Posted on October 3, 2008

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Infusion of reserves may salvage season

DC United put on their best performance so far in the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup at RFK on Wednesday but still came up short of even the tie that their strenuous efforts earned. The 1-0 loss pretty much guarantees that United will not advance to the knockout stage.

Coach Tom Soehn sent out a largely reserve side against an opponent who presented a similarly diminished roster. The result was a hard-fought game in which several DC players showed that they can perform at a fairly high level.

Soehn sent out a 4-5-1 lineup captained by Jaime Moreno, the only premier player on the field for DC, assumed a primarily creative midfield role, finding opportunities as best he could. His move still further back from withdrawn forward left Francis Doe with the full burden of front-running. The Liberian international obliged with a solid effort.

He was greatly helped by the work down the right flank of Quavas Kirk, who pressured the Cruz Azul defense with his speedy runs down the wing until relieved by Thabiso Khumalo who created the same sort of threat after the 60th minute.

The evening also saw the debut of newcomer Greg Janicki in central defense. He has performed well in practice since his arrival and earned the plaudits of coach Soehn, “He’s made great strides…He’s still got to figure out when to play safe and dump balls over the top. He competed hard and was a handful back there. He stopped a lot of plays. He had a pretty good day.”

United got an energetic and disciplined effort across the board, which Soehn attributed to the presence of fresh legs. The coach went on to point out that, “Obviously we’re gonna have some fresh guys on the field Saturday as well.”

Examination of the injured and suspended player lists for both teams show that Chivas USA, Saturday’s opponent, may be worse off than DC United. The unexpected rest for many starters and the return of Gonzalo Peralta and probable availability of Marcelo Gallardo mean that DC is nearing a return to full strength of talent , if not yet of full cohesion.

With the inspiration of the youngsters, the team might well gel this weekend and begin a run for the playoffs. Consider that the defense will feature three of four fresh players and the midfield might well have all four similarly recharged.

Bryan Namoff can return to his comfort zone on the right with Peralta to anchor the center with Devon McTavish’s growing maturity lending support. Gonzalo Martinez will be ably backed up by Marc Burch should he need a rest.

It is likely that Tino Quaranta will be asked to create in front of the reliable Clyde Simms. If the team does well without his services, Gallardo can be rested until next midweek and given a short run out then. With Janicki’s performance showing that he can step in and Joe Vide serving as Simms’ backup , the team finally seems to have depth on defense and transition.

Even on attack, the loss of Luciano Emilio to a hamstring injury and Moreno to suspension will open up an opportunity for the speedy combination of Khumalo and Doe up front, fed by the savvy of Ivan Guerrero and Fred on the wings.

Despite the disappointing 1-0 loss, United may have seen its season turn around.

Scoring Summary:
CRU — Pablo Zeballos 1 (unassisted) 56

Cruz Azul — Alfonso Blanco, Hassam Viades, Roberto Juarez, Jaime Lozano (Cristian Riveros 68), Alejandro Castro, Gerardo Lugo, Marcelo Carrusca (Pablo Zeballos 30), Cesar Villaluz, Gabino Velasco, Alejandro Vela, Nicolas Vigneri (Miguel Sabah 78),

Substitutes Not Used: Raul Bustamante, Julio Cesar Dominguez, Martin Galvan, Yosgart Gutierrez

D.C. United — Zach Wells, Greg Janicki, Marc Burch, Devon McTavish, Mike Zaher, Quavas Kirk (Thabiso Khumalo 61), Rod Dyachenko, Joe Vide (Ryan Cordeiro 46), Craig Thompson, Francis Doe (Ryan Miller 83), Jaime Moreno,

Substitutes Not Used: Pat Carroll, Santino Quaranta, James Thorpe

D.C. United Cruz Azul
Total shots: 7 (Francis Doe 2) 16 (Nicolas Vigneri 4,
Pablo Zeballos 4)
Shots on goal: 2 (Marc Burch 1,
Quavas Kirk 1) 7 (Nicolas Vigneri 3)
Fouls: 11 (Devon McTavish 3) 12 (Gabino Velasco 4)
Offsides: 5 (Francis Doe 2) 0
Corner kicks: 6 (Jaime Moreno 6) 6 (Cesar Villaluz 4)
Saves: 6 (Zach Wells 6) 2 (Alfonso Blanco 2)

Misconduct Summary:
DC — Joe Vide (caution; Reckless Foul) 29
CRU — Roberto Juarez (caution; Tactical Foul) 43
DC — Rod Dyachenko (caution; Reckless Tackle) 77

Referee: Paul Ward
Referee’s Assistants: Hector Vergara; Joe Fletcher
4th official: Alex Prus
Time of game: 1:50
Attendance: 7,214
Weather: Cloudy -and- 63 degrees

Tagged with: Chivas Usa, Coach Tom, Concacaf Champions Cup, Cruz Azul, DC United, Fought Game, Gallardo, Great Strides, Jaime Moreno, Janicki, Khumalo, Knockout Stage, Liberian, Peralta, Plaudits, Pretty Good Day, Quavas Kirk, Rfk, Stage Coach, Strenuous Efforts

Infusion of reserves may salvage season

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