In fairness, the frantic final minutes of the last meaningful match D.C. United will play in 2011 was a microcosm of the season as a whole: promising and full of chances, but inevitably disappointing.
Despite having one match left against Kansas City on Saturday, United was officially eliminated from the MLS postseason race last night after a wildly entertaining 1-1 draw with the Portland Timbers. With both teams putting everything on the line in a last-gasp attempt to overtake New York for the league’s final playoff spot, the soccer was, at times, the most open you’ll see in a league more known for its physicality than wide-open attacking play.
The last 20-odd minutes of the match, in particular, resembled a game of seven-a-side, both sides seemingly eschewing any kind of organized defensive tactics in an attempt to grab a winner.
“I can’t believe nobody scored down that stretch,” said head coach Ben Olsen.
After Dwayne De Rosario cancelled out Kenny Cooper’s first-half opener with a spectacular individual effort in the 72nd minute — pushing his league-leading goal total to 16 and leaving him as favorite to win the league’s Golden Boot — it was game on. (Post-match, Portland coach John Spencer said that if De Rosario didn’t win the league’s MVP award, “there’s something wrong.”) After that point, both teams each had at least five legitimate chances to win the game, though United’s were without doubt the more heartbreaking of them.
De Rosario had a penalty shout turned down after being ridden to the ground in front of goal. Blake Brettschneider had a goal waved off for offside. De Rosario rounded Portland keeper Troy Perkins only to see his effort cleared off the line by defender Eric Brunner. The most painful missed opportunity, though, came when forward Joseph Ngwenya was handed a cross on the doorstep of an open goal and, incredibly, couldn’t tap the ball into the gaping net.
“It was disheartening,” said De Rosario. “We definitely had some great opportunities, and if we had a little more hunger and a little more fight, we finish those chances.”
“Right now it’s hard to think about, it’s hard to swallow knowing that we fell short of the playoffs,” admitted Brettschneider.
It was almost as if, somehow, United was destined not to score, some divine intervention dooming them to suffer without a postseason place for the fourth consecutive year.
“I am extremely proud of the guys,” said Olsen. “Extremely disappointed that we haven’t made the playoffs. Again, I apologize to the fans and the organization. I’ll take the blame for it. I can promise you I’ll get better as a coach, and this team will get better.”
