Harbour View 1, DCU 1

It's NAY-moff, not NAH-moff, Christian Miles, you jackass (and every other jackass at Fox Soccer Channel who didn't correct Miles after last year). (UPDATE: Lifton rants. UPDATE: Goff on the Fox coverage.)

Now: That was anticlimactic, yes?

No broad generalizations on the fate of the season from a first disorganized 90 minutes of determined refusal to build through the middle, but if Soehn's great brainstorm with all his new talent is to play every ball over the top like some relegation threatened Wearside team, jeebus fuck, he could have done that with last year's talent. You spend the designated player spot on a ball-distributing ten and craft a strategy of running the offense over him? (D speculates why here.)

And the fitness was shocking, but not as shocking as Soehn's refusal to substitute and/or lack of quality to substitute had he wanted to. Jaime pulls up lame after fifteen minutes. Players are gasping like fish out of water in the 70th minute, including the defenders who hadn't been challenged rigorously all game. Yes, it's early, but these are professional athletes. Yes it's only one game - the first real game - and already I'm worried about depth?

The new kits make everyone look fat and dumpy. (No red? No red?)

And for all United's new acquisitions they still don't have a quality wing. Fred is still out of position (which reminds me - wasn't he brought in to replace the aging Gomez) and McTavish on the right until Ben Olsen returns? Width was United's problem last year, and I didn't see any signs they've fixed that.

Jaime. Oy. He's Wilford Brimley in soccer years. Payne and Kasper and Soehn had better calculate that anything Jaime gives them this year is gravy, and plan on Jaime giving them nothing. I wonder who they'll spend that Colorado DP spot acquired for Gomez on.

Feh. One game and I'm bitching about depth and width. The breadth of my joy at the season starting is infinite.

Updates, links, and a picture of the game from Stadia de Rinky-Dink as I find them.

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UPDATE:

Shatz, at recently discovered DCUMD, calls mediocre.

Stollar, at recently discovered Fighting Talker, calls disappointment.

UPDATE:

DCenter's game breakdown is up, with lots of links.

Comments

[mdp]

I'm going to get an early start on the season and start my Fred hating now. He picked up right where he left off last season. Lots of running around and lots of getting knocked off the ball.

[Agi]

They've got some winners working at FSC. Thankfully the commentary on the EPL - excuse me, BPL - games is straight from the UK. Max Bretos is pretty bad too - he's got such a hard on for the Galaxy and Landon Donovan it's not even funny...

[DCUMD]

Just wait til we get them on our home turf. All that hanging back and waiting to counter shit will not cut it on a real field like RFK.

[bdr]

Figure I better stamp the starting line-up for the first game to have it to compare throughout season.

Wells

Namoff-Peralta-Martinez-Burch

Simms-Fred-McTavish-Gallardo

Moreno-Emilio

I suspect a September starting line-up will have at least five different names, through injury, progress and regress, discarding and acquisition.