This is why we love soccer

By: Robert | July 15th, 2007

Soccer is a passion built upon the foundation of frustration. You might think you understand that statement but until you follow a team you’ll never begin to appreciate its meaning. Two weeks ago I agonized over a scoreless final with those Dreamsicles. In a game in which we controlled the play, had the majority of chances and over 90 minutes were the better team, to leave Pizza Hut Park that night with only one point felt more like a loss than a tie ever did.

So I can begin to appreciate the frustration of DC United as the Hoops left RFK Stadium with a 3-3 draw and one more point than which they came and probably one more point than they deserved. No, DC United wasn’t the better team over 90 minutes but after the first 50 they had been staked to a three goal lead, and a three goal after 50 minutes should mean you’re 40 minutes from a victory. But soccer isn’t fair, and this time it just happened to be not fair in our favor.

Carlos Ruiz started the comeback burying a cross in the 51st (the Western Conference should probably start to worry because Ruiz is starting to get his shots and find the back of the net) and from there it was the Juan Toja show. Toja out-hustled, out-fought and out-worked the entire DC United team; winning balls, putting people in position to be dangerous and when that didn’t work he scored himself. First in the 71st by out-working defender Brian Carroll to a ball in the box to score from about 10 yards out and then by beating keeper Troy Perkins to a cross in the 81st and snapping in a header to level the score, all while fighting off the flu. If you didn’t know who Juan Toja was before Saturday you should now. Because this is Dallas where we might have to change the alphabet so that the FC stands for “Juan Toja is the MVP.”

HOOPS PRIDE!

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