The Columbus Crew was getting set to face D.C. United at home when their scoreboard started burning up.
Action was swift, and it only took about 30 minutes for the Columbus Fire Department to put the blaze out, but it certainly gave fans a memorable experience. No word yet on why the fire started.
The game will continue after the heated delay. Never a dull moment!
UPDATE: Video of the fire as it smolders.
Caption this!
By: Kyle McCarthy
Two teams will book their places at MLS Cup by the end of Sunday. Houston and Los Angeles hold the advantage heading into the pair of second-leg affairs, but D.C. United and Seattle will hope to overturn their current deficits on home soil. Here are five points to watch ahead of the decisive affairs:
1. Health concerns create questions: A stretch of four or five games in the span of three weeks takes its toll. D.C. United is in the worst shape at the moment (Chris Pontius’ groin injury is a bitter blow, while Brandon McDonald and Marcelo Saragosa must also recuperate quickly), but there are also concerns in Houston (Calen Carr, Ricardo Clark, Adam Moffat and Jermaine Taylor), Los Angeles (Edson Buddle, A.J. DeLaGarza and Juninho) and Seattle (Leo Gonzalez and Mauro Rosales). A season-ending encounter isn’t the ideal time to test depth, but the circumstances afford few other choices at this juncture.
By: Kyle McCarthy
D.C. United travels to Houston to kick off the two-legged Eastern Conference championship on Sunday afternoon. Here are five points to watch as the two sides prepare to duel at BBVA Compass Stadium:
1. Mitigating the damage: United suffered two defeats in the Oven this season. Ben Olsen and his players would probably take a repeat of the stadium-opening 1-0 setback on May 12, but they simply cannot afford another 4-0 thumping as they did on July 15 if they want to secure a berth in MLS Cup.
2. Maintaining the necessary energy: In order to avoid a repeat of that July debacle, United must somehow find a way to avoid the common second-half fade most teams suffer in Houston. This gritty group won’t back down (as evidenced by the ridiculousness in Harrison on Thursday night), but it must find some way to grind through a match that will prove even more difficult as it enters the late stages.
By Kyle McCarthy
The Houston Dynamo and Los Angeles Galaxy booked their places in the conference finals on Wednesday, while two more teams will join them Thursday night. Here are five points to watch as DC United visits New York (series tied 1-1 on aggregate) and Real Salt Lake hosts Seattle (series tied 0-0 on aggregate):
1. Dealing with Athena’s remnants: Poor weather forced MLS to postpone Wednesday night’s match between DC United and New York. The conditions shouldn’t be an issue on Thursday, but the state of the field could pose significant problems for both teams. The surface at Red Bull Arena does not rank among the best in MLS in ideal circumstances. This scenario certainly does not fall under that heading.
2. Mental and physical hurdles: It isn’t easy to prepare for a match on consecutive days. Keep an eye on potential strains and tweaks as players work their way into the encounter. Also worth noting: United, in particular, wanted to play Wednesday night. Will the lag time diminish that ambition?
In Saturday night’s Eastern conference semifinal between DC United and New York Red Bulls, 19-year-old Andy Najar did what can only be explained as self-destruction. The young DC United winger was shown a double yellow — resulting in a red card sending off.
As the video shows, Najar took down Joel Lindpere on the breakaway, and as he was shown a yellow for the tackle, turned and chucked the ball at the referee.
What was he thinking?! Surely, a moment of mental lapse and the added pressure of playoffs is to blame, but this mistake will cost him and DCU greatly: Najar will be out for the second leg of this series — possibly longer once the MLS Disciplinary Committee reviews the incident. A big blow for DCU’s playoffs hopes, especially after being held to a 1-1 draw in this match at home.
By Kyle McCarthy
New York visits DC United to kick off the first of two Eastern Conference semifinal series Saturday night. Here are five points to watch ahead of the first playoff match at RFK Stadium in five years:
1. Steady as she goes: United must calm the inevitable bout of nerves likely to sweep through the side before the opening whistle. No projected starter has played more than eight playoff games. United can’t afford to let its inexperience in these matters show or provide too much space to Kenny Cooper and Thierry Henry in the early stages of this match.
2. De Ro or no?: Dwayne De Rosario rather surprisingly returned to training on Friday after missing a couple of months with a sprained left knee. It surely seems a bit too early for him to stake a claim for playing time, but his overall level of fitness (if his knee holds up) gives at least modest credence to the idea. United coach Ben Olsen must use De Rosario carefully to avoid placing the recently solid defensive work at risk.
Dwayne De Rosario scored his 100th MLS goal last night, just the 7th player in the history of the league to do so. Watch ALL 100 here—and note his signature goal celebration.
