DC United

Some random thoughts heading into the weekend....

DC United

I moved to the Washington DC area in 1997, but was a fan of DC United before ever coming here. I remember watching the first ever MLS championship game where United came back from the dead to defeat the seemingly invincible LA Galaxy. That was a gritty team that started the season rather weakly and finished strong.

Last season's MLS champion DC United was similar. They were hanging around near the bottom of the league and finished the season on an incredible winning streak. They took this momentum into the playoffs and became the team that no one wanted to face. It looks like United is playing the same way this year. Coach Peter Nowak's troops are starting to gel. Look for them to make a strong finishing run in the second half of the season!

Team Blue

I am hopeful that my soccer team can emulate the accomplishments of DC United. We currently sit in the middle of the standings of our league with 7 points on 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. We have 3 games remaining against the 3rd, 8th, and 10th place teams (12 total teams in the league). I think we are good enough to win all three games and go into the league playoffs on a roll. If that happens, the rest of the league better watch out!

Shootouts

Last week the Champion's League Final was decided on penalty kicks after Liverpool and AC Milan played to a dramatic 3-3 tie through regulation and overtime. If you did not get to watch this game, or any part of it, you missed an instant classic. Having faced (and saved!) my first ever penalty kick two weeks ago, I can't help but wonder why FIFA and EUFA don't consider adopting the former NASL and MLS-style shootouts to break ties.

Under current FIFA rules, tie matches that require a winner are broken by penalty kicks. After each team has taken 5 shots, the team with the most goals wins. If they are still tied, we go to "Sudden Death" where each team gets 1 shot and if one team makes while the other misses, the match is over. If both make or both miss, the process continues.

Under the MLS-style shootout, a player starts with the ball 35 yards out from goal. The player has 5 seconds to take a shot. The player can dribble and basically do whatever they like prior to taking their shot (it is similar to a hockey penalty shot). Like the penalty shootout described above, each team gets five opportunities to score and the team with the most goals wins. Ties continue on in "Sudden Death" fashion.

What I like about the MLS-style shootout is that it is more like a natural play of the game. Keepers are often required to make stops on breakaway opportunities. Penalty kicks are much more rare. The MLS-style shootout puts the keeper and the striker on a more equal footing. As a result, less luck is involved in deciding the outcome.

I am going to talk to friends in Europe to see if they feel similarly about Penalty Kick Shootouts. Maybe a grass-roots change can happen.