Here is your highlights package from D.C. United's 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo. And before I get to the goals, which were both lovely, I want to take a second to talk about the defense. Whereas David Horst and Jermaine Taylor got isolated against United's forwards, there was always midfield help in transition from Perry Kitchen and Davy Arnaud to help slow attacks and allow United's defense to retain its shape. Their stifling presence in the midfield shut down Giles Barnes and Warren Crevalle, and prevented Bobby Boswell and Jeff Parke from ever being forced into one-on-one defending.
But now to the good parts. For the first goal, the second and third assists should be given to whichever D.C. United coach got the ball to Lewis Neal for his spot-on throw-in. But after that, it is all Fabian Espindola, shielding the ball from Jermaine Taylor, beating him with pace, looking off David Horst, and then feeding Chris Rolfe. These sorts of one-on-one situations are exactly what United wanted against Horst, and Rolfe spun him like a top to score the game's first goal.
In the second goal, I just can't stop rewinding to watch Chris Rolfe's perfectly placed clearance/assist straight into the path of Fabian Espindola. That was not an aimless ball thumped downfield that happened to land near Espindola; Rolfe knew exactly where he was and exactly what he had to do to get the ball there. Then Espindola makes David Horst look foolish once again, and his shot is powerful enough to deflect off of Tally Hall's hand and into the goal.