DC United Seeks Revenge on Real Salt Lake

Mike Martin

April 25, 2008

DC United's coach Tommy Sehn watches his team during the pre-game warmups

DC United's coach Tommy Sehn watches his team during the pre-game warmups
Photo: Martin Fernandez

Rarely does an opportunity for redemption present itself so quickly after an abject humiliation, but DC United will get that chance when they host Real Salt Lake a mere two weeks after the Utah expansion team hung a 4-0 whitewashing on United for one of their worst road losses ever.

Washington D.C., Obviously, the season has not started the way DC United would have liked, and RSL got the benefit of that poor form to really pound the Black and Red pretty much when United was at their lowest ebb. Just coming off a wrenching elimination by Pachuca, DC had to fly to Rice Eccles to play on that parking lot they call a field while resting players, and United got hammered unmercifully. But after a much needed break to recuperate, United is now itching for some revenge.

Considering RSL has never won in RFK in their short lives, and are one of the worst road teams in MLS history with only six wins total in the almost fifty road matches they’ve ever played, including two road losses already this year. They have an incredible negative 51 goal differential on the road as well, meaning they pretty much average a 2-1 loss every time they travel which is exactly how much United beat them in RFK last year.

When RSL’s woeful road record was mentioned to Moreno, he was horrified and refused to take the bait. “We’re not going to think like that! We don’t want to get any surprises! They’re going to come out here trying to get a result." But, he did have a bit of a gleam in his eye as he continued with “It will be a little bit like payback for us. We have just got to concentrate on our work, do the best we can, and win.”

So, the home field advantage clearly goes to DC, and the injury report may well favor them as well. Fabian Espindola, who caused so many problems in the first matchup, and Nathan Sturgis are both out with a lingering hamstring problems. Also, starting defenders Ian Joy and Matias Mantilla are both banged up and gimpy although they are likely to play.

United should be fully healthy on the other hand. Peralta had a slight knee bruise, but practiced on Wednesday with no apparent problems. McTavish did not practice with a mid foot strain, but is expected to be ready by game time. However, even if he doesn’t play, RSL would be a good time to give Quaranta another start out on that right wing as it might be a better tactical matchup for United considering Sturgis is out.

Former United midfielder Carey Talley likely replaces Sturgis, but Talley is unlikely to play wide, so in effect Beckerman will be responsible for Ian Joy limping a bit, Beckerman might be forced wider and further back than he’d like normally which is good for DC as he absolutely kills us with crucial goals over the years.

Truly, wide play, controlling the ball, and switching the point of attack often will be important for DC as RSL is actually a tough matchup for DC’s style of play. RSL likes to jam up the middle, dare you to beat them wide, and launch counterattacks designed to isolate defenders one on one every time they collect a turnover.

They punished DC to the tune of four goals doing exactly that in the first game. In particular, former United midfielder Dema Kovalenko pounced on mistakes mercilessly in the first game. Jaime Moreno made it clear that Dema is a player they need to be sure and contain. “Dema works hard, is good with the ball. He knows his job and we definitely have to watch him because he can hurt you.”

However, Coach Chad Ashton thinks the defense will be better organized and it will be a different story this time around. “Those goals out there in that particular game and even going back to last year are a result of how you have to play on that surface in that stadium.”

Defender Bryan Namoff mentioned that DC will seek to stay compact in order to prevent the scrambling around that hurt them last time as well. “We don’t want to really separate ourselves by putting too many players forward. I think that was sometimes the case where once we got too many guys in the attack, then one ball would beat the attackers and midfield and go straight to us [the defense] and put us under a lot of pressure. We were on the road and it was a difficult situation that I hope we learned from. I hope that with better shape and more compactness all over the field that we’ll make the play a lot more predictable based on our entire team pressure.”

United especially needs to find the ability to attack and defend as an entire unit. Everyone up and everyone back as necessary. Not doing that has been their biggest drawback so far this year. When they don’t get enough players forward they lose the ball too easily, or they get frustrated by stacked defenses too often. When they don’t drop back as a unit, they get exposed by individual mistakes too cruelly.

As for United finding success against their defense, Ashton felt that United simply needs to do the things they are good at in order to find the success they expect. “We just need to a better job with our possession. We’ve got to knock it around, keep the ball, do the things we know we do well. Swing the ball and change the point of the attack from side to side. I think as we do that, and when we have more of the ball and make the other team defend, we play to our strengths and our chances will come. We’ve actually had our fair share of chances, we just haven’t put them away.”

That has been the rub though. United’s finishing outside of that Toronto match has been noticeably anemic. However, the team has been focused on finishing as much as anything throughout the week and is itching to begin filling up the nets to prove that their frustrating start to MLS season is over and their steady climb up the table is about ready to commence.

Aston also made it clear the situation is much different this time around as the team essentially beat itself out there in Utah, but the shoe is on the other foot this time around and it’s time for a little payback.

“Obviously, it didn’t go well the first time. I think we as a coaching staff made some mistakes when we went out there. I didn’t think we as a team approached the game real well, and you have the ill effects of CONCACAF too. It all culminated in just a bad performance. I think we don’t have a lot of those issues working against us this time. We’re at home, we have plenty of rest going into the game. I think we’re in a much better mental state and I think that will show in our performance [against RSL].”

United might very well need a good performance because their next match is in Colorado where they haven’t won since the turn of the century. Anything short of three points this weekend, and it might be a pretty somber flight to Denver next weekend.

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