United 2, Pachuca 1 (Pachuca 3-2 aggregate)

Pachuca is to United as United is to Rochester. What about the result and how the result unfolded surprises you?

I've often said we United fans are lucky to have a team with ambitions for greatness both domestically and internationally, and I said after the first Pachuca game and again after the Toronto romp that early judgment on this year's model should come after the Pachuca return-match, and last night's result is just: United played as well as it's played all season. They won the game, but not until after the series was lost.

Pachuca is better. Faster, more athletic, most instinctive on the ball, better organized, better coached. I'm not slamming United: I like to imagine that United, given the same resources, financially and culturally, would build an organization and team equal to or superior to top tier Mexican clubs. And United has built, respective to its financial and cultural abilities, one of the top clubs in its league.

And I'd like to think, in the short-term, that United will be a more cohesive and dangerous team in the next two international tournaments in July and September, though that's contingent on surviving whole and uninjured until then, which is impossible: they are given only the resources of an American soccer club.

I agree: no moral victory, but a proud effort, though I've written this post too many times already over the past couple of years.

Here's Goff's player ratings:

Wells 6; Namoff 7, Peralta 6, Martinez 7; McTavish 6, Simms 7, Gallardo 6, Fred 7, Moreno 6; Quaranta 5, Emilio 4. Subs: Burch 6, Dyachenko 6, Niell 6.

I turned to Hamster and Landru and Bromark early and said, I'm considering a new feature in post-game posts, call it the Emiliometer, prompted by Emilio failing for the fifth or sixth time to win a ball that wasn't 50-50, it was 80-20 his, that he lost because he didn't hustle. Balls in the air he never bothered leaving the ground to try to get, just nodding his head in the general direction as if his sheer proximity would radiate his greatness and alter the ball's flight. As much as he busted his ass in Mexico City he dogged it last night. Here's where the Emiliometer sits right now: on the scale between Fuck Emilio and All Praise Emilio, the needle is aimed squarely at the Fuck Emilio UPDATE: OK, maybe too harsh. The needle on the Emiliometer is leaning towards the bad end of the spectrum.

Peralta and Martinez were terrific, though Martinez looks like hamstring and groin injuries are imminent, at least from how he picks himself up every time he goes to ground. Namoff again terrific, as was Simms. Quaranta kept slipping, and even changing out of his rude shoes to black shoes didn't help.

I get neither Goff's love for Fred nor Bromark's hate. UPDATE: Saw the highlights on MLSnet, and Fred beautifully assisted on both goals, quite excellently. Good to see Niell score, and Dyachenko played his best yet this season. Has anyone seen Burch really laser a left-footed cross yet?

Oh, referee-whining - in the stands, where people were howling, from the players and coaches to reporters after the game - is for losers. Serial losers if it becomes hardwired. United lost because Pachuca was better. Please STFU about the refereeing in every game so that when there IS a truly horrible Abby Okulaja-like performance, the bitching is granted some merit.

UPDATE: DCenters debriefing is up.

UPDATE: I know I should be grateful Comcast broadcasts any United games, but (a) delay Saturday's away game in Salt Lake for a freaking NBA game - and there is NOTHING MORE UNWATCHABLE IN LORD ETCHEVERRY'S UNIVERSE OF SPORTS VIEWING THAN PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL and (b) delay broadcast and not broadcast it in its entirety?  Why the hell not? 

AND PLEASE TELL ME IF I'M WRONG ABOUT THIS:

Why is the stadium experience so much rinky-dinkier? United gets the stadium to itself and all services - parking, vending, cleanliness - gets half-assed.

I've stood in lines where the beer-vendors DON'T KNOW HOW TO POUR DRAFT BEER, they hand a customer a plastic cup of FOAM! and ask for payment. And that's if you can FIND a beer stand, and if that found beer stand doesn't have a line 40 people long.

It took half an hour to get into Lot 4 last night because the dope taking the money either couldn't make change and/or wanted to hold a freaking conversation with any car that had a woman inside. What happened to Surly, the lost eighth dwarf, who used to take tickets to Lot 4?

Oh, and someone forgot to play the anthems. Oopsy.