Late in Saturday’s 2-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, D.C. United midfielder Chris Pontius sent a driving, dipping free kick toward New York goalkeeper Luis Robles. Full of pace and promise, the ball found the netting just above the crossbar, giving many of the 18,019 fans in attendance the impression that the ball had made its way in. Much beer was thrown skyward; many flags were raised aloft. It was all a waste though, and as Robles placed the ball down for the ensuing goal kick, United’s fan base was left pondering what could’ve been.
It was United’s 2013 campaign in a nutshell: heavy on promise and expectation, light on substance. After another lackluster performance—this one against their hated arch-rivals— United fell to 1-4-1 and now sits at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. In an unusually tense post-game press conference, United Head Coach Ben Olsen verbalized the sentiment shared by almost everyone who’s watched his club play this year.
“We’re easy to play against,” Olsen said. “We’re easy to play against from a defensive side and an offensive side. We’re not dynamic enough. We’re pretty predictable in the way we go about things. That’s who we are right now.”
United’s issues were obvious on both sides of the field. Though they enjoyed the lion’s share of possession—they out-possessed their opponents by nearly 20 percentage points—the club sent cross after cross towards a penalty area bereft of any finishing ability. It speaks volumes that two of the club’s most active offensive players on the evening were defenders: Daniel Woolard provided many of those crosses coming forward, and Brandon McDonald had more shots than forwards Lionard Pajoy and Rafael combined.
United’s offensive woes aren’t just bad, they’re worse than they’ve ever been. After six matches, their current rate of offensive production—.34 goals every 90 minutes—is the worst in club history, breaking the previous record of four goals through six matches set during the club’s nightmarish 2010 campaign.
On defense, United’s back line was disjointed and out-of-sync, issues taken advantage of by New York’s stable of World Cup veterans. Given only a sliver of daylight in the 30th minute, Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry cracked a low, driven shot from some 25 yards out that eluded United keeper Bill Hamid. Red Bulls defender Jamison Olave—who is rapidly proving to be their best off-season acquisition—was responsible for the team’s second goal, deflecting a Brandon Barklage header goalward.
In short, the Red Bulls had their first truly complete, professional performance of the year in dismantling the black and red. Aside from Henry, who was involved in every aspect of his side’s victory, and Olave, whose shiny, bald head was on the end of most every United cross into the box, the Red Bulls also got standout performances from midfielders Tim Cahill and former United player Dax McCarty.
United’s personnel issues weren’t lost on Olsen, who was all too eager to imply that he’s willing to make some roster moves. “At this point,” Olsen griped after the match, “we have to fix something. I don’t know if we have to look within the league; I don’t know if we have to make a trade. That’s just stuff we have figure out.”
The Red Bulls cut the fat from last year’s squad and addressed several key issues. D.C. United, despite a massive cash influx from a well-to-do ownership group, has failed to address the loss of several players—most importantly Branko Boskovic and Andy Najar—and likely won’t get much better until it plugs those holes. Here’s to hoping that the black and red can right the ship, but as of now, we may be in for a long, long year.
United next face the Philadelphia Union at RFK on Sunday at 5 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN2, and tickets are available through the club’s website
Game Notes: Dwayne De Rosario returned to action on Saturday night, putting in a forgettable 30-minute shift and being pushed around by New York’s back line … Henry took some time after the match to catch up with De Rosario—a former teammate—whom he once referred to as “the face of the league.” As the two signed autographs for a group of youngsters, Henry deflected the profanities and insults hurled his way by the United faithful by repeatedly turning to the fans and yelling “HAVE SOME MANNERS. THERE ARE KIDS HERE.” Classy. … Another way to look at United’s scoring woes: United forward Casey Townsend, on loan with the lower-division Richmond Kickers, scored as many goals on Saturday evening in the Kickers’ match against Charleston as United have all year. Even Red Bulls defender Jamison Olave has outpaced the black and red, notching three goals in 2013. Woof … Elsewhere in the league, San Jose forward Alan Gordon had a really, really bad day on Sunday evening and can expect to hear from the disciplinary committee early this week. After being caught on camera hurling a homophobic slur towards Portland’s Will Johnson, Gordon then decided to re-arrange Michael Silvestre’s face, earning him a send-off. Johnson, incidentally, was also the target of a similar attack last year by former United defender Marc Burch. Similar incidents of hate speech have seen three-game suspensions in the past, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Gordon lose four or five games for this one. Gordon, for his part, issued an apology this morning. Guess he forgot to not cross the line … The Houston Dynamo made history, extending their home unbeaten streak to an incredible 35 games with a 2-1 victory over Chicago on Sunday evening.
