After D.C United’s 3-0 road drubbing at the hands of the Columbus Crew on April 27—the club’s fifth consecutive loss—many D.C. United fans figured it couldn’t get much worse for their beloved team. Last night, in front of a few rain-soaked, miserable fans at RFK Stadium, things turned awful.
United suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Houston Dynamo, an embarrassing result that many will once again hope is the nadir of the club’s 2013 campaign.
Though United were on the favorable end of many statistical categories—shots, crosses, corner kicks—they never found the back of the net and seemed to lack any sense of on-field discipline or determination.
“We have some part time players,” a disappointed Ben Olsen said after the loss. “I still don’t get how it takes a coach to come in and throw things and yell at you to [get you to] play with agression. It’s really mind-boggling to me, and I don’t get it. If that’s what it takes to get you to play desperate and with high concentration, some of these guys are in trouble as professional athletes.”
Olsen unloaded on his players at halftime, the tirade coming after a terrible first half that saw United do what it’s done best in 2013: give up soft early goals. Dejan Jakovic was largely to blame for Will Bruin’s 16th minute strike after he positioned himself poorly and allowed Bruin to approach the goal alone. Jakovic played a part in Houston’s second goal, too, awkwardly playing the ball back to goalkeeper Bill Hamid. It was part of an exchange that eventually saw Hamid misplay a clearance directly into the path of an onrushing Bruin, who squared the ball to Dynamo forward Giles Barnes for an easy shot.
“You go down two goals that you gift them, and the tactics go out the window,” Olsen said. “Everything that you worked on for ten days goes out the window.”
United seemed to respond to Olsen’s theatrics early in the second half, playing with more urgency and creating a series of dangerous chances in the half’s opening five minutes. Dwayne De Rosario nearly broke through in the 63rd minute, but Dynamo defender Kofi Sarkodie cleared both of De Rosario’s attempts off the line. De Rosario’s second attempt appeared to have crossed the goal line, but—as both DeRo and Olsen noted after the match—United just aren’t getting any breaks these days.
Houston put the game away late in the second half. Bruin’s second goal came in the 78th minute, the result of a Brad Davis free kick nodded on to him by Brian Ching. The final insult came 10 minutes later, with Bruin laying a pass back to Andrew Driver for the Dynamo’s fourth goal of the evening.
Last night’s result and 2013’s utter lack of offensive production puts United in historically bad territory. Few teams have been worse over the first two months of an MLS season. United’s four goals through nine games is good for worst in the league, and is on track to shatter the previous MLS record for offensive futility, set by United’s dismal 2010 squad. With just four points to their name in mid-May, United are also on track to break the league record for lowest points per game, set in 2001 by the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny.
United have holes at every position and are playing with an injury-laden midfield, an overpaid back line, and a mistake-prone goalkeeper. It’s enough to make many United fans wonder if their head coaches job is in danger. Olsen, a fan favorite who received a contract extension in the off-season, certainly accepts his share of the blame for United’s poor start this season, but seems unconcerned with talk of his dismissal.
“I don’t worry about my job because I understand coaches get fired,” Olsen said confidently in his post-game press conference. “I’ve seen coaches get fired for less than 0-7 in the last seven games. But I don’t worry about it because that’s completely out of my control. Is my job on the line? It better be—I’m the leader of this team, but I have faith in what I’m doing and I’ll continue to go about my work.”
That level of personal accountability—which Olsen showed off in 12 seasons as a United player—is certainly a trait he’ll continue trying to instill in United’s current line-up. In a way, though, those are things that are unteachable. Combined with a tough set of upcoming games—United visits 6-1-3 FC Dallas on Saturday—things could get even worse for United before they get better.
Game Notes: Bruin finished the night with a brace and two assists, making it nine goals in nine career matches against United … The oft-maligned striker Lionard Pajoy wasn’t in the starting 11 last night, the first time all year he’s found himself starting a match on the bench. He entered as a sub in the 59th minute … Nick DeLeon also made his return from injury, appearing in a match for the first time since late March …. The announced attendance of 10,116—though the actual attendance was probably closer to 4,000—ranks among the 10 worst crowds for a league match in the club’s history. Midweek games rarely draw well, and with the Capitals and Nationals in action, it was really only a question of how bad the crowd would be, not whether it would be bad or not … The MLS Players Union released it’s annual list of salary figures earlier this week, if you’re curious to see how overpaid Lionard Pajoy is or how underpaid Bill Hamid is … The full text of Olsen and company’s post-match quotes.
