Think of somebody you'd want to play if you were an MLS team on the ropes and riding a seven-game losing streak. Now picture the exact opposite. There's a good chance you're thinking of Sporting Kansas City, D.C. United's opponents tonight. Here goes nothing.
Joe Willis is a rather large gentleman. If you pay attention at all to his blonde facial hair, he also frequently looks like he's spent considerable time lost in the Rocky Mountains, which is borderline conceivable for the Colorado native and University of Denver product. He might actually be Bigfoot, now that I think about it.
As the 2013 MLS season approaches, we're running the proverbial rule over each player on D.C. United's roster.
Joe Willis is a rather large gentleman. If you pay attention at all to his blonde facial hair, he also frequently looks like he's spent considerable time lost in the Rocky Mountains, which is borderline conceivable for the Colorado native and University of Denver product.
Thierry Henry and possibly Tim Cahill cost the New York Red Bulls a lead goal in the 69th minute of their Eastern Conference semi-final clash after Kenny Coopers spot-kick had to be retaken following the former Premier League stars encroachment and sub keeper Joe Willis saved the resulting re-take just moments after replacing the red carded Bill Hamid who gave away the spot-kick.
D.C. United battled an early goal from superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a lengthy weather delay to
forge a confidence-boosting 1-1 draw with the building French power Paris Saint-Germain.
AC Milan edged Chelsea on a second half goal and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored in first match for
PSG in the World Football Challenge on July 28, 2012.
Chelsea 0-1 AC Milan
Urby Emanuelson scored the lone goal in the 68th minute as AC Milan edged Chelsea. It's
Chelsea's second straight loss during their USA tour as they lost on Wednesday to the MLS
All-Stars.
D.C. United's road struggles continue to haunt them as they looked non-responsive in their 1-0 loss
to the Columbus Crew tonight at Columbus Crew Stadium.
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.
It has been a roller coaster 2012 for young D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
He started it by earning his first U.S. national team cap, and was subsequently named by no less
than Jurgen Klinsmann as the No. 2 goalkeeper in the U.S. national team pool. He was starting on
the U.
It's only been three weeks since the Dynamo and DC United played at
RFK Stadium. United won 3-2 and while they've continued to play very well since, things will
hopefully be a bit different on Saturday. To preview the match, Martin Shatzer of Black and Red
United and I exchanged a simple question: How will this match be different from the last?
U.S. Soccer Development Academy alum Will Bruin (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri) continues
to impress, even though his Houston Dynamo team is in the midst of a four-game winless stretch.
Bruin tallied both Dynamo goals during Houston's 3-2 loss to D.C. United on Saturday at RFK
Stadium.
Join the guys as they look back at D.C. United's past three matches, including the draw against
Montreal and the back-to-back wins against New York Red Bull and the Houston Dynamo (left). They
also look ahead to the Black-and-Red's upcoming road trip and go over the rest of the action across
MLS. Photo: Martin Fernandez
After every match this season, the staff here at The Bent Musket will be putting together player
ratings. Ratings are on a 1-10 scale, with 5 representing a thoroughly average performance, and 6 a
decent/capable showing. The final ratings will be averages of individual ratings from Steve Stoehr,
Corey Major, Matty Jollie, and Abram Chamberlain.
It would have been nice to win this one, especially being that it was against DC United. But
alas, the chips did not fall in our favor. I think what hurts the most, after watching the replay,
is that really just a few inches were the difference in the scoreline. It was just a matter of
inches that Chris Tierney's first free kick didn't get past Joe Willis and just a matter of inches
that Lee Nguyen's nutmeg shot in the 40th minute drifted wide of the post.
Benny Feilhaber put in a solid performance off the bench in a losing effort. (Photo: Chris
Aduama/aduama.com)
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).
Jose Moreno scored his first goal for the Revolution in a losing effort on Saturday. (Photo:
Chris Aduama/aduama.com)
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. A fast start and lead for the New Revolution was quickly canceled out by D.C.
United and the visitors would go on to grab a 2-1 win in a back-and-forth affair on Saturday
afternoon in front of 10,389 at Gillette Stadium.
D.C. United's Nick DeLeon battles Sporting K.C.'s Kei Kamara for position during the preseason.
(Photo: Joshua Pearson)
(Editor's note: Prior to each Revolution match, New England Soccer Today will invite a
reporter who covers the Revolution's upcoming opponent to provide greater insight on what to expect
on gameday.
WASHINGTON -- There were no goals to speak of when D.C. United and the Seattle Sounders wrapped
proceedings Saturday, but that's not to say the match was completely devoid of drama.
The teams traded opportunities throughout, even though neither side found much of a rhythm in
what often amounted to a battle of physicality in the middle of the park.
The process of selecting the SBI MLS Best XI is starting to become a challenge to see who will
join Thierry Henry on the squad each week.
The New York Red Bulls striker put in another outstanding performance to earn SBI MLS Player of
the Week honors again, and lead the selections for MLS Best XI for Week Four.
Week 4 of MLS action saw two league leaders fall and one come back on the road. The Revolution
handed the Galaxy a defeat to put them in last place of the Western Conference while Real Salt Lake
climbed back to win against Portland. San Jose gave Seattle all they can handle and suddenly out of
nowhere the New York Red Bulls impressed.
The atmosphere was charged in historic RFK Stadium as two teams on opposite sides of the standings
faced off in front of a national TV audience. Â DC United was winless in their first three matches
and had scored one goal; ...
Visit http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com for the rest of the story.
Maicon Santos had two goals and an assist in D.C. United's first win of the season, a 4-1 win over
visiting FC Dallas last night at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. Rookie Nick De Leon pitched in a
goal and ...
An excellent result, though you'd have been forgiven if you thought this one was going to turn
sour after the break. Let's be brutally honest. FC Dallas probably should have been up a goal or
two in the first fifteen minutes. United looked slow to wake up to the game, a bit disorganized,
and were finding little joy in possession.
WASHINGTON -- When Maicon Santos was sent to FC Dallas in a trade midway through last season,
the Brazilian striker was largely considered the missing link for a championship-caliber squad. But
after scoring two goals in 11 games, Santos was benched in the playoffs and let go during the
offseason.
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.
While it wasn't the full three points they were looking for, D.C. United battled the previously
unbeaten and confident Vancouver Whitecaps to 0-0 draw last night at BC Place in British Columbia.
Joe Willis got his second consecutive shutout against ...
CARSON, Calif. -- During the first two weeks of their season, the Los Angeles Galaxy struggled
to score goals, but against DC United, the goals finally came--and in bunches.Â
Robbie Keane scored two goals and Marcelo Sarvas added a third as the Galaxy defeated DC United
3-1.
It was a Sunday of firsts at the Home Depot Center for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Robbie Keane had his first two-goal game in MLS, fittingly perhaps coming the day after St.
Patrick's day, midfielder Marcelo Sarvas scored his first career MLS goal and the Galaxy breathed a
collective sigh of relief with its first win of the season, defeating DC United 3-1 at the Home
Depot Center.
Robbie Keane scored on either side of halftime and the supposed weary legs of the Los Angeles
Galaxy ran all over D. C. United in their 3-1 victory today in Carson, California. Marcelo Sarvas
scored the final goal for the ...
DC United's match with the Columbus Crew was canceled due to rain. It would have been United's
last match of the preseason against a Columbus Crew side that finished fourth in the Eastern
Conference last year. It rounds up the Carolina Challenge Cup also. With two wins, United win the
cup and look good starting out the year against the current Eastern Conference champs, Sporting
Kansas City.
While the effort was better for D.C. United the result was the same. Another loss, this time to 2-1 to FC Dallas at FC Dallas Stadium tonight in Frisco, Texas. The loss for United, their seventh straight, has now established a new team record in a season that is now quickly evaporating. Je-Vaughn Watsons chested [.
Nick DeLeon's 88th minute goal was the game and series-winner as D.C. United stunned New York Red Bull 1-0 in the second leg of their MLS playoff series in Harrison, NJ. United won the aggregate 2-1 over two legs, but not without the requisite storybook finish.
The readjusted and then delayed Eastern Conference final series between DC and New York ended with an 88th minute Nick DeLeon goal on Thursday night in Harrison, New Jersey. DC advance 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate. The series took another odd turn in the second-leg, with DC goalkeeper Bill Hamid ejected in the 69th minute.
The Los Angeles Galaxy will be out for a dose of SuperClasico revenge this weekend.
Chivas USA grabbed its first win in the Home Depot Center rivalry since 2007 with a 1-0 triumph
in May. Come Saturday, the Galaxy will look to even the season series and widen their narrow lead
over Chivas for the fifth and final Western Conference playoff slot.
Bucking the trend of goal scorers being named Major League Soccer's Player of the Week, Chivas USA
goalkeeper Dan Kennedy won the honor for Week 6. Kennedy had four saves in a 1-0 shutout of
Toronto. Kennedy received five of the 17 first-place votes. Also receiving votes were Kansas City's
Aurelian Collin (3), LA's Landon Donovan (2), Seattle's Zach Scott(2), LA's David Beckham (1), LA's
David Junior Lopes (1) DC's Joe Willis (1), Dallas's Blas.
The Richmond Kickers played their second preseason match this weekend, but the first that included D.C. United players. Both Ethan White and Taylor Kemp started against the Carolina Railhawks, while Conor Shanosky played the entire second half. Shanosky was kept out of the starting lineup by Phillippe Davies, formerly of the Vancouver Whitecaps and a recent call-up to the Canadian National Team.
The New England Revolution are about to kick off against DC United at Gillette Stadium in the
beautiful spring weather. As usual, this live blog will be run jointly with the guys from New
England Soccer Today. Lineups to follow, and by the way: let the Pepe Moreno era begin!
Lineups
Revolution: Matt Reis; Kevin Alston, Stephen McCarthy, A.
