Game Review: DC United 2 - 1 Pachuca (2-3 agg.)

There is very little to be said against United's performance tonight, which is exactly the reason they lost. What we saw tonight is the crushing reality of a salary cap team: Pachuca, even barely removed from its glory days, is simply a better team, and one that deserved to win even against opposition playing its best soccer of the season.

And yes, this was United's best game to date. It was a pleasure to watch the pressure they sustained throughout most of the game, controlling the midfield in stark contrast to last week's match. The defense, even undermanned, was stable and superb in its fluidity to attack and track back with little effort. For large portions of the match, United looked exactly like the team it was intended to be when all of off-season signings were announced.

The problem is that Pachuca is, when you get down it, the team that United was intended to be. Even when the Mexicans were on their heels, counterattacks were incredibly crisp, with the kind of touch and precision passing that remains a long way in the future for our perpetually gelling team. There may have been three or four United surges for every Pachuca counter, but it seemed that they only needed one to slice in a perfect through ball and scare the living hell out of us, whereas we needed the four to even entertain the chance of not dribbling into a quagmire or throwing a pass forward to be intercepted.

Again, this was a good night. The game saw a lot of success and a lot of fight from United, even despite the perpetual inability to make the last touch appear meaningful, let alone count. The goals at the end were thrilling and indicative of the kind of tenacious night that United had, but also proved that even a lot of fight is not enough. For all of the talent, the trademark of this team is still the botched pass.

So this result was really inevitable. No late surge could have changed it, and the result shouldn't fade our pride in what was a great night for the badge. If that's what we plan to bring against the league, the league had damn well better run for cover. But the sour taste does have a way of sticking around, and I can't see where it goes away in competitions like this for a long while.

(By the way, one side note: complaining about the ref is a practice I totally frown upon. It is, in all but the most egregious cases, a pathetic and self-indulgent way to assign blame for a loss. But there should be at least a second of thought here for Joel Aguilar, who performed like a bad Abbey Okulaja cover band. He didn't lose the game for United, but Pachuca can thank him for any one of several smaller lifelines.)

Man of the Match - A though call, especially with the solid play of Simms, but my vote goes to Gonzalo Martinez. He was everywhere against an opponent that demanded it, especially in playing up the wing without completely sacrificing his defensive duties. Tonight was a primer on why United signed him.