Written by Chris Snear on May 19, 2013 | No Comments »
Posted in Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, DC United, General, MLS, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York RB, Philadelphia Union, Sporting Kansas City

There are no ridiculous moral victories in professional sports and DC United Head Coach Ben Olsen was quick to point that out after his team’s 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City on Sunday. Regardless, he was certainly encouraged by his team’s effort and a subsequent positive result, snapping a 7-game losing streak.

“Not great and I am not sugarcoating this tie but It beats losing,” said a tempered Olsen. “It wasn’t a great performance from us but it was a gutsy performance from us and it’s what we needed right now to change our course.”

Chris Pontius, who missed the last two games with a groin strain and assisted on the equalizer sugarcoated the performance even less. “Another set piece goal so no but it was better. But it’s a step in the right direction. But these steps in the right direction need to start coming out with a complete performance from us; one too many mistakes.”

Olsen trotted out another young starting XI and why not, the other more experienced groups haven’t gotten any results either.

Taylor Kemp was making his first ever MLS start, filling in for the injured Marcelo Saragosa and Nick DeLeon played the full 90-minutes after limited action in the previous two games coming off of an injury. Olsen employed DeLeon as a holding midfielder, a role he has never previously played at any level. Casey Townsend starting alongside Dwayne De Rosario up top but had no real impact on the game.

United were perhaps fortunate to even be in a situation to even draw with Kansas City, who had  a 3:2 advantage in time of possession and a Ike Opara goal nullified on an off sides call that replays showed he was not in an off sides position.

Perhaps justly, it was Opara’s missed header off a corner that hit United Defender Ethan White’s left shoulder for an own goal in the 60^th minute.

United drew level just five minutes later with Kyle Porter first career MLS goal, finishing a perfect Pontius cross from the left flank at the back post.

With or without the immediate equalizer, United’s response was the most encouraging aspect of the match.

While United were rarely stretched and maintained their defensive shape well, their attack was quite direct and unthreatening with no developed ideas for most the match. One of the few bright spots was Porter creating space down the right flan on quick changes that caused some confusion to the big Kansas City defenders.

“I think staying out wide, the switch was on and they didn’t know how to deal with us, me an Korby (Chris Korb) on the wing so I think we just played to it and it worked a little bit,” said Porter.

But it was Pontius who stimulated United’s attack though he was clearly a bit rusty with his touch and not fit enough to even play the 45-minutes that Olsen asked of him.

“The soccer side, there was some times where it was okay; on the counter we have to be cleaner and simpler and be more threatening,” said Olsen.

Pontius’ darting run to the top of the box and into the heart of the Kansas City defense just a minute before the tying goal was perhaps not tactically the best choice but at least it was aggressive in lieu of the hopeful long balls and back passes that plague United up to that point.

“My neck was hurting from looking at the ball going over my head all the time. They have big boys in the back and we were obviously playing into their strength,” said De Rosario. “We have players that can play. Every goal kick we are just launching the ball up and they continue to win it, it doesn’t give us a chance to breath. We need to open up in the back and let their forwards do a little bit of defending and work. We got to start playing positive and moving (the ball) forward.”

Pontius not sugarcoating anything again, “What I don’t like is that it takes us going down to kind of get going but at least we started pushing.”

“It was pretty complete from a focus stand point and commitment. Now we still tied so it’s a little strange to be too positive about a tie but that is who we are right now,” Olsen said. “I think there was a little bit of an exhale. It’s not easy to lose this many games and not have doubt. It gives them a chance to exhale and smile for a day or two and understand here is an opportunity to really change things.”

You can get updates through RSS (top of the page), follow at Twitter BobbySoccerRep, or on Facebook SoccerReportExtra.com

You can also find other Soccer Report Extra.com contributors on Twitter by following this link.

Have some thoughts and opinions you want to express?  The Training Ground is your chance. Just click on the link.

Written by Chris Snear on April 21, 2013 | No Comments »
Posted in Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, DC United, General, MLS, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York RB, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC

After several lineup and tactical changes, DC United’s 3-2 loss to Philadelphia left everyone in the team searching for more answers. Players were cautious in their tone and choice of words after another disappointing performance that drops them to 1-5-1, still firmly entrenched at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

Asked where the team is going next after all of these recent adjustments, a subdued and disappointed coach Ben Olsen wryly answered, “I don’t know, you got any suggestions?”

“It’s very alarming that we started the way we started in the situation that we are in right now. That is very alarming,” added Olsen with a more serious tone.

United gave up all three goals in the first 26-minutes on Phladelphia’s only three legitimate shots of the half, including a goal of multiple gaffs from their most reliable players in just the 7^th minute.

“They did a good job of punishing us for our lapses. The moments that count, the three big moments in the game, we fouled up and they capitalized on (them) and that is unacceptable,” Olsen said.

For perhaps the first time all season, United’s attack pulled its weight, generating good chances throughout the match and their first multiple goal game of the season. Perry Kitchen’s 17^th minute tally ended a 265 minute goal scoring drought for and the oft-criticized Lionard Pijoy notched his second of the season to draw United to within a goal in the 47^th minute.

But it was shoddy and unaware defending against a less than dynamic Union side that failed United. The Union did to United what New York did to them last weekend and why not, it seems to work. The Union sat back with their restraining line barely across the midfield line, begging United to play the ball into the crowded middle of the park in hopes of a turnover and quality counter.  United’s back line was also playing very high inviting longer through balls from deeper positions which the Union frequently tried.

“They obviously watched the New York game and said here is a recipe-sit back, counter, score. Sit back, counter, score. That’s what New York did,” said Olsen. “We know what that team is about; they have a long throw in which is probably their best attack and they do a great job on the counter attack. We give ‘em the first goal. The second they catch us on a counter and the third was a long throw-in which is one of their best weapons.”

Philadelphia did just that, scoring on two counters and one long throw-in, two by Jack McInerney, who leads the league in goals with six.

“We are doing it to ourselves. These teams aren’t earning these goals, we are giving them to them. It’s a team effort but collectively it’s professional. We are playing against big boys and you can’t do that 7-minutes into a game,” said Brandon McDonald, who was part of that first Philadelphia goal.

The Union’s first goal was the result of a succession of uncharacteristic plays from United’s steadiest players so far this season. Dejan Jakovic’s poorly selected and executed pass from behind the midfield stripe into the heart of the Union defense was intercepted to start the quick counter. The play seemed fairly defensible however, especially after Connor Casey’s initial ball was poorly weighted causing McInerney to come to a complete stop to collect the ball just past the center arch and allowing Jackovic time to retreat. McInerney cut to his left to split both Jackovic and McDonald, who tripped and fell, going in uncontested on Bill Hamid, beating him cleanly with a strong left footed shot inside the right post.

“We are having trouble putting together full games and that has kind of been the theme. Today I thought offensively we created a lot of chances and we were dynamic at times but the way we started the game is unacceptable,” said Olsen.

McInerney’s  second goal came from a simple and classic long throw-in play that also should have been easily defensible. Amobi Okugo nodded the long Sheanon Williams throw toward the back post where McInerney easily beat a poorly positioned Daniel Woolard to the ball and then past a helpless Hamid for the eventual game winner.

After Pajoy’s goal, United inexplicably got away from the basics and simple possession that created the chances throughout the match in favor a more direct and reckless approach.

“I don’t even know what to say. I am very frustrated right now. I don’t know what else to say. Ten minutes left and we start lumping the ball (over the top) and we got guys that can play and there is no need for that,” said Dwayne DeRosario. “We are playing into our weaknesses instead of into our strengths and it’s a big problem right now. I just don’t understand a lot of the things that are happening.”

You can get updates through RSS (top of the page), follow at Twitter BobbySoccerRep, or on Facebook SoccerReportExtra.com

You can also find other Soccer Report Extra.com contributors on Twitter by following this link.

Have some thoughts and opinions you want to express?  The Training Ground is your chance. Just click on the link.

Written by Chris Snear on March 9, 2013 | No Comments »
Posted in Chicago Fire, Chivas USA, Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, DC United, FC Dallas, General, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, MLS, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York RB, Philadelphia Union, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, Toronto FC, Vancouver Whitecaps

At around the 55-minute mark as Chris Webb of www.Unitedmania.com and I were kibitzing with WTOP Radio’s Alex Caudana, we both looked at each other and agreed that this game had nil-nil written all over it.

United were carrying the play and had most of the ball but were not nearly sharp enough in the final to where a goal looked imminent and on the other side, Real Salt Lake were even less threatening.

But alas, five minutes later in the 60^th minute, Lionard Pajoy cleaned up a rebound off a sensational John Thorrington chip from just outside the penalty area for a 1-0 lead and the game winner.

So on a day where Toronto won their first MLS match since last July, DC United extended their regular season home unbeaten streak to 17 games, and 19 overall.

After a lackluster first 25-minutes during which United were clearly out of sorts and not composed on the ball, they righted the ship and put on a solid overall performance the rest of the way but not without a sprinkling of head-shaking decisions.

“We started off shaky,” said United coach Ben Olsen. “Defensively we were pretty sound from the start but we looked too revved up and guys looked antsy on the ball. We forgot how to play soccer for a little bit. But about 25 (minutes) in, we settled down and we looked good from there on out.”

United looked and played in the attacking third like a team with some new parts that still aren’t quite lubed and fully integrated into the engine.

They favored their left flank in attack but switched the point of attack quite freely in the last quarter hour of the first half.

“The last 15-minutes of the first half and up until that goal in the second half, we had a good rhythm going on and I liked the way we were going about things,” said Olsen. “When we scored, we dropped off and panicked a little bit and didn’t manage the game as well as we would have liked to but we hung on and that’s important at this stage of the game.”

After the goal, United made some poor decisions as to where to go with the ball in the middle of the park or made the right decision but executed it poorly.

“It’s all fixable stuff. The stuff that we see that is wrong is streaky stuff,” Olsen added. “You see us at times be a pretty good team; the way we move the ball and get outside backs involved and that’s an important thing. If you see no light there’s trouble but for large stretches of that game I liked the way we went about it.”

But the one constant throughout the night was the defensive shape and the denial of time and space.

“Shut-out. That’s what we play for obviously,” said center back Dejan Jackovic, who in tandem with Brandon McDonald, were exceptional all night. “It was a little close toward the end. I feel like we started defending a little too early. The last 20-minutes were a little bit tough-a lot of balls were getting served in. Defensively our shape was great, we were compact and they really didn’t have that many chances. They tried to play a lot of balls over the top that me and BMac cleaned up.”

Olsen added, “I thought Dejan was pretty sharp tonight and BMac and the back four were very connected and we didn’t look out for each other in Houston and the back four did a great job of that tonight.”

But a key element in settling the midfield and redirecting the Salt Lake attack was the interplay with Thorrington and Perry Kitchen.

Kitchen drifted higher up the field far more than he is accustomed to because Thorrington dropped back deeper for defensive purposes or to collect and settle the ball.

“Him and Johnny are creating a relationship,” said Olsen about the tandem. “John is very comfortable on the ball. He likes to get it off our backs at times and I think John sensed that the game need him back there to slow us down and get more possession and he did that and the last thing we want is Perry right on top of him.”

The veteran Thorrington understands his role, his skill set and more importantly, understands what it takes two win in this league. He was removed after injuring his knee blocking a shot in the second half. Though he did not speculate on the severity of the injury, he was hobbling badly as he left the locker room.

“Our job is twofold-to screen the back four and then also dictate the play a bit going forward. We take turns doing that I felt really good about how it worked today,” said the South African born Thorrington.

 His situational awareness and quick mental speed basically created the opportunity for Pajpoy’s game winning goal.

“The ball rolled out to me and I wanted to hit first time but didn’t think I’d get good contact on it so I took a touch and then, knowing I was gonna get bum rushed, I just thought of trying to chip it, said Thorrington. “Everybody tends to rush the ball so I just though rather than trying to smash it through a crowd, I’d go over it and thankfully Leo was there to head it in. I was happy for him and that he got rewarded with the goal.”

You can get updates through RSS (top of the page), follow at Twitter BobbySoccerRep, or on Facebook SoccerReportExtra.com

You can also find other Soccer Report Extra.com contributors on Twitter by following this link.

Have some thoughts and opinions you want to express?  The Training Ground is your chance. Just click on the link.