DCU4, NYRB 1

There are games every season that a team with serious aspirations for a deep run must win. DCU, in its first road game, played a team that in the past week lost its GM (the turdly Lalas), was starting a striker it had traded for less than 24 hours earlier, had a coach who thought he was going to be fired, has 17 players on its roster that weren't last year, and sucks.

A must win. And they did, impressively: understanding the situation, DCU played consistent, focused soccer. Esky scored twice, the second on a brilliant one-touch build-up through Carroll (who had a fabulous game - he doesn't, and I'm talking about me now, get enough credit), and Facundo Erpen hit a screamer from 35 yards that has to be goal of the week.

The buzz is about Esky's celebration after his first goal: instead of hugging his teammates, he ran towards the DCU bench, was tossed a can of Red Bull, opened it, took a swallow, spit it onto the field. Lame and dumb and fun: it'd have meant more if the team DCU was beating was any good.

Next week at home v FC Dallas, who beat DCU - badly - last year at RFK.