For DCU, tonight’s game against the Philadelphia Union is going to be a defining moment for the season. If United can beat the Union tonight, all is not lost. However, being 0-3-0 with one of those loses against an expansion team would prove to be a difficult hole to climb out of, especially since United have not faced any of the preseason favorites yet.
The last match, against New England, was much better than the first. The presence of Juan Manuel Pena really calmed down the back line and allowed Rodney Wallace to move back out wide. Jakovic especially benefited from Pena bossing the back line. The midfield also played better. Morsink was improved in the defensive midfielder role and Barklage had some good moments as well. United had a lot of possession during the game and a lot of that can be attributed to the midfield. Even though New England scored two goals, the defense and midfield played decently for the vast majority of the match.
The main problem, of course, is the lack of scoring up top. Both Moreno and Pontius held on to the ball too long against New England, trying to walk it in as close as possible before shooting. This needs to change; United needs to start getting more shots off so that they can hopefully get more goals, rebounds, corners.
Here’s the team that I would like to see for tonight’s game:
Perkins
Talley Jakovic Pena Wallace
Barklage Morsink Quaranta Castillo
Allsopp Moreno
I think that Moreno is going to be more effective in the role of super sub, the role that most had him pegged for before the preseason; however, with Pontius missing some time in practice this week, I think that Moreno will still get the start. My prediction is a hopeful 2-0 to United, starting a recovery that will hopefully vaunt them back into contention for the playoffs.
Before Extra Time 