19-year-old plays well in win over AC Milan
The difference between Bill Hamid and Alexandre Pato actually isn’t that great. That is, except for the money, the club and the country.
But 19-year-old Hamid had no problem facing down the 20-year-old Pato twice in the early going Wednesday, making a pair of classy saves in D.C. United’s 3-2 exhibition upset victory over AC Milan. It was a not-too-shabby performance, considering it came against the prodigious Brazilian, who was signed by Milan three years ago for 22 million Euros.
“Honestly, I have more butterflies in league games than this because we’re trying to make it to the playoffs,” said Hamid, whose peformance reasserted his status as United’s No. 1 goalkeeper after missing last weekend’s loss at Houston with a shoulder injury.
With United (1-8-0) still well out of contention, talking postseason is premature. But Hamid’s form, the return of Chris Pontius and Santino Quaranta from recent ailments, and Luciano Emilio’s first goal since rejoining the club in April gives United (1-8-0) a fair bit of momentum to carry over into Saturday’s showdown with Chivas USA (3-6-1).
“Bill is a gamer,” said United head coach Curt Onalfo. “The kid is something special. He comes up big, he’s got a presence in goal. He’s 19 years old, but he’s got this presence of a more experienced goalkeeper. The information he gives is good, and he makes timely saves. Credit to him for stepping up again and doing another good job for us.”
