D.C. United’s 2004 MLS Cup, on display earlier this year. Photo by Pablo Maurer.
After yet another road loss—the team’s sixth in a row—D.C. United finds itself precariously close to missing the playoffs. With seven games remaining, its current point total puts the team in sixth place in the east, outside of the picture for post-season play.
So how does D.C. United right the ship and aim it back towards the land of comically oversized trophies and opulent locker room celebrations? In search of an answer, we’ve polled some of the other folks in the United press pool—and also checked in with the only Red Bulls fan we tolerate. (We have to, he’s in the family.) Here’s what they had to say:
Thomas Floyd, Editor/Correspondent, The Washington Times, @ThomasFloyd10
If United is going to avoid a repeat of last year, during which it tanked out of the playoff race by going 0-5-1 to end the season, the team will need to find a certain degree of clarity at its less-stable positions. Who is Brandon McDonald’s center back partner? Emiliano Dudar and Dejan Jakovic have both been up and down. Who is playing with Perry Kitchen in central midfield? Branko Boskovic, Marcelo Saragosa and Dwayne De Rosario all bring something different. Who will start up top? Lionard Pajoy offers hustle and an inconsistent touch, while Maicon Santos and Hamdi Salihi are both streaky scorers with injury concerns. With these final seven games spread out over two months, rotating players will be less necessary. Now’s the time for United to settle on its best 11.
Charles Boehm, Editor-in-Chief, SoccerWire.com, @cboehm
I’ve been covering D.C. United in one capacity or another since 2004, a period which has featured United squads ranging all along the spectrum from great to good to awful. And one destructive trait has reared its head in all of them: a nagging susceptibility to untimely mental breakdowns, and the corresponding inability to punish those of their opponents. It’s undone United at clutch moments in MLS playoff games (see Taylor Twellman in 2006), international competitions (too many examples to count) and stretch runs (witness last year’s long, slow fade out of the postseason picture).
This year’s Black-and-Red unit almost always work hard, usually creates chances and has more than enough quality and personality in defense. Talent-wise, this roster is well ahead of any seen at RFK in the last four years or so, and Ben Olsen has made some headway in his efforts to mold this team in his own focused, battling persona. Yet the collective killer instinct remains spotty. Who can be counted on to finish attacking moves when there is no room for error, especially if alpha-dog Dwayne De Rosario has had to drop into midfield to get on the ball, as he so often does? Which member of the rearguard can Olsen rely on to rally the troops, and prevent crippling goals like the one that Real Salt Lake slipped past Bill Hamid to snatch Saturday night’s 1-0 win in Utah on Saturday night?
Answer those questions, and you’ll have a playoff team—maybe even a title contender.
Steven Streff, Former Correspondent, MLSSoccer.com, @StreffSoccer
2007 seems an eternity ago, and for a D.C. United squad that hasn’t made the playoffs since then, its recent swoon is beginning to be a cause of concern in the nation’s capital. With the recent surge of the Chicago Fire and Federico Higuian and the Columbus Crew, 50 points seems to be the bare minimum the Black-and-Red must accumulate to get back to the promised land—and even that might not be enough. The biggest stumbling block preventing United from succeeding right now is the team’s lack of goals. In the nine league games since the start of July, D.C. has managed to score multiple goals in just two games. Compare that to the 11 multi-goal games in the first four months of the season, and it’s easy to see why United is getting passed up in the standings at the moment. It may be simplistic—scoring goals is the hardest thing to do in soccer, but for United to get back into the playoffs, the likes of Chris Pontius, Maicon Santos, and Hamdi Salihi need to start lighting up the scoreboard. Otherwise, 2012 will be a tale that has ended the same way as those in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Dan Dickinson, Sports Editor, Gothamist, @GothamistDan
Were I a United fan, I’d be stressed out right around now. Perhaps there was reasonable hope Chicago might falter a bit with Pappa departing early, but look at how they handled Houston on Sunday—clearly they’re still dangerous. And Columbus? I think most of the East is silently praying that Arietta and Higuain run into each other and both tear their ACLs. Both Chicago and Columbus have a game in hand on you. Four of Houston’s last seven are at home, where they’re still unbeaten. Five of NY’s last seven are at home, where we’re still unbeaten. Four of your last seven are on the road, where you’re 3-9-1, and your PPG is not great. (I wouldn’t worry about Montreal as much – 3 of their final 5 are against Eastern playoff teams.)
But there is an out. Your next five games are against teams that are pretty much outside the playoff picture—so if you maximize those points, you’ll be in good position going into the two critical six-point matches against Columbus and Chicago. The East is so tight this year, it’s going to go down to the wire. Don’t count anyone out until the end of October.
Pablo Maurer, Smart, Sensitive, Understands all of Your Needs, DCist, @DCist_Pablo
What can I say. I agree with all of the points that have been made here, but one in particular—lineup consistency—is paramount, as far as I’m concerned. Yes, United has been bitten by the injury bug as of late and it’s certainly forced the team into a threadbare defensive setup that’s been at times panic attack-inducing to watch. But United’s lineup troubles haven’t ended there—the team’s attacking woes as of late have been even more frustrating to watch than their defensive ones, and if it doesn’t find the back of the net with more frequency in its last seven games, United fans could be faced with more heartbreak.
Whatever happened to Hamdi Salihi? Yes, he’s been injured at times, I know his touch was at times missing—and I know that Lionard Pajoy’s work rate was phenomenal against Real Salt Lake—but the Albanian has scored with more frequency: once every 176 minutes, as opposed to Pajoy’s rate of a goal per every 315 minutes played. I wouldn’t play him over Pontius, but I’d certainly give him a go over Pajoy.
Bottom line for the Black and Red: wake up, score goals, get a few points on the road. Given how well the teams around them in the East have played, I don’t see them qualifying with any less than 13-15 points from their remaining 7 games. If United can win their three remaining home games and somehow get 6 points out of their 4 away games, they’ll likely be in the postseason for the first time since ’07. If not, let the anguished drinking begin.
