D.C. United: The Men in Black

Matches

May 8, 2013
D.C. United 1 - 2 Houston Dynamo

Houston just choked out D.C. and didn't let them have much opportunity with the ball. Giles Barnes took a cross from the left wing by Driver and volleyed it in for Houston's first goal in the 25th minute. Driver with the assist again later in the match, skinning his man and getting the ball to Corradi on the cross. Dwayne De Rosario pulls one back for D.C. late, getting played a nice through ball by Chris Pontius into the box, but it's too little, too late.
Player of the Match: Andrew Driver (Houston Dynamo)

May 11, 2013
FC Dallas 1 - 1 D.C. United

A very combative game, with the referee giving out many cards. Dallas played their usual 4-1-4-1, and it was a pain in the ass to try and play through. Dallas scored their first goal after Bill Hamid got out of position making a save, and early in the second half I switched to a more direct style of play in hopes of playing over the defense, where playing through had failed. We got the equalizer late, with Kyle Porter playing a lofted through ball to Dwayne De Rosario on the left wing. He crossed it over to Sainey Nyassi for the equalizer. Fatigue was also a factor, I didn't get to play my optimal lineup due to this being 3 days after the last game.
Player of the Match: George John (FC Dallas)

May 19, 2013
D.C. United 0 - 0 Sporting Kansas City

Both teams had a few chances but couldn't capitalize on them.
Player of the Match: Moise Bambara (D.C. United)

May 25, 2013
D.C. United 1 - 1 Portland Timbers

Portland takes the lead on a fluke when Bill Hamid can't get a handle of Will Johnson's free kick into the 6 yard box. D.C. United equalizes early in the second half when Nick DeLeon takes the long pass from Bill Hamid, skins a defender, plays a ball into the box for Luis Silva and he sends it home, but despite both teams' best efforts, it ends a draw. We ended up dominating the game more than it seemed from the highlights.
Player of the Match: Ryan Miller (Portland Timbers)

May 29, 2013 - US Open Cup Third Round
Charleston Battery 2 - 1 D.C. United

D.C. United get on the board in the 7th minute when Leo Krupnik converts a penalty conceded during a corner kick. Jarad vonSchaik equalizes for Charleston, slipping into the box and sneaking one past Bill Hamid. Dane Kelly immediately makes it 2 goals for Charleston after Jakovic misses an interception and he gets a look at an empty net, and that's it. Despite subbing on De Rosario and Moise Bambara late, we couldn't get anything going and our players were tired out. Totally embarrassing effort today, we should've won at least this round.
Player of the Match: John Wilson (Charleston)

Club News

May 8: Joseph Hough has signed a Reserve contract, he was in the DCU Academy. He's a striker who will develop on the reserve team.
May 14: Ashani Fairclough was waived.
May 31: Chris Korb was waived.

MLS News of Note

May 15: John Hackworth fired by Philadelphia. Altor Karanka, Paul Mariner, and Preki are the favorites to take the job.
May 24: Paul Mariner was hired as manager by Philadelphia.

MLS Standings

A horrendous month with not a single win to be had, not even the one that was supposed to be a gimme. MLS is definitely a lot harder this time around, kudos to Sports Interactive for that.

Matches

June 2, 2013
Chicago Fire 1 - 3 D.C. United

Chicago takes the lead early when Bakari Soumari heads in a corner kick which Bill Hamid can't handle. Dejan Jakovic equalizes with a speculative effort after a through ball try on a free kick fails and lands at his feet, a rare goal by the defender. D.C. United takes the lead when Kyle Porter takes a pass and rushes down the left wing, crosses it to Nyassi for the goal. Sainey Nyassi almost makes it 3-1 as he steals the ball from the deepest Chicago man, he almost gets caught from behind despite being fairly pacey, and the keeper saves his shot anyway. Dwayne De Rosario makes it 3-1 anyway as he intercepts a long backpass and scores. We kept Mike McGee off the score sheet, and it helped us in a big way.
Player of the Match: Arevalo Rios (Chicago Fire)
Injury Update: Chris Pontius suffered a thigh strain and will miss 3-4 weeks.

June 9, 2013
New England Revolution 0 - 0 D.C. United

We had a good performance statistically but couldn't score. I also had to rearrange the lineup due to injuries to Pontius and Porter and international breaks for Nyassi and Bambara.
Player of the Match: Chris Tierney (New England Revolution)

June 15, 2013
D.C. United 4 - 2 Toronto FC

It was a tale of two halves. D.C. United scored early and often starting with a 1st minute penalty after a D.C. United player made a run into the box but got tripped from behind. With a 3-0 lead at halftime, it looked out of reach, but Justin Braun scored two goals for Toronto to put it to within a goal. However, things fell apart for Toronto as first Martin Laba got sent off for a 2nd yellow, then Will Braun got played through with a wonderful through ball and made Toronto pay to put things out of reach.
Player of the Match: Nick DeLeon (D.C. United)

June 22, 2013
D.C. United 4 - 0 San Jose Earthquakes

This, my friends, is what is called a statement win. Luis Silva killed San Jose in the first half with his runs, scoring one goal on his own, and sending a killer ball through to Nick DeLeon for the second. In the second half, it was the Will Bruin show, as he underscored how deadly he is up front with two goals of his own.
Player of the Match: Will Bruin (D.C. United)

June 29, 2013
D.C. United 0 - 1 Vancouver Whitecaps

It seemed like every other highlight was a Vancouver attacker splitting through our defense and getting open, they should have had more goals but Bill Hamid had an excellent day cleaning up the defense's messes. Unfortunately, our attack couldn't keep up the standard despite Chris Pontius's return to action.
Player of the Match: Zach Loyd (Vancouver Whitecaps)

Club News

June 13: Will Bruin was claimed on waivers by D.C. United.
June 24: The Director of Football has signed Victor Salazar from the Academy to a reserves contract:
June 30: Joseph Hough has been loaned out to the Long Island Rough Riders until the end of the season in order to get some first team action.

MLS Standings

A much better month, with only one loss. Our attacking looked much better, but we still have to keep up this level of play.

Some fantastic wins there, eb, keep it up!

Another mixed bag of results, but at least you're doing better than the DC United of real life at the moment
Always hard to live up to your other fantastic stories of FM13 but you're doing it perfectly right now

Everyone in Washington, D.C., feared the worst as the news came out that Perry Kitchen suffered a twisted ankle in training and will miss 4-5 weeks. In a surprise move, D.C. United signed Denny Landzaat a few days later, two days after their surprise 3-2 win over the Seattle Sounders at CenturyLink Field. Landzaat is a Dutch international who played in the 2006 World Cup for the Oranje, but that was then, and he is now 37 years old. D.C. United manager Nathan Limior was asked about the decision to sign Landzaat. "Obviously, Perry Kitchen is one of our stars and still in our plans. However, we took a look at Landzaat and decided he still had plenty in the tank to help us out, and will be a key rotation and substitution option, He has big league and big match experience, and that will help us. We want to keep this run going, we're not going to let injuries get in our way."

Landzaat reportedly signed for $275,000 a year, and is said to be delighted about the move, and the opportunity to play league football once again.

A very nice signing, despite his age. He should add cover and experience to your defence.

Joe Willis has been traded from D.C. United to the New England Revolution in exchange for their 1st round pick in the 2014 MLS Superdraft as well as their 1st round pick in the 2014 MLS Supplementary draft. This quick turn of events was reportedly precipitated by a behind-the-scenes row between Willis and Limior where Willis pleaded to Limior for playing time in the first team. Limior was reportedly steamed when he told Willis he was needed for cover and Willis refused to drop the issue. Limior knew he was a potential challenge to his control so he shipped him out first thing, it looks like.

NOOOOOOO not Joe Willis Joe Willis Clap (3x)

Matches

July 3, 2013
Seattle Sounders 2 - 3 D.C. United

What a weird win in Seattle. It looked like Seattle would dominate after Zakuani's first minute goal. After getting annoyed at the ability of Seattle's forwards to break through the line, I changed to a more direct approach with the team playing deeper, as well as subbing out Leo Krupnik, who couldn't handle the speed. It worked, getting two goals just before halftime, and a very unexpected lead. It seemed like Seattle just lost composure in the second half, as Clint Dempsey got sent off for a terrible tackle. Still, Seattle converted a penalty to equalize. It was James Riley who sealed the three points for D.C. as he cut inside and scored on a long-range shot for the game winning goal.
Player of the Match: Nigel Jordan (D.C. United)

July 7, 2013
Colorado Rapids 2 - 2 D.C. United

Our tough western road trip continues, as after going down 2 goals early, it looked like D.C. was doomed, but Luis Silva generated two goals practically single-handedly and saved a point for the draw.
Player of the Match: Luis Silva (D.C. United)
Injury Update: James Riley suffered a twisted ankle and will miss 5-6 weeks.

July 20, 2013
Chicago Fire 2 - 0 D.C. United

Will Bruin's hot start has cooled off since he hasn't scored in 2 games. Chicago got off to a hot start with 2 goals, and D.C. United had opportunities but Sean Johnson was a wizard in goal.
Player of the Match: Mike McGee (Chicago Fire)

July 27, 2013
D.C. United 3 - 1 New England Revolution

D.C.'s run as prodigious poachers continues. They fall behind early, but soon adopt a quicker tempo, and Silva blasts one in from the top of the box to equalize. De Rosario gets a free run at goal but gets tripped from behind by Chris Tierney; Denny Landzaat misses the penalty, but shortly after De Rosario scores on a long shot after a corner kick. The third goal comes after a free kick. The free kicker backpasses to goalkeeper Matt Reis who is on the midfield line. He gets tackled and the ball run by Sainey Nyassi, who has a free run on the wing. Reis tries to scramble back into position but Nyassi sends a screamer into the empty net.
Player of the Match: Dejan Jakovic (D.C. United)

Club News

July 2: Perry Kitchen suffered a twisted ankle in training and will miss 4-5 weeks.
July 5: D.C. United are delighted to announce the signing of former FC Twente and Feyenoord player Denny Landzaat.

MLS News of Note

July 7: Montreal Impact fire Marco Schallibaum. Piotr Nowak, Ben Olsen, and Martin Vasquez are the top candidates to take the job.
July 12: Montreal Impact hire Piotr Nowak as manager.
July 19: The MLS All-Star team was announced, and there were no D.C. United players on the team.

MLS Standings

A mediocre performance this month, but still enough to get to 2nd in the Eastern Conference, with a game in hand over third place. With Kevin Alston in the fold, our defense is much better, and I'm having to struggle to keep all these quality players happy and in the lineup.

Matches

August 3, 2013
D.C. United 1 - 1 Montreal Impact

Sainey Nyassi gave D.C. the lead early, but that was all that the attack could give United, and their tenuous lead faded late when Felipe headed in the equalizer for Montreal.
Player of the Match: Hassoun Camara (Montreal Impact)

August 10, 2013
Philadelphia Union 1 - 2 D.C. United

Our possession game is starting to really come together, with 61% of the ball, but most importantly, the two goals that secured the win.
Player of the Match: Conor Casey (Philadelphia Union)

August 17, 2013
Montreal Impact 2 - 0 D.C. United

This was just shit. The match featured three red cards, one against Montreal, and a farcical series where Leo Krupnik gets a straight red for a bad slide, yes it was bad but it wasn't violent and it didn't trip up the attacker at all. On top of that, James Riley gets his 2nd yellow for protesting the call. Yes, we were down 1-0 but I thought we could get back in the game, and those calls robbed us of a chance at that.
Player of the Match: Adrian Lopez (Montreal Impact)

August 24, 2013
D.C. United 0 - 0 Toronto FC

We dominated the ball all game, even with Kevin Alston being sent off, but we just couldn't get the ball in the net.
Player of the Match: A.J. DeLaGarza (Toronto FC)

August 31, 2013
New York Red Bulls 4 - 3 D.C. United

This was a slugfest, and New York landed the last punch. Almost all of the goals seemed to come on crosses.
Player of the Match: Kyle Porter (D.C. United)

Club News

August 11: John Thorrington pulled his hamstring in a reserves match, he will be placed on the 6-match disabled list as he's expected to miss 4-5 weeks.
August 22: Leo Krupnik suffered a lower back stress fracture in training and will miss 2 months. He will be placed on the season ending disabled list.
August 25: Dennis Iapichino has been waived by D.C. United to free up an international slot.
August 28: Ashani Fairclough has been signed by D.C. United for center back depth.

MLS Standings

What a tumble we've taken! All the way down to 5th and almost out of the playoff spots altogether. There's still September and October to get things back into shape but we're running out of time.

It seems in some games you haven't dominated possession as much as you would've liked. Anyway, hope you can bounce back soon!

Matches

September 8, 2013
Chivas USA 0 - 2 D.C. United

Ashani Fairclough was a rock at the heart of the D.C. defense as they resumed their playoff hopes with a dominant win over Chivas USA. Both of their goals came from setpieces; Denny Landzaat converted a penalty and Ethan White headed in a long throw from Kevin Alston.
Player of the Match: Ashani Fairclough (D.C. United)

September 15, 2013
D.C. United 3 - 2 Los Angeles Galaxy

Los Angeles's Robbie Keane kept getting into dangerous positions, scoring a goal with a lob over Bill Hamid, and almost scoring another one, but D.C. United came back and took the lead, with Los Angeles scoring the equalizer just before halftime. Chris Pontius scored the game-winner late when Ashani Fairclough lofted a pass downfield, Omar Gonzalez got to it and headed it but it was right to Pontius who had a clean run at the goalkeeper and he didn't miss.
Player of the Match: Dejan Jakovic (D.C. United)

September 21, 2013
New England Revolution 1 - 3 D.C. United

D.C. United dominated the game with wonderful plays. Ashani Fairclough makes a tackle of a defender, wins the ball, and easily scores, and Luis Silva makes the lead nigh-insurmountable with a brace. Bengtson scores to pull one back but it's too little, too late.
Player of the Match: Luis Silva (D.C. United)

September 28, 2013
Toronto FC 1 - 4 D.C. United

Dwayne De Rosario kicked off the scoring with 2 goals in 10 minutes, and it was all downhill from there. Toronto FC seemed incapable of dealing with our attack and it couldn't mount one of its own.
Player of the Match: Nick DeLeon (D.C. United)

Club News

N/A

MLS Standings

We've climbed back up, and with 4 matches left, only need a few points to be assured of a playoff spot. Of course, we want a first round bye, and we should get that if we keep playing well.

Great month!!

Matches

October 4, 2013
D.C. United 3 - 0 Chicago Fire

Another dominating win for D.C. United, and this puts them in the playoffs. De Rosario almost had a hat trick, but missed his second penalty.
Player of the Match: Dwayne De Rosario (D.C. United)
Injury Update: James Riley suffered a thigh strain and will miss 3-4 weeks.
Playoffs Update: D.C. United have qualified for the MLS Playoffs

October 13, 2013
D.C. United 1 - 3 Philadelphia Union

Due to injuries and international duty, our team was thin and very tired, and just couldn't keep up.
Player of the Match: Jeff Parke (Philadelphia Union)
Injury Update: Daniel Woolard suffered fractured ribs and will miss 2 months. He will be placed on the 6-match disabled list.

October 18, 2013
Sporting Kansas City 1 - 0 D.C. United

We were lucky to only lose by a goal as SKC had so many opportunities, and we had none.
Player of the Match: Chance Myers (Sporting Kansas City)

October 27, 2013
D.C. United 2 - 0 Houston Dynamo

D.C. United clinch the first seed in the Eastern Conference on the back of two Nick DeLeon goals, a strong showing the team needed in the leadup to the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Player of the Match: Nick DeLeon (D.C. United)

Club News

October 3: Nathan Limior has signed a new contract which extends him until December 2015.
October 21: Dejan Jakovic is now a US national and doesn't count as an international player anymore.
October 22: Hugo Cianci signed with D.C. United. The transfer will go through on December 2.

MLS Standings

The easy part is done! Now, the hard part!