Caught in Possession

Blame it on Mexico?

So, the Mexican jinx continues for DC United -- and all of MLS, actually -- with last night's 2-0 setback to Pachuca in leg 1 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal. Los Tuzos looked dangerous for the lion's share of the match and were good value for the win, I'd say.

And not to bang on a broken drum or anything, but D*MN, it is painful to watch American-born Mexicanos like Jose Francisco Torres excel south of the border. The kid was a big factor coming off the bench last night, and I was left cursing the socio-cultural divide that allows promising young bucks like him to get snapped up by Mexican development systems instead of Gringo ones. Those kind of players are the missing link for US Soccer, possessing the quicksilver qualities that our infrastructure seems unable to produce.

The kid was born in LONGVIEW, for crying out loud! As a native Texan I can assure you that there are plenty more like Torres out there in dusty fields across brown neighborhoods throughout the Southwest (and maybe even closer to home, like maybe...hmmm...Ligas Latinas in our Northern Virginia exurbs?). So when will ODP and its ilk venture out from the moneyed suburbs to find them? This kind of stuff should have Bob Bradley and Peter Nowak practicing header drills into a brick wall in frustration.

On the DC side...Jaime Moreno's poise and possession skills were certainly missed, and several key United players like McTavish and Niell (and, it must be said, Wells in the second half) just happened to have poor performances at a poor time. This team is undoubtedly still a work in progress and it's worth wondering if it's still one 'difference-maker' short.

Or maybe it's just the altitude? Pachuca is really, really, really high, you know. Read the link and weep, United fans -- Los Tuzos' physiological advantage doesn't necessarily go away at RFK.