Reserves reward Soehn's faith

GERMANTOWN, Md. -- D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn faced a tricky task in his team's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup opener against the Rochester Rhinos on Tuesday night.

Much of his squad was dinged and drained from an intense league match against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy on Sunday afternoon. But the club is keen to make some noise in the 2008 USOC after last season's disappointing crashout, and Rochester's visit to United's home away from home, the Maryland Soccerplex, clearly presented a potential banana peel for D.C.

So Soehn took a measured gamble, giving his reserves a chance to make an impression while mixing in a bit of quality from the first team. For three-quarters of the match, the results of his gambit were obscured by the Rhinos' workmanlike resistance -- and some patchy performances from his own side.

"It wasn't the prettiest game. By no means," said Soehn after United's 2-0 escape. "We put a lot of energy into the game on Sunday and we tried to limit how many guys we had out there from that game, and tried to manage through it."

Fatigue even haunted a striker who hasn't worn his United uniform for weeks. Francis Doe finally returned from African World Cup qualifying duty over the weekend, but was less than fresh in his first-ever 90-minute match for D.C.

"I'm still tired because of the flight, because it was like a 14-hour flight," admitted the Liberian international.

But as is often the case when squads from different levels meet in the Open Cup, a flash of top-class quality won the day for United as Marc Burch put one of Major League Soccer's most fearsome left feet to good use, netting two late free kicks to deliver a D.C. win.

"He can hit a ball like nobody's business and he did a good job," said Soehn of his young defender. "Anytime it's a little moist out there, you hit them hard and low. One was a deflection, but he hits it with so much pace you're not sure where it's going. It's a real asset for us."

Against the Galaxy, Burch made his way onto many highlight reels with an effort that didn't even find the net as he cracked a long-distance free kick off the woodwork in the match's late going. On Tuesday night, a different tack helped him outsmart Rochester 'keeper Scott Vallow, who had an otherwise remarkable night in goal with five saves.

"I was sick of hitting the crossbar, so I hit it low," joked Burch. "It seemed like we were controlling the play, we were knocking it around, and we looked good out there, but we weren't really getting any real chances. ... So I figured a free kick or a rebound or something was going to be how someone was going to score."

As Soehn was quick to acknowledge, some of D.C.'s young reserves underwhelmed, but for all their hard running, the Rhinos were unable to exploit the few openings they crafted.

"More or less, they were playing a lot of balls over the top," said Soehn. "I don't know that that unsettled us -- I think there were stretches of the game where we didn't knock it around well enough, and coughed it up in spots."

United will now have a longer respite before hosting the Chicago Fire in am Open Cup quarterfinal match at the Soccerplex in a week's time, as United look to avenge the Fire's 3-0 victory in the 2006 Open Cup semifinals.


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Werder without Wiese
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Hot United get quickly back to work

RSL look to capture first place

SALT LAKE CITY - Call it the second place curse. Two times this season, Real Salt Lake have entered a game needing a win to finally move into first place in the Western Conference standings. Both times, RSL could not come up with the three points it needed.

Under normal circumstances, last weekend's 1-0 loss to the Kansas City Wizards might seem like a particularly disheartening blow. The match appeared headed for a scoreless draw until Tony Beltran's misdirected header nudged the ball into his own net and gave Kansas City an improbable victory.

But the good news for Real is that the loss did not drop them from second place. Now with two-time defending MLS champion Houston coming to town on Thursday night, RSL has high hopes that this will be the time where first place ceases to elude its grasp.

"First place -- even with the parity in the conference -- would be a tremendous feat for this club," defender Nat Borchers said. "We owe it to ourselves to give ourselves a chance to be there."

How well RSL deals with this second chance depends on how much the sour taste of their latest loss to the Wizards lingers. For Beltran, the mental blow would seem big in some ways. He is a much-heralded rookie who made the kind of mistake even veterans have nightmares about.

Beltran seemed to have shaken off whatever shock remained from the own goal by Wednesday's training session -- preferring to bury the past in the past.

"What I told myself after the game is I'm just going to leave it in Kansas City," Beltran said. "If you dwell on it, you're not going to be able to get over it. You're not going to be able to continue. The most important thing now is the next game."

One mistake certainly won't wipe out all the good things Beltran has done to earn a spot in the first XI. And the unexpected loss should not do much to diminish the home prowess of RSL either.

Real have performed well against a number of high-profile opponents in Rice-Eccles Stadium this year -- with a 2-1 win against New England as the most recent example.

Given their history against higher caliber opponents, Real feel confident they can hold their own against the Dynamo in front of the ESPN cameras on Thursday night. There is no bigger stage for the club at this point in its quest to take down Houston.

"We've done a great job this year of getting up for the really big games and playing well against the high-profile teams in MLS," Beltran said.

Depth in the midfield is an issue going into the match against the Dynamo. Starting midfielder Dema Kovalenko will serve an automatic one-game suspension after a yellow card put him over the league limit. Reserve Matias Cordoba will not be available either after leaving Real Salt Lake for good earlier in the week.

Cordoba and RSL parted ways on Monday after unhappiness with his reduced role on the club finally came to a head. He has been placed on waivers, leaving Real with a third vacant roster spot.

"Matias came to us and said he had enough," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "He wants playing time and he feels like he's not going to get it here and he wants out. So he expressed to us he didn't want to be here and we did what we could."

Kreis said Cordoba wasn't buying into the team concept he has set in motion since becoming the head coach 14 months ago. He could not understand his inability to crack the first XI through the halfway point of the season.

A major reason Cordoba remained a reserve, according to Kreis, was that his fitness never reached the level it needed to be at to effectively compete for a starting job in the midfield.

"For me, it (had) a little bit to do with the athleticism," Kreis said. "To do the job that was asked of him, he had to be able to cover ground. He had to be able to get into the attack. He had to be able to defend as well."

Cordoba could not do any of those things adequately and soon took a backseat to veteran Andy Williams and rising star Javier Morales.


RSL youngsters with national team
Cordoba expects fitness wait

FCD players to compete for U.S. U-20 Team

FRISCO, Texas -- Three members of the FC Dallas roster will travel to the southern tip of Texas next week to play for the U.S. under-20 national team in a match with their counterparts from Mexico in Laredo.

All three -- goalkeeper Josh Lambo, midfielder/forward Brek Shea and midfielder/defender Anthony Wallace -- are U.S. U-20 veterans, and along with Jorge Flores (Chivas USA) and Brandon Manzonelli (New England Revolution), comprise the entire MLS contingent in Thomas Rongen's 16-player squad.

Lambo last appeared with the youth national team in January for the Copa Chivas tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico. The young 'keeper likely would have been called in for additional duty were it not for a broken jaw suffered in FCD's first reserve game on March 30. That injury kept him out of action until mid-May.

Shea also missed the Copa Chivas with an injury but has been busy internationally since. He was called in for the U.S. under-23 match at Barbados on June 22 but didn't play. Before that, the 18-year-old rookie played for the U-23s at the Toulon International Tournament in May and the U-20s in the Campo Verde International Tournament, where he scored a goal.

Wallace is also no stranger to international duty. He joined Shea at the Campo Verde Tournament in Portugal, starting and wearing the captain's armband for their first match against the Cape Verde Islands. He also appeared in a camp with the U-23 team in January.

While disappointed to lose three of his most promising youngsters, FCD head coach Schellas Hyndman is happy for his contingent called into the youth national team.

"I think that's great that they're getting a chance to continue to play for their country," Hyndman said. "We're going to miss them because we're getting some good training and they're starting to feel more comfortable with me and my demands. They have a future here and we want to get them playing time. I think it's fantastic. Any time players can get the opportunity to play at a different level or to put themselves in a position to play for their country, I think it's great."

The Hoops boss sees it as another great chance for his youngsters to get more playing time against some high-quality competition.

"Because the reserve schedule isn't a week-in, week-out thing that they can focus on, this is a wonderful opportunity, not only for the training but preparing for competition," Hyndman said. "I think when they come back, they're sharper and a little more excited because it's not the same thing where they show up for training every day and don't know if they'll get to play in the weekend. This is really a necessity for these developmental players."

All three players are ready to turn out for the USA in south Texas.

"It's really special for me because after getting injured, I was kind of worried about getting my form back and everything," Lambo said. "Getting invited to the U-20s means that I am back at the same level where I was at before. That's very special for me. Playing with Brek and Wally are two guys I am very comfortable with. I came here not knowing anybody but them after the draft, so seeing some familiar faces there will be good."

Shea agrees with his roommate and close friend. "It should be fun," he said. "It looks like there is a bunch of new guys and some old guys that I haven't seen in a while. I'm looking forward to playing Mexico because that's always a good environment and a good team to play against. I'm excited."

Wallace, a second-year midfielder, was also called in for the U-20 team's trip to England in early May but then FCD head coach Steve Morrow didn't release Wallace because he needed him to play for the Hoops. So far this year, he has appeared in four matches, three of those starts.

"It's always good to get called in again," Wallace said. "Of course, I have both of my teammates coming with me again and am looking to get back into the swing of things. I didn't go to the last trip that they had because I had to stay here, so I'm looking forward to getting back into it."

Shea is expecting the crowd to be dominated by Mexican fans, but Lambo still anticipates a great atmosphere for the international match.

"I'm really looking forward to the game," Lambo said. "Hopefully, I will get a chance to play. It will basically be an away game but that makes it fun. I would rather have an atmosphere for the other team than no atmosphere at all because that makes it fun. It will get me prepared for when I start playing more for FC Dallas and get me more experience. It will be good for me."

All three agree that playing in such matches can only help them develop even faster into consistent MLS starters.

"I think they help a lot, especially playing against international players, especially kids from other youth teams," Shea said. "They're always good teams. Being with Thomas Rongen and the rest of the coaching staff helps a lot."

Wallace agrees. "It (the competition level) is definitely similar (to MLS) but the intensity is a little lower," he said. "It definitely helps keeps me sharp."


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FCD look for first MLS win of Hyndman era

FRISCO, Texas -- FC Dallas got the first win of the Schellas Hyndman era earlier this week when they defeated USL First Division side Miami FC in a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match. However, FCD still seeks its first win for their new coach in MLS play and the next chance comes on Friday when the Kansas City Wizards visit Pizza Hut Park.

FCD's last game in league action was last Thursday in Houston, when they played the two-time defending league champs to a 1-1 draw and claimed "El Capitan" in the process. The Hoops will be playing their fourth game in just eight days. On Sunday, they faced Chivas de Guadalajara in Frisco and fell 2-1 to the Mexican side. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel as after Friday, the Hoops won't have another league match until July 19 against Colorado.

The Wizards come off a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake last Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark where they were a bit fortunate to claim the win after getting an own goal in the 89th minute. Kansas City is just 1-2-2 in their last five matches and only 1-3-3 away from home.

"They're not having the season that they thought they would have," Hyndman said of the Wizards. "We're coming into the middle of the season and they have the opportunity to turn things around. The win the other night against Real (Salt Lake) off a late goal does nothing but blossom and give them belief. I think that they will be coming in here with high energy and trying to steal another game."

Friday will be the first look that FCD will get at Argentine striker Claudio Lopez, whom the Wizards signed in the offseason as their designated player.

"I know that he's very dangerous and a good finisher," FCD goalkeeper Dario Sala said of his countryman. "He's really good at crossing. Kansas City is going to try to start off the second half of the season with a win and I don't want it to be against us."

Right back Drew Moor agreed. "He's a good player," he said. "He's somebody that I've been watching for a long time because he's been around. He's been on some great Valencia teams. I've seen him in the Champions League and in the World Cup. He has some great experience and is definitely somebody we need to keep an eye on. We can't give him too much space because if he has that, then he's going to pick somebody out. He's been very dangerous for them and has scored some goals. He's definitely someone to keep an eye on."

FCD defensive midfielder Pablo Ricchetti could return to the starting 11 after missing the Chivas and Miami FC matches with a foot injury. He went through a full session on Thursday without issue and looks ready to go but is still listed as questionable.

"Pablo was out here today (Wednesday)," Hyndman said. "I'm watching him very closely. He wanted to do some exercises with us. I pulled him out because for me, Friday is more important. I put him in a different type of exercise and the word to me was that he looked fine. He wants to play on Friday, which is the injured/hurt mentality. It's great to have players with the mentality that you can count on me."

However, the jury is still out on fellow midfielder Dax McCarty, who continues to experience complications while recovering. The North Carolina product went through a full training session on Thursday and might or might not be ready to play substantial minutes. Like Ricchetti, he is listed as questionable.

"I'm kind of going through a day-to-day with Dax (McCarty) because I think there is more than one injury," Hyndman said. "It's recovering from the sports hernia and maybe he came back a little too quickly. Now his back is strained and he has lower back strain. If you've never had a back injury before, it's probably one of the worst things you can have because every time you take a step, your body is trying to prepare to protect you and in the athletic world, you take quite a few steps. I love his attitude and the fact that he's a competitor who wants to be back out there. But we're going to have to monitor him and take good care of him."

One player who will be out is veteran midfielder Bobby Rhine, who left the second half of the Chivas game with an ankle injury.

"I think that was a pretty bad sprain on his ankle," Hyndman said. "The word I get is that it could be two to three weeks. Yes (he is still on crutches). It's a real shame because he's a really good player for us but just as important, he's a great locker room player who keeps players positive and all those types of things help team chemistry."

Midfielder Arturo Alvarez will also be out with a quadriceps injury suffered in Sunday's match with Chivas.

The Wizards match will officially start the second half of the regular season for FCD and Moor, for one, realizes how important that is.

"Friday is an extremely important game for us," he said. "Being back at home for the first time in a while makes it more important. It's an important stretch and a lot of guys got to play and got valuable experience, which is good. It's good to get guys who don't play as much into the games because there are always injuries and fatigue."

Moor also knows that K.C. has always been a tough draw for the Hoops.

"They're a tough team," he said. "We haven't played them yet this year. The last few years, it's been kind of back and forth. They're led by Jimmy Conrad, who has been with the national team for a while now and have some very good young players in the midfield and up front. They're dangerous and we need to keep an eye on them. The important thing is that we come out and play our game by moving the ball well and taking our chances when we get them. If we can do that, then we'll come out with three points."


Player of the month
Wizards focus on moving forward

Fire look to thwart upstart City Stars

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- This is why they call the tournament the U.S. Open Cup.

The Cleveland City Stars, a minor league team from the USL Second Division, visits Toyota Park Tuesday to play a third round match in the 2008 U.S. Open Cup tournament against the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, the highest level of soccer in the U.S. The tournament is "open'' to all teams, professional and amateur, affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation.

While the tournament does slot Major League Soccer teams in the later rounds, allowing the minor league and amateur clubs to slug it out for positions in the third round, eventually the successful lower-level teams find themselves pitted against the top-level pros for the right to advance. Such is the case with the Fire playing the Cleveland Stars.

In the first round, the Stars defeated the Michigan Bucks of the PDL, a team that has had some Open Cup success in the past. In the second round, the Stars upset a USL-1 team, the Minnesota Thunder, 2-0, in Blaine, Minn. to advance to the game against the Fire.

"It means a lot to our team," said Stars coach Martin Rennie, who coached at the semi-professional level in Scotland after playing in both the U.S. and Europe. "This is only the second year our franchise has existed. We are trying to build a reputation of being a well-organized team, and this is helping us do that. It is an exciting opportunity."

The City Stars are in second place in the USL2 with a record of 6-2-5 and are 3-2-2 in road games this season. The two Cleveland goals against Minnesota were scored by former Fire forward Floyd Franks, who is looking forward to seeing some old friends when he joins the Stars in their game against the Fire Tuesday.

"It feels good to know I get to come back here and see some old friends and play against them," said Franks, who played in 16 games (two starts) for the Fire in 2006 and 2007 and was on their preseason roster this season. "I'm not mad at them (for releasing him). Being with Cleveland is opening some doors and gives me the freedom to pursue other goals I have. Playing my old team, it's not like I see it as a chance to show them I should be here, but it is a unique situation."

The tournament is similar to other cup competitions played in both Europe and South America, although perhaps without the same cache. Still, the players know what they are involved in.

"I think they understand the opportunity they have," Rennie said. "A lot of them have a chance to showcase what they can do. It gives them a chance to show that."

Unfortunately for Cleveland, it is playing the one club in MLS that has proven to take the Open Cup as seriously as it takes league play. The Fire have won the Open Cup four times in their 10 years of existence, including in 1998 when the team was just formed.

"I've been here since then, and we have always taken it seriously," said Fire coach Denis Hamlett, who is in his first year as head coach but had been an assistant with the team since 1998. "It's another opportunity to raise a trophy and be called a champion.

"It's a chance for guys to put some more money in their pockets," Hamlett said. "Also, now the Open Cup winner gets a qualifying spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup next year, which is another good thing that comes out of it."

The Fire had a play-in game against the Columbus Crew a couple of weeks ago in Peoria and won 3-2 on an overtime penalty kick goal by Andy Herron.

Hamlett played a mix of veterans and reserves in that game, but he had No. 1 goalkeeper Jon Busch between the posts and used central defender Bakary Soumare in front of him.


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Fire break out vs. Cleveland City

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- The Chicago Fire, which has gone 333 minutes without a goal in MLS play, blasted out of its slump with three first-half goals Tuesday on the way to a 4-1 victory against the Cleveland City Stars of USL Second Division in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup.

The Fire, who have won the U.S. Open Cup four times in their 10 years of existence, jumped out in front quickly and had little difficulty adding to the advantage against the third-tier minor league club from Cleveland, which is only in its second year of existence.

Mike Banner, a Fire reserve midfielder, scored the game's first goal in the 13th minute, getting the ball near the upper left corner of the penalty area from a cross by Calen Carr. He thought about one-timing a shot but slipped, then dribbled once before putting the ball top shelf past Cleveland goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap.

In the 23rd minute, Carr himself dribbled the ball in from the right side along the top of the penalty box, then sent a left-footed shot into the near corner under Gilstrap.

In the 26th minute, Chris Rolfe, who played as a reserve in the Fire's 0-0 draw with San Jose Saturday, was tripped by Cleveland's Kiel McClung 12 yards out. Chad Barrett, the Fire's leading scorer this season, put the penalty kick away hard and high for a 3-0 Fire lead.

The City Stars showed their stuff in the second half, finally getting on board in the 61st minute on a hard 20-yard shot by Kiel McClung that zipped past Fire reserve goalkeeper Nick Noble.

The Fire got that goal back in the 73rd minute when Banner got his second goal of the game, firing a shot up and over Gilstrap's head into the upper left corner of the net.

Unlike in the play-in game against the Columbus Crew of MLS when he used many regular starters, Fire coach Denis Hamlett used mostly reserves against the City Stars. Hamlett did use Rolfe and Barrett, who usually start for the Fire but played as reserves against San Jose Saturday.

He used goalkeeper Nick Noble, defenders Austin Washington, Brian Plotkin, Daniel Woolard and Lider Marmol, and midfielders Mike Banner, Stephen King, Peter Lowry and Calen Carr.

Marmol was making his first appearance for the Fire after suffering a knee injury earlier this month. Marmol was a part of a controversial tug-of-war with the New York Red Bulls for his services back in March.

In the second half, Hamlett subbed for both Rolfe and Barrett, using Polish forward Tomasz Frankowski and rookie Patrick Nyarko in their place.

D.C. United will play host the Fire in a quarterfinal match Tuesday, July 8 after winning their third-round match 2-0 against the USL1 Rochester Rhinos.


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Youngsters send message to Fire vets

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Perhaps the Chicago Fire care about the U.S. Open Cup too much.

A pair of goals by reserve Mike Banner, one early and one late, helped the Fire defeat the Cleveland City Stars of the USL Second Division 4-1 Tuesday at Toyota Park to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup. The Fire will play D.C. United next Tuesday.

The Fire have won the Open Cup four times in their 10 previous seasons of existence, a level of success in the tournament unmatched and unchallenged by any other MLS team. But the Fire's last seven goals this season have been scored in Open Cup play.

In MLS play, the Fire have gone 333 minutes without a goal heading into Saturday's game at Columbus. Fire coach Denis Hamlett, who used a lineup of almost all reserves Tuesday, said the scoring could be read as a challenge to the starters.

"It sends a message to our veteran guys that these guys can play," Hamlett said.

Said Banner: "Considering our losing streak, tonight was a big game for everybody,"

The Fire had the run of play in the game against the Stars, who are in their second year of existence and currently stand in second place in the USL Second Division.

Banner, a reserve midfielder, scored the game's first goal in the 13th minute, getting the ball near the upper left corner of the penalty area from a cross by Calen Carr. He thought about one-timing a shot but slipped, then dribbled once before putting the ball top shelf past Cleveland goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap.

"I wanted it to land on my left foot, which is my strong foot, but it doesn't always happen that way," Banner said. "The defender forced me inside and I hit it and it went in."

In the 23rd minute, Carr himself dribbled the ball in from the right side along the top of the penalty box, then sent a left foot shot into the near corner under Gilstrap.

In the 26th minute, Chris Rolfe, who played as a reserve in the Fire's scoreless draw with San Jose Saturday, was tripped by Cleveland's Kiel McClung 12 yards out. Chad Barrett, the Fire's leading scorer this season, put the penalty kick away hard and high for a 3-0 Fire lead.

The City Stars got on the board in the 61st minute on a hard 20-yard shot by Kiel McClung that zipped past Fire reserve goalkeeper Nick Noble. The Fire got that goal back in the 73rd minute when Banner got his second goal of the game, firing a shot up and over Gilstrap's head into the upper left corner of the net.

"We knew the fourth goal would put the nail in the coffin," Banner said. "Peter (Lowry) played me a great ball and I was able to get it on my left foot and put it away."

"Our mindset was right tonight," Hamlett said. "We took the game right at them."

Unlike in the play-in game against the Columbus Crew of MLS when he used many regular starters, Fire coach Denis Hamlett used mostly reserves against the City Stars. He used Noble, defenders Austin Washington, Brian Plotkin, Daniel Woolard and Lider Marmol, and midfielders Banner, Stephen King, Lowry and Carr.

Marmol was making his first appearance for the Fire after suffering a knee injury earlier this month. Marmol was a part of a controversial tug-of-war with the New York Red Bulls for his services back in March.

In the second half, Hamlett subbed for both Rolfe and Barrett, using Polish forward Tomasz Frankowski and rookie Patrick Nyarko in their place.


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