Behind the Badge

Preseason Game #9: DCU 2 - Charleston 0

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 23:41:48 -0500

D.C. United captured their first ever Carolina Challenge Cup on Saturday night by defeating the Charleston Battery 2-0 in the third and final match of the competition. United has competed in the preseason tournament five times, but this most recent installment marks the first time that the Black-and-Red have claimed silverware. Saturday's victory brings United's overall preseason record to 6-1-2, as Curt Onalfo's men have now won six consecutive exhibition matches.

The team will aim to use this momentum in next week's regular season opener in Kansas City, a match that is sure to start on time thanks to today's positive news from MLS headquarters. United claimed maximum points during the Challenge Cup, defeating Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC, and the tournament hosts en route to the title.

More remarkably, 36 year-old club captain Jaime Moreno scored every goal for the Black-and-Red in the Challenge Cup. In fact, dating back to the club's win south of the border against Santos Laguna, Moreno has scored six goals in the last four matches. Two of those strikes came against the Battery, as Moreno registered sublime first half goals that deflated the home side.

Live video: DCU v Charleston Battery

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 18:21:41 -0500

Join other United fans on Twitter as they watch with you! Add #dcu or #dcunited to your tweets to join the conversation.

MLS and Players Union agree to new CBA

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:23:15 -0500

MLS and the Players Union have announced that a new collective bargaining agreement has been finalized. It's a five-year deal that will allow for the 2010 season to begin without delay.

"On behalf of everyone at D.C. United, I want to congratulate the MLS Management Team and the MLS Players Association for the extraordinary job they did in reaching agreement on the new collective bargaining agreement," said United President and CEO Kevin Payne. "All of us are excited to get on with the work of building our league into what we all envision it can be. We're very excited about the 2010 United team we have put together and are very pleased that we can now fully focus on winning the 2010 MLS Cup championship. This is a great day for our players, our fans, and everyone who cares about MLS."

Get your tickets now for United's 2010 home opener versus the New England Revolution at RFK Stadium on Saturday, April 3!

Q&A: Onalfo speaks about the end of preseason

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:23:02 -0500

With one final match remaining in the 2010 preseason, D.C. United Head Coach Curt Onalfo took time after Friday's training session to speak with BTB. For the last two months the Black-and-Red have traveled to Florida, Mexico, and South Carolina perfecting their collective craft ahead of next week's MLS regular season opener in Kansas City.

Currently the club is competing in the Carolina Challenge Cup for the fifth time, a competition that United has yet to win. Onalfo's side is in pole position at the moment after defeating Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC in the tournament, and a win or draw on Saturday against the Charleston Battery will secure the preseason title. United have won five exhibition matches in a row dating back to the club's time in Bradenton, Florida, and a win over Coffee Pot Cup rivals Charleston would be an ideal way to finish things off. So far in the preseason campaign United is 5-1-2.

Onalfo speaks about how far the team has come in such a short amount of time, and what he expects to see in Saturday's contest. United will return to the nation's capital early on Sunday morning, with training to resume at RFK Stadium on Tuesday, March 23.

Media: Clyde Simms on WJFK

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:51:31 -0500

Tune-in to 106.7 WJFK on Saturday afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET to hear Clyde Simms talk about the upcoming season. Clyde will join host Frank Hanrahan to discuss the preseason, his return from injury, how the team is shaping up and the start of the 2010 campaign.

Photos: United 1 - Toronto 0

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:34:47 -0500

Preseason Game #8: DCU 1 - TFC 0

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:39:45 -0500

UPDATE: Highlights from last night's win above. Jaime Moreno's really (really) nice goal is at the 1:10 mark.

In D.C. United's second preseason encounter with Toronto FC, the Black-and-Red claimed a 1-0 victory in the second match of their 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup run. The first contest between the two clubs in Bradenton, FL was an innocuous 0-0 draw, but Wednesday's match was the polar opposite.

The game was full of hard challenges, back and forth play, and multiple bookings. Toronto's Amadou Sanyang was sent off following a melee at midfield in the 27', leaving the Reds down a man for the remainder of the match. Club captain Jaime Moreno continued his stellar preseason form, scoring the game's only goal in the 62' to raise United's overall preseason record to 5-1-2.

The Black-and-Red are now in the drivers seat in the Challenge Cup standings, and a win on Saturday against Coffee Pot Cup rivals Charleston Battery will secure United's claim to the tournament title. Tonight's win over Toronto is United's fifth consecutive preseason triumph, and the club will try to carry this positive momentum into next week's MLS regular season opener in Kansas City.

Prior to the Toronto match United Head Coach Curt Onalfo stated that he wanted his reserves to play a prominent role in the game, and United's first half line-up was composed of many players that have seen limited action in the preseason.

One such player was trialist Barry Rice, and the former University of Kentucky defender was at the center of the skirmish that ignited the match. Rice was on the receiving end of a hard challenge by a Toronto midfielder, sparking an altercation between members of both teams. Amadou Sanyang was sent off for shoving members of the Black-and-Red in the 27', and the Reds never recovered.

Live video: DCU v TFC

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:57:46 -0500

Coming to you live from Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC, the Black-and-Red are taking on Toronto FC in the second match of the 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup. Thank you once again to TFC for providing the live stream of tonight's contest.

DCU starters: Perkins; Adams, James, Rice, Woolard; Shipalane, DiRaimondo, Yates, Khumalo; Cristman, Allsopp

TFC starters: Frei; Harden, Cann, Zamperini, Attakora; Joseph, DeGuzman, Sanyang, Ibrahim; DeRosario, White

Reserves to feature in tonight's TFC match

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 12:44:42 -0500

The Black-and-Red will participate in their second match of the 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup tonight at Blackbaud Stadium against Toronto FC at 7:00 p.m. United is coming off of a 2-1 victory over the reigning MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake, and the team will look to gain three more points in the Challenge Cup standings. Thus far in the 2010 preseason United is 4-1-2 overall.

Our good friends at TFC will provide a link to view the match live tonight, and we will post it right here on BTB. For those of you unable to watch live we will be bringing the match to you from our Twitter feed.

With the start of the regular season only ten days away, United Head Coach Curt Onalfo is trying to get his side in a rhythm by managing the players' minutes. According to Onalfo tonight will be an excellent opportunity for the reserves.

"Tonight is another great opportunity for us to be able to evaluate our team. We want to continue to build confidence by ensuring that we are improving each day. Again, our main objective is to ensure that this team is ready for our opening game of the season against Kansas City on March 27," said Onalfo.

He continues, "Playing on a Wednesday this evening, and the fact that we have three games in one week, we are going to try and play a lot of our reserve players and get them some minutes against a very good MLS team in Toronto. Those players will feature in the first half, and as we move into the second half we may introduce some of the other guys, but tonight's focus is to get significant minutes to our reserve players."

After tonight's contest the Black-and-Red will turn their attention to the final match of the 2010 preseason. United will conclude their slate of exhibition matches against the Charleston Battery on Saturday, March 20. As always BTB will bring you a full match report following each contest, so be sure to stay tuned.

Photo of the Day: Full season planholder package

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:37:50 -0500

If you're a full season planholder with D.C. United, you'll likely receive your 2010 ticket package this week. Above is a photo of Matt Mathai's package, showing off the 2010 Membership Card, his four season tickets and the full season membership gift - an autographed Chris Pontius photo in an exclusive D.C. United frame (full season planholders got to choose from one of five players). Matt, who founded the Screaming Eagles, has been a season ticket holder since the team's inaugural season (and also took the photo of Pontius being used in the packages!).

If you're interested in getting all of the added benefits of being a full season planholder (the membership card gives you 15% off at the team store all season long!), you can get more info here.

One more photo after the jump of the outside packaging...

Roster updates from Charleston

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:13:52 -0500

The players enjoyed a day away from training on Monday, as United Head Coach Curt Onalfo gave the guys some down time after Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Real Salt Lake.

After winning four consecutive preseason matches, the club has been further bolstered by the arrival of midfielder Clyde Simms and fullback Bryan Namoff to Charleston. Simms is steadily recovering from meniscus surgery, while Namoff is returning to health following concussions that were suffered in the 2009 season.

Drew Yates has joined United on trial from Chicago, where the 29^th overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft was training for the first portion of the preseason. Yates it a local product from the University of Maryland, where he doubled as a forward and attacking midfielder.

United have two preseason matches remaining this week, the first coming against Toronto FC on Wednesday March 17, followed by the final match of the 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup against the Charleston Battery on Sunday March 20.

If you can believe it, the 2010 MLS regular season kicks off in 12 days, when the Black-and-Red face the Kansas City Wizards on the road.

Photos: United 2 - RSL 1

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:55:43 -0500

You've heard about March Madness...

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:40:22 -0500

... now, check out March Goodness!

Starting today, United for D.C. will take part in Razoo's "March Goodness Competition." From March 15-30, United for D.C. will be competing in the "East Regional" against other top nonprofits for $20,000 in grants and prizes. Every donation not only goes straight to fund all the signature programs of United for D.C. - including United Soccer Club, Kicks for Kids, and United Reads - but also gets us one step closer to the nonprofit "final four."

You can donate here.

Check out Razoo's home page to track our progress.

Preseason Game #7: DCU 2 - RSL 1

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:41:14 -0500

D.C. United opened the 2010 Carolina Challenge Cup in style on Saturday evening, as the Black-and-Red defeated Real Salt Lake 2-1 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC. United has now won four consecutive preseason matches, boosting their overall exhibition record to 4-1-2.

The reigning MLS Cup champions struck first in the 40th minute through a Robbie Findlay penalty conversation, but United battled back behind the efforts of captain Jaime Moreno. The MLS veteran captured a brace to put RSL to the sword, giving United a strong start in the seventh installment of the Challenge Cup.

The match began in cautious fashion, as both sides attempted to feel one another out. However, it didn't take long for the action to commence, when Real midfielder Ned Grabavoy was fouled in the area by United's Kurt Morsink. Findley stepped up to the penalty spot and converted his attempt, giving Real Salt Lake a 1-0 halftime lead.

United were not deterred, and in the second half the Black-and-Red began to create numerous scoring chances. New Australian signing Danny Allsopp nearly beat Nick Rimando at his near post with a glancing header, while substitute Andy Najar made a variety of dangerous runs in the attacking third.

Live video: DCU vs. Real Salt Lake

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:46:42 -0500

UPDATE (6:54 pm): The game has ended. United wins 2-1 on the strength of two second half goals from Jaime Moreno. Full recap coming soon.

Coming to you live from Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, SC - D.C. United takes on Real Salt Lake in the first game of the Carolina Challenge Cup. Our thanks to Toronto FC for providing a live stream of tonight's game.

D.C. United starters: G: Perkins; RB: McTavish, CB: Jakovic, CB: Pena, LB: Wallace; RW: Barklage, CM: Morsink, CM: Quaranta, LW: Castillo; F: Allsopp, F: Moreno

Real Salt Lake starters: G:Rimando; RB:Russell, CB: Olave, CB: Borchers, LB: Wingert; RW: Grabavoy, CM: Beckerman, CM: Morales, LW: Johnson; F: Espindola, F: Findley