Saturday Night with D.C. United

I took Benjamin to see D.C. United play the Houston Dynamo this past Saturday evening. The game time was at 6:00 PM, which is perfect for us as we can watch the game and get home at a decent hour. Memo to D.C. United, schedule a couple more of these 6:00 PM games please!

Readers of this blog know I love taking sports pictures but I left my camera at home this time as I really wanted to explain parts of the game to Benjamin as we were watching it. Benjamin already knows a lot about soccer having played the past three years. He would comment on a plays as the game progressed but one comment stuck with me after the ball bounced off the goal post. He said "Daddy, that's the goalie's best friend" so I told him he was correct and asked him where he learned that and he said "I heard you say it when you were watching the Caps and the puck hit the goal post"

He's got an amazing memory. We enjoyed the game very much and I captured this image with the camera on my phone.

Thank You Jaime Moreno

I wanted to get to RFK Stadium tonight for Jaime Moreno's last game for D.C. United but I've got a lot to do for Benjamin's fifth birthday celebration tomorrow, there just wasn't time.

In a way I'm glad I didn't make it down there as I would have probably bummed out. Sure, I would have loved to seen Jaime's last game and goal in person but part of me was wondering if this is the end for Ben Olsen and his tenure with D.C. United as well. Olsen starred for D.C. United from 1998 through last season. He retired and became an assistant coach for the team. In the middle of what was an awful season, he was named interim head coach.

So for this sports fan, it breaks my heart thinking of D.C. United without these two class acts but athletes and teams do move on. Took me awhile to get over Cal Ripken no longer being an Oriole and Darrell Green no longer being a Redskin. Maybe I'm just a sentimental fool, I don't know. Maybe that's why I love college sports so much. Four years max and those guys move on with their lives.

I'll never forget that '97 MLS Cup at RFK in the rain and in '99 when I road tripped to Foxboro, MA. Moreno was MVP in that '97 title game and Olsen was MVP in the '99 title game. Fond memories.

Since sobering up almost 22 years ago, sports has become a major part of my recovery. Rooting for the local team's up's and down's occupies a lot of time. Time spent not drinking. Seeing D.C. United from its beginning was very, very cool and Jaime was a major part of this league and team's history. He will be missed and I'm glad to have seen him play.





Jaime Moreno scores a goal in his final game, but D.C. United clinches its worst season with 3-2 loss to Toronto FC

Jaime Moreno timeline

Random Benjamin Pictures

My little artist


Benjamin at play


New D.C. United jersey


Benjamin after writing his name


More pictures with the new camera. Benjamin's just started to write his name as he got a letter tracer and erasable markers. His class has been working on this at day care. For Christmas we bought him an activity table where he can draw on the top with these markers and tonight he decided to write his name. Here he is very proud of his work.

As for the soccer shirt, I missed D.C. United's annual equipment sale so I called their charity, United for D.C. and they had Benjamin's favorite player's shirt available so I made a donation and D.C. United Goalkeeper Zach Wells' jersey arrived today. Yeah, it's a tad big but a cool souvenir for Benjamin. To recap: We were seated near the goal for the 6/29/08 D.C. United- LA Galaxy game and he became enamored with both goalies but since Zach wore blue, Benjamin's favorite color, Zach became his favorite player. A friend of mine who takes sideline pictures at United matches sent me a couple shots of Zach, which I had him autograph at the Meet the Team day.

Benjamin's interest in soccer took off that day and it was very cool watching games with him as the season progressed. He enrolled in a soccer program at day care this past Fall and we love kicking the ball around, even in the basement. I need to check to see if he can participate in any kids kick arounds this Spring here.

D.C. United: 2008 U.S. Open Cup Champions

Sweet win tonight at RFK for D.C. United, who won their second U.S. Open Cup title 2-1 over the Charleston (SC) Battery. D.C. United took a 1-0 lead 4 minutes into the game on a goal by Luciano Emilio. Charleston answered back in the 10th minute on a goal by Ian Fuller. In the second half Fred got the game winner for United in the 50th minute.

The U.S. Open Cup is the U.S. Soccer Federation’s National Championship. It is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world.

D.C. United's last championship prior to tonight was the 2004 MLS Cup win over Kansas City.

While the team is struggling in MLS this season, it's nice to see this team gel and win a championship. Hopefully this win will boost their confidence headed into the last games of the season and they can seal a berth in the MLS playoffs.

Charleston plays in the USL1, an hour or so drive from my Mom's house. I think a visit to Blackbaud Stadium where the Battery play is in the cards for us next time we visit Mom.

Recap here

Spend some time at Behind the Badge for a recap and photos.

I've asked friends of mine who were at the game to comment as I want to archive this. Benjamin and I watched the match last night until his bed time and when he's old enough to read and understand this, he can see what this means to United and the supporters.

More from D.C. United-L.A. Galaxy

In the 75th minute Ben Olsen entered the game with D.C. United ahead 4-1. What's special about this? Click here. It's incredible Ben came back from this latest injury. I thought the earliest we'd see him back would be some time next year, if at all.

It was cool that Ben came back during Benjamin's first D.C. United game ever. Ben Olsen's been my favorite D.C. United player for quite some time. As the banner above indicates, he has the heart of a lion. One of the best comments I read on Big Soccer came from a rival New York fan, saying Ben Olsen is to D.C. United is what Babe Ruth is to the New York Yankees. On Sunday when I saw the #14 sign go up signifying his entry into the game, I got chills. Having Benjamin with me was special. I'll explain it all to him one day when he is older. I printed the above picture and will place it in his scrapbook along with the ticket stubs.

So for the past two nights now we've kicked the soccer ball around. Benjamin's really into it now. For a two and a half year old boy, what is better than running and kicking a ball around?

More on Ben's return here

D.C. United Week

So I've been on a little vacation from this blog lately. This past week was a pretty good week for me as lot has happened involving D.C. United. This past Monday I played in their annual charity golf outing at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge VA. I've played in several of these in the past and it was good seeing my regular group of friends that I've played with in this. Bryan Namoff was in our group and we had a nice time playing with him despite the tournament being cut short to nine holes due to lightning and rain.

Here's a pic of one of the holes we played.


Ed for birdie.....


Defender Bryan Namoff and the DC United video crew. These guys filmed all of us teeing off. I told the cameraman I'd give him twenty bucks NOT to film my golf swing. I ended up getting filmed. I HOPE this does not make it on to their web site.


So when the lightning came everyone was moved into the clubhouse and it became a big happy hour before dinner was served. Here are some members of Barra Brava yukking it up with a couple players. The course management had to do this, better safe than sorry when lightning is involved. During the happy hour I got to hang with some friends, talked with a couple players and the day was fun despite not getting to play the full 18.



Fast forward to today....I got tickets to see D.C. United play the Evil Los Angeles Galaxy. They have a player I cannot stand in Landon Donovan and a player I respect, David Beckham as he played several seasons for Real Madrid and prior to that, Manchester United. So I felt Benjamin would get a lot out of this game since he's been developing an interest in soccer lately as Daddy's been watching a lot of Euro 2008. (Congrats to Spain, who won the title 1-0 over Germany today).

On the Metro to the game


Soccer celebration at the tailgate


Checking out the team's history


Pregame


Benjamin would yell "Go, go goalie!" each time D.C. United goalkeeper Zach Wells made a save or kicked the ball


After Jaime Moreno scored his penalty kick to give DC a 1-0 lead


Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles cheering on D.C. United.
Best atmosphere in Major League Soccer, no question about it.


D.C. United 4, Evil LA Galaxy 1 (click for a bigger photo)


The only drawback was at the half when Benjamin and I were looking to get some french fries. We found a line, I was holding him while we waited and he started to get a little impatient and we were 5th from the counter when he started asking to go back to the seat to see Weena. Then he was moving his legs in protest as I was trying to wait it out and let's just say he bended it like Beckham and I was in some pain. That was it for the fries and the only real time he got cranky.

After the game, we headed over to the team store and got him some t-shirts. He and Weena slept on the Metro/car ride home. My only regret was not bringing the small stroller. I wasn't sure stadium security would let us bring it in.

This was Benjamin's first live sporting event and it couldn't have been a better one.

Read all about the game below. Be sure to click the accompanying Photo Gallery as this sums up what an exciting afternoon this was.

United Routs Galaxy

For an example of what kind of person David Beckham is, please read what my friend Dave wrote in his blog Booked For Dissent.

Thanks all who check in here. I'll post more frequently, I promise!

Bad News For Ben Olsen & D.C. United

Steven Goff reports in Soccer Insider that Ben Olsen's career could be in jeopardy due to ankle problems.

Ben Olsen has been a great leader for D.C. United both on the field and off the field. On the field no one works harder than Ben. Off the field he's been involved in many charitable activities for D.C. United. He's scored several clutch goals for D.C and at times also played tough by taking on the role of enforcer when needed.

One of the best D.C. United memories I have is Ben's goal in MLS Cup 1999 vs the L.A. Galaxy in Foxboro, MA. I took a road trip up with the Screaming Eagles and Olsen intercepted a terrible clearance by Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and scored the second goal in their 2-0 victory. His hustle that day earned him MLS Cup Most Valuable Player.

Another memory I have was watching him on TV score his first career hat trick against New York in a 4-2 win last June. His play that day earned him Player of the Week and Goal of the Week honors.

Check out the 2005 article my friend Dave wrote for D.C. United.

Here's hoping Ben can come back. He's been down this road before, being injured, missing a lot of time and he rebounded and made the 2006 USA World Cup team. He's got a lot of heart, guts and determination, so maybe it is too early to retire him just yet.

A D.C. United legend when he does retire, he will be on the Tradition of Excellence banner that currently hangs in RFK Stadium.

Season Over For D.C. United

Once again D.C. United finished the regular season with the best record in Major League Soccer. Once again they failed to make it to the championship game. This was a major disappointment because this year's championship game is being played at R.F.K. Stadium on November 18th.

This year the season ended when Head Coach Tom Soehn elected to play stars Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno in a meaningless season finale against Columbus two weeks ago. Both players received ankle injuries and missed significant time in the playoff opener at Chicago, which United lost 1-0.

Last night at R.F.K. United fell behind 2-0 (3-0 on aggregate) but United would not quit. Clyde Simms scored in the 69th minute and Christian Gomez scored in the 74th to tie the match 2-2.

But it was not enough in the two-game, total-goals series (Chicago wins 3-2) and as a result, the season is now over for D.C. United while Chicago moves on to the Eastern Conference Final.

While the playoff result was disappointing, I thought Tom Soehn did a very good job in his first season as Head Coach and I'm confident he can bring these guys back as title contenders next season.

Read more here:
Post recap

Playoff Berth Clinched For D.C. United

D.C. United 2 (Emilio 16th minute, Gomez 73rd minute)
Real Salt Lake 1 (Beckerman 32nd minute)

MLS Player of the Week Luciano Emilio scored his league leading 19th goal and Christian Gomez got the game winner with his 7th as D.C. United beat Real Salt Lake 2-1 at RFK Stadium. With the win, United became the first team to clinch a berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

It was an ugly win for United as there were 39 fouls called, eight yellow cards issued and each team missed a penalty kick. Ben Olsen, Christian Gomez and Fred were among the yellow card recipients and due to their past card accumulation, they will miss United's next league match at Chicago on September 23. In my opinion, missing the Chicago game will help Olsen and Gomez. These two take a pounding each game and the rest will help them. Down the stretch it is going to be interesting to see how Head Coach Tom Soehn manages playing time for his players. I'd like to see some reserves get some valuable playing time in the last five games but you want to keep your starters fresh too. The goal is the overall best record and top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs (MLS Cup 2007 is at RFK Stadium) but you don't want your guys banged up. Stay tuned.

D.C. United Comes Through!

In front of a packed house of almost 47,000 at R.F.K. Stadium, D.C. United beat the evil L.A. Galaxy 1-0 on (League MVP?) Luciano Emilio's 13th goal of the season in the 27th minute. David Beckham made his Major League Soccer debut in the 72nd minute just after the Galaxy went down to ten men after Kyle Martino's gutless and idiotic challenge on Fred that drew a red card in the 67th minute. Martino should get an extra game or two tacked on to his red card suspension. Fred was lucky he didn't break a leg.

Back to Beckham though. When he put on his game shirt, the sellout crowd cheered and the camera flashes went off every time he touched the ball. However, he wasn't able to make much of an impact for a struggling Galaxy squad that was shut out for the second straight game. For the record, he had 14 touches and 2 free kicks.

This is a huge win for D.C. United, who pulled within three points of the New England Revolution and F.C. Dallas in the overall league standings. Both teams have played one more game than United.

Notes:
Best sign of the night came from the Screaming Eagles "We Sing Better Than Your Wife" in reference to Beckham's wife Victoria, a member of the Spice Girls.

Jaime Moreno is still one goal away from setting the all-time MLS goals record. Moreno has 108 goals in his MLS career, tied with Jason Kreis.

After the game, D.C. United's Ben Olsen was the recipient of Beckham's jersey.

Box score here

Check out more from Dave and D's Blog

D.C. United and Virginia Tech

D.C. United contribute $20,570 to Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund

Here's another reason why D.C. United is one of the classiest teams in sports. I was browsing their web site today and saw this.

D.C. United announced today its Virginia Tech tribute auctions raised $20,570 for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund. The club sold, to the highest on-line bidders, maroon memorial jerseys worn by those on the 18-man roster in United's April 28 match at the Columbus Crew. The limited edition kits include a VT memorial ribbon on the left sleeve and are signed by the individual players. Additionally, the club's co-managing partners - Victor MacFarlane and Will Chang - auctioned off their own specially-created memorial jerseys and then each made a donation of $1,340, matching the total earned by Jaime Moreno's shirt, which went for the highest amount.

100% of the proceeds raised will be donated to Virginia Tech's Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, which was created to offer assistance, support and comfort to the families of the victims of the April 16 shooting at the university.

Visit www.vt.edu for more information on the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, other individual funds and alternative ways to support for those affected.

While United is off to a rough start on field, off the field they are tops.

D.C. United Awards Reception

Last night I attended the Third Annual D.C. United Awards Reception. It was held at the Galleria at Lafayette Centre in Washington, D.C. There was a reception before the main event where fans in attendance could mingle with players, coaches and staff. I caught up with a couple friends in the front office and chatted with Mark Simpson, former goalkeeper and now assistant coach. I've played in D.C. United's charity golf outing a couple times with Mark, who is a scratch golfer. We were trying to set up a time after the season to get a round in. We're both rookie Dad's as he and his wife welcomed their daughter back in May.

D.C. United's 2006 team award winners were as follows:

Bobby Boswell - Humanitarian of the Year and Defender of the Year.
Facundo Erpen - Goal of the Year
Josh Gros - Coach's Award (Most Improved Player)
Christian Gomez - Golden Boot as the leading scorer, Fan's Choice Award and the team's Most Valuable Player

Here's hoping these guys aren't done collecting awards this season. A fifth MLS Cup would be a welcome addition to their trophy case:



The evening came to a close when Coach Peter Nowak spoke to the audience. He is disappointed at how the season ended (three straight losses after United sealed up the best record in MLS) and promises things will be different when the playoffs start Saturday. He praised the team and said they are champions and now they just have to earn it on the field.

Here is a recap of Nowak's comments:

Some of us will be back, some of us maybe not, but in the next four weeks we will do everything in our power to bring you trophy, to bring the passion back....Soccer is a game you can win, you can tie, you can lose. The choice is ours. But you guys deserve more than anything to be in Dallas and to raise the trophy again....I can assure you is going to be completely different team Saturday in New York, and we're going to go there, and we're going to beat them at home again!!!

He was passionate on the field when he played and you could feel the passion in his voice last night as he spoke. They'll be ready Saturday.

Your's truly with Christian Gomez. He was being interviewed and posing for pics so I handed a professional photographer with all this cool photography equipment my little Nikon point and shoot digital camera and he fired off this shot. I guess it's sort of like asking John Grisham to write a short story on a piece of scratch paper.



D.C. United begins the quest for their fifth title this Saturday in New York vs the Red Bull. Game time is 2:00 PM. The return leg of the first round home and home series is Sunday October 29th. Vamos United!

D.C. United 1, Real Madrid 1

Seattle, Washington
D.C. United 1 (Eskandarian, 25th minute)
Real Madrid 1 (Cassano, 22nd minute)

Real Madrid opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as Antonio Cassano nailed a 17 yard strike just out of goalie Troy Perkins reach and off the inside of the left post. D.C. United's goal was a thing of beauty. Freddy Adu crossed the ball from the right side to midfielder Josh Gros, who passed it to Christian Gomez. Gomez found Jaime Moreno, who dropped the ball backward into the path of an advancing Alecko Eskandarian who blasted his shot into the lower right corner. Beautiful!

These are my two favorite teams. I have seen ten Real Madrid matches at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid over the years and have followed D.C. United since its beginning in 1996. I have been waiting for these two teams to play for a long, long time. I was bummed out that this match couldn't be played in Washington, DC but was happy these two were playing. While I love Real Madrid, I was rooting hard for D.C. United to win this. One, they are my hometown team. Two, they were clearly the underdog. Real Madrid's payroll is over $200 million dollars while D.C. United's is not even $2 million. David Beckham, who grosses a reported $30 million a year, $2 million dollars is probably used as tip money. Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper Iker Casillas is 25 and a member of Real Madrid's two European Cup championship teams. D.C. United's goalkeeper Troy Perkins is also 25. He works a part time job at a mortgage banking company. Yes I want Real Madrid to win La Liga in Spain and the European Cup, but I had to put my loyalty to them aside for this game.

Recaps of the game:
United Passes Test
D.C. United.com
Recap in El Pais (Spanish)

Highlights
More highlights

Some other observations:
D.C. United coach Peter Nowak had one of the greatest sideline interview quotes ever:

Comcast Sports Color commentator Garth Lagerway: “So Peter, are you going to keep the stars in and try to win or are you going to sub some people in?"

Peter Nowak: "We're playing Real Madrid for Christ’s sake!"

Not a bad week for Peter Nowak, who coached the MLS All Stars to a 1-0 win over English Premier League champion Chelsea last Saturday in Chicago.

Kudos to whoever brought the large Screaming Eagles banner to the game. It was prominently displayed and got a lot of tv time. For those who don't know, the Screaming Eagles have provided passionate support for D.C. United and have promoted Major League Soccer through their contributions in the community since the club's inception in 1995. Your's truly is the SE Treasurer.

For more info on Real Madrid, check out this article in the Post:
Real Madrid Reigns in Spain -- and Beyond

Huge Road Point For D.C. United

Chicago Fire 1
D.C. United 1
Chicago: Jaqua 5th goal, 29th minute
D.C. United: Eskandarian 7th goal, 74th minute

A hard-fought point on the road for D.C. United. They had a bad first half but they came back and scrapped out a tie for the point. Championship teams manage to find ways not to lose and with this result, DC's unbeaten streak is now 14. I'll take it. Chicago played 40 minutes with a man down as Logan Pause got his secong yellow card in the 50th minute. One could look at this tie and be disappointed but when Pause's ejection took place, D.C. was down 1-0. Next game: Saturday July 29 at Salt Lake 9:00 PM EST

George Solomon wrote a little bit about D.C. United in the Sunday Post. For those who check in here and want some info about this year's D.C. United team, read this.

United Stands Apart
Fans will notice Washington Nationals banners alongside those of D.C. United's -- an example of coexistence among the two RFK Stadium tenants. But that's where the comparisons end. While the Nats struggle to escape the cellar of the NL East, United is running away from the other 11 teams in Major League Soccer. Consider these facts: Going into this weekend's games, United had 44 points on a 13-1-5 record, 11 points more than its nearest rival (FC Dallas), and boasted an 13-game unbeaten stretch. It also has seven players and Coach Peter Nowak on the league's all-star team that plays the two-time defending English Premier League champion, Chelsea, Aug. 5 outside Chicago.

With the lengthy regular season slightly more than halfway completed, Nowak, United's intense third-year coach, isn't concerned about his team peaking too soon before the playoffs begin in late October. "For 19 weeks, we try to teach our players to win," Nowak said after practice at the stadium on Wednesday. "First things first -- win the games and the regular season and then worry about the playoffs."

Nowak, 42, played pro soccer for 23 years before becoming a coach. He has a reputation as a no-nonsense taskmaster whose infrequent use of teenage prodigy Freddy Adu in 2004 and 2005 was criticized by the media here and in Europe. But this year Adu has become a regular and Nowak put the 17-year-old midfielder on the all-star team.

"The fact my coach selected me was very satisfying," Adu said. "When I started here three years ago the expectations, including my own, were ridiculous. But I'm more relaxed now and just trying to play my game."

"I'm a tough teacher," Nowak admitted, adding that he signed as a player in Poland "when I was 15, so I know it's difficult at Freddy's age. But he's made a lot of progress the past three years and has become a stronger person. He's on the all-star team -- because he's earned it."

Still, Adu's success in Washington this season has not deterred his determination to leave United and MLS to play in Europe next year. "I'll be 18 -- and that's where I'm headed. I'm just waiting for the right situation," he said.

Nowak's take: "It's very demanding to play in the best of the European leagues. But everyone has dreams. When he's ready, he'll know it."

One of Adu's mentors, Jaime Moreno, 32, United's six-time all-star, says that nowadays "most young players are spoiled." Moreno, who has played 225 games for United and is a steadying force, remembered his early days, "cleaning shoes and doing stuff for the older players." But he respects Freddy.

I asked Moreno if he'd like to be 17 again? "Not 17," he answered. "I'd be happy to be 20."

The best source of the history of D.C. United was written by my friend Dave. Scroll down on his blog and read his D.C. United.com articles.

100!

D.C. United 5, Columbus 1
D.C. United striker Jaime Moreno scored his 6th goal of the season and 100th career goal in MLS, scoring via penalty kick in the eighth minute as D.C. United hammered Columbus 5-1 at RFK Stadium. Great effort by United as they are now tied with Dallas for the league's best overall record at 6 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties for 21 points.

D.C. United 5: Jaime Moreno (6th-PK) 8th minute, own goal 48th minute, Gros (2nd) 58th minute, Eskandarian (5th) 71st minute, Filomeno (1st) 78th minute

Columbus 1: Joseph Ngwenya (2nd) 21st minute

Next up for D.C. United: New England Revolution at RFK on Saturday June 3 at 7:30 PM

Steven Goff's article on the game in the Washington Post.

Congrats to Jaime! He's an example of this blog's title. As a member of D.C. United he's shined silently, scored goals and won titles.

Thanks to Duffman, a member of Barra Brava for the above pic!