Independent voices from the TWT Communities
This past February, D.C. United coach Ben Olsen spoke of his club's arduous quest to bring in a true goal-scorer, then looked to prized signing Hamdi Salihi and declared, "We think we've found him."
D.C. United will be without Andy Najar for the Eastern Conference final after Major League Soccer suspended the defender for two games on Friday.
In the world of soccer, conventional wisdom says a draw at home is far from ideal. When it comes to a two-game, total-goals series, in fact, the result can be downright disheartening.
A raucous RFK Stadium crowd may have witnessed the theatrics of postseason soccer for the first time in five years Saturday, but neither D.C. United nor the New York Red Bulls seemed well cast as playoff contenders. When all was said and done, United and the Red Bulls found themselves deadlocked 1-1 after the first leg of their two-game, total-goals Eastern Conference semifinal.
D.C. United sure haven't wasted time getting their money's worth out of Lionard Pajoy.
Lionard Pajoy and Long Tan each scored his first goal with his new club, helping D.C. United to a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday night at RFk Stadium.
For the past two weeks, Andy Najar has represented Honduras on one of the most glamorous stages the sporting world has to offer, wearing the blue and white of Los Catrachos while introducing his dynamic play to observers around the globe.
Checking in on athletes from the District, Maryland and Virginia in the London Olympics
Checking in on athletes from the District, Maryland and Virginia in the London Olympics
At the Olympics, Spain's European and world soccer titles aren't much help.
For Andy Najar, D.C. United's 19-year-old burst of flair and finesse on the right flank, representing Honduras in the London Games this summer is about the familiar Olympic tropes. History, patriotism and prestige all apply.
Ben Olsen was named coach of the MLS All-Star squad that will take on English side Chelsea FC, the reigning UEFA Champions League winner, at PPL Park in Chester, Pa., on July 25.
When D.C. United kicked off at the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, the visitors were riding high, owners of a seven-game unbeaten stretch and the team's first winning streak in nearly three years.
Coach Ben Olsen often noted this past offseason that D.C. United's restructured roster, with substantially more depth and balance than in years past, sure looked good on paper. But in Saturday's 2-1 win at the New England Revolution, those qualities paid dividends where it matters most - on the field.
One doesn't have to spend much time watching Danny Cruz fly around a soccer field to figure out why the midfielder has earned the nickname "Crash" inside the D.C. United locker room.
"Obviously, it was very difficult for me," Najar said via a translator. "You learn from your mistakes. You don't want to commit the same errors again next year."
D.C. United midfielder Andy Najar (14) argues with the ref before being tosses for receiving two yellow cards in the second half against the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals playoff match at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.
