Interconference rivals meet in capital
D.C. United host Houston Dynamo at RFK Stadium
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
April 4, 2009 (WEEK 3) / MLS Game #18
7:30 p.m. ET (KHOU 11.2/FSN-Hou/Informa)
Interconference rivals who have developed a healthy rivalry over the past few seasons in both league and international play, D.C. United and the Houston Dynamo renew acquaintances in the nation's capital. Both teams are still looking for their first victories of 2009, United having played to a pair of draws after leading in both contests, while the Dynamo have a single point from their two contests thus far.
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. SAR (bench): Nate Clement; JAR (opposite): James Conlee; 4th: Mark Kadlecik
MLS Career: 68 games; FC/gm: 27.0; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 26; pens: 27
INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED - DOUBTFUL: MF Devon McTavish (head laceration); QUESTIONABLE: MF Santino Quaranta (hamstring strain); GK Josh Wicks (hip flexor strain); PROBABLE: MF Fred (hamstring strain); DF Greg Janicki (head laceration) ... HOUSTON DYNAMO - OUT: DF Eddie Robinson (L knee surgery)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: HOU: Dominic Kinnear (coach; through April 5)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (6 meetings): United 2 wins, 4 goals ... Dynamo 3 wins, 5 goals ... Ties 1
AT RFK STADIUM (3 meetings): United 2 wins, 4 goals ... Dynamo 0 wins, 3 goals ... Ties 1
RETURN MATCH: 8/1: D.C. United at Houston Dynamo, 7:30 p.m.CT
LAST YEAR (MLS):
7/23: DC 0, HOU 2 (Mullan 20; Ching 79)
10/12: HOU 0, DC 0
• Houston are undefeated in the last five meetings in all competitions between the clubs, with four wins and a draw, including last year's bizarre twice-delayed league match at RFK Stadium that finally concluded with a Dynamo 2-0 win.
• The teams have met twice in SuperLiga play in the last two seasons, Dynamo winning both, once in each stadium.
• United have never won at Robertson Stadium, losing their first two matches there before last year's draw, as well as the SuperLiga loss in 2007.
• Coaches record: Tom Soehn vs. HOU: P4 W1 L2 D1 ... Dominic Kinnear v DC: P11 W4 L4 D3
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United saw their opponent come back for a draw for the second consecutive week, the Chicago Fire getting a second-half goal for a 1-1 draw Saturday at RFK Stadium. United sit tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Chicago, Toronto and New England.LAST MATCH
• United were kicking off the 14th season of MLS soccer on East Capitol Street, looking for a first win while Chicago had opened its season victorious on the road.
• It took United just seven minutes to give the RFK faithful something to cheer. Luciano Emilio latched onto the ball in midfield from the D.C. end and drove home a low shot from outside the box for his first goal on the 2009 campaign.
• But the Fire pulled level eight minutes after the break. Patrick Nyarko ran onto Marco Pappa's through ball in the right side of the area and slid home the equalizer past on-rushing United goalkeeper Josh Wicks inside the far post for his first career MLS goal.
• The clash of heads in the season opener forced Devon McTavish and Greg Janicki out of the lineup and United boss Tom Soehn into two changes. Marc Burch came into the back three, while Jaime Moreno made his first start of 2009, with Chris Pontius moving to a wide midfield role.
• Here's Soehn's team (3-4-1-2): Josh Wicks - Bryan Namoff, Dejan Jakovic, Marc Burch - Chris Pontius, Ben Olsen, Clyde Simms, Rodney Wallace - Christian Gomez (Brandon Barklage 86) - Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno (Francis Doe 65). Substitutes Not Used: Andrew Jacobson, Thabiso Khumalo, Milos Kocic, Ange N'Silu, Anthony Peters
• "We started the game very well, I thought we put a heck of a lot into it and then denied them all over the place whether it was distribution ... we did a great job and I wish we would have come out a little bit more in the first half because we put so much into it and it showed because our legs were a little heavy coming out in the second half. The tide changed and then we were on the defensive end. ... In the end, we were protecting the tie."
TEAM NEWS
• After scoring 20 league goals in his first season, Luciano Emilio scored 11 in 2008, though still leading United. After scoring in the second game of the season, he then went seven games without a goal.
• "Luciano [Emilio] put a lot of work into today and that goal he scored was a sign of the Luci that we've all come to know. So it was a real positive for him, I think. He feeds off confidence and obviously the thing about him is that when he scores he scores a bunch, so hopefully we'll have a lot to follow," Soehn said. "Between Christian and Jaime, we're still getting their legs where they need to be. There's positives and negatives. The heart's in it, and the attitude's great."
• Despite missing Greg Janicki through injury, the United defense allowed just the single goal, with Dejan Jakovic moved to the center of the back three after playing on the right in the season opener.
• You know, for someone who's joined us this late in the year and hasn't had a lot of time, and moving him around, he's adjusted very well," Soehn said. "I thought we gambled a little bit, I thought we were a little bit too confident in the second half and we took some chances instead of playing safe and we got caught with the ball at our feet a couple of times. But that shows signs of a young back line and we've got to learn how to be disciplined and make sure we don't take any chances."
• Rookie Chris Pontius was given the start wide on the right, after starting in attack in the season opener. He was one of two rookies starting a second consecutive game, along with Rodney Wallace, who started on the left of midfield.
• "I thought Rodney [Wallace] and Chris [Pontius] did a great job. Chris, having changed positions, he did a good job on the flank, I don't think we used him as much as we could've. He was open quite a bit, and even Brandon [Barklage] came in and gave us energy. Our young kids are going to be assets this year," Soehn said.
• Ben Olsen started for a second consecutive match and lasted the full 90 minutes, again in a deep-lying central midfield spot.
• "I think I kind of knew that position is one of communication and clogging up holes - pretty much being a defensive guy, a possession guy," Olsen said. "I'm trying to do as much as I can out there, I'm still coming along, but personally I'm happy to get through 90 minutes. I was fading towards the end a bit physically, and it's important for me when I do fade physically can keep my mind in it - that's always a challenge."
• After last season's disappointing results, United are anxious to turn the corner and hold onto a lead to the end. "It's a team with a lot of young players, we still need to understand each other better, but I see us doing well," Gomez said. "It's important not to lose, to add points, and on Saturday we have to win, get the three points, because we need to catch up to other teams."
HOUSTON DYNAMO
The Houston Dynamo followed their season-opening draw with a loss, falling 3-2 to the San Jose Earthquakes at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Dynamo are tied for fifth in the Western Conference with the LA Galaxy, both teams five points behind Chivas USA and Seattle Sounders FC.LAST MATCH
• Two teams sharing a common ancestry renewed their burgeoning rivalry both looking for a first victory on the season.
• The game burst into life at the half-hour mark. First, Cam Weaver popped a through ball forward for Ryan Johnson to run onto, and he slotted home for the 30th-minute opener. Then Arturo Alvarez doubled the Quakes lead just three minutes later, cutting through the Dynamo defense on a mazy run from the right flank and lashing home a low shot inside the right post.
• But it took the Dynamo barely a minute to respond. Stuart Holden cut in a cross from the right corner and Chris Wondolowski nodded it home on the run for his first goal of the season. Then just two minutes later, the Dynamo had pulled level, Brad Davis curling home a wonderfully placed strike from outside the area.
• Yet just before the half, the Quakes took the lead for good. A Chris Leitch shot bobbled toward goal where Weaver ran onto it, bundling it home past Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad for his first MLS goal.
• With Brian Ching away on international duty, Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew, Corey Ashe coming into a wide midfield role with Brian Mullan moving to the forward line.
• Here's Kinnear's team (4-3-1-2): Pat Onstad - Richard Mulrooney, Bobby Boswell, Geoff Cameron, Wade Barrett (Danny Cruz 79) - Corey Ashe (Julius James 75), Ricardo Clark, Stuart Holden - Brad Davis - Brian Mullan, Chris Wondolowski. Substitutes Not Used: Mike Chabala, Tally Hall, John Michael Hayden, Craig Waibel
• "I liked our response when they scored," Kinnear said. "To get that goal to get us back in the game showed a lot of character, and then the second one really gave us a boost. The locker room was upbeat at halftime. We thought we were playing some really good stuff. We continued it in the second half; we just couldn't get that last goal."
TEAM NEWS
• Although the Dynamo were missing both of their first-choice forwards in Brian Ching (international duty) and Kei Kamara (suspension), Kinnear said he set out the team's stall to attack.
• "Both sets of forwards and both midfields were very aggressive attacking the ball. When that happens, it creates some space. It was a slick field, and a couple bounces went their way, and it leads to chances," he said. "Some teams go on the road and don't like to attack, but for us, it was important that we get on top of them. Even though we went down, it showed tremendous character for our guys to keep going and we kept on pushing towards the end."
• Kinnear maintained the same back four as in the season opener, with Geoff Cameron filling a center back spot alongside Bobby Boswell with Eddie Robinson out to knee surgery.
• "We gave up three goals tonight," Kinnear said. "We were very good defensively last week, while we were a little bit leaky this week. But our attack was a little bit more lively, so you always have to be aware of where you need improvement. It was a hard-fought contest, and we feel a little bit disappointed we didn't come out of it with something."
• While the Dynamo have yet once again gotten off to a slow start, with just a single point from their first two games, they feel they could be in a better position overall.
• "The effort was there. You can't single anyone out for not trying or having an off night. We got a lot of opportunities that we just weren't finishing this week. They didn't get as many chances but got a few bounces to go their way and were able to finish. I thought we did well to make it 2-2 but you never want to give away a goal in the last five to 10 minutes of the half and we did that," Richard Mulrooney said.
• The Dynamo also went down to defeat in their first game away from Robertson Stadium, after finishing the 2008 season with a victory and four draws in their final league and MLS Cup games away from Houston.
• "There are always things we can work on, but there was no one glaring mistake made by anyone on this team tonight," Mulrooney said. "We'll get our fair share of wins but we'll have to wait until next week for that road win."
• During the week, the Dynamo announced the imminent signing of Nigerian international forward Ade Akinbiyi, who has played for several English clubs, including Norwich City, Bristol City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City, Crystal Palace, Stoke City and Sheffield United. Akinbiyi is still finalizing his contract with the club and will not be available for the United match.
