Ah, here we go, here we go. Thanks for finding us. This is your home for everything Black and Red. First eleven, your DC and IED podcast. I'm Dave john Sall with the Hall of Famer Bruce Murray and DC and I we're still buzzing. I know a draw one of three points, but certainly we'll take one point on the road against the Chicago Fire. The way it happened two to two on Saturday, as heard on iHeartRadio, iHeart Sports.
DC.
Brendan Hartlove with the call, this time with Bruce Murray, and it was a dream start.
Early balling behind for Parani enters the box into ben Tech in the center and DC's on the board through Christian Benech. Not even four minutes gone in the Black and Red capitalize miscommunications at the back and the veteran forward tucks it behind Brady and.
DC leads one nil. Just a fantastic build up. Rolls with the ball out why de Schneck. Schneck pings it into the corner. Parani makes the on Bentech just slides in across and there's terrible defending. Miscommunication is an understatement. There is just no communication whatsoever between the two fullbacks. Ventekey right between him, and all he has to do is slot it past Brady.
Brady didn't have a chance.
Christian ben Techy doing what Christian Benzech does, but then deep in stoppage time, Herrera sends.
It in again.
The bicycle can absolutely unreal from Jacob Merrow, the load that's big, gromatic, the equalizer, Oh my gosh. In the ninety sixth minute of play, Jacob Burrow knocks it out of the park, DC too, Chicago too.
Oh.
It was so exciting to call it with you and Brendan heart love and unbelievable because not easy to make that call because you have to stay with the broadcast. Yet you're probably in a state of shock. But that's that's Jacob Murrale. And I'm going to start by giving a shout out to my team, the Annapolis Blues. I believe his experience not only at Georgetown, not only in his youth soccer, but playing in front of eight thousand fans and pressure situations with the Annapolis Blues made him
ready for that moment. That's part of the story.
There is no doubt, Dave that the competition that he faced playing with Annapolis Blues, playing with the other college players of you know, high pedigree in the summer. It's like summer ball in baseball, right, guys get better the big train in Maryland, right for example, they they produced twenty one major league players by this summer league. And so yeah, there's no question about it. And you know,
so incredibly happy for Jacob Murle. We both know him personally, we both know what kind of care, what a kid he is, what a great you know, he's a man. He's not a kid, buttass, he's a kid. And just so happy for him. He's just such a great guy.
Forest Till Maryland shout out to forest Till Maryland has produced Jacob Murle. And you mentioned that competition. He played two summers ago with Annapolis Blues in twenty twenty three last season the transition to pro soccer with DC, and I was seamless. But I also want to give a shout out. I think the confidence maybe a Christian BENTECHI speak to this because you were once a young player and needed confidence infused in you. You are already a
confident guy. I've never known you not to be, but you still, no matter how good you are, you need that supportive veterans.
Well, I remember, you know my national team days, the very early days. You know, guys like Ricky Davis and Kevin throw from San Diego and just some of the old NASL guys took me under their wing. Ernhardt Cap the Cosmos player, and gave me confidence. I mean he told me, look, they say, you're you're a really good player. You know, don't worry about mistakes. You're gonna make mistakes
and things like that. And I see that same relationship with Christian Benteke, not just with Jacob Murle, but with with all the young players. I mean, you're playing with a a iconic player and it's almost like you've got your autograph book on one in one pocket, you know, and on the other pocket, you know, you know a guy played at Liverpool. And then you know the other side of it is you you know Christian and you have to form a relationship in order to get the
best out of it. And you know, and just in that first goal in the first week, when when Jacob just chipped up to the back post, that is a guaranteed conversation that's been had many times.
Well that's Jacob Merle assisting on that. Christian Benechy's first goal of the season against Toronto. All right, you get the one point in Chicago and close to not getting the one point. What did you like about Saturday night?
I love the fact that we came out on fire. We literally, you know, push the game as hard as we could. And you know, again I talk about beat it to death. Is our is our full back play, is forcing our wingers inside where now we've got What I like, Dave is is we have so many options. Every time a player has the ball, he's got three or four players he can pick out right as opposed to before when it was hit long to Christian. Now everyone's got to try and get up the field and
there is none of that. So I think, I think, well, for me, I love the fact that DC United is playing. It is a totally different game than last year.
Well and also again we talked about this with Troy Lasain and Jacob Merles. Certainly is part of that. Depth is so key. George Stroud returns to the lineup. But for DC and I to have success this season, bench play will be critical.
You know, we have players that can come in, you know, Maddy Ultila, you know he comes in at the end of the game. That you know last week you have You've got a lot of guys, you know who can come into the game. And here's the thing about the bench, and people have to realize this. Everyone's like, oh, the bench and the bench in this play. Substitutes have to come in and improve the game. That is the definition
of a substitute. Come in and improve the game. Who cares if you have bodies on the bench, right, that doesn't help you. What these people when they come in they are difference makers, which I think is fantastic.
All right, what does DC and I need to clean up there? And certainly you point to Chicago's goals and he wins a bit.
They have got to figure out communication wise, you know what needs to happen on set pieces and soft goals. I mean we have given in the first two games. We're right back where we were last year in terms of what we said we weren't going to do right. The first goal against Chicago with the ball bounced right through the box the center forward for Chicago, I think maybe it was Kellen Anacosta to Kim into the net. Ki Kim got pushed into his own net. That can't happen.
Second goal Coipers on the backside. Matty Peltela is running with him and he just stops as if he had help on the back post. And you know that was a miscommunication. Nobody leaves a player in the box to run unless you know that you have somebody in that position, and so Peltala and there was a communication issue with I don't know who was on the other side, but that other player was not there. So when Koiper stopped, just stopped and went in behind Peltela, Peltala kept going
and he was marking nobody. And then all of a sudden, Coipers is wide open on the back post. That cannot happen.
All right to two weeks, two points for DC, and I'm looking for more. Looking to clean things up Saturday against Sporting Kansas City. Of course, it's a home game. You'll be able to sync with Apple TV if you have that subscription. As always, Coverage on iHeartRadio iHeart Sports DC beginning at seven fifteen. Once again, Brendan hard Love will be on the call with Bruce Murray. Hey, we promised you We'll give you a DC Night of the whole world in eleven minutes or less.
Can I just say real quick, Dave the goal that obviously Jacob Merle scored is one of the best goals you're ever going to see. And he had to come backwards seven yards and then he had to have the idea in his head where the goal was and any kind of bicycle kick which would be hit really hard and down there was too many bodies. The bicycle kick he hit was looped into the far post, which means Jacob Murle was thinking his way through every piece of
that bicycle kick. So that was an act of pure brilliance and I think it may be up for a goal of the Year if we don't see anything bigger than that.
And that's this addition to first leven. We'll check in later in the week.