<p style="text-align: left"><a href="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=149156&amp;v=3.0.40624.0"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=108181" alt="Get Microsoft Silverlight" style="border-style:none"></figure></div></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left">In the long history between these two teams (winners of the first five MLS Cups), there has never been an ending quite like this. &nbsp;The Chicago Fired dealt DC United’s playoff chances a major blow while keeping themselves alive for a late playoff run by scoring two second half stoppage time goals to stun DCU 2-1.</p>
<p style="text-align: left">Most of the action in this match took place late in the second half. &nbsp;For most of the game DC aggressively probed the Fire defense for a goal, knowing they needed to win to take advantage of the New York and Portland losses. Despite creating a few good chances, DC had no shots on goal in the first half. Chicago, meantime, was content to sit back and hit DC on the counter, a strategy which almost paid off late in the first half. A Marco Pappa strike was bobbled by DC’s Bill Hamid but he recovered to prevent the follow-up shot. &nbsp;The second half saw both teams have periods of dominance, but as it dragged towards the finish line the sense in the stadium was that one mistake could be the difference.</p>
<p>On a normal night, one mistake would have. &nbsp;Santino Quaranta was taken down in the box in the 90th minute and Dwayne De Rosario converted the penalty to break the scoreless tie. &nbsp;DC players had gone down in the box all night, so to them the penalty seemed like poetic justice. &nbsp;However, almost immediately after the goal, things fell apart. &nbsp;The DCU defense, which had overall played pretty well, gave Sebastian Grazzini some space and allowed him to score on a rocket in the 92nd minute. &nbsp;Less then two minutes later, it was <em>deja vu</em> all over again as Gonzalo Segares, who had committed the penalty on Quaranta, beat an offside trap and used his yards of free space to send in a perfect cross from the left, finding Diego Chaves at the back post. &nbsp;The replay above shows that Perry Kitchen kept Segares onside while the rest of the defense settled in hoping for an offsides flag.</p>
<p>“You kind feel bad, a little bit for [DC United], but that’s how the game is,” said Chicago manager Frank Klopas after the game in a boisterous lockerroom. &nbsp;“For us, it was a great comeback and a great feeling… for our guys.”</p>
<p>The win keeps Chicago’s small playoff chances on life support. &nbsp;They need to win their final game and hope New York loses theirs by a lot. &nbsp;Regardless, this is the kind of win that can give a team and fans some positive vibes heading into the offseason. &nbsp;It’s hard not to see a sense of excitement about a team that was a finalist for the U.S. Open Cup and made a late playoff run after firing its manager midseason.</p>
<p>On the other side of the pitch is DC United, a team that had its playoff destiny in its own hands. &nbsp;It had a favorable schedule and games in hand. &nbsp;Now, with two games this upcoming week, they join Chicago on playoff life support. &nbsp;They need to beat Portland on Wednesday and Sporting Kansas City Saturday, then hope that New York, <del>Chicago, and Portland</del> lose out (note: <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2011/10/16/2494720/mls-playoff-scenarios-dc-united-new-york-red-bulls">the great DC scribe Martin Shatzer breaks down DC’s playoff chances better than I do</a>). &nbsp;Not impossible, but the play of the team of late doesn’t suggest this team is making a run. &nbsp;The team has lost its last four games, including to lowly Vancouver, and would need to win back-to-back games for the first time since 2009 to even think about the playoffs. &nbsp;It’ll be an interesting last week, and this game made it even more interesting.</p>


Fire Burn DC With Two Stoppage Time Goals

Fire Burn DC With Two Stoppage Time Goals - World Soccer Talk

<p><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/fullmonty.jpg" alt="fullmonty" align="top" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div><br>
Remember the scene and line from the Full Monty when the ex-boss, Gerald was trying to get the lads to lineup and Dave the&nbsp;pie man&nbsp;finally figures it out by proclaiming it’s the “Arsenal Offside Trap”</p>
<p align="center"><em>&nbsp;“The Arsenal offside trap. Lomper ‘ere is Tony Adams right? Any bugger looks like scoring, we all step forward in a line and wave our arms around like a fairy.”</em></p>
<p align="left">Days worth of coverage and books of biblical lengths have already been written about the Redknapp inspired <a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/portsmouth.jpg" title="portsmouthlogo"><div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/portsmouth.jpg" alt="portsmouthlogo" align="right"></figure></div></a>rejuvenation of Tottenham, but it seems that barely a post-it note has been written in the national media since <a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/portsmouth.jpg" title="portsmouthlogo"></a>Tony Adams was named Pompey’s new leader.&nbsp; With only one, less than successful, inroad to the managerial side of the house at Wycombe, it is worth keeping an eye on developments at Fratton Park over the next few months.</p>
<p align="left">Last week I tuned into the 7:00 am Pacific Time offering from the Fox Soccer Channel to watch Pompey make the long trip north to face Sunderland.&nbsp; Keane versus Adams; an opposition veiled in history from their years of captaining Manchester United and Arsenal, respectively.&nbsp; With big Tone only in his third game in charge since the departure of ‘Arry to the Lane, this was&nbsp;the first time they matched up against each other as managers,&nbsp; funnily enough just 2 hours after the first 2008-09&nbsp;installment of Arse versus Man U.</p>
<p align="left">With Keano’s lads stuttering and Portsmouth looking a bit bewildered since HR headed back to the capital, I wasn’t sure what to expect.&nbsp; As it was early enough, I figured a return to sleep the most likely outcome.</p>
<p align="left">It was actually a pretty decent game.&nbsp; Sunderland should have had the points away after the first half-hour but a combination of the woodwork, a couple saves from England’s maybe number one, and the linesman’s flag kept Pompey in the game.&nbsp; Portsmouth came back with a second half screamer from Belhadj and Roy went home less than pleased when Defoe drilled in an injury time winner from the spot after a comedic attempt at a tackle from Diouf.</p>
<p align="left">I mentioned the flag helped keep the game close especially in the first half.&nbsp; To be honest it didn’t really occur <a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/tonyadams.jpg" title="tonyadamsarsenal"></a><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/adamsmanager.jpg" title="tonyadamsportsmouthmanager"></a>to me at the time but the flag was going up on the Sunderland&nbsp;strikers quicker than a Cisse call to his barber on a speed-dial.&nbsp; After several Sunderland attacks, I realized I’d seen this before – of course Big Dave on the Full Monty.&nbsp; Cue the camera to the dugout as the managers begrudgingly shake hands, and of course, the architect of the Arsenal offside trap himself has just recorded his first EPL managerial victory.</p>
<p style="float: right;margin-left: 5px;height: 317px" class="picappstyle"><a href="http://www.picapp.com/ViewDetails.aspx?ImageId=2269489" target="_blank" class="remove"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/4/5/9/9/a0.JPG" alt="Football - Portsmouth v Fulham Barclays Premier League" width="234" height="171"></figure></div></a>              var iamInit = function() {try{initIamServingHandler(234,171,262026,”http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/Resources/Css/css2.css”)}catch(ex){}}()</p>
<p align="left">Could this be the second coming of the famous trap?&nbsp; The stats show that Sunderland were called offside 7 times last week (including a disallowed goal), and in the 3 matches that Adams has been in charge, Portsmouth’s opponents have already been flagged 16 times.&nbsp; That has to be a bit above the league average and if&nbsp;Adams&nbsp;builds a defense that&nbsp;even somewhat resembles the shape and format of the back line that he led into battle for 18 years at Highbury, then the second entry on his managerial CV might be a successful one.</p>


The Portsmouth Offside Trap

The Portsmouth Offside Trap - World Soccer Talk

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Fire Burn DC With Two Stoppage Time Goals

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