Match Reports

United struggles in 3-1 win over San Jose

There is a school of thought in most sports that says the sign of a good team is getting a result when they are not playing at their best. I think United's 3-1 win over San Jose this afternoon firmly puts their win in that category.

Second half goals from Clyde Simms, Gonzalo Martinez and Luciano Emilio offset yet another goalkeeping blunder from Zach Wells to earn United it's third consecutive win and fifth match without a loss. With the win United is tied for third in the highly competitive Eastern Conference on 19 points with Chicago and New York.

United came out very flat in the first 45 minutes and could only generate two solid scoring chances against the expansion Quakes. Emilio hit the right post in the 16th minute off a quick thinking feed from Marcelo Gallardo and then Gallardo forced San Jose goalkeeper Joe Cannon to dive to his right to stop his low drive in the 41st minute. Meanwhile, the defensively organized Quakes got a few chances of their own, the best being an Ivan Guerrero shot tipped by Wells off the crossbar in the 30th minute.

United made one change at halftime bringing the innefective Marc Burch out for rookie Ryan Cordeiro. Burch started in place of suspended winger Santino Quaranta who was clearly missed. United the goal scoring started in the 50th minute when Clyde Simms got on the end of a loose ball 30 yards from goal and unleashed a shot that took a deflection off of a San Jose defender and spun past Cannon who was already commited to the right side of goal and unable to recover in time to watch the ball slowly trickle into the goal for a 1-0 lead.

That lead lasted all of about 45 seconds. Cordeiro failed to contain Quakes defender James Riley who got all the way into the box on the right side and lofted a ball into the middle. Wells had a bead on the ball but simply dropped it in front of him. While trying to corral the loose ball, he inadvertantly touched into the path of Quakes forward John Cunliffe who gratefully toe-poked it over the line. Bryan Namoff made a valiant attempt to clear it off the line but the far side linesman signaled the game tying goal.

With United reeling a bit defender Gonzalo Martinez took matters into his own hands. Martinez made an overlapping run on the left flank and Gallardo hit him in stride. Martinez then collected the ball and made a series of juke moves to eventually free himself in the box and unleashed a wicked curler to the far post that gave Cannon no chance to save as it went in off the post.

United then staved off a few attacks from the visitors with defender Devon McTavish making the play of the day in the 72nd minute. Substitute Shea Salinas broke through the United defense and latched onto a perfectly weighted through ball and forced Wells to come out to challange. Salinas easily side stepped the charging Wells and had the open goal to shoot at his mercy. His shot was blocked out by a retreating McTavish just as the ball was about to go into goal and kept United in the lead.

The game changed for the worse for San Jose in the 83rd minute when Riley was sent off for his sliding two-footed challenge on McTavish. Riley got hurt on the play while referee patiently waited for Rilet to get medical attention. As soon as he stood up, he was shown the red card by Prus and San Jose was effectively done.

One more piece of business was to be had as Emilio got the last goal in the 88th minute. Emilio got onto another Gallardo pass in the box and cut back to his left and unleashed a shot that took the slightes of deflections and yet again gave Cannon no chance. Emilio has now scored in five consecutive matches and has eight goals on the season.

DC United now faces the Los Angeles Galaxy on national television next Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium. The game is being televised on ABC at 12 Noon and 30,000 tickets have already been sold for the game which most likely will sell out by the weekend.

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