International games are always full of unfamiliar situations and experiences. D.C. United’s trip to Kingston, Jamaica, to face Waterhouse FC in the CONCACAF Champions League – site of an important 2-1 victory – was no exception. Here’s a little bit of what United found during its trip to The Office.
- Goalkeeper Joe Willis practically ice skated down the player ramp on the way to warm-ups with his studs on the slippery cement.
- Ben Olsen coached from a plastic lawn chair and at the post game press conference.
- Also at the press conference, defender Bobby Boswell almost got hit on the head with a plastic light cover.
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In the game itself, D.C. United encountered a loud, energetic stadium, a challenging playing surface and tropical humidity. They weren’t enough to stymie the Black-and-Red’s defensive dominance, the brilliance of Fabián Espíndola and a small but vocal cheering section of around 60 attendees from the U.S. Embassy rooting the Black-and-Red on to victory.
“Unbelievable,” said midfielder Lewis Neal to describe Espíndola’s 38th-minute chip over goalkeeper Richard McCallum after beating three Waterhouse defenders by himself. “He’s been unbelievable, and he pulled out that delicate little chip in to the far left corner. It pretty much sums up his season so far.”
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The Black-and-Red played down a man for the second consecutive match after Taylor Kemp sacrificed himself and took a second yellow in the 70th minute. Having faced similar circumstances in New York six days prior, this time the players were ready to deal with the adversity.
“I think that it helped that we went though that last week,” said United goalkeeper Bill Hamid. “Looking at the guys everyone told each other, ‘Keep your heads up, keep your heads up,’ and we dealt with it really well.”
Well enough to earn three points and put themselves in the drivers seat to advance out of the group. That’s a nice memory to take back stateside.
The Black-and-Red returns to RFK Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 24 as it hosts Tauro FC in the next game in CCL group play. United only needs one more point in its next two matches against the Panamanian side to advance. Join us at RFK. Buy tickets here.
