It’s been a curious year for D.C. United. They’ve strung together the worst series of results in league history, yet have also somehow managed to hoist a trophy and get a stadium deal done (mostly) in the process. With their seemingly interminable regular season drawing to a close on Sunday afternoon, let’s take a step back and look at some things we’ve learned about the club in 2013.
Photo by Francis Chung
1) United grossly overachieved last year and made some pretty awful moves in the off-season. This is old news, but it’s worth revisiting in the wake of the worst season in league history. United’s improbable run to the playoffs last year was a perfect storm, a wonderfully fortunate cocktail of weak scheduling, fortuitous bounces and some serious motivational speaking by head coach Ben Olsen. Perhaps that strong finish – and a monumental playoff victory over the New York Red Bulls – gave the front office a false sense of security heading into the off-season.
The team unloaded Hamdi Salihi and Maicon Santos – who combined for 13 goals in 2012 – and replaced them with an unproven youngster (Rafael) and a dinosaur (Carlos Ruiz). The former of the two was sent packing this summer, the latter hasn’t seen significant action in months. The loss of Andy Najar – shipped to Belgian outfit R.S.C Anderlecht in the off-season – was an even bigger blow. United can’t be blamed for his departure, really (a $2 million payday is nothing to scoff at) but they can probably be blamed for not securing an adequate replacement, defensively at least.
United has plenty of tools at their disposal this off-season: the first overall pick in the draft, the additional allocation money afforded to them for, well, being awful (and also for qualifying for Champions League). Hopefully Kasper and company will fare better this go-around.
2) D.C. desperately needs help on both sides of the ball. Where do you begin to rebuild a team that’s on pace to set all-time league records for offensive and defensive futility? What’s the point of pursuing a finisher if your defensive corps can’t even keep you in the game? These are questions that Olsen and Kasper must answer in the coming months.
Defensively, United have been dreadful this year. There have certainly been bright spots: Perry Kitchen continued to mature and is rapidly becoming one of the better defensive midfielders in the league, while Ethan White seemed to wrap his hands around a starting center back spot before a season-ending injury several weeks ago. By and large, though, D.C. faltered at every defensive position.
Daniel Woolard fared poorly at center back, and even worse at outside back. After a promising 2012 campaign – prematurely ended by a concussion in August – Woolard has struggled to regain his form. Chris Korb, who seemed poised to establish himself as a viable alternative to Najar, fell short of those heightened expectations. James Riley, brought into the fold from Chivas USA, has proved average at best, and the duo of Dejan Jakovic and Brandon McDonald – the latter of whom was shipped away to RSL in July – went from being a dependable center back pairing to a very expensive set of underachievers.
The club’s biggest need is an experienced, dependable center back to pair with Jakovic (it remains to be seen whether the Canadian international will remain with the club) or White. Help at outside back is also on the shopping list.
On the offensive side of things, United hasn’t fared any better. Lionard Pajoy, not entirely unexpectedly, didn’t light the world on fire as a goal scorer. Rafael and Ruiz didn’t get the job done either, and United’s rotating cast of forwards has struggled mightily to find the back of the net. The team has found limited success with a promising pair of youngsters – Luis Silva and Conor Doyle – but whether they’re the long-term solution remains to be seen. D.C. desperately need to sign a proven goalscorer (sound familiar?)
Photo by Pablo Maurer
3) Winning the U.S. Open Cup and announcing a stadium deal didn’t erase United’s dreadful MLS regular season, but it certainly helped. After misfiring repeatedly over the years, United finally seem to be on the right track towards finding a suitable home of their own. The club and city announced a stadium agreement in July and talks have moved along swiftly since then. Though the plan has faced its share of resistance, United is closer than ever to leaving RFK behind.
And then there’s D.C.’s U.S. Open Cup title, which will certainly go down as one of the most improbable set of results in MLS history. The team somehow managed to insulate the tournament from the ills of an awful regular season, winning most of its matches convincingly and grinding a result out on the road in the final. Wrap your head around this: the team won more games in the Open Cup (four) than it has (with one game remaining) in its entire regular season. Mind-boggling.
D.C. United supporters react after the match vs. Houston, 05/09/2013. Photo by Francis Chung.
4) By and large, D.C. United fans are a level-headed, supportive, resilient bunch. And because of that, they probably deserve better. Three wins in 33 games. It’s enough to make a grown man cry, but United’s supporters have remained (relatively) level-headed through this mess. Covering the Open Cup final in Utah, I was truly taken aback by the number of fans who made the lengthy, mid-week trek to support their team.
At other venues – we covered matches in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Columbus this year – I saw a similar turnout, a sizable pocket of flag-waving supporters doing their best to drown out the home crowd.
But there is a difference between dedication and stupidity, and it’s showed: United’s attendance numbers sank this year, and will continue to do so if the team isn’t competitive. The group of supporters that the club so frequently refers to as “the best fans in MLS” (they may not be wrong) deserve better. Here’s to hoping they get it.
Ben Olsen will need this kind of anger as he heads into 2014. Photo by Pablo Maurer
5) Ben Olsen certainly has the potential to be a great coach, but some changes are needed. Let’s get this out of the way: Ben Olsen is a club legend. It’s no stretch to say he may be the most respected and well-liked player in team history. And the attributes which made him such an endearing player – his grittiness, fire and never-say-die attitude – are some of the things that make him a promising young coach.
Still, it’s impossible to ignore the results. Olsen’s apologists will point to a few key areas in their defense: the injuries, the relatively terrible hand he was dealt (personnel-wise) and the fact that the club seems to refuse to spend a sizable chunk of money on any given player. And, in some way, they’re right. But Olsen himself proved last year that injuries and a somewhat lackluster roster shouldn’t keep you from winning. And there are plenty of examples in every professional sport of high-priced players failing to live up to expectations. Budget-conscious teams make the MLS playoffs every year; D.C.’s financial state shouldn’t keep them out of post-season play.
So why should Ben Olsen stay? I can only offer you my opinion. The intangibles – the aforementioned grit, fire, whatever – are not things that can be taught. Olsen’s detractors frequently mention his tactical weakness, and there may be something to that. But there are ways around that: Jurgen Klinsmann nearly made a World Cup final in 2006 despite being perceived by many as lacking tactical knowledge. How did he do it? With a stable of brilliant assistants, including current Germany boss Joachim Löw. Olsen needs more time, frankly, and perhaps a bit more experience next to him on the bench.
And one other thing: most teams would’ve turned on their coach during a season like this one. But Olsen’s crew never turned on him; far from it. Aside from a mid-season tiff with Dwayne De Rosario, disagreements between players and coaches were kept at a minimum this year. His players respect him. It’s hard to put a price on that.
And by the way: Yes, he was dealt a bullshit hand this year. Give him a fresh set of cards and one more chance.
