D.C. UNITED v COLUMBUS CREW
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
7:30 p.m. ET (ONN)
May 31, 2006 (WEEK 10) / MLS Game #53
D.C. United and the Columbus Crew reprise their Eastern Conference rivalry again on Wednesday night in the nation's capital, just 11 days after they played to a 1-1 draw in Ohio. United extended their advantage atop the division at the weekend, defeating the Kansas City Wizards for the second time in three weeks. The Crew had the weekend off - but it didn't seem to matter, as they spent the time trying to deal with an ever-growing injury list that now includes four goalkeepers.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. SAR (bench): Nate Clement; JAR (opposite): George Vergara; 4th: Mark Geiger
MLS Career: 38 games; FC/gm: 30.5; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 10; pens: 19
MLS 2006: 1 game; FC/gm: 22.0 (avg: 31.2); Y/gm: 2.0 (avg: 3.86); R: 0 (MLS: 9); pens: 0 (MLS: 13)
Games involving United: P10 W6 L2 T2; FC/gm: 34.1; Y/gm: 4.3; R: 3; pens: 5
Games involving Crew: P8 W1 L5 T2; FC/gm: 28.6; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 3; pens: 5
INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED - OUT: MF Santino Quaranta (R hamstring strain); DOUBTFUL: MF Justin Moose (hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: DF Brandon Prideaux (MCL sprain); PROBABLE: FW Jamil Walker (hamstring strain) ... COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: GK Jonny Walker (lower back), DF Jed Zayner (L knee ACL); GK Bill Gaudette (R broken hand); MF Danny Szetela (L foot fracture); DF Frankie Hejduk (R knee ACL); GK Andy Gruenebaum (R broken hand); GK Jon Busch (R knee ACL); QUESTIONABLE: DF Rusty Pierce (L hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DC: Ben Olsen (2006 World Cup; USA)
SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (37 meetings): United 17 wins (5 shootout), 56 goals ... Crew 13 wins (0 shootout), 56 goals ... 7 draws
AT RFK STADIUM: (18 meetings): United 12 wins (3 shootout), 37 goals ... Crew 3 wins (0 shootout), 24 goals ... 3 draws
This is the second of two meetings between the long-time Eastern Conference rivals, the first of two at RFK Stadium this season and the back end of the first of a pair of encounters in short order. It's the second meeting this season in just 11 days time; they next meet on back-to-back weekends in July, on the 8th in Columbus and then on the 15th in Washington.
Coaches record: Peter Nowak vs. CLB: P9 W3 L2 D4 ... Sigi Schmid v DC: P16 W9 L4 D32006 (MLS)
5/20: CLB 1, DC 1 (Ngwenya 23 - Gomez 29)
On May 20 at Crew Stadium, the teams played to a 1-1 draw in their first meeting this season. Eastern Conference-leading United were coming to a place where they had won just once since the 2000 season, facing a Crew side that had allowed just one goal in their last four matches, winning three.
The teams combined for both goals in a six-minute span midway through the first half. The Crew drew first blood in the 23rd minute, Ezra Hendrickson haring down the right flank before sliding the ball to Joseph Ngwenya on the right edge of the penalty area, and as United 'keeper Troy Perkins came racing off his line, the recent Columbus arrival chipped the ball first-time into the empty net.
But United leveled terms shortly thereafter. Freddy Adu hit a powerful from the right corner of the area that Crew 'keeper Jon Busch failed to hold, Christian Gomez slipping in to prod home the rebound.
The Crew withstood a bit of a storm to secure their share of the points. Twice they cleared balls off their own line and then survived the final 10 minutes after Busch went down with an injury, fourth-string rookie Andy Gruenebaum making his professional debut as he came in to hold United at bay.
Here's Peter Nowak's team (3-3-2-2): Troy Perkins - Bryan Namoff, Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen - Freddy Adu, Brian Carroll, Joshua Gros - Lucio Filomeno (Clyde Simms 75), Christian Gomez - Jaime Moreno, Alecko Eskandarian. [Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Carroll, Devon McTavish, Domenic Mediate, Matt Nickell, Nick Rimando, John Wilson]
Here's Sigi Schmid's team (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch (Andy Gruenebaum 85) - Ezra Hendrickson, Ritchie Kotschau, Chad Marshall, Rusty Pierce (Chris Leitch 48) - Joseph Ngwenya, Brandon Moss, Jose Retiz, Eddie Gaven - Sebastian Rozental (Ned Grabavoy 71) - Jason Garey. [Substitutes Not Used: Leonard Bisaku, Kei Kamara, Jacob Thomas, Tim Ward]D.C. UNITED
D.C. United defeated the Kansas City Wizards for the second time in three weeks in meetings between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference, getting early goals on their way to a 3-1 victory at Arrowhead Stadium last Saturday. United extended their lead in the East to five points with the win, now with 18 points from nine matches, still three behind Western Conference leader FC Dallas for the best record in the league.
LAST MATCH
Jaime Moreno scored the 98th and 99th goals of his MLS career as United met the Wizards for the second time in three weekends, D.C. winning 2-1 at RFK Stadium on May 13.
Both goals from the 11-year MLS veteran came in the opening 18 minutes - and both with a hint of controversy. After just two minutes, after Moreno was fouled just outside the area, Christian Gomez whipped a bending free kick into the area where Moreno had snuck in behind the Wizards defense. He nodded the ball home to give United the early lead, despite vociferous appeals for offside.
Then in the 18th minute, Moreno converted from the penalty spot after Clyde Simms was adjudged to have been bundled over in the area by referee Terry Vaughn, although replays seemed to indicate there was little contact.
The Wizards pulled a goal back in the 26th minute through a little good fortune. Sasha Victorine's free header from a corner kick was blocked on the line by Freddy Adu, but Scott Sealy poked home the rebound for the first goal of his season.
But United restored the two-goal margin just before the halftime break, Bobby Boswell getting in to meet an Adu free kick sent in from the right flank and sending a glancing header inside the back post.
United boss Peter Nowak made one change to the team that drew with the Crew the weekend before in Columbus. Clyde Simms returned from injury, coming into a central midfield role alongside Brian Carroll as Lucio Filomeno returned to the substitutes' bench.
Here's Nowak's team (3-4-1-2): Troy Perkins - Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Bryan Namoff - Freddy Adu, Brian Carroll, Clyde Simms, Joshua Gros - Christian Gomez (Matt Nickell 87) - Jaime Moreno (Lucio Filomeno 80), Alecko Eskandarian (Domenic Mediate 68). [Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Carroll, Justin Moose, Nick Rimando, John Wilson]
"Winning was very important with all the goals, especially the first goal. We didn't expect it was going to happen in the first minute but it was good. The game opened up a lot for us and gave us a chance to score a lot of goals. It was an important goal, especially for Jaime (Moreno)."
"I am glad that our hard work turned out well tonight and we will continue to work the same way. I thought the team defense was pretty good," Nowak said. "They provide us with different opportunities as we defend this team together and then our defensive line will not have as much work. It is very important to me that they work hard and it starts with our forwards through the midfield to the backline and I thought they did a good job tonight. The movement off the ball was good but the passing was very crisp today.TEAM NEWS
Moreno now has five goals for the season and the 99 for his career put him just one short of joining Real Salt Lake striker Jason Kreis as the only players in MLS history to reach the century mark. Kreis scored earlier on Saturday, against the Colorado Rapids, to put his career total at 103.
"It's always nice to score," Moreno said to The Washington Post. "Once I get to 100, it's a nice amount of goals. But as I've always said, I don't hesitate, and I don't get desperate. The goals will come at the right time."
Nowak also pointed to the goal just before halftime as a key to the match. "It was a pretty important goal," he said. "I wasn't too happy with our ball distribution in the second half, because I thought we could keep the ball longer and possess the ball a little longer so we could create a lot of chances, but we played smart."
After playing a couple of games with Brian Carroll as a lone holding midfielder, Nowak started Clyde Simms alongside him behind Christian Gomez, with Josh Gros and Freddy Adu again in wide roles. "I don't think too much has changed other than it's not Ben Olsen in there at midfield," Carroll said.
It was the second away victory in four tries for United, and after the first quarter of their games away from RFK Stadium, they've lost just one, a 2-1 reverse to Colorado on May 6.
"The games you play away are not much different than the home games we just want to start a game in the right way and I think it is very important to come in this fashion, especially if you play for the first place and continue to score two goals in the first 16 minutes; the game is 90 minutes and we have to continue to play in the same way," Nowak said.COLUMBUS CREW
The Crew come into the match after a weekend off, tied for third place in the Eastern Conference with 11 points from eight matches, tied with the New England Revolution. They are two points behind the second-place Kansas City Wizards and seven adrift of D.C. United.
Against United in their last match, Crew head coach Sigi Schmid made three changes. Chad Marshall returned to the back four, as Rusty Pierce moved to fullback and Chris Leitch returned to the substitutes' bench. Eddie Gaven returned to a wide midfield role, for Kei Kamara, while Jose Retiz returned from suspension to take over his central midfield role, replacing Tim Ward.
"When we went out the first 20 minutes when everybody was fresh and their minds were clear, we held the ball and we created opportunities," said Crew head coach Sigi Schmid. "What we need to do, however, is take what we did in the first 20 minutes, and do that over 90."
Schmid was pleased with the way his team hung on to gain a share of the points, extending their unbeaten streak to three games. "We went out there tonight and played the best team in the league and came out with a 1-1 tie," Schmid said. "We measured up OK. We have to do some things better. I'm not foolish. I'm not going to walk away and say we dominated that game."
Schmid has already indicated recently acquired Noah Palmer will start in goal for the Crew this weekend. Schmid has four goalkeepers on the club's lengthy injury list. Jonny Walker, the first-choice for much of last season, was placed on season-ending injury reserve a few weeks ago, and Bill Gaudette has also been shelved for the entire season thus far.
Then, against United on May 20, Jon Busch suffered another injury to his right knee - a re-tear of the graft of his surgically repaired ACL that caused him to miss nearly the entirety of last season. Rookie Andy Gruenebaum was called in to finish out that match - after suffering a broken hand in training the week before. He re-injured the hand, and after undergoing surgery will be shelved for up to three months.
"Our goalkeeping situation is pretty desperate," said Crew coach Sigi Schmid. "We were already inquiring about Noah before Jon got injured because we knew his situation of coming off an injury."
Palmer was acquired from Real Salt Lake for the rights to Duke Hashimoto, who was on the Crew's college protected list. "Looking at the league and evaluating the goalkeepers that were out there, we felt Noah was a pretty good catch for us," said Schmid. "A lot of teams aren't going to trade away their second 'keeper for the same fear of what happened to us."
As a rookie a year ago, Palmer started one reserve league game before undergoing season-ending surgery on his right rotator cuff. He has made one start in the reserve league this season. "I was getting frustrated in Salt Lake, but I walked into what looks to be a great situation," said Palmer, who helped Maryland to three consecutive NCAA College Cup appearances. "I know I'll really have to prove myself here, though."
Overall, it's a remarkable string of injuries that has hit the Crew this season. "The injury attrition continues," said Schmid. "There is a black cloud over Columbus."
