LAG 1, DCU 1

So I miss the first ten minutes because we're getting home from the Blackdogress swimming the bay, and I miss the second ten minutes because I have to call MLSNET to get them to help configure my computer so I can watch the game on MLS Live (they recommend using IE rather than Firefox or Mozilla, btw), and then twenty seconds after the game's on Gomez scores a brilliant goal, a wonderfully stunning goal. Ah, I say, this will be as easy as I thought it would be.

The LA Times sings all praises for MLS' original diving pussy Cobi Jones, and it will suck to be Dominic Mediate in practice this week for flubbing the touch that lead to Jones' goal, but this was about effort. United was outworked. Out hustled and out hit. That LAG were the aggressors and United took four yellows to only one LAG shows that DCU were both retaliating and retaliating slowly and tiredly. That LAG had played a derby game Thursday night and still outworked DCU should raise questions about United's fitness and depth.

Look, I don't want to overreact. A point on the road and all that. Unreasonable expectations on my part and all that. LAG's second game with a quality coach and all that. But here's the thing: this is the kind of strategy I expect all the lesser teams to deploy against United. Beat them up. Bait them with fouls. Jam up the middle and run down the wings. Beat them up some more. Teams cannot beat DCU in a wide open game of technical prowess. They're not going to try. The only way donkeys like LAG get a result against United is to outwork, out hit, out hustle, out run United, and the best way to accomplish that is to frustrate the bejesus out of United.

A point on the road and all that. That sucked.