I'm not going to spend a lot of time discussing a game we should of won big that we did win big. I saw some good things. And here we go...
Good Stuff!
- Christian Gomez. Every time I think that DC should cut ties with Gomez, he'll play like he dad last night. He definitely elevates his game in tournament play, and teams need players that can do that.

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D.C. United got their first-ever group stage CONCACAF Champions league win last night in Trinidad as they beat host San Juan Jabolteh 1-0 on Christian Gomez's first-half penalty kick. The win leaves D.C. United in third place in their group after three games. Jabolteh are in last place with 0 points. Click to continue reading...

Never before that I can think of has DC United made so many roster moves so late in the season. It's obvious that the team is trying to make a strong push for the playoffs, and trying to put together the best roster possible before the acquisition window closes for the season.
Since we last spoke, the team has made a couple new moves, including the signing of Lawson Vaughn. Click to continue reading...

That wasn't exactly how I wanted to see us play against one of the worst teams in the league, but a win is a win, and somehow I still feel like we earned this one. It definitely took this team 30 minutes or so to settle in, and gave up way too many chances during those first 30 minutes, but we looked like the better team in the second half, and ultimately we prevailed. Click to continue reading...

So my DVR inexplicably taped nothing but a black screen, and calls to Comcast expectedly got me nowhere (their proposed solution: turn it off and turn it back on). So this reaction will be based solely on MLSnet highlights and comments in the Insider.
With our remaining schedule chock full of home matches, a tie on the road is certainly not the end of the world. Click to continue reading...

Were there regulation in MLS, this would be called a relegation 6 pointer. DC United stinks on the road, but FC Dallas stinks everywhere. Dallas sits second to last in the Western Conference with 23 points, and DCU has 32 points which puts them in 4th in the East. Rapidly losing ground in the playoff race, with teams above them with games in hand, DC United needs to take care of business on the road and come back with all three points.

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I had my doubts about this lineup going in because it just seemed way too defensive. I'm in favor of continuing with the 4-4-2 formation for the duration of this tournament, but my vision of a 4-4-2 involves attacking wingers, and maybe a creative attacking central midfielder. McTavish and Allen aren't really what you think of in terms of attacking wingers, and Andrew Jacobson isn't really the most creative CAM either. Click to continue reading...

I think going to bed last night before doing my writeup on the Champions League qualifier last night was for the best. As I looked online at all the familiar places, I noticed that every fan who wrote was angry as I was. I wasn't to the point of clear thought last night, so I figured if I slept on it, I would come up with something more balanced to say.

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Good evening everyone. As another busy summer rolls along, a new competition officially enters the fray with the preliminary rounds of the CONCACAF kicking off tonight. Starting off the competition will be D.C. United, who take on a team from El Salvador,

With Ives on vacation and out of the country, I'll be coming to you live from the press box at RFK Stadium with commentary and insight from the match.

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Each year, the Greater Washington Sports Alliance puts on SneakerBall, a black tie and sneakers gala that celebrates the best sports in the greater Washington, D.C. region. It will take place on September 15 at the National Building Museum.

This year, United has three individuals up for awards:

• Kevin Payne for Sports Executive
• Devon McTavish for Solid Character
• Talon for Team Mascot

We'd be ever so happy if you'd consider voting for KP, Devon and Talon.

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Americans Abroad / USMNT
USMNT Preliminary Gold Cup Roster Revealed - Soccer By Ives
Thoughts On The US Gold Cup Squad - MLS Talk
Who Gets The Start vs Egypt? - MLS Daily
Egyptian Connections - The MNT Blog
US Team Has Lacked Any Kind Of Spark In Confederations Cup - Miami Herald
What Do US Fans Expect From The USMNT? Click to continue reading...

A busy week for D.C. United continues today as the team prepares to face the Colorado Rapids tonight. The team got into Denver late last night after the flight was delayed almost four hours. The Black-and-Red will go through a light kickaround this morning to get ready for tonight's matchup.

After a draw against the Sounders, United currently holds a record of 5-2-8 (22 pts. Click to continue reading...

There was a bit of an off-hand comment from a user on the Soccer Insider this morning when Goff revealed the news that Josh Gros had been offered a position in the front office by Piotr Nowak and the Philadelphia Union. The commenter b18bolo suggested that Nowak might also go after some of his other former players like Ben Olsen and Bobby Convey.

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The New York Red Bulls are in their favorite house of horrors, RFK Stadium, tonight to take on arch-rival D.C. United (7:30pm, ESPN2). The last-place Red Bulls are in dire need of points, but finding some tonight will be difficult against a D.C. team that has had their number this year (and most years for that matter).

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The New York Red Bulls have made the trip down I-95 to take on D.C. United in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match at RFK Stadium.

The Red Bulls are coming off a 1-1 tie vs. Houston while D.C. United also managed a late equalizer in its 2-2 tie vs. Chivas USA.

Both teams are resting starters, though the Red Bulls look to have fewer starters in their lineup for tonight's match.

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It's so rare to have a trade that affects every single facet of the team: from goalkeeper to the attack to the draft. And you just get the feeling that this is one of those moments that we'll look back on and say whether it made or broke the season.
When Colorado and DC made a trade last offseason, you can't really say that either team won on that deal, because both missed the playoffs. Click to continue reading...

Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but with Ownership's threats against Dave Kasper and Tom Soehn if the team fails to perform in 2009, it appears that they may have gone and sacrificed the future in favor of one last chance to shine. The truth is, I reckon there is greater than a 50% chance that Christian Gomez, Jaime Moreno, and Ben Olsen will all retire following this season. Click to continue reading...

The team is down in Charleston, with just a little over two weeks until the start of the season, and with very few questions left to answer. We've got our MIDUN. The developmental roster is set, with Milos Kocic (the new Shawn Crowe or the new Troy Perkins?), Brandon Barklage (the new Dan Stratford or Ryan Cordeiro? Click to continue reading...

As promised, this is the first of a new recurring feature here at the DCUMD blog. In the NFL, coaches and analysts often divide the season into four quarters when discussing how their team is doing. For example, the Redskins were a good 3-1 in the first quarter of their season, but finished 1-3 in their fourth quarter. Click to continue reading...

I guess MLS didn't spend much time upgrading the referees this offseason.
If this game is going to be representative of the entire season, then we could be in for another long one. Actually, the opening match wasn't much different from last year. We played hard, we fought, we had some missed chances, but ultimately it was some individual errors and some bad luck that cost us the match. Click to continue reading...

I've been pretty busy with house additions and family functions the past couple weeks, so without the capability to DVR matches that frustatingly are not on television, my reactions to these past two matches are coming only from video highlights and the written opinions of other fans, bloggers, and reporters. Click to continue reading...

What an incredible contrast from the previous match. Even though they both ended in ties, this was a much more inspired DC United club, playing against a much more inspired opponent. The match against Kansas City earlier in the week saw two offensive subs (Gomez and Emilio) enter the match and have no impact. Click to continue reading...

It is an absolutely gorgeous night out at the ballpark. The teams are out for pre-game warm-ups, and the fans are starting to file in for tonight's battle for 1st place. D.C. enters tied with Toronto FC atop the Eastern Conference standings. The Wizards will assume the top spot with a victory tonight. Click to continue reading...

March 2009: 0-0-2 (2pts, 1p/g, 3GF, 3GA, 0GD, 1.5 gf/g, 1.5ga/g)
April 2009: 2-1-1 (7pts, 1.75p/g, 6GF, 5GA, +1GD, 1.5 gf/g, 1.25ga/g)

We're going to chunk every month of the MLS Season, to see what, if any, insight we can derive from examining a series of games rather than focusing on an individual game.

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In a sparsely attended game (which may be the worst to take your Dad to as his first professional soccer experience), DCU beat out FCD 2-0, with goals by Fred and Brandon Barklage, who dazzled. Chances were easy to come by, as DC had Dallas goal under siege from the get go.

Fred missed a sitter early in the first half, and Quaranta was not playing his best, despite what Goff's ratings may tell you.

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What a meh week following a meh result, that I couldn't see. Gotta love when a game isn't on, and you have to catch whatever you can online. So, we all know now that DC lost 2-1 off of a goal by Javier Morales. Before that, United-Slayer Beckerman smacked the crossbar. So, after the first goal by RSL, you really felt that the field tilted their way.

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Call it the opposite of last week. This was a more entertaining match, with United having stretches of strong possession and creative attacks. At the same time, Real Salt Lake had the edge over the course of all ninety minutes, and the result is a fair reflection of a game where RSL was one goal better than United.

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I feel like a disgrace for neglecting my wonderful but few readers during this time of year when there is so little else to read in MLS circles. With this blog's constant focus on United roster developments, this should be my Super Bowl! But instead I've been wasting away on the pine. A few life changes have revised my priorities slightly (I'm a new father! Click to continue reading...

Remember how our trusted front office brought in all these talented foreign players with the hope of giving us a better chance to advance in international competitions this year? With United finishing the Champions League with just 1 point in 6 matches, that seems like a distant memory. This was more like the team we've all grown used to after watching the Champions Cup and Superliga earlier in the year. Click to continue reading...

By definition, the Popie Award goes to the DC United defender of the year. I think this category is pretty self explanatory. The award's namesake Eddie Pope was the MLS Defender of the Year in 1997, and anchored our team in central defense from 1996 to 2002. Pope remains a member of the MLS All-Time Best XI. Click to continue reading...

What a wild ride. How is it possible that after all the injuries, all the mistakes, all the questionable decisions, and all the unlucky breaks, I can still go to mlsnet.com right now and see United currently in the playoffs? Pretty strange turn of events. It just seemed so fitting for this season to officially end on a stupid individual mistake that cost us a goal to a team that didn't deserve one. Click to continue reading...

Virtually unknown CFR Cluj beat Roma 1-2 on the road in the UEFA Champions League yesterday! Wow!
CONCACAF Champions League News
Official CONCACAF website
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All televised games shown on FSC.
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Matches & Scores:
-Tue Sep 16
DC United 0-2 Saprissa - Sap goals by Walter Centeno & Jairo Arrieta. Click to continue reading...

What else is new? Another night of CONCACAF Champions League Action and another loss for an MLS side while another result is recorded by a side from our second division, USL-1. However we must all cut DC United some slack: without so many key players and then down a man after Devin McTavish's strange sending [. Click to continue reading...

I was wrong when I suggested earlier that DCU would probably be taking the CCL seriously, since they had rested Emilio and Fred for the Dallas match. Instead we sent out an even weaker team tonight, that included the reappearance of Zach Wells! Goff says it's because Crayton had a sore knee, I'm not so sure. Click to continue reading...

A tie at home against a lesser Western Conference opponent certainly should feel like a loss. Somehow for me though, this one doesn't. Maybe it's because we outplayed Dallas, to the point where I think we really deserved the win. This felt like it should have ended at 2-1. Oh well. I guess we'll just have to steal back those extra two points when we play them again on the road in two weeks. Click to continue reading...