Heading into Friday night?s match at Houston, D.C. United had preached discipline and keeping tight at the back.
But the same defensive lapses that have plagued the team in losses this year were evident once again as the club conceded four goals for the second straight league game ? and the third time this season ? in a 4-1 loss against the Dynamo.
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WASHINGTON ? Visits to Houston have never been easy for D.C. United.
The team hasn?t won in five previous trips to Robertson Stadium, and heading into Friday evening?s Eastern Conference clash (8:30 pm ET; FOX Soccer, Official viewing party at Touchdown sports bar), DC are readying themselves for yet another tough matchup.
The Houston Dynamo return home for FOX Soccer Friday, when they play host to D.C. United at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo are riding a five-game unbeaten streak, coming off a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire last weekend. D.C. United are coming off a 4-0 home loss to the New York Red Bulls, which canceled out a big win in Toronto the week before.
Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis delves in to all things soccer covering the game at all levels. Davis has interviewed top stars in the game including David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Brandi Chastain, Freddy Adu among others. Listen online at sports790.com
The Houston Dynamo return home for FOX Soccer Friday, when they play host to D.C. United at Robertson Stadium. The Dynamo are riding a five-game unbeaten streak, coming off a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Chicago Fire last weekend. D.C. United are coming off a 4-0 home loss to the New York Red Bulls, which canceled out a big win in Toronto the week before.
WASHINGTON ? D.C. United are unsure of what type of opponent they'll face in Tuesday night?s US Open Cup play-in clash with the New England Revolution. Scouting for such games is always tricky.
Different coaches prepare for play-in matches in different ways, so it?s hard to know whether the Revolution will send out a team of reserves or starters ? or a mixture of the two.
?It?s a little different [than regular season games] in the sense that you can?t prepare too much,? head coach Ben Olsen said. ?You can?t really cut up film because it?s a guessing game.?
BOYDS, Md. ? For the first time since 2002, D.C. United won?t be playing in the US Open Cup.
Tuesday night?s 3-2 loss to the Revolution saw United knocked out in the qualifying phase of the competition, as a trio of defensive miscues went punished by New England. DC fell behind 3-0, and a furious second-half rally came up just short.
This despite controlling play for most of the first half and controlling possession. However, New England made their chances count, punishing three defensive lapses to come away with the win.
WASHINGTON ? Down two goals and in need of a spark, D.C. United coach Ben Olsen turned to Designated Player Branko Boskovic.
And in Thursday night?s 4-0 loss to the visiting New York Red Bulls, the Designated Player who?s been struggling lately for minutes stated his case for more playing time going forward.
BOYDS, Md. ? For the first time since 2002, D.C. United won?t be playing in the US Open Cup.
Tuesday night?s 3-2 loss to the Revolution saw United knocked out in the qualifying phase of the competition, as a trio of defensive miscues went punished by New England. DC fell behind 3-0, and a furious second-half rally came up just short.
This despite controlling play for most of the first half and controlling possession. However, New England made their chances count, punishing three defensive lapses to come away with the win.
Dynamo All Access with Glenn Davis delves in to all things soccer covering the game at all levels. Davis has interviewed top stars in the game including David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Brandi Chastain, Freddy Adu among others. Listen online at sports790.com
Washington, D.C. (April 25, 2011) - As part of D.C. United?s continued efforts to make appearances in the community and through its partnership with Volkswagen, D.C. United players will be active in the Metropolitan Area this week.
Forward Josh Wolff and midfielder Chris Pontius will take part in the White House Easter Egg Roll today, from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. on the White House South Lawn. They will be joined by United forward Charlie Davies, who will appear at the White House from 2:30 p.m. until 3:30 p.m.
Branko Boskovic was named Lenkersdorfer Fine Jewelers Man of the Match for Week 6 of the MLS Regular Season today based on fan voting conducted on dcunited.com.
LENKERSDORFER FINE JEWELERS MOTM VOTING
After each match, visit visit facebook.com/dcunited or dcunited.com to cast your vote. Every match you vote in earns you another chance to win.
Red Bulls coach Hans Backe came into 2011 with a plan. He wanted to play soccer ?the right way.? Those are his words, and when Backe talks about ?the right way? he means passing, possession, keeping the ball on the ground and using angles.
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BEAVERTON, Ore. ? Claudio Reyna presented a youth soccer curriculum this week that has been designed to give purpose and structure to the way young players are developed in the United States.
Reyna, the U.S. Soccer Federation?s Youth Soccer Technical Director, unveiled the country?s first detailed curriculum for players U-6 to U-18 on Wednesday at the Tiger Woods Center at Nike?s World Headquarters.
Red Bulls coach Hans Backe came into 2011 with a plan. He wanted to play soccer ?the right way.? Those are his words, and when Backe talks about ?the right way? he means passing, possession, keeping the ball on the ground and using angles.
CARSON, Calif. ? In the early days of Major League Soccer, Bruce Arena?s D.C. United squads set the standard around the league.
Not only did DC claim the first two MLS Cups, but Arena?s team also piled up a meaningful international title. D.C. United were the first MLS team to win a CONCACAF championship, claiming the 1998 Champions' Cup with a victory over Toluca.
Seattle Sounders FC winger Steve Zakuani underwent successful surgery late Friday night to repair a fractured right tibia and fibula.
Zakuani will remain at Rose Medical Center in Denver for several days before returning to Seattle.
Zakuani was injured in the third minute of Friday night's match against the Colorado Rapids. He was taken from the field on a stretcher. Colorado midfielder Brian Mullan was red-carded for the foul on Zakuani. Seattle went on to win, 1-0.
WASHINGTON ? Despite Thierry Henry?s slow start to his 2011 MLS season, Ben Olsen and the D.C. United coaching staff knew that containing the striker was vital to succeed against New York on Thursday evening.
Pitted against central defenders Dejan Jakovic and Perry Kitchen, Henry had to be contained in order to get something out of this game. However, things went off the rails early, and the Red Bulls striker?s two goals were the catalyst in a 4-0 humbling loss on home soil.
Red Bulls coach Hans Backe came into 2011 with a plan. He wanted to play soccer ?the right way.? Those are his words, and when Backe talks about ?the right way? he means passing, possession, keeping the ball on the ground and using angles.
WASHINGTON ? Thursday night?s edition of the Atlantic Cup will provide the first taste of the DC-New York rivalry for a number of United?s new faces. (8 pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes)
Offseason additions who have seen plenty of action like Charlie Davies, Josh Wolff and Dax McCarty are all almost certain to be in the starting lineup against the Red Bulls. They?ll get a chance to be involved in one of the league?s fiercest rivalries.
It?s been a point of discussion through this abbreviated week of training in DC.
Since tonight's rivalry match between D.C. United and Red Bull New York will be televised nationally on ESPN2 (8:00 p.m. ET), it is with ESPN that we start this week's media notes. Charlie Davies caught up with Julie Foudy in this fell-length feature that will also air tonight at halftime of the Atlantic Cup match. Make sure to checkout the MLS ESPN2 match preview for tonight's affair.
Major League Soccer got it right with D.C. United and New York. Other rivalries have come and gone and there?s more than a little dust getting kicked up in the Rockies and in the Pacific Northwest, but there?s still no feud with more fire than the old-school throwdown between the Nation's Capital and the Big Apple in the Atlantic Cup, which resumes Thursday (8 pm, ESPN2/Deportes).
Oh, wait. The two sides can?t even agree on what to call this rivalry, let alone how to somehow keep it civil on the field and in the stands. Go figure.
NEW YORK ? Week 5 of the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week welcomes a host of new faces, with three debutants from the Portland Timbers, who won their first two home games last week.
Ethan White (D.C. United) and Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew) are the young guns of the group, while Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy) and Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) are the only returning players.
NEW YORK ? Week 5 of the MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week welcomes a host of new faces, with three debutants from the Portland Timbers, who won their first two home games last week.
Ethan White (D.C. United) and Dilly Duka (Columbus Crew) are the young guns of the group, while Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy) and Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo) are the only returning players.
WASHINGTON ? At the final whistle of Saturday?s 3-0 win over Toronto, three of D.C. United?s back four were rookies: Ethan White, Perry Kitchen and Chris Korb. Add left back Marc Burch and 20-year-old goalie Bill Hamid to the mix, and the defensive core had an average age of just 21.
When asked after Tuesday?s training session about having three rookies in defense, it hadn?t even registered with head coach Ben Olsen.
WASHINGTON ? It?s too early in the season to toss around the phrase ?must-win? ahead of D.C. United?s trip to Toronto (Saturday, 7 pm ET, Fox Soccer in US, GOLTV in Canada). But as the team acknowledged this week, getting results away from RFK is becoming more of a necessity.
?We need to figure out how to get points, especially on the road,? assistant coach Chad Ashton said. ?It?s early, but we do look at it as a very important game.?
In the run-up to what could prove to be the most spectacular fortnight in the history of El Cl�sico ? the great rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona ? the whole world has caught Barcelona-itis.
Or near enough, anyway. The Passing Game ? you can hear the capitals when someone is really pontificating ? of the Blaugrana has brought football to an entirely new place, one of endless strings of one-touch builds, wing isolation and a premium on possession and letting the ball do the work.
The ball, after all, has no lungs. It will never get tired.
WASHINGTON ? Instead of getting to relax and rest on their spring break over the next two weeks, two D.C. United Academy teams are heading south to test themselves against some of the best youth clubs around at the 2011 Dallas Cup.
This time of year is usually a two-week break for D.C.?s Academy, but this year the coaching staff decided otherwise in an attempt to bring the team together.
Washington, D.C. (April 12, 2011) - D.C. United?s Youth Academy faced two opponents over the past weekend, with the Black-and-Red compiling a 1-2-1 record against FC Greater Boston and the New England Revolution in U.S. Soccer Development Academy play. Both the U-16 and U-18 sides traveled to Boston to play Greater Boston at Harvard University, followed by a trip to Gillette Stadium to play the Revolution.
In the run-up to what could prove to be the most spectacular fortnight in the history of El Cl�sico ? the great rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona ? the whole world has caught Barcelona-itis.
Or near enough, anyway. The Passing Game ? you can hear the capitals when someone is really pontificating ? of the Blaugrana has brought football to an entirely new place, one of endless strings of one-touch builds, wing isolation and a premium on possession and letting the ball do the work.
The ball, after all, has no lungs. It will never get tired.
On Sunday, Dallas welcomes the world.
The 32nd annual Dallas Cup, North America?s top youth tournament, gets underway this weekend as 70 youth soccer teams from overseas line up against the best youth teams the US has to offer.
Among those playing are academy teams some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Arsenal, Corinthians and Barcelona. It?s that list of international teams that has the tournament?s executive director Gordon Jago excited about this year?s iteration.
Just who managed to avoid the buzzsaw of yellow and red cards might have meant something in the win column this week, but that's not all that went into this week's rankings. We also saw the return (was he ever gone?) of David Ferreira and a cathartic first win for the Sounders, both of whom took some huge steps up the ladder. Got an issue? Vote for your own!
Charlie Davies was named Lenkersdorfer Fine Jewelers Man of the Match for Week 4 of the MLS Regular Season today based on fan voting conducted on dcunited.com.
BID ON AN AUTOGRAPHED JERSEY
Bid now on eBay to own a Charlie Davies authentic, autographed jersey. The bidding lasts only 24 hours.
On an unseasonably warm afternoon, the U18 Academy teams from D.C. United and Albertson SC tied 1-1 on the campus of the University of Maryland.
WASHINGTON ? In the wake of last Saturday?s 1-1 draw against LA, the mood in D.C. United's locker room was mixed. The fact that they had managed to score a late goal in the 90th minute, stealing a point at the death after a flat offensive performance, was reason to be upbeat.
But coaches and players alike know that things must improve in future games if this team is to succeed on the field in 2011.
?Overall, I just thought we weren?t as sharp as we needed to be,? Ben Olsen said after the game. ?I thought the energy was there, but we just weren?t a good enough soccer team.?
CASE OF THE MONDAYS
After three first team matches in seven days, and Reserve friendlies with the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia on Sunday, the Black-and-Red are taking time to recuperate on Monday. The players and coaches will get back to the grind on Tuesday morning with the week's first training session in preparation for a trip to Toronto FC's BMO Field.
Charlie Davies was named Lenkersdorfer Fine Jewelers Man of the Match for Week 4 of the MLS Regular Season today based on fan voting conducted on dcunited.com.
BID ON AN AUTOGRAPHED JERSEY
Bid now on eBay to own a Charlie Davies authentic, autographed jersey. The bidding lasts only 24 hours.
CASE OF THE MONDAYS
After three first team matches in seven days, and Reserve friendlies with the University of Maryland and the University of Virginia on Sunday, the Black-and-Red are taking time to recuperate on Monday. The players and coaches will get back to the grind on Tuesday morning with the week's first training session in preparation for a trip to Toronto FC's BMO Field.
WASHINGTON ? The Charlie Davies storybook continues to get more chapters.
An 89th-minute penalty earned and finished by the US international salvaged a 1-1 draw for ten-men D.C. United against the LA Galaxy Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
Mike Magee?s first-half goal from a David Beckham corner kick almost stood up as the difference thanks to a stout Galaxy defensive performance, but Davies spoiled the ending with his stoppage-time penalty.
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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala ? Though a dejected Thomas Rongen credited Guatemala with a gutsy, inspired performance during Wednesday night's upset of the US U-20 team in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Championship, he pointed to the opening quarter-hour as the USA's ultimate downfall.
"I think we lost the game early on, with two or three very good chances in the first 10 minutes," Rongen said after a 2-1 defeat sent the host Guatemalans to the World Cup and the US home early. "That sometimes, or a lot of times, comes back to haunt you."
BOYDS, Md. ? Decked from head-to-toe in a bright, neon-green goalie kit, 20-year-old Bill Hamid made his first competitive appearance for D.C. United in last night?s penalty-kick triumph over the Philadelphia Union in a U.S. Open Cup play-in game.
Hamid made his first start for DC since Sept. 4 of last year, a 1-0 loss against Columbus that preceded season-ending shoulder surgery. His only appearances prior to Wednesday evening this year came in the team?s two reserve matches.
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala ? It took 92 years, but on Wednesday night at Estadio Mateo Flores, 30,000 fans stopped chanting "S� se puede" and started singing "S� se pudo.?
Guatemala, who have never sent a team to the World Cup on any level, shocked the United States U-20 squad in the quarterfinal of the CONCACAF Championship with a 2-1 victory to qualify for the main event this summer in Colombia.
Goalkeepers are a different breed. We all know that. No one else in soccer gets away with wearing head-to-toe DayGlo green.
We joke ? a bit. It?s a given that ?keepers generally ooze more personality than the average soccer player. They?re often the go-to quotes for media members, and they?re the first guys to be alternately beloved and heckled by fans.
USOC 2011 QUOTESHEET
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011 ? D.C. UNITED 2, PHILADELPHIA UNION 2 (United advances on PKs 4-2)
