DC United Welcomes the Crew
DC United hosts the Columbus Crew in the Thursday night game of the week on ESPN2. read more...
DC United Welcomes the Crew
Mike Martin
April 16, 2008
The Crew and Alejandro Moreno (10) got the better part of DC in the season finale
Photo: Martin Fernandez
A match at RFK is usually just the ticket for United to get themselves back on track after a hideous road loss, and considering the way DC has dominated the Crew at home over the years, this could be the perfect tonic for what ails United.
Washington D.C.,
The Columbus Crew comes to visit on a bit of a high as they are coming off a stunning 4-3 win over ChivasUSA last week, and have the second best record in the East. But, they can’t feel too confident considering they have a staggering 4-19-3 record at RFK since the formation of the league. True, they did win the last time they were here in a meaningless match at the end of last season, but the sheer magnitude of their poor record here has to be at the back of their mind as much as heading to Salt Lake or Colorado befuddles United.
And DC might seriously need every bit of that home field mojo as they are in a bit of a precarious place right now. The Pachuca failure is no doubt still painful, and now they’ve added to that angst another appalling performance in Utah where RSL utterly thrashed them. All that has to be festering in the minds of a United side that was expected to dominate the league this year, yet is wallowing at 1-2 tied for last in the East.
However, after resting a few key players last week, United should be at full strength and itching for some redemption against the Crew. Moreno is healthy, Gallardo, Wells, and Martinez got some rest, and Peralta and Emilio will want to prove last week was a fluke, not a trend.
The Crew are also not a particularly daunting opponent either, despite their record. They barely beat Toronto in their home opener, and nearly let ChivasUSA sneak out with a point despite holding a two goal lead at home. Their only road performance so far was a dreadful display in NY losing 2-0 in a match that wasn’t even that close.
Columbus relies on an amorphous attacking philosophy that spreads five interchangeable attackers around Alejandro Moreno as the point of the attack. When they are on as they were against Chivas, they can be explosive. With Schelotto, Gaven, and Maryland’s Robbie Rogers flying all over the place scoring and setting up goals almost at will. However, they rarely put on such displays as the struggles against Toronto and NY show.
The key to keeping them in check is to possess the ball, make them chase back, and put pressure on their weak defense which will fold like a house of cards if given the chance. Hejduk remains their feisty leader at right back, but he’s rapidly degrading into a vicious hack as his skills continue to erode. On the left side they added some more savvy from Argentina with Gino Padula, but he’s well past his sell by date and while good on the ball, looked shaky on the defensive side.
But the real soft spot in their defense is right down the middle. Chad Marshall and converted midfielder Danny O’Rourke have struggled mightily, and have actually been pretty lucky it was an anemic Toronto, and a NY team without Angel, they faced in their first two games. Because when they faced a moderately good offense in Chivas, they sprung leaks like a cardboard canoe. They certainly won’t be facing the blasphemous Oscar Echeverry or the bloated Collin Samuel this week. It will be a United attack that is itching to show they are better than their record to date.
Jaime Moreno showed he is healthy and he has torched the Crew for 15 goals over the years. Hopefully, Moreno and the return of Gallardo find a way to get Emilio out of his funk, but regardless those three will absolutely cause problems for the center of the Crew defense. Fred and foul Frankie will have a titanic battle on the left, which should see Heydude red-carded by halftime. McTavish will probably have to hang back and help contain Rogers, but if he gets deep on Padula a few times and pins that side back, that will be icing on the cake.
Gallardo against former DC midfielder Brian Carroll will be especially interesting to see. Most teams will likely play the beat down card on El Muneco this season, but Carroll is not that type of player. He disrupts plays and cuts off passing lanes far more than he lays the lumber to someone. That could be suicide or it could be brilliant. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out, but I think Gallardo will have the edge on influencing the game more than his buddy Schelotto in this Boca-River Superclasico.
Which brings us to the other side of the ball. Obviously, Schelotto is the key and has to be shut down, but I’d be shocked if the well rested Martinez doesn’t mark him right out of the game. United’s Colombian defender easily has the speed and experience to do just that. The Crew may even switch Guille around the field to get him away from Martinez, but Peralta and Simms, or even Namoff and Burch won’t be much easier for him to break down. Bottom line is that someone else has to step up for the Crew and while Gaven, Rogers and the surprising Moffat are decent players, they hardly put the fear of god into anyone, nor do they carry the team all that often.
Defensively, United really should go back to their 4-4-2. The 3-4-3 plays into Sigi’s hands as the three backs will make it easier to create one on ones and missed coverages when the Crew does their constant switching and moving. Plus, the extra coverage in the back will cut down on having to foul and give up free kicks that Schelotto will make us pay for, and should keep that pesky United killer, Alejandro Moreno from causing too much trouble. Besides, there’s no need for an attacking formation or style changes considering the talent advantage United will field already.
So, there you have it. United has the tactical and skill advantage as well as the lion’s share of the intangibles. Of course, they need to actually exploit the Crew’s weaknesses and avoid any serious mistakes defensively, though. And that’s the rub. If United is determined like they were against Toronto after that bad game in Mexico, then the Crew will get blown out and lose their 20th match at RFK. If DC is not sharp, well, there you go. Better to not think of that horrific scenario.
Last season, it took about a month for United to lose their CONCACAF hangover, so that doesn’t bode well, but this year is much different in that the team has been together much longer and is quite frankly the most talented team in the league. Some key players got rested in the Real Salt Lake debacle, and there’s nothing but MLS on the horizon, so there is no excuses for laying an egg against the Crew.
Visitor Comments
After I wrote this, the Insider is reporting that Martinez didn't practice and might not play. That's a blow for DC, but maybe not too bad overall. I would think Soehn would just slip McTavish back into the defense for Gonzalo M if he doesn't play, then put Quaranta out on the right side. Q is less defensive help on Robbie Rogers, but a much more dynamic attacker, which might be better in the long run anyway.
Match Previews
DC United Hoping to Dam the Rapids
August 22, 2008
DC United Facing a Different Revolution this Week
August 19, 2008
United is Playing with Fire
August 16, 2008
DC United Hosts Revolution in Open Cup Semifinals
August 11, 2008
DC United Staying on the Defensive in NY
August 09, 2008
Wizards Take on Decimated DC United
August 01, 2008
Dynamo and DC United - Take Two
July 21, 2008
Dynamo Descend on DC for a Double
July 18, 2008
DC Faces New Challenge in Atlante
July 14, 2008
DC United Hosts Chivas in Superliga
July 11, 2008
DC United Hoping to Bag the Rhinos Again
June 30, 2008
DC United Wary of Galaxy Stars
June 28, 2008
Mild Earthquakes Visit RFK
June 20, 2008
DC United Looking to Run Down the Bulls
June 13, 2008
DC United Hoping to Beat Back a Roaring Fire
June 06, 2008
MLS One Liners, tidbits from around the league...
