It had to happen eventually. After a 19-game home unbeaten run stretching back to last March, D.C. United finally lost a home game on Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 to the visiting Columbus Crew. The loss drops United to 1-2-1 on the season—far from the worst place to be after four games, but not quite what United fans were expecting after the club’s run to the Eastern Conference semi-finals in 2012.
“We just weren’t good enough on the ball,” United Head Coach Ben Olsen said. “We’ll work on it. We’ve got two weeks to work on things. I’ll take the blame for that game, 100%. We’ve got two weeks now for me to whip this team into shape. I’ll make sure we get back to basics.”
To the surprise of few seasoned MLS fans, both Crew goals came off of free kicks. Columbus, along with the Houston Dynamo, have long been known for their efficiency in dead ball situations, and United were the latest victims.
“I mean, you play Columbus every year and it’s the same thing – set pieces, set pieces, set pieces,” Olsen said. “They scored on two set pieces, essentially. You go over them, you give assignments and in the end, they’re a tough team to defend on set pieces. If you give them too many opportunities, eventually you’re going to give one up.”
United had their share of chances, but Columbus goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum put on a clinic, standing on his head to preserve the victory. The referee, Allen Chapman, didn’t help United’s case either—the home team had a questionable goal disallowed and didn’t get the whistle they wanted when Chris Pontius was brought down in the box in the first half.
Perhaps even more damaging to United than the loss of the game is the loss of second-year midfielder Nick DeLeon, who went down in the first half with a hamstring injury. He’ll have an MRI today to determine the extent of the damage.
United’s bright spots were few and far between:
The Heroes: Tie: Rafael and Bill Hamid. Rafael’s first-half goal—from about 35 yards out—provided United fans with a glimpse of what’s potentially to come out of their young designated player. Hamid, as has become the norm, put on a display. Though largely responsible for Columbus’ first goal, he kept the game from becoming an absolute blowout.
Honorable Mention: Columbus’ Federico Higuaín and Andy Gruenebaum. Higuaín’s vision and touch was consistent throughout the game. Gruenebaum beat Bill Hamid at his own game.
The Goat: Lionard Pajoy. Yes, here we go again. Where do I start? Pajoy was in an offside position more in this one game than the Columbus Crew have been in the entire season. That’s not a figure of speech; Pajoy was offside four times in Saturday’s match. The Crew have been called offside a total of four times the entire season. That fact wasn’t lost on his teammates, either.
“It was embarrassing,” United midfielder Dwayne De Rosario said when asked about United’s performance. “I mean, I don’t know how many offsides we had, so that’s obviously difficult when every ball you play over the top is offside. It kills the flow of the game, kills the momentum, it kills the attack that way.”
Pajoy’s hold-up play and defense, which Olsen has repeatedly harped on as his strengths, were also lacking. With Rafael coming on strong and Carlos Ruiz also fighting for playing time, Pajoy’s days as a starter seem numbered.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Porter. Thrust into the game after DeLeon’s injury, Porter was terrible on the ball and consistently turned it over. He doesn’t deserve all of the blame for United’s lack of possession on Saturday afternoon, but he deserves a good deal of it.
Moment of the Match: Porter’s disallowed goal. I could go either way on this call—Pajoy is clearly in an offside position (I mean, he lives there) and ends up moving towards the ball. Though he doesn’t play it, the linesman’s flag goes up and Columbus lets off the gas.
On the other hand, the offside call is ultimately the responsibility of the referee to make. The Crew’s back line forgot one of the basics of athletic competition: you play until you hear the whistle. Perhaps they should’ve been punished for their ignorance.
D.C. United next face Sporting K.C. on April 5 (8:30 p.m) Television details are still being worked out, as United remains in talks with several local outlets about a broadcast deal.
