DC United took the first step towards defending its Open Cup crown by seeing off the Dallas Starcows 2-0. Wait...does anybody really defend the "Open Cup crown," or is it more of a "Hey, you want this thing? No? You sure? Well, if you really don't want it...maybe I'll hang on to it anyway..." That about the shape of it to you too? Regardless, the result clearly indicates that the answer to all of our woes is to give the kids more time, right? The kids are alright? Out with the old, in with the new? Barklage is Jesus in cleats? No? Well, given that I'm going only on hearsay, forum whisperings, and my trusty imagination, here's what I've been able to glean that seems relevant...
* Kocic ain't quite ready for primetime. Likewise Peters. Though neither embarrassed themselves, they weren't up to the standard of...
* Barklage apparently had quite the game, capped by scoring United's second, but anchored more by his ability to hold possession and distribute the ball from the attacking midfield position.
* Fred sounded like he turned in the typical Fred shift: busy, busy, good running, good in possession, some tricks...and the inevitable boatload of wasted finishes. Anybody getting a sniff of "surplus to requirements," particularly on his heavy salary cap figure? The disease apparently wasn't confined to our Mohicaned midfielder, with plenty of chances going begging. The "dominate possession, fail to finish" issue better not become recurrent or it's going to be an even longer season than if we just flat-out sucked. Imagine the frustration of having a team capable of controlling games, but unable to win them. Torture.
* The other disturbing trend appears to be that we sat back after going up 1-0. I'm sure this guy will be thrilled. What to attribute the problem to? It's got to fall on one dude: the coach.
* Quaranta is said to have played a very Moreno-like game, both for the good and for the ill.
* The prevailing theme seems to be that United played with energy and purpose. Is this a coincidence considering the youth of the team on the field? I'll leave you to pound that soft lob into the upper deck.
Conclusions?
Now the reasonable assumption becomes: the depth has proved, against MLS opposition (deflated though it may be), that it seems to be of a higher quality than last year. If this is so, perhaps seeing some of our old warhorses pull up lame might not be such a terrible thing. Olsen doesn't have the wheels to match with his prodigious engine any more. Maybe tossing a few more hungry, energetic kids into the mix wouldn't be such a bad thing for the overall commitment and determination of the team. If the early success of Wallace, Pontius, and Jakovic are anything to go by, maybe the long, trying summer might create more opportunity than woe.
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