Association Football

I bet an Englishman watching the first 30 minutes of this match would come away saying MLS is of a much lower quality. Thus far the game has less rhythm and flow than Karl Rove on the dance floor. But you can almost see the sweat pouring off the camera. The linesman looks like he had heat exhaustion 15 minutes in. Could you imagine an EPL team like Stoke playing in Houston in August – the Brits whine about the heat when its 65 and sunny.

But these are two good teams on any level. DC with Quaranta and Fred on the wings, Gomez in the middle, the cagey Moreno and the young starlet Chris Pontius make up a strong side. Houston has 3 USMNT players Rico Clark, Stuart Holden, and Brian Ching, as well as the talented Brad Davis. Houston looks to have a bit better handle on the game and have exposed DC on the wings. DC is just not possessing the ball very well.

Update: Brad Davis just scored a bizarre goal from distance. The DC keeper seemed to think it was a cross and watched it go past him into his side netting. He may not have seen it. But that is poor. You have to see that.

Update 2: Beaten near post by Ching – the keeper has to do better. Watching it again, it was a good strike, Namoff should closed down and recognized that Ching was not going to get past him. But Wicks the keeper went down and made himself small.

Update 3: Wow utter collapse. The 3-5-2 is showing its flaws. Holden with a great ball to the right back who pushed into space. He puts in a cross that doesn’t find his target but ends up making DC scramble and a good 1-2 and Ching has a clear shot on goal. He is making me eat my words.

43: DC can’t get anything going through the middle of the field. Gomez has been invisible and they can only all punt it up route 1.

Gomez makes an appearance and gets well deserved yellow. That sort of summed up the half for DC.

Its halftime and no joke Santino Quaranta and Brad Davis were asked who on their team looks best in a pair of chaps and who can ride a mechanical bull the longest. Stunning sports journalism.

Watching the second Ching goal again I think Namoff is really at fault. You can’t allow a striker a free shot on goal whether you are shadding him near post or not. Namoff has to challenge Ching there.

47th – GOAL…. how was he so open – bad shot, good deflection… wow. Davis walks into the DC 18 and botches it. Josh Wicks was running around with his eyes closed on that corner – he is having a shocker.

With the heat United is definitely not out if this. The defenses are both like swiss cheese right now.

Epiphany: Brian Ching is America’s Emile Heskey. He has his place, but come on, you really don’t want him on your national time.

Memo to Europe: Stuart Holden has a European passport. He is class.

Pausing as I get another beer…

57 good spell from United.

Good point made by the color commentator. United’s swtich from 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2 have given the wing players Santino and Fred more freedom to get forward.

Hate to say it. Moreno is looking his age. I love how keepers get angry when they are at fault. Get off your line Onsted.

Wow. That was a horrible penalty call he clearly got ball. Jakovic is right look at the video or get glasses. Where was the linesman. Wait the announcer said it was the “right call”. Are you kidding me he got ball before touching Orduro. Watch the replay. It wasn’t close. Disgusting. And that ruins what could have been a good finish.

Penalty update: Okay I owe a lot of people an apology – the striker did get a touch (a horrible touch at that) before the DC defender lunged in. Right call.

Dominic Kinnear – Houston’s coach – was caught audible yelling “fuckin simple” – and rightly so – at one his players who just passed the ball out of bounds.

GOALAZO…Pat “Just for men” Onstad loks on in disbelief. Jaime created the goal first by winning the ball then by demonstrating to Holden that he is bigger than him. A good chip to put Fred into space and a great shot from distance. This is still probably out of reach but 20 minutes is a lot of time.

My Direct Tv died, so I missed the third goal. DC showed some fight after going down 3 in the first half and put up three on the board in the second. The difference was the penalty. It was the right call in the end but very very close. MOM – Stuart Holden.

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