Houston v Sporting KC (1-1) – Dynamo Lose their Heads and Two Points at the Death

Houston’s Strategy

     Dominic Kinnear went away from his preferred 4-4-2 and set his side in a 4-5-1. Will Bruin was left on the bench and Brian Ching started alone up top. Brad Davis was used as a deep lying creative midfield player. Danny Cruz was on the right wing and the most supportive attacking player for Ching.

Sporting’s Strategy

     The visiting side from Kansas City set out in their usual 4-3-3/4-2-3-1. Diop played as a holding midfield player. Espinoza was the box to box midfielder and Zusi was the playmaker in the middle. Omar Bravo played off to the left as a winger or second striker. CJ Sapong was the central striker and Kei Kamara tried to find space on the right wing.

Houston Lead in Strange First Half

     The first good chance in the match led to the opening goal. Brian Ching was fouled outside the area to the right. Brad Davis took the free kick with his left foot and bent it over the wall into the corner. The free kick did not have much pace and the “White Puma” Nielsen was only able to come across late but failed to keep it out of the net before smashing into the post.

     The remainder of the first half was quite strange. By about the 40^th minute I said to myself, “how have 40 minutes passed and I have no idea what is unfolding in this match.” Houston were very content to sit back and get to the locker room with the lead. The Dynamo were only able to pass the ball around the defense and struggled to even approach the Sporting KC area.

     Kansas City, on the other hand, used a different strategy. The back four was too committed on sending in long balls towards CJ Sapong. The young and in form striker was not able to win these passes. When they kept the ball on the ground, KC found space, especially through Myers overlapping past Kamara on the right side. Also, Espinoza and Zusi were able to find space between the midfield and defense of Houston, but lacked the final ball to create chances.

Sporting Dominates with Numerical Advantage

     At halftime, Bobby Boswell was brought on for Jermaine Taylor for Houston in a direct center back replacement.

     Just six minutes after the break, the Dynamo found themselves down to ten men. Collin Clark lost out on the ball on the left sideline. He looked frustrated and responded with a lunging off the ground slide tackle into Aurelien Collin. Refere Kevin Stott immediately reached into his breast pocket and sent off Clark.

     With ten men, Houston went to a 4-4-1, relying on Brian Ching to be the pressure release point up top to try and hold up the ball for the home side. When the Dynamo had the opportunity to get forward, they tried to get the ball wide and cross it in for Ching.

     Holding on to the lead with ten was proving difficult and Brian Ching made it more so in the 69^th minute. Ching kicked out at Collin after he had cleared the ball. Once again Referee Kevin Stott sent off a Dynamo player, reducing them to nine men. Seeing the replay, the straight red was justified as the kick by Ching was dirty and unnecessary.  

     Playing against nine men, Kansas City resorted to packing the box and swinging in crosses. This seemed like the only way through the Dynamo defense. Houston committed all eight outfield players towards defending and bunkered down deep into their own half. Even the stats backed up Sporting KC’s dominance; they played in 37 crosses and took 25 shots during the ninety minutes.

     All the attacking initiative paid off for Kansas City in the 90^th minute. Collin received the ball 25 yards out from Espinoza. His left footed shot was deflected and went in past Hall. It may be a bit harsh to say that Hall could have done better since he had such a great match.

Conclusion

     Credit KC for their persistence in seeking a goal and probably deserved all three points.

     However, it would be unfair to criticize Houston for playing a defensive second half. The players did not get discouraged after going two men down. They fought hard and nearly kept a clean sheet, only a lucky long range shot beating Hall.

     Each manager would have left the match feeling disappointment with only a point. Dominic Kinnear will be angry at Clark and Ching for getting sent off with a lead at home. On the other side, Peter Vermes will feel that his side could have scored two and stolen a road win after having a numerical advantage and creating plenty of chances in the second half. 

Thoughts?

Tweet us @kpngacleansheet.

Or write on our Facebook Wall.

Real Salt Lake v Dallas (2-0) - Real Domination in Battle out West

 The Rio Tinto hosted a clash of two of the three best in the Western Conference on Saturday night. Dallas came in winners of three in a row while Real had not been beaten in five.
Salt Lake's Strategy
   Jason Kreis started with his usual 4-4-2 diamond formation. The only surprise was Luis Gil starting as Alvaro Saborio's strike partner instead of Fabian Espindola. The two changes were in the back where Wingert replaced Russell and Schuler replaced the suspended Nat Borchers.
Dallas' Strategy
    Schellas Hyndman played a very defensive 4-5-1, almost playing for a nil-nil away result. Daniel Hernandez was rested, presumably for the US Open Cup Quarterfinal match v Real on Tuesday. In stepped the rookie and rarely used Bobby Warshaw into the holding midfield position. Two of the hottest wingers in MLS, Jackson and Brek Shea, played on the right and left respectively but each grew frustrated by the second half because of Dallas' inability to possess the ball and attack.
Dallas Sit Back and Real Dominate
    The match kicked off and was intense from the get go. In the 5th minute, Benitez swiped the legs from Saborio and a scuffle ensued.
    Shea attempted to get behind Beltran by making diagonal runs behind the back line but Dallas was unable to provide a suitable pass. Salt Lake executed their game plan of closing down the wide players, Shea and Jackson. Shea was frustrated, seen flailing his arms when the ball did not break for him. This culminated in the 70^th minute when he picked up a cynical yellow card and after was berating the official.

     Not only did Real dominate possession, but they were so quick to pressure the ball if they gave the ball back to Dallas. This pressure made Dallas uncomfortable and often resulted into a backward pass or a long ball to escape the pressure. With Dallas unable to cope with the pressure, Real had a possession advantage of 74% in the 22^nd minute and a 66% in the 71^st minute. Dallas was also unable to counter attack due to the deep defensive positions of their midfield. They dropped off deep allowing Real’s defenders to pass the ball around the halfway line. This deep position along with a lack of composure on the ball nixed any possibility of catching Real on the break.
    Luis Gil, the speedy 17 year old, found the most room behind Dallas' defense. Kreis used Gil to run behind the defense, especially in the left and right channels, while Saborio stayed up top occupying a defender. Gil created a couple of half chances but needs to show composure in front of goal and in his final ball. Saborio has the uncanny ability of winning every high or long ball. He can turn his back to goal and hold off a defender to receive a pass and hold up play. Salt Lake's midfield three of Grabavoy, Williams and Johnson were given the freedom to switch positions and move all over the pitch. However, they always find their way back to their diamond shape to defend.

Best Moments from the Match

     All the advantage in possession paid off two minutes after halftime. Saborio won a free kick on the edge of the area. Andy Williams stepped up and curled a shot over the wall. The shot should have been comfortable for Hartman to catch beat he lost concentration and let the ball slip through his hands. This gaffe rivaled Robert Green’s v US last summer and gave Salt Lake the much deserved 1-nil lead.

     Hartman was able to shake off the mistake five minutes later as Gil played a nifty one-two with Williams but was denied by the keeper.

     In the 85^th minute, Dallas had their only opportunity to equalize. Johnson and Wingert were defending on the left but fell asleep ball watching. Shea took advantage of their mistake and made a diagonal run into the penalty area. He received an inch perfect pass and his first touch set him up to score. However, he elected to square the ball to Jackson for an easier finish but Jackson slipped and could not get much power on the shot. The ball dribbled toward goal and Wingert was able to clear it off the line.

     Real added an insurance goal in the 93^rd minute off of a gift from Dallas. Warshaw made a blind back pass toward goal and Johnson intercepted. He gave the ball to the super sub Espindola who calmly clinched three points for the home side.

Conclusions
    Dallas were very disappointing. They added little to the game and came to the Rio Tinto with no desire to attack Real.
    On the other hand, Salt Lake should be commended. They always set out to play soccer and keep the ball on the ground to play a pass and move possession system. However, Real lack the final pass, since Javier Morales has been injured, and thus struggled to create chances on the night. Their winning goal was a gift from Kevin Hartman, but the soccer gods must have been smiling on the home side since they deserved a goal after all their attacking intent had failed to pay off.

Tweet us @kpngacleansheet.

Or write on our Facebook Wall.

New York v DC (0-1) – DeRo Sticks it to His Old Team

New York’s Strategy

     Hans Backe utilized a strange formation which emphasized possession of the ball in the center of the pitch. Medhi Ballouchy was employed as a left sided midfielder but too often tucked inside to pick up the ball. Joel Lindpere played mostly in the center in front of Dax McCarty and behind Thierry Henry. Too often Lindpere and Ballouchy would be too close to each other, making it easy for DC to mark them with one player. McCarty operated as the holding midfielder but in possession he often times dropped in the middle of the two center backs. Henry was the playmaker behind Luke Rodgers, who may lack size and pace but he knows how to use his body to shield players and always finds good space to collect the ball and trouble the defense. Dane Richards played as a right winger. When involved he made diagonal runs in the right channel to try and get behind the defense.

DC’s Strategy

     Ben Olsen employed the same diamond 4-4-2 formation he used last week v Philly. Clyde Simms was the holding midfielder and Dwayne DeRosario played behind Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff. Contrary to last week, Wolff played a little behind Davies, who was playing off the shoulder of the Red Bulls center back. Andy Najar was on the right wing and cut inside and shot the ball four times. These attempts on goal showed his youth as they were rash and hurried. Chris Pontius played on the left and was the less involved of the two wingers.

First Hour Even with Both Sides Creating Chances

     From the opening whistle, each side created half chances which made the match exciting and entertaining. Tim Ream displayed his distribution skill in the 14^th minute when he sent a ball long to Thierry Henry which found him behind Ethan White and through on goal. Bill Hamid was quick off his line and Henry tried to chip him, but his effort went over. DC had a similar chance when Simms found Pontius on a long ball on the right side of the goal, but his first touch let him down and he was unable to test Greg Sutton.

     The best chance of the half came two minutes before the break. Charlie Davies beat Tim Ream for pace and picked up a through ball. He went to his left and rounded the keeper Sutton. Davies angle was not great and he passed the ball towards goal but Ream never gave up and was able to clear the ball off the line. Similar runs behind by Davies opened up a lot of room for DeRosario and Wolff to collect the ball and find space in front of the Red Bulls center backs.

DC Takes the Lead and Holds onto It

     The lone goal came from nowhere in the 61^st minute. New York cleared the ball to the halfway line after a DC corner kick. Kitchen collected the ball and found Najar on the right touchline. Najar slided the ball inside to DeRosario, who let it roll by him and sprinted towards goal. The dummy caught McCarty and Miller off guard and DeRosario found space on the right side of the box. Wolff gave the ball to DeRosario and he buried it low with his left foot off the left post and in.

     After the goal, DC knew exactly how to kill off the game. Olsen brought on Joseph Ngwenya and he did well to hold possession and find space to possess the ball. New York was unable to rally and create another chance to level the match.

Conclusions

     New York created some decent chances, mostly from Henry’s creativity. However, they were not effective enough in attack for a few reasons. First, Dane Richards was not involved enough in the match. He did not trouble the susceptible Daniel Woolard by running at him with the ball or trying to get in behind the left back. Richards received little service all night.

     Second, New York lacked width in their attack. Solli and Miller did not get forward and overlap as often as they normally do. Also, Lindpere and Ballouchy were often tucked inside and close to each other which made their roles easy to defend. In total, Lindpere, Ballouchy, Richards, Solli and Miller only combined to make eleven crosses from open play, with only two being successful. Hans Backe will have to make adjustments to his formation this week if they are to advance in the US Open Cup on Tuesday at Chicago and then travel to Chivas on Saturday.

     DC, on the other hand, will be thrilled with the road victory over their Conference leaders. Ben Olsen has successfully brought in DeRosario to the starting XI. Davies gave Tim Ream and Carles Mendes something to worry about as he lurked on their shoulders looking to latch on to through balls. Najar’s traits of releasing shots from anywhere and his speed to create space trouble MLS defenders. Olsen will also be happy that DC was able to kill off the game by holding onto the ball. Joseph Ngwenya was brought on and did a great job linking up with DeRosario and finding space to hold the ball.

     Centered around DeRo, DC’s new possession based style has helped their ‘no-name’ defense cope with attacking threats. Kitchen and Woolard sniffed out the threats out wide whilst White and McDonald did well to step in front of shots and clear the ball away from danger. It must be noted that Bill Hamid and Clyde Simms also deserve credit for the clean sheet and create almost a defensive back six. Simms did well to pick up the ball and find DeRosario to launch an attack. Hamid only made four saves, but is so quick off his line to collect through balls behind the back four. With their recent acquisition, look for DC to climb up the table and into a playoff position in the near future. 

Thoughts on the Match?

Tweet us @kpngacleansheet

Or write on our Facebook Wall.

Portland v Seattle (2-3) - Seattle Rallies Twice to Chop Down Rival Timbers

The Timbers limped into the derby on a six match winless slide while the Sounders came in red hot unbeaten in seven.
Portland's Strategy
    For the second straight match, Kenny Cooper was left on the bench. John Spencer elected to play 4-1-4-1 to congest the midfield. Marcelin was brought on and played in a defensive midfield role for Portland. In front of him were Jewsbury and Chara. Operating on the flanks were Nagbe and Alhassan, often electing to switch sides to try and shake up the defense. Perlaza played as the lone striker and struggled to find space, often losing out physically.
Seattle's Strategy
    Sigi Schmid used his usual 4-1-3-2 formation for Seattle. The Sounders benefit by having to only employ one holding midfielder in Ozzy Alonso. He alone covers touchline to touchline and has a wide passing range to create chances. Friberg played in front of Alonso and he did a decent job linking up play between Montero and Alonso. Rosales and Fernandez played out wide. Fernandez was more successful of the two at finding space. Montero played in his usual second striker position and Levesque operated as his strike partner.
Seattle Dominates Possession But Cannot Create
    The opening 20 minutes were intense and cagey, which is typical in most big derby matches. Portland sat deep not wanting to concede an early goal. They let Seattle's back line keep the ball around the halfway line. Portland defended comfortably but were unable to string together a counter attack because of their deep defensive position.
    Seattle was able to craft a half chance in the 27th minute when Freddy Montero received the ball in the middle of the pitch and chipped a ball to the right where Rosales latched onto it but shot over the goal. Fernandez then came to life setting up Montero off of crosses from the left but they could not quite beat Troy Perkins. Repeatedly exploiting the right side of Portland's defense, Fernandez won the ball at the halfway line and sent Levesque through on goal. He never got a shot away and his cross to Montero yielded nothing. Alonso then found Friberg with a long ball in the 39th minute and the Swede did well to hold off a challenge a slid a pass behind Purdy. Fernandez had a chance but his first touch gave him a poor angle and Perkins saved well.
    Portland went to the locker room without ever troubling the back line of Seattle. Alonso sniffed out any play in the middle of the pitch and the narrow Jeld-Wen pitch made it difficult for Nagbe and Alhassan to find space.
Five Goal Second Half
    The opening goal in the first minute in the second half was the best thing that happened in the match. Alhassan found acres of space down the right side and slipped past Wahl into the box. He fired a low cross in to Perlaza at the near post. Parke got to the ball first but inadvertently poked the ball through Keller's legs, sending the Rose City into a tizzy.
    Portland almost controversially doubled their lead seven minutes later after Hurtado went down injured on the pitch and Wallace exploited his injury by crossing a ball low that was begging to be turned in by a charging Perlaza.
    Portland would rue this missed chance after Montero leveled the match off of a free kick that floated past Perkins into the low left hand corner.
    This goal sparked Seattle as Friberg and Montero started to link up well and caused Portland trouble.
    The attacking impetus by the Sounders was not rewarded as Portland took the lead back in the 69th minute. Chara picked up the ball after a clearance on a Sounders corner. He released Alhassan down the right hand side who stormed in the box. His speculative effort deflected in off of Wahl for the second Timber goal.
    Seattle was forced to ramp up the pressure to level the match. James Riley swung in a cross over the head of Montero in the 74th minute. However, the ball reached the substitute Lamar Neagle on the right side. He put a cross in to an unmarked Rosales on the back post. Rosales volleyed it in front of goal to Montero who stuck it past Perkins for his second goal of the game.
    John Spencer responded to the goal by bringing on out of favor Kenny Cooper to rescue a win. The switch did not pay off for the home side. Seven minutes later, Ozzy Alonso sent a ball over the top for Neagle to beat Brunner for pace. He latched onto the ball and Brunner used a high boot to knock Neagle and the ball away. Referee Jorge Gonzalez sent Brunner off and awarded a penalty for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity. Alonso stepped up and buried it past Perkins, sealing his man of the match performance. With ten men, Portland failed to challenge Keller an Seattle walked away with an away win and bragging rights.
Conclusion
    The first half was very cagey and defensive but the fans were rewarded by a barn storming second 45. Seattle deserved the road win as they created more chances and controlled play. Sigi’s formation has worked well and propelled Seattle to second in the west. Alonso is a talent that should be coveted by European side and Montero has slowly started to regain his old form. The addition of Friberg and the healthy Fernandez to midfield added a short passing game. The downsides are the Sounders remain vulnerable down the left side, where Tyson Wahl lacks pace and one on one defending. Also, they have not found a consistent goalscorer to pair alongside Montero. Levesque and Fucito work hard in chasing and pressuring the ball, but they lack the goal scorers instinct.

     Portland was opportunistic in scoring two economical goals. John Spencer will want to rethink his formation for the future because Perlaza struggled as a lone striker. He could not find space to operate, losing the ball 15 times while only completing seven passes and taking two shots. Being predictable in only being able to create out wide, the Timbers need Jewsbury and Chara to play the ball through the middle and make runs to support the lone striker.

     The Timbers Army was fantastic as expected. They will be disappointed with their team’s consistent inability to create chances.

Any thoughts on the derby?

Tweet us @kpngacleansheet

Or Comment on our Facebook Wall.

Real Salt Lake v New England (3-3) - Entertaining Spectacle Ends in Draw

Real Salt Lake and New England engaged in an absurd match featuring referee howlers, two red cards, two penalties, six goals and ultimately, a draw. Instead of an analysis of the multitude of formations and tactics each coach used due to the circumstances, this breakdown focuses on the trends each manager used.

Early Red Card
    In the third minute, the entire match was altered through a dubious referee decision. Matt Reis played a goal kick long that bounced over the heads of Real's defense. Benny Feilhaber was secretly lurking behind the back four and inexplicably found himself through on goal. However, his touch was not great which allowed Nat Borchers to catch up and challenge him. Borchers cleared the ball off of Feilhaber with the ball going out for a goal kick. But, referee Yader Reyes pointed to the spot and sent off Borchers for the denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity. The call was wrong, but from the rear view the referee had it looked like a blatant foul. Rajko Lekic coolly chipped the penalty past Nick Rimando and New England were in dreamland up a man and a goal so early.
Salt Lake's First Half Strategy
    Jason Kreis was forced into a substitution in the 9th minute. Collen Warner was brought off for Chris Schuler to fill Borcher's left center back slot.
    Real opted for a 4-1-3-1 formation. Saborio played as the lone striker and was active pressuring in defense and holding up the ball on offense. Luis Gil, Will Johnson and Andy Williams played behind Saborio. They seemed to interchange between center, right and left midfield positions. Protecting the back four in the holding midfield role was Ned Grabavoy.
New England's Strategy
    Steve Nicol set his side in a 4-4-1-1 formation. Rajko Lekic operated as the lone striker with Feilhaber playing just behind him. Shalrie Joseph and Pat Phelan played in the center of midfield with Joseph playing higher up the pitch an Phelan playing the holding role. Tierney and Nyassi occupied the flanks.
Real Controlling the Game with 10
    New England expanded their lead in the 16^th minute. Tierney took a free kick from a long way out and beat Rimando low and to his left. On first glance it looked as if his wall let him down but replays indicated Lekic pulled a Real defender to the side to open up a shooting area.
    Even before the second goal, New England seemed content being a man up. Salt Lake was playing harder and faster am pressed better, which led to an increase in possession. The crowd was hostile, mostly towards the ref, and this urged their team on. New England sat in a 4-4-2 shell on defense and had no killer instinct to finish off the match.
    Real were given a lifeline through Will Johnson. Saborio won a free kick deep in the Revolution's half. Reis made a save on the free kick but did poorly to give up a rebound which was tapped in by Johnson. To be fair to Reis, his defense was ball watching and failed to help clear the rebound.
Second Half Adjustments
    Down a goal, Kreis brought on Kyle Beckerman for Robbie Russell at halftime to try and control the ball and create play even though they remained a man down. Will Johnson was moved into an attacking right back role to fill in for Russell. Beckerman played in center midfield, mostly left of the center circle and just in front of Grabavoy.

     Eleven minutes into the second half, Salt Lake leveled the score on a Saborio penalty. The spot kick was awarded after a cross deflected off of the left arm of Kevin Alston. It was unclear if the penalty was correctly awarded, since the replays were poor, but the ball definitely hit Alston’s arm which was raised.

     New England seemed to put the match away off of a lovely Shalrie Joseph header off of a Tierney free kick. Joseph was marked by Olave and used the back of his head to flick it off of the right post and in. But, Ryan Cochrane earned himself an early entrance into the dressing room in the 67^th minute after pulling the shirt of Andy Williams and picking up a second yellow card.

     Just before, Fabian Espindola had replaced Gil and moved into a left forward role and was vital in creating chances and troubling New England’s back line in the 27 minutes he was on the pitch. His attacking prowess was rewarded in the 83^rd minute when he scored the equalizer. Olave played a pass on the ground to Saborio who drew the center back’s attention. Saborio exploited Pat Phelan’s poor positioning (he moved back to cover for Cochrane and was clearly not comfortable in the defensive role) and slipped a pass to Espindola who put a left footed shot by Reis. Jason Kreis celebrated by giving a ‘tear’ gesture to the Revolution bench, which was highly hilarious.

Conclusion

     Too often, MLS clubs rely on scoring from the set piece because of struggling to create chances in open play. However, what this Fourth of July match lacked in attacking play was made up for in crazy occurrences. The atmosphere at the Rio Tinto was hostile and intense and the managers were bickering with each other on the side lines. The match saw referee blunders and a thrilling finish which made the match a fun one to watch.

     Credit Real Salt Lake for dealing with adversity and rallying twice to earn a draw. They held a 61/39% advantage in possession and took 15 shots which is amazing considering they played a man down for 64 minutes.

     As for New England, Steve Nicol will not be pleased with surrendering a two goal lead and then a one goal lead at the end.  New England was unable to create chances because Feilhaber and Lekic were not involved in the match. Feilhaber only made 30 passes in 90 minutes, which is quite low for a player in the playmaker role. Lekic only had 3 shots, one being a penalty kick and two were off target from long range. The Revolution lacked a killer instinct to crush Real’s spirits by putting the game to bed in the first half. Instead, they put on the cruise control and moved over to the right land which allowed Salt Lake a way back into the match.  

Thoughts on the Match?

Tweet us @kpngacleansheet.

Write on our Facebook Wall.

DeRosario and DC United Tie Philadelphia 2-2

Philadelphia Union at DC United

Saturday night’s contest was an exciting one, at least on paper leading up to the match, as it put the Eastern Conference leading Philadelphia Union on the road at DC United, who were excited to show off their new acquisition, MLS All-Star Dwayne DeRosario.

DC United Setup:

     Coach Ben Olsen had to be excited when DC made the trade to acquire Dwayne DeRosario from the Red Bulls in exchange for Dax McCarty. He featured him prominently in his first game for DC as they set up in a 4-4-2 with DeRosario playing the playmaker role behind the duo of Davies and Wolff. DeRosario was the link between the defense and the attack. Simms, who set up in the holding midfield position just in front of the back line would gather the ball from the defense and look for DeRosario, either long or short. Once DeRosario received the ball form Simms he looked to distribute anywhere and everywhere. He completed 43 of his 57 attempted passes (according to mlssoccer.com) with many of them long arcing balls down the flanks to either of the two strikers, or Pontius. Najar played wide right but was usually not as far forward as Pontius was on the left.

     It was obvious DC was working on integrating a new key player into their side, and were still working out the kinks. Their build up and passing was not very fluid and at times they seemed almost too concerned with making sure DeRosario received the ball. This led to their two strikers going long stretches of the game without being involved very much, as evidenced by their two combined shots.

Philadelphia Union Setup:

     The Union started out in a 4-4-2 just as they did last week. Much to the delight of the members of Keeping a Clean Sheet, Danny Mwanga was rewarded for his excellent second half performance last Saturday against Chivas USA. Carroll sat in the holding midfield position just in front of the back four and put in an excellent performance, much improved from last weeks’ game. He broke up many of DC’s attempted attacks and was useful in distribution as well, especially to Paunovic, who sat much more forward this game behind Ruiz and Mwanga. Paunovic had some nice passes but was not into the game a ton as DC had much more possession then Philadelphia did.

     Le Toux and Mapp played much more narrow than last week. Le Toux would often get in just behind the strikers, and even sometimes be up top in a forward position. When he did this the striker on his side would get wide almost all the way to the sideline to balance the attacking third. This was a different approach for the Union but because they lacked the ball so much throughout the game their attacking players did not have the necessary opportunities to create more goal scoring chances.

     Le Toux has still not shown the attacking prowess that he did last season. He had a few chances to put a goal to his name, most noteably in the 36’ minute when Carroll and Paunovic linked up. Then Paunovic found Ruiz who, with his back to goal, put a through ball to Le Toux down the right wing. Le Toux then missed the goal going for the far post. It was a noticeable opportunity in the sense that one would expect a Sebastian Le Toux in 2010 form to bury that chance.

1^st Half:

     DC dominated possession but didn’t have as much to show for it as they should have, as they lacked the cohesion to put together that final dangerous pass to lead to a goal scoring opportunity for most of the half, with the exception being in the final minutes. Najar played a through ball to DeRosario (one of his many outstanding off ball runs on the night that one has come to expect from him) who then beat Carroll like a drum with some nifty dribbling and was able to blast a cross across the face of goal that Wolff was able to deflect in for a 1-0 DC lead 

     It was clear that Philadelphia were content to sit on the counter in the first half. They let DC control the ball and looked to spring a counter attack after obtaining possession in their own third from DC. Mwanga and Ruiz were hardly involved as a result. Mapp and Le Toux had a few nice combinations but besides the Le Toux miss in the 36’ minute, it was a rather mundane half from the Union.

2^nd Half:

     The second half was a much more up and down affair than the first, and saw three of the game’s four goals. In the 49’ minute Pontius tried an ill-advised maneuver of chesting the ball down to DeRosario despite the fact that Paunovic was practically standing between them. Then he floated a cross that was at an awkward height for rookie right back Perry Kitchen who kicked the ball with his right foot into the goal to tie the score at 1. Kitchen was caught in between in terms of deciding which foot to use and maybe with some confidence lacking in his left foot was charged with an own goal.

     Just about 10 minutes later, Andy Najar dribbled the ball up field and with no one challenging him he unleashed a rocket that beat Mondragon. Carroll was too deep to come up field and challenge him and neither center back stepped up. This was also a problem for Philadelphia last week against Chivas, they need to close down the space and it has to start with Carroll.

     For the rest of the game DC was looking very comfortable and it seemed as though they would have enough to hold on to win. But, in the 84’ minute Le Toux, who had drifted inside right played a through ball to the right back Williams, who had toasted Pontius. Williams put a cross to Ruiz in who tied the game at 2 with a nifty finish. Philadelphia had to feel pretty good about getting a point, after an own goal and one defensive slip up from DC.

     

Conclusion:

     The Union were able to earn a point in a difficult environment against a tough team boasting their new star player. They showed why they are currently the class of the Eastern Conference with their performance. For next game it would seem as though they really need to get Mwanga and Ruiz more involved. Despite Ruiz’s limited supply of balls he was still able to net the game-tying goal.

     DC had to feel sick to their stomachs at the conclusion of the game. They let two points slip away and had only a draw to show for their performance despite dominating the ball for the majority of the game. On the positive side they look to be an improved side with the addition of DeRosario and he might give them the necessary boost to help them secure a playoff birth.