The Good
- Jarred Stroud was in the mood for reminding his former team what they lost, and he was excellent in the RWB role. DC United had a ton of absences this weekend because MLS refuses to be a normal top league and not play during FIFA windows. Combined with injuries, Troy needed to be creative, and he was. I wrote in my preview piece that St. Louis were susceptible to wide play, and it played true with Stroud on the right side. DC hammered the wings on several occasions, and Stroud had two great moments. He makes the cross to Benteke that sets up the Ted tap in, and he plays the assist on the Benteke goal. Stroud did so many good things on the wing, and continues to be an amazing pickup for the team.
- Christian Dajome also found himself in role he is familiar with, but maybe not ideal. He has played LWB in the past, but it is clearly not his ideal role. However, he showed plenty of chops to get back and cover the game defensively. He had an excellent moment against Klauss where he got in front of him and prevented him from a major opportunity. He was a menace all over the field and I think showed some great moments tonight.
- I am not sure if Christian Benteke or Matuez Klich will be here next year, but I can’t really find a good argument for them not to be. This year was about building for the future, but the way they have bought in and performed can not be ignored. Why take a risk on finding something else when what you have is so good?
- Other mentions should go Ted Ku-Dipietro who marked his return. The nabs the goal off of a heads-up play from Benteke’s rebound and generally looks like the best player to read Benteke’s hold up play the best. This was a wild game, so tough to make much of many more performances. He came off limping, so I hope he is back next week.
The Not So Good
- It is really tough to make too much of the bad in this match. The team was certainly gassed by about the 75th minute. In the end, any mistakes only cost them a set piece goal and a PK if we are being honest. It is really hard to be mad at this. They had a few breakdowns, but it never really felt like the team was out of control. Bono pulled off a few key saves and the team saw out a point.
- Gabriel Pirani makes an appearance here, but I will give him a mulligan because the wide play was where DC United was going to win this match. I saw a few moments where he tracked back won the ball and started an attack. Right now, he is really all DC has at this point. He is getting more involved, but too much he appears to not want to make the crucial decision.
The Turning Point
- If you ask St. Louis fans, it was the Klauss PK that rescued a point. But for me, Ted’s goal is the true turning point. No doubt, St. Louis got the first goal and thought they were in cruise control against a weakened team. DC came right back and before the announcer had even finished announcing the goalscorer, DC fired back to level.
Looking Ahead
- I would like to go back to my very specific prediction at the beginning of the year. I said DC would win one game through March, and their only win would be against Inter Miami. Granted, I was wrong about the opponent, but the first part holds valid still. However, DC have still been better than I expected. Troy has brought me back to looking forward to every game, and this game shows his ability as a manager. He gave a lot of credit to Kevin Prince for the game plan tonight, and he and the staff he has brought in looks more than up to the task. The mood has never been higher. Picking up a win next week with the cavalry back will be an impressive start considering the road trips and challenges this team has faced.
Final Thoughts
DC gave up a free header and a PK to St. Louis, yet according to FotMob still beat them in xG 1.97 to 1.82. DC’s entire xG also came from open play with St. Louis only mustering an xG of .62 in the same metric. If DC holds that, they will win a lot of games this year, minus giving up the set plays and the PK. They really did stunt any real attack from St. Louis on the road. They also generated their own chances in the open play, which is what you want if you are a soccer team. Despite, the mistakes, DC were the better side. Considering their absences this is probably one of the best results of the year. It is a long season, but this is the type of result that gets you excited to come back and watch next week.