DC United strikes back

What’s that good feeling floating around? A weekend of beating the Red Bulls and the USWNT Algeria’ing Brazil? Sounds like a great soccer weekend to me.

The Good

• DeRo: While he disappeared for some parts of the match, he reappeared right when he was needed and delivered exactly what he was brought in for: a brilliant run and goal. The fact that Dax McCarty got stripped twice and put in some poor free kicks only makes the trade sweeter.
• Defense: The defense played well and, even when they made errors, they were able to recover. The thing that stands out the most from that match is Brandon McDonald’s passing out of the back. He may not be Tim Ream level, but he is a step above anyone else we have on the roster. His one error almost allowed Thierry Henry a goal, but Ethan White and Bill Hamid were able to clean it up. Seeing the defense buckle down, especially late, was also heartening.
• Captain Josh Wolff: When he was brought in, we all knew that Josh Wolff was not an out and out goal scorer. But the people around him have brought out his most valuable skill: passing in and around the box. Wolff currently leads the team in assists, and his one touch pass back to DeRo to spring him for the goal was beautiful.

The Bad

• Wingers: Well, only by their high standards. If you replaced the names on the backs of their jerseys, Chris Pontius and Andy Najar would have been judged to have had fine, if unspectacular games. Their defense was solid, but their offense left something to be desired. Pontius especially had bad first touches in this match and seemed to prefer to wait for reinforcements rather than run at the Red Bulls’ defense. They will return to form, hopefully this weekend.
• Knockout punches: Related to the performance of the wingers was the lack of a knockout punch. United went up in the 62nd minute, but was unable to get the second goal and really clinch the game. One goal is often not enough, so hopefully the offense will start really clicking and producing more two and three goal games than zero or one goal games.

The Ugly

• Concussions: Please don’t let Blake Brettschneider have a serious concussion. United has been badly hit by concussions over the years, and this year is no exception. Get well soon, BlakeBrett, and everyone else with concussions as well.