Beating a Dead Horse - DC 3 - 1 RBNY

By: Dave Martinez | August 23rd, 2007

WHAT DID I TELL YOU GUYS ABOUT JUMPING THE GUN?! THE DEFENSE IS GOOD ENOUGH AS IS?!

I dunno, but that LA win has alot of our fans sniffing glue.

What we need are these guys right here:

THE GOOD

. . . .

Bright spots, bright spots . . . where are those bright spots . . .

MATHIS and VIDE tandem

Mathis was good for half of our 4 shots on goal, and Vide played a deep center position for this game. They complement each other well, though more can be done to strengthen their ability to transition from attack to defense - Vide could have been a handy pair of legs for a couple of those DC goals had he fallen back.

Nevertheless, a fair perfomance by the duo.

THE OTHER GUYS THAT CAME TO PLAY

Magee was rusty but I love seeing the kid out there. He can do something big, I know it, injuries or not. He even got one of our 4 shots on goal, and we all remember which one that was. Angel played well. DVB was ok. Even Mendes was ok. Um. Thats it.

THE DC STADIUM AIN’T HAPPENING!

Just had to throw that into the good, to liven my spirits (which are at a real low right now). Must remind ourselves where we are, and where they are, how we have a stadium slowly into its construction, and a training facility to boot . . . and they have a stadium drawn up to look like the private parts of a shriveled old lady. Nice future boys.

THE BAD

OUR DEFENSE

We once again have been swiss cheesed up.

As a group? Horrendous. Disorganization was the key to the game play. Parke was invisible. Leitch? Who?!?!? And Mendes was dependable, and once again, I feel not given the credit he is due for making quiet but solid plays. I do however, reserve special spots for two of our TRUE “THE BADS.”

HUNTER FREEMAN

Again, beating a dead horse, but do you think either Marvell Wynne OR Todd Dunivant would have games like these? Lets face it - with the emergence of Dane Richards, Wynne had to go. But the same seems to be reflective of Hunter Freeman. His pushes up top were horrendous, and he was indirectly AND directly involved in 2 of their 3 goals tonite.

He got burnt over and over again, costing us a goal or 2.

He was out of position for that Ben Olsen strike.

He just didnt show up.

Thats bad.

WATERREUS

“Hey Ronnie! The balls coming from the OTHER side!”

I believe his new bio pic on mlsnet should be :

Manos de Piedra indeed . . .

So what happened to our shutout machine from earlier in the season? If the man is injured, SIT EM!!!

But if THIS is Ronnie Dubya, pack em back up, parcel post, right back to Europe. Jon Conway may not be the Oliver Kahn of the MLS, but neither is Dubya, and until Dubya can get his stuff together, I think the job should be Conways to lose.

But i digress. I will have my usual take on this situation

- I will give Waterreus a chance to redeem himself before he falls into the catagory of THE TOS (the offside) WHOOPING BOYS LIST, which at one point included DVB and Dane Richards, whom have since graduated, but now is occupied by our entire defensive side and Claudio Reyna.

Once on the list, you lose my support, till earned back.

THE UGLY

THE DEFENSE

As HOLE-Y as EVER

WATERREUS

GROW THE MULLET BACK FOR EXTRA POWER!

NICE HEADER PASS TO THE D! NICE BLIND PASSES! NICE COMMITTING AND THROWING YOUR BODY INTO BALLS OUTSIDE THE BOX WHICH ARE ALREADY BEING DEFENDED! UGLY!

MACTAVISH, BURCH, NAMOFF

THE DC DEFENSE AT PRACTICE BEFORE THE RBNY GAME

Buncha
$&!$&!)$&!)$&!&$)!$!(#*!(*&a$*Q$@!)%)!&!%)&)
*^(&^#*&$@!$_%!&$%!&$!@(#!(*$_!%$^!)$%&^&&)_*&(%#%^*$%)^_
&**&(**^$&%$@^&#*$(%^)*&*mp;$@^$Q$&@!*#_!
Goons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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IN THE END . . . . .

Look, I am never cheery about a DC win. Especially when I DVRed the damn thing for after work, stayed up late, and watched that pathetic defensive breakdown, lost sleep, for nothing.

Soccer is like building blocks. Build the strong foundation, and much like a building, you will be able to make it grow taller, stronger, larger. And in Soccer, the foundation is Defense. There can be no distribution, crossing or scoring if the D is not your backbone.

Games like 5-4 happen once in a million times - A game where D is absent and you come out on top. Doesnt happen often at a World professional level.

So we can not be complacent with a back four tandem which includes journey men, and pet projects, throw aways and never beens. We have to find that formula, that missing piece in the back, which will be the stabilizing force amongst this flux. I know that the additions and subtractions are what have gotten us to this point, but we have to do something before this situation continues to deteriorate.

Our reader “Gianfranco” of the AC Milan blog recommended Francesco Coco who has stated he would like to play in RBNY But click that August 12th link, and you will see that RBNY REJECTED THE BID.

I am glad to see we are so set on D. Great. Loving it.

Next game is New England. Not an easy challenge.

Arena, we are depending on ya!