Saturday Night Clash
The current MLS standings are a little wacky with the disparity in number of games played. Therefore I present the standings league-wide (no conferences) based on points per game:
Now as you can see D.C. United is currently fourth in the league. It's a tight race at the top but if Dallas and Houston tie and DC wins, then we finally get sole claim of first place in the league. But any other situation and DC will have to be patient for their chance.
As far as Saturday is concerned, I expect DC to bounce back and play their game. Returning home and the prospect of a big early season win should light a fire under the DC United belly.
As of right now the weather conditions look clear and the temp should be in the mid-60s.
The only game I saw from KC is their game against Dallas a couple weeks ago. There was nothing terribly exciting from what I remember. So I'm assuming that KC can be taken out of the game early. If DC gets a quick goal and holds their offense and maybe gets another goal right before halftime then we should be in good shape.
The focus for this game should be basics.
Offensively: Simple passes. No back heels. Just one and two touch passes, nothing fancy. Look for open spaces. Everyone should keep their heads up looking for the next pass. We can obviously finish from anywhere on the field so don't be foolish on the ball. Freddy and Alecko have to get into positions to shoot the ball while the others crash for the rebound (I'm thinking about Gros). Jaime must be a factor. He's only shown up for maybe a game and a half. He needs a good game. Maybe an assist this time around.
Defensely: They have to learn to mark their man. Enough of this letting people get behind them. They must communicate better. If one defender moves up there better be talk about who is coming back to help and what everyone's responsibilities are. I'm assuming KC is fast so maybe Wilson should start over Prideaux then again that's a sacrifice since he's been playing well. Who ever is responsible for the defensive midfield should learn to stick their butt down and control that area. If KC has the ball 30-35 yards out, I should see a DC midfielder in his face, be it Gros, Carroll, whoever is in Olsen's place or even Adu or Gomez. This game should be all about talking to each other.
Result: I wouldn't be surprised with a draw (1-1 or 2-2). I think it'll be good as long as United can find their game again. If we lose or draw 0-0, I'll be disappointed because this team is built for goals and I'll know that the offense didn't have enough chances. Above all DC needs to focus on not making mistakes and they have to control the tempo. They will be at home and there should be a good crowd so there is no excuse for playing without any conviction.
| Rank | Team | Games Played | Total Points | Points/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kansas City | 6 | 13 | 2.167 |
| T-2. | Dallas | 7 | 14 | 2.000 |
| T-2. | Houston | 6 | 12 | 2.000 |
| 4. | D.C. United | 6 | 11 | 1.833 |
| 5. | Colorado | 5 | 7 | 1.400 |
| 6. | Chicago | 5 | 6 | 1.200 |
| T-7. | New England | 6 | 7 | 1.167 |
| T-7. | Columbus | 6 | 7 | 1.167 |
| T-9. | Los Angeles | 7 | 7 | 1.000 |
| T-9. | Chivas USA | 4 | 4 | 1.000 |
| 11. | New York | 5 | 4 | 0.800 |
| 12. | Real Salt Lake | 6 | 1 | 0.167 |
Now as you can see D.C. United is currently fourth in the league. It's a tight race at the top but if Dallas and Houston tie and DC wins, then we finally get sole claim of first place in the league. But any other situation and DC will have to be patient for their chance.
As far as Saturday is concerned, I expect DC to bounce back and play their game. Returning home and the prospect of a big early season win should light a fire under the DC United belly.
As of right now the weather conditions look clear and the temp should be in the mid-60s.
The only game I saw from KC is their game against Dallas a couple weeks ago. There was nothing terribly exciting from what I remember. So I'm assuming that KC can be taken out of the game early. If DC gets a quick goal and holds their offense and maybe gets another goal right before halftime then we should be in good shape.
The focus for this game should be basics.
Offensively: Simple passes. No back heels. Just one and two touch passes, nothing fancy. Look for open spaces. Everyone should keep their heads up looking for the next pass. We can obviously finish from anywhere on the field so don't be foolish on the ball. Freddy and Alecko have to get into positions to shoot the ball while the others crash for the rebound (I'm thinking about Gros). Jaime must be a factor. He's only shown up for maybe a game and a half. He needs a good game. Maybe an assist this time around.
Defensely: They have to learn to mark their man. Enough of this letting people get behind them. They must communicate better. If one defender moves up there better be talk about who is coming back to help and what everyone's responsibilities are. I'm assuming KC is fast so maybe Wilson should start over Prideaux then again that's a sacrifice since he's been playing well. Who ever is responsible for the defensive midfield should learn to stick their butt down and control that area. If KC has the ball 30-35 yards out, I should see a DC midfielder in his face, be it Gros, Carroll, whoever is in Olsen's place or even Adu or Gomez. This game should be all about talking to each other.
Result: I wouldn't be surprised with a draw (1-1 or 2-2). I think it'll be good as long as United can find their game again. If we lose or draw 0-0, I'll be disappointed because this team is built for goals and I'll know that the offense didn't have enough chances. Above all DC needs to focus on not making mistakes and they have to control the tempo. They will be at home and there should be a good crowd so there is no excuse for playing without any conviction.
posted by SccrPlaya at 7:10 PM
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