Pachuca, our Nemesis

I wish I could say we were the better team tonight. We were the better team for the first 15 minutes of the first half (which saw us go up 1-0 on a D-Ro goal), and maybe the final 5 minutes of the first half (where Waibel could have given us a 2-1 lead...twice). The rest of the time we struggled, being a man down against one of the best teams in Mexico in stifling heat and humidity. Though we struggled at times, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game, Robinson fought through on a Mulrooney free kick to get the goal that would keep us in the match (2-2), then a Pachuca expulsion evened up the sides at 10.

Throughout the game, I thought we weren't pressuring the ball enough, and we gave the Tuzos plenty of time to make endless chains of passes in our own half. To our credit:
1) We didn't allow much of the possession to lead to scoring threats
2) We still pushed the attack on the counter, even a man down
3) We showed some 1v1 skill on the attack, wrong-footing the Pachuca markers as we drove to goal

In extra time, it was more of the same: cautious positioning by the Orange, possession by the Tuzos, and not a lot of chances for either team. Jaqua came out for Wondo. Regarding Jaqua: I can't wait until Davis and/or Holden are healthy. Nate wasn't much help on the field tonight. Oh yeah, and we got another red and went down to 9 men. At this point, the game began to look like the US vs Italy in World Cup 2006.

Ianni...I sure wish you had positioned yourself better in the first half so you wouldn't have had to make that foul. That red changed the game. Cochrane, who you were replacing, couldn't have done better though. Ah, to see this match 11v11. What would have happened then? And as for Ashe: that was a stupid, childish foul in overtime, particularly given the situation the team was in. You hadn't done much on the field, but your speed may have helped open the field up a bit. But alas, you felt pouty and lashed out.

Though the stars were aligned against us, we made it to penalties. At that point, I felt fairly confident. In fact, the only real doubt I suffered was when Ching went up. He had been a nonfactor for the entire game. He never linked up with any of his mates, and I can't remember a single header he won. I saw a lot of camera shots of him walking; he looked exhausted and listless. Robinson's goal in regulation could have been Ching's, but Ching didn't have a bead on the ball and the hungry Robinson leapt over the planted Ching to earn the equalizer. Because of this, I felt bad juju hung over Ching and was nervous as he approached the ball on the PK. It wasn't a badly struck ball, but hitting the post was just the icing on the cake for Ching's performance tonight. He'll have to be Mr. Clutch on another day.

Ngwenya's attempt to be cheeky was just atrocious, and that cost us the game.

Those who I thought did well: E-Rob, Waibel, and Barrett. Mullan was a workhorse, as was Mulrooney. D-Ro was inconsistent, but he wasn't the albatross that Ching and Jaqua were. Ngwenya played okay for the most part, but he still doesn't use his speed to its greatest effect, and there is that penalty of his...

All in all, losing in penalties is not what I wanted, but it wasn't an unfair result. We played poorly, though with heart. Defensively we left two men alone in the box, and each of them scored on us. We also made some stupid decisions that put the team in a bad spot and a man down...twice.

Now I just hope the team will focus on its league play and turn that ship around. We've lost our opportunity for the CONCACAF Champions Cup and now the SuperLiga trophy (and cash). The only things left are the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup, but we won't be able to claim those if we play like we've been playing in the MLS and tonight. This weekend is the time to get back on track and start a new winning streak with FCD. Go ORANGE!