Cup competitions are the true equalizers. Take, for example, administration-battling, Premier League relegation fodder Portsmouth’s journey to this year’s FA Cup final — and that’s a club that was considering not playing seven players in said final because they cannot afford to pay their contract bonuses if the team wins the trophy. The point isn’t to harp on Portsmouth, but rather to acknowledge that the best team will usually win out in the marathon that is the league. In the knockout, though, any team is but a bad surface or a lucky bounce or an off-night away from pulling something worthwhile out of the morass that a season in limbo often is.
A better segue into the topic of D.C. United’s U.S. Open Cup play-in game against Dallas last night, I cannot imagine.
United’s 0-4 league start has some supporters leaping from the cliff. Prematurely or not, the sluggish overture has led some to almost write-off the remainder of the league campaign. Those fans should take solace in the fact that the U.S. Open Cup has been a rare bright spot for the club in the last couple of seasons; a piece of silverware earned in 2008 and a runner-up finish last year in what was, without question, the most hotly anticipated Open Cup game ever.
Scoring some goals, though, is always the most effective way to bring people back from the edge, even if it does happen in front of only 2,804 at RFK Stadium. Spritely teenager Andy Najar and striker Adam Cristman finally got United’s attack in gear, and D.C. defeated FC Dallas 4-2 last night, moving on to the next round of Open Cup qualifying. Najar scored his first professional goal and notched his first professional assist, while Cristman hit for a brace in an explosion of offense for a side that had only scored twice in its previous four games.
Manager Curt Onalfo was just pleased to finally get over the hump. “It’s something the group needed,” said Onalfo. “It’s been a trying month, both mentally and physically. We’re dealing with a lot of injuries. The important thing is that we found a way to be successful.”
