Saturday night’s match between D.C. United and the Portland Timbers was a tale of two teams headed in very different directions. United entered the match with just four points to their name; Portland entered the encounter riding a league-best 10-game unbeaten streak. The result was, well, predictable for United’s 2013 season.
The 2-0 loss, which dropped United’s record to an abysmal 1-9-2, was the latest insult in what is rapidly shaping up to be one of the worst—if not the worst—seasons in league history.
United’s back line—which earlier in the year had proven to be one of the club’s few bright spots—was once again the chief contributor in the team’s unraveling. The Timbers’ first goal was the result of poor marking from Brandon McDonald and Chris Korb. Their second goal was even softer, coming after Timbers midfielder Darlington Nagbe fought off both of United’s centerbacks and a sliding James Riley en route to another Portland score. A clearly agitated Ben Olsen had clearly seen enough after the match.
“It’s embarrassing how soft we are, everywhere around the field” said United’s third year head coach. “The lack of anger that a few of our guys play with, the lack of a chip on some of our guys’ shoulders is mind-boggling to me. Perry Kitchen, Nick DeLeon? Any day of the week. Carlos Ruiz? Any day of the week. But I’ll tell you what: we have a long way to go.”
The result was far from surprising. Truthfully, the lack of effort wasn’t even much of a surprise at this point. The real surprise came when Olsen benched team captain Dwayne De Rosario in favor of Guatemalan forward Carlos Ruiz. It was Ruiz’s first start of the year, and it likely won’t be his last.
If United’s on-the-field performance was depressing, the mood in the locker room was moribund. De Rosario openly voiced his displeasure with Olsen’s decision to bench him.
“[Olsen] doesn’t think that me and Carlos can play on the same field together, so that’s the way it is,” said De Rosario, who cracked a smile when asked whether he believed that he’d pair up well with Ruiz. “I’m not happy about that. Well, if you look at our track- record, as goal scorers, as creators, I think it’s not a bad thing to try at least once.”
Ruiz was more reserved in his comments, telling those in attendance that the success of a Ruiz-De Rosario platoon would depend on what Olsen wanted out of the two veterans.
“We are not young like a couple years ago,” Ruiz said. “So, if he wants us to be running up and down, up and down, it’s going to be a little bit difficult. It depends against who we play and where we play. He knows he can count on us anytime, so it depends on him and what he sees of the team.”
Some further thoughts:
The Hero: Tie: Carlos Ruiz and Perry Kitchen. Ruiz showed flashes of offensive creativity, something United fans haven’t seen anything of in 2013. He’s the anti-Lionard Pajoy, often opting to play a one-touch pass to a teammate, and allowing him to more quickly make his way toward the box.
And what can you say about Perry Kitchen at this point? He’s been a rock at defensive midfield all year, perhaps United’s only consistent player. Thank you, Perry.
The Goat: Tie: Brandon McDonald and Marcos Sanchez. After a string of wretched performances, Sanchez didn’t see the field against Kansas City two weekends ago, prompting many followers of the black and red to wonder if they’d seen the last of the rat-tailed Panamanian. He was back to haunt them again on Saturday, however, and turned in one of his worst performances of the year.
The case of Brandon McDonald is a bit more curious. BMac was a defensive standout for United in 2012 and started this season strongly. After a meltdown in Columbus that saw him subbed out at the half, he hasn’t been the same player. McDonald only saw the pitch due to the absence of fellow centerback Dejan Jakovic, who sat this game out out with an injury. It seems more than likely that McDonald will return to the bench this weekend and that Jakovic will pair with Ethan White in central defense.
The Rest: United’s attendance woes continued this weekend, with only 14,131 brave souls scattered throughout the cavernous RFK Stadium. That brings United’s 2013 average to 13,761, well below the club’s historic average of 17,039 and just below their previous record low in average attendance, set last year.
United next travels to Richmond on Tuesday to face the third-tier Richmond Kickers in a U.S. Open Cup match. (7 p.m., Tickets, Live Stream) We’ll be there and will have a full report and photos Wednesday morning. Follow along at MLSist for live commentary during the match.
Highlights from the match, followed by Ben Olsen’s fiery post-game press conference, right here:
