Under some circumstances, a draw is an acceptable result in soccer. Playing in a hostile stadium against a superior opponent would be one of these circumstances. If you head into the second leg of a Cup match with the lead on aggregate, you’d be happy to walk away with a draw. You’d contently take away one point from a match when you are desperate to end a season-long losing streak: baby steps, right?

D.C. United found themselves faced with this last scenario after they tied the New England Revolution, 1-1. When the dust settled, United coach Tommy Soehn called the game “a step in the right direction”. He appropriately qualified this statement, admitting “you’re never happy with a 1-1 result”. We have to agree with you, Tommy: not much happiness in last night’s draw.

The lineup card revealed one surprise and hid another. Newly signed forward Nicholas Addlery started in place of Jaime Moreno, who handed the captain’s armband to Ben Olsen. Once the opening whistle blew, the second surprise was revealed: for all intents and purposes, United abandoned their 3-5-2 formation for a 4-4-2, as Josh Gros played on the left side of the defense, pushing Facundo Erpen toward the center. Though Gros and Bryan Namoff made occasional attacking forays, United’s new look produced a more conservative feel to their play. It proved to be effective, as the Revs’ chances were limited in the first half. Though United didn’t have any clear-cut chances of their own, they enjoyed a comfortable possession advantage.