In a week when there weren't exactly a ton of goals scored in MLS, there stood a very good chance that a goalkeeper would have a good chance to be the MLS Player of the Week. Given the performance Bill Hamid turned in, he would have been a serious contender no matter how many goals were scored around the league.
Just a few days ago, Andy Najar became the first MLS homegrown player to be sold abroad - and to a perennial Champions League team, no less. It was almost enough to make us momentarily forget D.C. United's first ever homegrown signing, Bill Hamid. You know, the guy who had the best saves percentage in MLS last year.
Three days ago, Bill Hamid tweeted that "packing is stressful." Most of us who saw that just moved on, because packing can be stressful, especially around the holidays. However, given D.C. United's recent history with communicating training stints, a tiny red flag started stirring in the back of my mind.
D.C. United held on for a crucial 1-1 draw against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, and no player was as key to D.C. securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs than goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
The young netminder made eight saves, several of which were of the highlight reel variety, to keep the Fire from scoring a winner and relegating D.
The final frantic minutes of Saturday's Eastern Conference showdown between D.C. United and the Chicago Fire looked like they would generate a goal. As the Fire pelted the D.C. goal with chance after chance, it seemed inevitable that the home team would find the goal to help them avoid the East wild card round.
WASHINGTON Despite gaining a 2-1 victory on Saturday over New England and springing back into fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings, there weren't many felicitous parties in D.C. United's locker room after the game. Coach Ben Olsen was overall dissatisfied with his team's "rusty, gutsy" performance and wasn't wowed by anyone except his [.
Chris Pontius had a goal and assisted Louis Neal (above) in his game winning goal and Bill Hamid made a flurry of stunning saves in the final minutes to help D.C. United preserve a critical 2-1 win over the New England Revolution tonight at RFK Stadium. Photo, Martin Fernandez.
WASHINGTON -- D.C. United's response to all of the controversy and disappointment from Sunday's
draw against Philadelphia was a thorough win over a fellow contender in the Eastern Conference.
Dwayne De Rosario scored the 99th goal of his career, and newcomers Lionard Pajoy and Long Tan
got in the act as well, as D.
Three days after the US Open Cup final there were plenty of fans that were worried about a
potential let down last night at Livestrong Sporting Park when Kansas City took on DC United. It
was anything but though as KC controlled the game and could have won by quite a bit more than the
2-1 score line.
If you were expecting a let down after Sporting KC played 120 minutes against Seattle Sounders
FC in the US Open Cup, you couldn't have been more wrong. No physical or emotional fatigue were
apparent against DC United as the two sides squared off with a shot at first place in the Eastern
Conference on the line.
Sporting KC defeated DC United in 2-1 in Major League Soccer (MLS) on August 11, 2012. It's the
first home win for Sporting in their last home matches.
The match started out with Sporting dominating play and taking the lead in the 13th minute. Teal
Bunbury would head in a Graham Zusi corner kick to make it 1-0.
Tonight's game at Columbus is not a season defining game, but it may well demonstrate whether
the first 17 minutes of last Sunday's match at Houston or the 73 that followed were. Coherence and
a small degree of dominance broke down when Bill Hamid was ejected and DC United failed to survive
the loss of one player.
Emilio Renteria's reaction to a hard challenge has cost him a game.
Renteria was suspended one game and fined an undisclosed amount by the MLS Disciplinary
Committee for delivering a headbutt to Sporting Kansas City midfielder Paulo Nagamura in the second
half of the Crew's 2-0 loss Saturday night.
After two matches without a goal, the Dynamo offense awoke with a vengeance, putting four goals
past a 10-man D.C. United. Now that's how you start a pivotal three match home stand.
Houston earned two penalties (scored by Brad Davis and Brian Ching), Boniek Garcia opened his
MLS goal-scoring account with a fabulous header and Will Bruin joined in the on the fun as well off
a tremendous assist from Luiz Camargo.
In front of a sellout crowd at PPL Park, Philadelphia Union began John Hackworth's tenure as
manager with all the intent, energy and attacking vigor that was previously lacking from their 2012
performances. The result however was no different as the home side's inability to convert chances
proved costly, as Chris Pontius' 78th minute strike stole all three points for DC United.
MLS action took a backseat in the world of soccer this week as the Euros got underway across the
pond, the U.S. Men's National Team kicked off World Cup Qualifying in Tampa, and U.S. Open Cup
action captivated fans across the country. While none of our locals saw MLS action, there were a
few high points to come out of this week from US Open Cup and USL matches.
00:26 - Carlos Valdes runs up and strikes a hard free kick that dips in front of D.C. United
goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who is able to parry the shot to his right. A Union follow up is cleared off
the line by Daniel Woolward, before Gabriel Farfan blasts it wide of the net.
Saer Sène and A.J. Soares scored two minutes apart early in the second half to briefly put the
New England Revolution on level terms, but substitute Maicon Santos responded for D.C. United with
the game-winning goal in the 61st minute as the Revs suffered a 3-2 loss on Saturday night at RFK
Stadium.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Revolution scored two early second-half goals to erase a 2-0 halftime
deficit, but D.C. United sub Maicon Santos scored in the 61st minute to give the home side a 3-2
over New England.
It was the second straight game that a second half sub has scored and stolen points away from
the Revolution, this time ruining a valiant second half comeback attempt led by goals from Saer
Sene and AJ Soares.
Don't think you were alone if you went into the half shaking your head and wondering how United
were 2 0 up. Some combination of luck, Boskovic free kicks, and Hamid's reflexes opened a margin
that didn't seem so pronounced on the field, particularly after the Guy injury forced Heaps to move
Feilhaber inside where he belongs.
D.C. United is on the cusp of earning what has turned into a rare distinction for the club this
deep into the season in recent years. With a win over the New England Revolution Saturday night,
D.C. will enter its three-week international break in first place in the Eastern Conference.
Is 2012 the year of the slump? It sure looks that way. After all, Albert Pujols only yesterday
broke his career long home run slump. Toronto FC on the other hand have run out of ideas on how to
break their historic 0-8-0 losing streak. Meanwhile, the word "early" has probably left LA Galaxy
Manager Bruce Arena's vocabulary as they have lost two in a row.
Toronto FC secured their solitary place in the MLS record books on Saturday, but for a
distinction nobody would ever want.
TFC lost their eight straight match, an MLS record, as D.C. United went to BMO Field and posted
a 2-0 victory. Chris Pontius and Hamdi Salihi delivered the goals for a D.
Just open this link in a new tab and let it run in the background.
Here we are on the cusp of greatness. Generations will ask, where were you when JFK was shot? Where
were you when the twin towers fell? Where were you when TFC set the benchmark for mediocrity? And
my answers are (a) wasn't born yet, (b) waking up about to head to work, (c) in the same seat I
always experience my mediocrity, halfway up 113.
Bill Hamid is expected to miss the next one to three weeks with the ankle injury he picked up
while with the U.S. Under-23 men's national team, D.C. United announced on Thursday.
MRI results revealed the 21-year-old goalkeeper suffered a ligament sprain and bone contusions
to his left ankle in the first half of the U.
United States National Team and DC United goalkeeper Bill Hamid has been diagnosed with a 'grade 1
deltoid ligament sprain and bone contusions in the talus and medial tibia' in his left ankle and
will miss one to three weeks. "It's unfortunate that Bill sustained multiple injuries against El
Salvador and was not physically able to finish the match," DC general manager Dave Kasper said in a
press statement.
Just over one minute into their final group stage match, the United States had wiped the taste
of a 2-0 loss to Canada from their memories. Brek Shea fought off two defenders on the left touch
line before beating a third man and whipping a waist-high cross into the box.
Four days after the U.S. Under-23 Men's National Team was elminated from contention to
qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games, U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmannreflected on what he saw during the tournament, and what important steps must be taken
in order to move forward.
It what may have been their most emotional match to date, the young American national team saw
themselves fall victim to a stoppage time goal which ended hopes of moving through to the
semi-finals. Effectively the 3-3 draw with El Salvador, while thrilling, ruined hopes of seeing the
American youngsters take on the world's best.
The United States Under-23 National Team entered their final match of Group A play in need of a
victory to advance in the qualifying for the Summer Olympics.
Standing in their way, however, was a resilient El Salvador squad that gave the Americans every
thing they could handle, right up until the 90th minute.
Not what was supposed to be the resonating image of the Group Stage for the U-23's.
The US U-23 squad took the field Monday night in Nashville with their proverbial backs to the
wall.
They left with a valiant effort behind them, but their heads ultimately down.
Needing a win against El Salvador to advance out of the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying group stage,
the US players acted their age and put on an "immature performance" replete with wild momentum
swings, a frenetic comeback and mental lapses at the worse moments to see their bid to play for a
berth in Kansas City denied.
Brek Shea and the US crashed out last night to El Salvador. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Soccer is a cruel sport sometimes. Make no mistake about it.
Yes it was a total collapse in a way by the US U-23 team last night against El Salvador in
Nashville. Having a 3-2 lead late into extra time, with just seconds away from being able to move
on to the semifinals, the unthinkable happened as El Salvador found a way to get by keeper Sean
Johnson for the 3-3 draw.
Well, on the bright side, the Union will have Freddy Adu, Amobi Okugo and Sheanon Williams back
ahead of Saturday's match against Vancouver...Nah, not working, too soon. This still sucks.
US
In need of a win against El Salvador on Monday night in order to advance to the semifinals in
CONCACAF Olympic qualifying, US U-23 coach Caleb Porter said, "There is no doubt in my mind that we
are going to get the result.
El Salvador's Jaime Alas scored a last-gasp equalizer in stoppage time to eliminate the
United States from Olympic qualifying during Monday's drama-filled 3-3 draw at LP Field
Nashville.
The U.S. found goals from Terrence Boyd (2′, 65′) and Joe Corona (68′), but it wasn't
enough to overcome the strikes of Alas, Mark Blanco (35′) and Andres Flores (37′) as the
U.
Overall thoughts on the match: "We're obviously very disappointed. We knew going
into the match that we were going to face an organized team, a team that was going to sit with
numbers behind the ball and look to exploit us on the counterattack and on set pieces.
After crushing a paltry Cuban side two days prior, the American U-23's suffered a shocking defeat
at the hands of Canada by a score of 2-0. The defeat puts the American hopes of the 2012 Olympics
in serious doubt.
In the second match of Group A, the Canadians took advantage of set pieces by scoring on corner
kicks.
Mais um jogo das eliminatórias da Copa do Mundo de 2014, foi realizado no dia 03/06/2012, na
cidade de Calabar-NGA, onde jogaram as seleções da Nigéria (63º no ranking da FIFA) e a
seleção da Namíbia (120º no ranking da FIFA).
Antes desse jogo, as 2 seleções jogaram: Eliminatórias Continentais
EdiçãoLocalDataJogoFase2002Windhoek16/06/2001 NAM0:2 (0:0)NGA Segunda rodada2002Lagos02/09/2000
NGA4:0 (1:0)NAM Segunda rodada
O quarteto de árbitros, foi:
Referee: Khalid ABDEL (SDN)Assistant Referee 1: Waleed AHMED (SDN)Assistant Referee 2: Mohammed
HAMID (SDN)Fourth official: Badr ABDEL (SDN)
Scout:
Ikechukwu Uche (80.
After each match the contributors to New England Soccer Today will rate the performances of
the New England Revolution players who made an appearance on a 1 to 10 scale (1 horrendous, 5
average, 10 perfection). This week Brian O'Connell and Ryan Lanigan contributed ratings for New
England's 2-2 draw with the Houston Dynamo.
