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Played
September 4, 2010 7:30 PM EDT
RFK Stadium, Washington
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
September 4, 2010 7:30 PM EDT
RFK Stadium, Washington
Referee: Hilario Grajeda
D.C. United - Columbus Crew: Head To Head Preview
By Steven Streff and Justin Henley
On Form
D.C. United: You can't really fault this team for chance creation. Arguably, D.C. had more chances than Chivas USA last weekend in the 1-0 loss. Same could be said of Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Columbus. D.C. can create the chances necessary to win matches. Or at least get a point from a match. Most of those chances come early in the game, usually in the first half. But the creation of chances just have not led to results this season.
Columbus Crew: The Crew. In addition to a Open Cup semifinal win over D.C. United on Wednesday, the Crew have played markedly better since getting beaten 2-0 at Rio Tinto on Aug. 14. With the return to fitness of Eddie Gaven and Gino Padula, the Black-and-Gold have played the possession and quick passing game that has become its trademarks the past two seasons. And with the playoffs looming, if the Crew can get back to their post All-Star game form, they should have no troubles making a deep run.
Off Target
D.C. United: Finishing. The Achilles heel of D.C. United this season. Too many times, D.C. has wasted chances that would have at least given them a lead or an equalizing goal. Their inability to finish off the chances they create quickly and negatively affects the morale of the team, as the trend tends to follow a similar pattern: blow a chance in front of goal, concede a goal minutes later. It's a terrible plague rampant amongst all United players that has doomed the season from the onset.
Columbus: Jason Garey. The Crew striker, who had seemingly replaced Steven Lenhart in the starting lineup, has struggled mightily to find the net this season, only scoring two goals thus far. He has missed several great chances, including last week when he got it all wrong when a perfect cross by Emilio Renteria found him unmarked four yards out, only for Garey to slice his effort out of bounds. Now, with Steven Lenhart restored to the starting XI, it will be even harder for Garey to find his form.
Tactics
D.C. United: With Branko Boskovic away on international duty, Ben Olsen will be tasked with trying to find a creative force in the center of his midfield. What might suffice is sliding Santino Quaranta into that position, allowing Chris Pontius a rare start, playing out wide. The rest of the team almost picks itself. Andy Najar should get the start on the other wing, with Pablo Hernandez up top, as the red card that he picked up on Wednesday won't apply to league play. Olsen would do well to start Danny Allsopp alongside Hernandez, as the target man up front. Clyde Simms will likely start at defensive midfield, and Marc Burch, Jordan Graye, should start compliment Dejan Jakovic and Julius James in defense. Bill Hamid in goal.
Columbus: Crew boss Robert Warzycha has not deviated from the standard 4-4-2 much in his career, and it is difficult to believe he will start now. With Eddie Gaven back on the left and on Emilio Renteria on the right, the Crew have in effect four forwards in attack, making it difficult for teams to match up. In the middle, Brian Carroll and either Adam Moffat or Danny O'Rourke add the bite to the midfield. However, sometimes they tend to drop off too far back, leaving large gaps for other teams exploit, as evidenced in Rio Tinto. With the arrival of new signing Andres Mendoza expected to happen sometime soon, the midfield will gain some much needed creativity and flair.
Tangibles
D.C. United: United's season hinged on one game on Wednesday night and they faltered at that hurdle. Of course, winning the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Columbus would not have turned a terrible season good, but winning the game would have extended United's amount of relevant games. Instead, D.C. capitulated in the dying moments of regular time and then lost the game in overtime. Instead of having the U.S. Open Cup final to look forward to, D.C. just have eight meaningless league game matches left. Hopefully that can provide the motivation to beat Columbus on Friday night.
Columbus: Confidence plays a huge part in any team's success, and the Crew have no confidence issues. With the successes of the past two seasons, the players know that this could be a very special year. Having already advanced to the Open Cup Final, and just two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy for the Supporters' Shield with a head-to-head match up left, the pieces are in place for, perhaps, an MLS treble. If the Crew should go on to win the Open Cup, look for the confidence of the Crew to become even more pronounced.
Prediction
D.C. United: D.C. will want revenge for Wednesday night, but they don't have the ability to go out and exact revenge on Columbus. The extra motivation will help them procure a point though, in a 1-1 draw.
Columbus: With Eddie Gaven back to full fitness, and a victory over D.C. already this week, it's hard to see anything but another win for the Crew on Saturday. Too much offense against a very leaky back line could produce a rout, but I'll be reasonable and say that the Crew win by a 2-0 scoreline.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
D.C. United: You can't really fault this team for chance creation. Arguably, D.C. had more chances than Chivas USA last weekend in the 1-0 loss. Same could be said of Wednesday night's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Columbus. D.C. can create the chances necessary to win matches. Or at least get a point from a match. Most of those chances come early in the game, usually in the first half. But the creation of chances just have not led to results this season.
Columbus Crew: The Crew. In addition to a Open Cup semifinal win over D.C. United on Wednesday, the Crew have played markedly better since getting beaten 2-0 at Rio Tinto on Aug. 14. With the return to fitness of Eddie Gaven and Gino Padula, the Black-and-Gold have played the possession and quick passing game that has become its trademarks the past two seasons. And with the playoffs looming, if the Crew can get back to their post All-Star game form, they should have no troubles making a deep run.
Off Target
D.C. United: Finishing. The Achilles heel of D.C. United this season. Too many times, D.C. has wasted chances that would have at least given them a lead or an equalizing goal. Their inability to finish off the chances they create quickly and negatively affects the morale of the team, as the trend tends to follow a similar pattern: blow a chance in front of goal, concede a goal minutes later. It's a terrible plague rampant amongst all United players that has doomed the season from the onset.
Columbus: Jason Garey. The Crew striker, who had seemingly replaced Steven Lenhart in the starting lineup, has struggled mightily to find the net this season, only scoring two goals thus far. He has missed several great chances, including last week when he got it all wrong when a perfect cross by Emilio Renteria found him unmarked four yards out, only for Garey to slice his effort out of bounds. Now, with Steven Lenhart restored to the starting XI, it will be even harder for Garey to find his form.
Tactics
D.C. United: With Branko Boskovic away on international duty, Ben Olsen will be tasked with trying to find a creative force in the center of his midfield. What might suffice is sliding Santino Quaranta into that position, allowing Chris Pontius a rare start, playing out wide. The rest of the team almost picks itself. Andy Najar should get the start on the other wing, with Pablo Hernandez up top, as the red card that he picked up on Wednesday won't apply to league play. Olsen would do well to start Danny Allsopp alongside Hernandez, as the target man up front. Clyde Simms will likely start at defensive midfield, and Marc Burch, Jordan Graye, should start compliment Dejan Jakovic and Julius James in defense. Bill Hamid in goal.
Columbus: Crew boss Robert Warzycha has not deviated from the standard 4-4-2 much in his career, and it is difficult to believe he will start now. With Eddie Gaven back on the left and on Emilio Renteria on the right, the Crew have in effect four forwards in attack, making it difficult for teams to match up. In the middle, Brian Carroll and either Adam Moffat or Danny O'Rourke add the bite to the midfield. However, sometimes they tend to drop off too far back, leaving large gaps for other teams exploit, as evidenced in Rio Tinto. With the arrival of new signing Andres Mendoza expected to happen sometime soon, the midfield will gain some much needed creativity and flair.
Tangibles
D.C. United: United's season hinged on one game on Wednesday night and they faltered at that hurdle. Of course, winning the U.S. Open Cup semifinal against Columbus would not have turned a terrible season good, but winning the game would have extended United's amount of relevant games. Instead, D.C. capitulated in the dying moments of regular time and then lost the game in overtime. Instead of having the U.S. Open Cup final to look forward to, D.C. just have eight meaningless league game matches left. Hopefully that can provide the motivation to beat Columbus on Friday night.
Columbus: Confidence plays a huge part in any team's success, and the Crew have no confidence issues. With the successes of the past two seasons, the players know that this could be a very special year. Having already advanced to the Open Cup Final, and just two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy for the Supporters' Shield with a head-to-head match up left, the pieces are in place for, perhaps, an MLS treble. If the Crew should go on to win the Open Cup, look for the confidence of the Crew to become even more pronounced.
Prediction
D.C. United: D.C. will want revenge for Wednesday night, but they don't have the ability to go out and exact revenge on Columbus. The extra motivation will help them procure a point though, in a 1-1 draw.
Columbus: With Eddie Gaven back to full fitness, and a victory over D.C. already this week, it's hard to see anything but another win for the Crew on Saturday. Too much offense against a very leaky back line could produce a rout, but I'll be reasonable and say that the Crew win by a 2-0 scoreline.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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D.C. United 0-3 Columbus Crew
- 29.17 %
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D.C. United 0-2 Columbus Crew
- 25 %
-
D.C. United 2-1 Columbus Crew
- 8.33 %
| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Oct 2, 2011 | Columbus Crew 2 - D.C. United 1 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Mar 19, 2011 | D.C. United 3 - Columbus Crew 1 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Sep 4, 2010 | D.C. United 0 - Columbus Crew 1 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Jun 26, 2010 | Columbus Crew 2 - D.C. United 0 |
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| USA - Major League Soccer (MLS) | Oct 18, 2009 | D.C. United 1 - Columbus Crew 0 |
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D.C. United
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| May 26, 2012 | D.C. United 3 - New England Revolution 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | D.C. United 3 - Toronto FC 1 | MLS |
| May 16, 2012 | D.C. United 2 - Colorado Rapids 0 | MLS |
| May 12, 2012 | Houston Dynamo 1 - D.C. United 0 | MLS |
| May 5, 2012 | Toronto FC 0 - D.C. United 2 | MLS |
Columbus Crew
  |
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| May 26, 2012 | Columbus Crew 2 - Chicago Fire 1 | MLS |
| May 23, 2012 | Seattle Sounders FC 0 - Columbus Crew 2 | MLS |
| May 19, 2012 | San Jose 1 - Columbus Crew 1 | MLS |
| May 12, 2012 | Columbus Crew 2 - FC Dallas 1 | MLS |
| May 5, 2012 | Portland Timbers 0 - Columbus Crew 0 | MLS |
| 28 | B. Hamid | Goalkeeper |
| 24 | Jed Zayner | Defender |
| - | Julius James | Defender |
| - | Santino Quaranta | Striker |
| 14 | A. Najar | Midfielder |
| 7 | Stephen King | Midfielder |
| 21 | Pablo Hernandez | Striker |
| 16 | Jordan Graye | Defender |
| 18 | Daniel Allsopp | Striker |
| 6 | Kurt Morsink | Midfielder |
| 19 | Clyde Simms | Midfielder |
| 1 | Troy Perkins | Goalkeeper |
| - | Carey Talley | Defender |
| - | Juan Manuel Peña | Defender |
| - | Devon McTavish | Midfielder |
| - | Jaime Moreno | Striker |
| 1 | Will Hesmer | Goalkeeper |
| 14 | Chad Marshall | Defender |
| - | Kevin Burns | Goalkeeper |
| 12 | Eddie Gaven | Midfielder |
| 32 | Steven Lenhart | Striker |
| 11 | Dilly Duka | Midfielder |
| 4 | Gino Padula | Defender |
| 6 | Andy Iro | Defender |
| 5 | Danny O'Rourke | Defender |
| 7 | Brian Carroll | Midfielder |
| 7 | Guillermos Barros Schelotto | Striker |
| 30 | Andy Gruenebaum | Goalkeeper |
| 5 | Eric Brunner | Defender |
| - | Leandre Griffit | |
| 8 | Duncan Oughton | Midfielder |
| 29 | Shaun Francis | Defender |
| - | Jason Garey | Defender |
| 9 | A. Mendoza | Striker |
| A. Najar | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 14 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Eddie Gaven | |
| Position: | Midfielder |
| Squad Number: | 12 |
| Games | Goals | YC | RC |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
28 
24 
0 
0 
14 
7 
21 
16 
18 
6 
19 
1 
14 
0 
12 
32 
11 
4 
6 
5 
7 
7
Results
Times In EST
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kenny Cooper
Striker NY Red Bulls |
11 | 2 |
|
Chris Wondolowski
Striker San Jose Earthquakes |
11 | 1 |
|
Thierry Henry
Striker NY Red Bulls |
9 | 0 |
|
Saer Sene
Striker New England |
7 | 1 |
|
Maicon Santos
Striker D.C. United |
7 | 0 |