I'm entirely convinced that D.C. United wouldn't have even tied this game against the Montreal Impact without the performance of Maicon F. Santos. He was winning every ball played to him in the air, and pushing for the tying and then winning goals as soon as he stepped on the field. Santos' confidence is at an all-time high, and he's converting that confidence into results on the scoreboard. Ben Olsen wanted Santos for his ability to play with his back to goal. What he got is something even better.
For the second game in a row, Perry Kitchen shined in central midfield, moving well to shield the defense and operating frequently in tight spaces.
Daniel Woolard and Brandon McDonald each made a few mistakes in the back, but also countered by winning a decent number of challenges when it mattered most. While McDonald gave up far too many opportunities that didn't affect the score, Woolard could have done a bit more to avoid the Impact's goal, as he allowed too easy a cross from Justin Mapp and
Getting his first start of the season as a forward, Chris Pontius had a few good moments, particularly as active as he was in the second half. But if he'd given the same level of effort in the first half, the final score may have been different. Late in the game though, Pontius showed that he may be an effective strike partner with Santos at some point this season. Andy Najar also gave less than his best performance in his return to action for United. Najar added little but some failed attempts to dribble up the wing in the first half, but did well at applying pressure and gaining opportunities in the second. For the most part though, Najar looked slow and low on confidence. You're a fuckin Olympian, kid! Step it up!
This may be the last time that we see Branko Boskovic starting a regular season match for D.C. United, and I think most of us would be alright with that at this point. Boskovic was handed a golden opportunity by the coaching staff against a far lesser opponent to prove that he belongs in this league and belongs in this team's starting 11. He failed that test by turning the ball over several times, committing three mostly lazy fouls, and being far too content to hang back and let all the guys making less money than him do all the hard work.
But if we had to name a goat, we'd name Chris Korb. United has just this year shut out two teams with far more offensive firepower than the Impact, and Korb was the main reason that United didn't get the shutout on Wednesday night. Bernardo Corradi was Korb's responsibility on the goal, and he lost his mark. What were you doing so far inside? Mark up, son!