It's no secret what United will do -- attack whenever possible. In four years D.C. has won an amazing 18 of 22 playoff games by forcing victims to play back on their heels, passively, like opponents of Mike Tyson, circa 1988. In D.C.'s case, the most damaging punches will be thrown as always by Marco Etcheverry, the best player in the league. If L.A. tries to mark him out of the game, he will act like a decoy, dragging-and-dropping defenders to one flank or the other, and opening up a channel for Ben Olsen or John Maessner to exploit.
This is a team loaded with finishers, including forwards Roy Lassiter (18 regular-season goals to tie for the league lead) and Jaime Moreno (10 goals). Central defenders Eddie Pope and Carlos Llamosa are like a couple of NFL All-Pro cornerbacks, each capable of handling L.A. strikers Carlos Hermosillo and Cobi Jones one-on-one, giving their United teammates the freedom to blitz upfield at will. This style is not without risks, as United realized while losing 5-1 at Columbus in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. But those mistakes might serve United well-the two-time MLS champions went on to bombard the Crew 4-0 in the decisive game, and they are still feeling as though they have something to prove against the Galaxy.
"This team hates to lose, hates to be embarrassed," says coach Thomas Rongen, who guided D.C. to the league's best record after taking over for Bruce Arena. "We're still carrying some anger, and when we're angry or hurt we are very dangerous."
Not what the Galaxy will want to hear.
-- Sports Illustrated's Ian Thomsen
