to NYRB 5-2

08/26/2008 10:33 AM by Kyle Sheldon

D.C. United's reserves are in New Jersey this morning, playing the New York Red Bull's reserves in their ninth reserve game of the year. United is 4-3-1 (13 points) on the season. We'll provide you with periodic updates below and bring you the full match summary when we receive it.

10:49 a.m.: New York leads United 2-1 at the half.

11:07 a.m.: New York now up 4-2.

11:42 a.m.: United falls to the Red Bulls 5-2. Final.

UPDATE (12:20 p.m.): And here's the official game recap, courtesy of the New York Red Bull communications department.

Red Bulls Reserves Defeat D.C. United, 5-2

MONTCLAIR, NJ (Aug. 26, 2008) – A John Wolyniec hat trick propelled the New York Red Bulls Reserves past the D.C. United Reserves, 5-2, at Montclair State University Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Red Bulls moved to 2-4-0 (6 pts.) while United dropped to 4-4-1 (13 pts.) in the MLS Reserve League.

The hosts took the lead in the 33rd minute. Wolyniec was able to gather the ball on the right side of the penalty box off a United back pass and he took a touch before volleying it home for his second goal of the year in MLS Reserve League play.

Wolyniec was the provider on the Red Bulls’ second goal in the 44th minute. Matthew Mbuta squared the ball to Wolyniec, who found an on-rushing Borman on the left wing. Borman one-timed it past goalkeeper James Thorpe, off the right post and into the net.

United was able to pull one back moments later. Quavas Kirk was able to break a pair of tackles and guided it towards the far post, where Thabiso Khumalo was on hand to put it away.

Wolyniec scored his second of the match four minutes after the break. Mbuta found Sinisa Ubipairpovic open on the right wing and Ubiparipovic’s subsequent cross was bundled home by Wolyniec.

D.C. answered four minutes later. Khumalo was able to get behind the Red Bulls defense and fired a shot that goalkeeper Danny Cepero saved. However, Dwight Barnett was on hand to put it home from close range.

The Red Bulls were able to strike back with a pair of goals to put the game out of reach. Wolyniec completed his hat trick in the 54th minute when he put home a Danleigh Borman cross. Four minutes later, Chris Megaloudis hit a shot from 16 yards out past a diving Thorpe and just inside the right post.

The two reserve teams will face-off again on Sunday, Aug. 31 at 10 AM at RFK Stadium.

New York Red Bulls 5 (2-4-0, 6 pts.), D.C. United 2 (4-4-1, 13 pts.)

MLS Reserve League

Aug. 26, 2008 – Montclair State University

Scoring Summary:

NY: Wolyniec 2 (unassisted) 33’

NY: Borman 1 (Wolyniec 1, Mbuta 1) 44’

DCU: Khumalo 1 (Kirk 2) 45’

NY: Wolyniec 3 (Ubiparipovic 1, Mbuta 2) 49’

DCU: Barnett 1 (unassisted) 52’

NY: Wolyniec 4 (Borman 1) 54’

NY: Megaloudis 1 (Sassano 1) 58’

Misconduct Summary:

None

D.C. United: James Thorpe (GK) (John O’Hara* 75’), Pat Carroll, Greg Janicki*, Craig Thompson (Jonathan Burklo* 46’), Mike Zaher, Ryan Cordeiro, Jeff Carroll (Rod Dyachenko 43’), Quavas Kirk, Dane Murphy, Thabiso Khumalo*, Dwight Barnett* (Kenny Anaba* 63’)

Substitutes Not Used: None

New York Red Bulls: Danny Cepero (GK), Hunter Freeman, Gordon Kljestan, John Gilkerson, Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic (Hugh MacDonald* 54’, Angel Rivillo* 75’), David Roth, Matthew Mbuta*, Danleigh Borman (Jeritt Thayer* 59’), Chris Megaloudis, John Wolyniec (Victor Kotynski* 71’)

Substitutes Not Used: Bayard Elfvin*

Referee: Steve Ambrose

Referee’s Assistants: Brian Dunn, Nabil Alsaidi

4th Official: Lahoucine Kharmaj

Weather: Sunny and 74 degrees

(photo courtesy of New York Red Bulls)

0 Comments

Reserves

Holy cow, this is awesome

08/25/2008 11:11 PM by Kyle Sheldon

It's possible you've come across this page as a fan of D.C. United. It's also possible that you got here via BrightestYoungThings.com (one of our favorites). Regardless of how you got here, we've got a pretty cool deal for you that may find you in front of a camera with United players as part of an exclusive photo shoot. Read on, friend.

A little background: On Wednesday, September 3, United is playing in its first championship game since 2004 - the U.S. Open Cup final against the Charleston Battery. It's big. Real big. United has a chance to add a record 12th trophy to its trophy case. That's pretty good.

Full disclosure: We want a ton of people at RFK Stadium that night to scare the pants off the Battery.

Because of that, we've got a special discounted ticket offer for you. Here's how the ticket prices break down (Seating chart here>):

Mezzanine: $40 each ($10 savings per ticket)

VIP: $27 each ($8 savings)

Premium: $22 each ($6 savings)

Spectator: $16 each ($4 savings)

The minimum order for this offer is four tickets, so grab a few friends and circle Wednesday the 3rd on your calendar.

Now, here's the kicker - every person that purchases tickets via this offer will be entered for a chance to participate in a super-sick, exclusive photo shoot with a couple United players. Once we pick a winner, we'll figure out a date and time for the photo shoot to take place and you'll get an hour-long session with a BrightestYoungThings photographer.

So, how do you order?

Call our customer service reps between 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. during the week at 202-587-5467 (Caithlin) or 202-587-5466 (Kim) and tell them you want the BrightestYoungThings ticket offer. They'll hook you up like there's no tomorrow - be sure to give them your email address, so we can contact you if you're chosen as the winner. If you do win the photo shoot, we'll contact you soon thereafter the September 3 game and figure out the best time to make you a star. Sound good?

PS - Be sure to get your order in before 5:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 2.

Fine print: Or, if you don't want to purchase tickets to a really sweet soccer game - and because we have to align with the whole "no purchase neccesary to win thing," you can also be entered to win the photo shoot by sending us the following information: Name, address, phone number, email addresss, shoe size, favorite United player, favorite color and your favorite all-time band. Send it to the attention of Kyle Sheldon at this address. Keep in mind our contest rules, too.

6 Comments

Contests, U.S. Open Cup

KA-BLOW! YOW! GOW! HOW? NOW!

08/25/2008 2:10 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Vote for Joe.

5 Comments

Joe Vide, Video

If Devon McTavish is your favorite player...

08/25/2008 10:51 AM by Kyle Sheldon

... and you're female, today might be your lucky day.

United's starting centerback is obviously desperate to meet women and has made himself available to Mix 107.3 to take part in a little giveaway they've aptly named "The Bachelor." The set-up is simple: Head over to the Mix 107.3 website and register for the opportunity to win not only a D.C. United prize pack and post-game meet & greet with Devon, but also a (hot!) date with #18.

Devon will be on-air tomorrow during The Carson Show (3-7 p.m.) with Carson and Chilli, so be sure to tune-in to hear about his perfect bachlorette.

Rest assured, Behind The Badge will have a full report of the date (disastrous or otherwise) next week.

UPDATE: Devon will be on-air between 4:45-5:15 p.m. tomorrow!

3 Comments

Bloggable, Devon McTavish

Tony's Take: Seizing the Day

08/25/2008 9:30 AM by Tony Limarzi

Prior to D.C. United’s victory over the Colorado Rapids I honestly predicted the final score to be, D.C. United 3 – Colorado 0. Now, it’s true that I always predict that D.C. United will win 3-0, but for the first time since August 5th of last season I was correct. I owe it all to Quavas Kirk. It’s rare to enter a match as a substitute and score a goal with your first touch, but that was the case for Kirk on Saturday. Here’s a player who wasn’t complaining about so many of United’s regulars being unavailable due to injury or suspension, he was happy to get a chance on the field with the first team. Kirk was one of several players making the most of the opportunity to be on the field.

There were three goal scorers for D.C. against the Rapids- Joe Vide, Santino Quaranta, and Quavas Kirk. If Tommy Soehn ever gets all of his players healthy this season (Gallardo, Olsen, Fred, Peralta, Mediate, Doe), it’s unclear if any of those players would start, and it’s almost impossible that those three would all be on the field at the same time. The reality is that Tommy doesn’t have all of his players available, and in a long season loaded with extra tournaments, the contributions from players lower on the depth chart can make the difference between making or missing the playoffs, or between a home second leg or a road second leg in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, or between winning the Supporters’ Shield or coming in second or third.

The injuries have been accumulating slowly but consistently over the past months, and Kirk and Vide are the most recent players answering the call. In July, Craig Thompson helped set up the Francis Doe’s equalizer in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, as those two newly acquired players kept D.C. alive in that tournament; Ivan Guerrero collected a game-winning assist in his first appearance with United against Kansas City; and Ryan Cordeiro got an assist in the win against San Jose. These players are not regular starters for D.C., but their contributions have been and will continue to be critical.

Some teams might lose players to injury and take the approach to not worry about results in their absence; basically try to cut their losses until the stars return. Not so for United. Even with the absences, the team is trying to gain ground in the race for the Supporters’ Shield. If they fall short of that goal, they want to make sure that they are playing their best at the start of the MLS Cup Playoffs. There are a lot of personnel questions that need to be addressed for Coach Soehn, but whether Vide and Kirk are in the lineup during the post season or not, they both made important plays to help United be in a better position when the playoffs do arrive.

Tony Limarzi, the Radio Voice of D.C. United, provides live match commentary for all D.C. United games on WFED 1050 AM. He recently published his first book, Forza Italia, which is the story of the summer of 2006 – both Italy’s World Cup win in Germany and United’s MLS season.

0 Comments

Tony's Take

Photo of the Day: Quaranta is ready...

08/25/2008 9:15 AM by Kyle Sheldon

.. to smash the ball past a guy named Burpo. You can see several other photos from Official Unofficial BehindTheBadge.com photographer Chris Leon on the Video & Pics page.

2 Comments

Photo of the Day, Santino Quaranta

Access United: Colorado crushing

08/25/2008 8:56 AM by Kyle Sheldon

Here's a ton of sideline video and post-game interviews following United's 3-0 walloping of the Rapids. More Access United right..... here.

0 Comments

Access United, Colorado Rapids, Video

MLS game #21: DCU 3 - Rapids 0

08/23/2008 10:48 PM by Kyle Sheldon

A 3-0 scoreline is pretty good, eh? Some in the press box were calling it the most complete United game of the year and it's tough to disagree. Three goals scored, a shutout and players working for their teammates all over the pitch. Two absolute stunners from Joe Vide and Santino Quaranta and a opportunistic Quavas Kirk gets his first career regular season goal. Guys were joking that Quavas subbed in from the sideline and ran straight towards goal for the rebound. He subbed in during the 87th minute and scored in the 87th minute. I'm checking with Elias Sports Bureau to see how many times that's happened before. I can't imagine it's happened very often.

Update (11:44 p.m.): Post-game quotes below and a few photos added to Video & Pics.

D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN

On the game:

It took us a while to open them up. They started out with a 4-5-1 [formation]. We knew, watching the last game, we had an idea that that’s how they’d come out and it’s hard to play teams down so it took us a while to find our rhythm and flow. But I think once we opened them up, things started to open up and we created chances, not only in the run of play but also on set pieces, I thought. And the guys we injected in today showed some life. Obviously getting the stats now is important but the way they energized the game I thought they did a pretty good job today.

On the substitutes’ performance:

Well you always hope, through the course of the season, you hope that they’re in it long enough that they understand it’s just a piece within the organization or system. It’s taken a little bit longer than I’d like but we’ve had so much change, guys coming in and out hurt that it’s just tough to develop that. The guys are getting a little experience along the way, some of the young guys are understanding it. It’s still not consistent enough but we’re making some strides.

On Joe Vide pushing forward:

Between the two of them, as Joe [Vide] and Clyde [Simms] play together more, the understanding gets there and they know when to cover each other and now have they ability to read each other, and that comes by playing alongside each other. Inevitably, it works that way over time.

On Luciano Emilio’s two assists:

I think the game dictated that. [Colorado] was dropping everybody back in. It was hard to break them down so what ends up opening when teams drop are outside-the-box shots. He gave Joe [Vide] a great ball and Joe put himself in a good spot to get that. Credit Luci because he did what was needed.

On Louis Crayton:

He managed the box really well. The communication seems to be better and the one thing you can always rely on is that he has really good feet. He’s ready to bail out and give them the ball and he makes good decisions. So far he has adjusted well to the game here. He’s got a lot of experience so it’s easy for a guy with experience to get in situations like he’s in.

On Santino Quaranta’s goal:

Santino took a great shot. The one thing when Tino faces on against people, people have to be on it because you don’t know if he’s going to dribble or shoot because he’s capable of doing both very well. I’m real pleased for him because he’s battled through some injuries now and he’s battled through a lot of difficult things in his past and he continues to make strides and get better and better. We’re pleased for him and it was a great goal. It should be goal of the week.

D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER SANTINO QUARANTA

On his goal:

It was a good strike. I was kind of lucky I guess. It’s a good feeling, I really can’t describe it. It was special, it was a special goal for me because today is August 23 and it’s 10 months [of sobriety] for me since the day I went to California. It’s a special day all around. I was happy to be out there running around and really grateful, that’s the only way I can describe it. I know I’m doing the right thing. I know that good things happen and now I can see the rewards, it’s paying off - all the hard work. [The goal] was in the 80th minute and maybe I get taken off before because I’m not doing the extra work. To be able to score is always special, it’s a great feeling and even more special today.

On playing in different positions:

I’ll talk to Tommy [Soehn] and I do whatever I can to help the team win. That’s what I told him from day one, since I got here. I’m all about the team, whether it be up top, wherever. I just try to help the team win and that’s all I can do. That’s what I did today. That’s it.

D.C. UNITED GOALKEEPER LOUIS CRAYTON

On the game:

I’m very happy. It’s my first home game. We played together and that’s what we did at the game at New England so it’s a good thing to win, especially when you play collectively.

D.C. UNITED FORWARD QUAVAS KIRK

On his goal:  

[Bryan] Namoff just had a great header and the keeper put the ball on the ground and it just popped back up and I just ran onto it. It was a wide open net so if I had missed that I would have just put my head down and walked off the field. It was a first, I’ve never done that before. It definitely felt good to get a goal. [It was my first career goal] in the regular season so it definitely felt good. Feels real good.

On the many injuries:

We definitely got some bad injuries. We lost Fred last game and that’s a big blow to us but the younger guys, some of us are coming up through the ranks, showing our stuff out there so it’s a good opportunity for all the guys that came out today and all the guys that did come out played well.

D.C. UNITED MIDFIELDER JOE VIDE

On his goal:

Once I kind of made a move, I just called for it and played a good ball in. I’m always expecting it because you never know if you’re going to get it so you have to be in the right place at the right time.

On whether there is more pressure on him because of injuries:

Not really. I have a certain role anyway. This goal is kind of one off, it’s not really happening much. If it happens, it happens. I kind of sit in, try to win balls, bring some energy. I try to do my job and try to make things easier on the other guys around me, whether they need me to step up. Today I thought I played well. If it’s just winning balls and not doing much attacking-wise [I can do that]. But there’s no real pressure. It’s nice when we’re at home and we’re expected to win. We want to be a team that makes it to the playoffs.

COLORADO RAPIDS HEAD COACH GARY SMITH

On the game:

We tried to have some confidence and start building relationships among the guys. During the first period we felt quite comfortable, even though we weren’t winning.

COLORADO RAPIDS DEFENDER MIKE PETKE

On the game:

The first goal, going on the 44th minute, I’m saying to myself, I feel comfortable with the back line. We’re shutting them down great and then they get that goal. That just slows you down. You come out a little inexperienced. We’ve got a lot of experience on the team but we acted very inexperienced to start the second half. We were going in the first minute like we had ten seconds left to get that tying goal and I think that killed us. It opened up the counterattack a lot for them. They took advantage of their finishes. Santino [Quaranta] had an unbelievable finish. [Preston] Burpo had a great save in the third one or second one. I don’t think the 3-0 justifies the score but I’m not saying they shouldn’t have won the game tonight at all.

On the team’s performance:

We have some offensive players in Conor Casey, Colin Clark, Christian Gomez. I just think it was a bit unlucky. And you know, [they have] outstanding goalkeeping. You look at the offensive side too, it’s only my second game but even before I got here, teams would get three or four shots and they’d score on two. It’s just a bit unlucky and maybe on times, there are a few shots we give up that we’re not tight enough.

COLORADO RAPIDS FORWARD CONOR CASEY

On the game:

We just got outplayed, period. There’s no getting around it. After we went down 1-0 we tried to press a little bit but nothing came of chances.

4 Comments

Colorado Rapids

Video: DCU vs. Colorado - the goals

08/23/2008 10:44 PM by Kyle Sheldon

I'm diggin' MLS QuickKicks! In order below: Vide's one-timer, Quaranta's blast and Kirk's rebound.

5 Comments

Colorado Rapids, Video

DCU vs. Colorado: Starting lineups [Benny!]

08/23/2008 6:29 PM by Kyle Sheldon

The big news out of the locker room this evening is that Ben Olsen has been named to the 18-man roster for tonight's game. Benny has been training for the last week and a half and is attempting to salvage the season after numerous ankle surgeries over the last nine months. His lone appearance of the season came on June 29, when United beat LA 4-1 and Ben came on as a 75th minute substitute. The pain in his ankles during that game was strong enough that he had athroscopic sugery a week later, which included putting two screws in. The fiery midfielder will not start tonight but is one of seven substitutes available for selection should Tom Soehn decide to use him.

Here's tonight's starters: Louis Crayton; Bryan Namoff, Devon McTavish, Gonzalo Martinez; Craig Thompson, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide, Santino Quaranta, Ivan Guerrero; Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno.

Here's how they'll line-up in the 3-5-2:

------------Emilio---------------Moreno--------------

---------------------Quaranta--------------------------

Guerrero----------------------------------Thompson

-----------------Vide------------Simms----------------

------------------------------------------------------------

Martinez-----------McTavish--------------Namoff

------------------------------------------------------------

-----------------------Crayton--------------------------

As a reminder, be sure to tune-in to the D.C. United post-game radio show immediately following the game for analysis and player interviews. It can be heard on 820 AM, 1500 AM and 107.7 FM.

1 Comments

Colorado Rapids

MLS game #21: DCU vs. Colorado Rapids

08/23/2008 9:35 AM by Kyle Sheldon

After playing three of the last four games on the road, United returns to RFK Stadium tonight for the first of three straight home games (including September 3rd's U.S. Open Cup final) as the Colorado Rapids visit the District. United has played its best soccer at home, putting together a record of 7-3 at RFK, outscoring opponents 25-13.

Tonight's game will see former United players Christian Gomez and Facundo Erpen make their first appearance back since being traded last year. Colorado is also the home of Mike Petke, who played with United from 2003 to 2005, so there will be a lot familiar faces on the field tonight.

Tonight's game will not be broadcast on Comcast SportsNet, so get yourself out to 2400 East Capitol St. SE. If you can't make it, there is expanded radio coverage tonight. You can listen to Tony Limarzi's call of the game on 820 AM, 1500 AM and 107.7 FM (and in Spanish on 1540 AM). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. (not Mountain Time).

Here's what folks are writing in advance of tonight's contest:

Paul Tenorio in the Washington Post writes about the team's rash of injuries this year.
In the Washington Times, John Haydon writes about the team's inability to find consistency because of the many injuries.
Charlie Boehm's preview on dcunited.com focuses on the team's search for consistency (game notes!).
In Colorado's Rocky Mountain News, Pat Rooney writes about the official debut of Gary Smith as head coach.
Brian Forbes, in the Denver Post, also writes about the Rapids new coach.

Comcast SportsNet was out yesterday to talk to some of the guys - here's an excerpt with comments from Devon McTavish and Clyde Simms on the return of Christian Gomez.

Finally, how about some predictions?

14 Comments

Colorado Rapids

Merchandise: Ilana Wolf collection

08/22/2008 6:15 PM by Kyle Sheldon

Periodically, we'll post new merchandise items that are available in the United Team Store (located at RFK Stadium's Main Gate).

We just got word from our merch guys that the new Ilana Wolf collection of women's accessory bags is now available. There's a tote bag ($32), clutch ($20) and wristlet ($18). I wouldn't know what those were just by reading them, so there's a picture to your right to help.

Man, those bags are nice. If I had a girlfriend, I'd probably buy one for her. Maybe one of each. If only I had a girlfriend. It got weird, didn't it?

The Team Store is open 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and four hours prior to kickoff every day the team has a game.

3 Comments

Merchandise

Photo of the Day: Surprise visit

08/21/2008 3:56 PM by Kyle Sheldon

United fans who took in last night's game at Momo's Sports Bar on U Street received a surprise when Ben Olsen and housemate Zach Wells, along with Rod Dyachenko, showed up to watch the guys take on the Revolution. Thanks to Sarah Baker for snapping and sharing the shot above.

9 Comments

Photo of the Day

Video: Moreno's chip

08/21/2008 12:38 AM by Kyle Sheldon

Jaime Moreno is really, really good at soccer. Here's video of his goal in tonight's 2-1 loss, his ninth of the season and 121st career tally.

4 Comments

New England Revolution, Video

MLS game #20: DCU 1 - Revolution 2

08/20/2008 11:23 PM by Kyle Sheldon

UPDATE (10/21 - 9:14 a.m.): I've added a few photos to the Video & Pics page.

Shoot.

The team departs early tomorrow morning to head back to the District and will turn focus towards the visiting Colorado Rapids on Saturday. The guys were - not surprisingly - disappointed with the result tonight. A number of players commented on what they thought was a poorly officiated match - it certainly looked like Fred got pulled down in the box in the second half - but most thought the team could have played better.

Post-game quotes below. I'll add a few photos tomorrow (maybe).

D.C. UNITED HEAD COACH TOM SOEHN

“I don’t think in the first half we executed what we came to do very well. In the second half I think it got better; we moved the ball around better. We were disappointed in the no call on Fred in the box. I can’t wait to look at it again, but from my memory it was 100 percent a PK, and that’s a very crucial time to get one back and make it 1-1. We had our chances, so it’s disappointing. I felt like we could have snuck out with a tie.”

“When you go down one, it’s disappointing, but I don’t think we created a whole lot either, so on that side I was disappointed. We talked and reorganized the second half and I thought we had a lot of good play and some good quality chances.”

D.C. UNITED DEFENDER MARC BURCH

On the first goal

“I couldn’t see it until the last second, and it came through Devon (McTavish)’s legs. I went to kick it and (Adam) Cristman got it and I just couldn’t get enough on it and it just went right off Taylor (Twellman). Give them some credit, they hustled and were in the right spot; it was just bad luck on our part.”

D.C. UNITED FORWARD JAIME MORENO

“We always say that when the defense drops too much on the forwards, its always trouble for us. In the second half when we started playing and pressing, putting more pressure higher, it made a big difference in the game. We put in a better performance in the second half, but still it wasn’t good enough. That’s another lesson and hopefully it won’t happen again.”

On the first half

“(The Revolution) did a pretty good job keeping the ball and winning second balls. We had a big gap in the middle, but we sorted it out in the second half and it made a big difference. It was a bad loss,