One glance at the lineup sheet told how the two coaches were treating Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup play-in game.
Both Schellas Hyndman and Curt Onalfo elected to use a blend of reserves, as two winless teams took the pitch to open their U.S. Open Cup campaign. Jordan Graye, a fourth round draft pick in this year's Super Draft, made his United debut, while Eric Avila, Edson Edward and Jason Yeisley all earned a rare start for the Hoops.
The results were telling -- sloppy play from both sides, poor finishing from Dallas, and three glaring mistakes from FCD reserve goalie Kevin Hartman
The two teams entered last night's affair without a meaningless win in 2010, and the early breakthrough came through one of Onalfo's guys. Adam Cristman, a sparsely-used sub in leagues matches, earned a start, scoring within 5 minutes. Seventeen-year-old Andy Najar was the architect, deftly lobbing the ball over the FC Dallas back line, allowing lone forward Cristman to beat the on rushing Kevin Hartman with a simple chip.
United built on the lead thanks in part to Hartman's bumbling -- he let a Cristian Castillo free kick bounce in, before Cristman return the favor to Najar with a beautiful cross to set up the youngster's first professional goal.
However, the defensive frailties that have plagued United in their four losses continued to linger, but Brek Shea and Jason Yeisley were unable to finish for the visitors. A more proficient hit man would have punished D.C. and converted those opportunities. Dallas hit for two quick goals in the second half, though Cristman added a second to secure the win.
Onalfo deserves a share of the credit for making a tactical adjustment and using a 4-5-1 -- though injuries certainly forced his hand. Cristman and Najar were the night's standouts, the former hustling and pestering when Dallas had the ball and making smart runs, while the latter looking like the attacking presence United has lacked.
Whether or not the two can replicate that form against a more disciplined (see: better) defense could swing the momentum back towards United. Cristman is an alternative to Allsopp in the target forward role, and the longer Najar continues to impress, the more playing time he'll see. Still, becoming reliant on the 17-year-old to consistently produce over a year is dangerous.
For now, D.C. United can relax, having won their first game of the season. The next big test against rivals New York this weekend.
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