After the woeful losing streak to start the season, forgive D.C. United fans if they didn’t see this one coming.
United registered their first points of the season on Wednesday thanks in part to the impressive debut of 19-year-old goalkeeping starlet Bill Hamid, who made some strong reflex saves, despite looking shaky at other times. Watch his save reel from the game here.
Hamid says that he found out he was going to start in place of Troy Perkins on Tuesday.
It was Hamid’s first game, so it will understandably take time for him to earn a nickname similar to his Wizards counterpart, “Casino Jimmy,” which is what Jimmy Nielsen is called.
FC Dallas also got their first win of 2010 with a hard fought win in Houston, scoring a goal while a man down. The Dynamo, meanwhile, have another injury situation to deal with after Eddie Robinson left the match in the first half.
The Galaxy continued to roll on but this time they did not need any goals from Edson Buddle in a 1-0 win in Colorado. The Rapids valiantly battled back but could not convert their chances.
The Seattle Sounders are already game-planning for Buddle, according to right back James Riley.
In New England, the Revolution are sinking deeper and were self-critical after another poor performance in a 4-0 loss to Chivas USA. The Goats, meanwhile are finding a team chemistry.
While the Revs had another player sent off with a red card on Wednesday, another team grappling with how to keep ejections to a minimum is the Philadelphia Union.
Peter Nowak’s men will likely have to do without forward Sebastien Le Toux again in order that the Frenchman’s knee can continue to recover.
The schedule has no mercy on the expansion Union as they travel to play defending champions Real Salt Lake as Philly No. 1 'keeper Chris Seitz returns to face his former club.
Seitz can take a lesson from up-and-coming Chicago Fire right back Tim Ward, who spoke of his rise through the ranks.
On Wednesday Clint Dempsey and Fulham lost their final match at Craven Cottage this season. Meanwhile, U.S. Head Coach Bob Bradley says that he predicted Dempsey’s winner against Juventus in the Europa League knockout rounds.
Friday’s Mexico vs. Ecuador will go down in history as the first-ever sellout of the New Meadowlands Stadium which will be home of the NFL’s Jets and Giants.
In other international action, Tottenham pipped Manchester City for the fourth and final Champions League spot in England and five of the eight quarterfinalists of the Copa Libertadores have been determined.
One month from the start of the World Cup, the New York Times features a piece of how the English view American soccer.
Lastly, the U.S. Open Cup format has been released by the U.S. Soccer Federation.
