D.C. United have been winning games the pretty way all year. On Saturday afternoon at RFK stadium — at the tail end of a brutal, 2-month stretch — they took a swing at winning ugly.
United rode an early Luis Silva tally and some sound defensive play to a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union, extending their Eastern Conference lead to six points and pulling within inches of a playoff berth.
“I can’t say enough about the group in general,” said United head coach Ben Olsen. “How they’ve handled the last two months. They’re tired. It’s been a long haul here. A lot of these guys had to really dig deep today and find a way to get through it. It wasn’t always perfect, but once again they pulled out a result and a shutout, so they’re getting two days off to get away from me, and then we’ll back to work for a tough game on Friday.”
Highlights:
The Good: Davy Arnaud. Much has been made this year about the stable of veterans that United have brought in. Familiar names like Bobby Boswell, Jeff Parke, Chris Rolfe and Sean Franklin — players who’ve developed a reputation over the years as consistent contributors in MLS.
Lost amongst those pieces is Davy Arnaud, who’s quietly put together an exceptional season for United. Arnaud has traditionally found himself utilized as a playmaker or forward throughout his career, but with United has seamlessly transitioned into a role as a box-to-box midfielder. His relationship with Perry Kitchen — United’s other weapon deep in midfield — continues to progress.
“You know, [Davy’s] vital to this team,” Olsen said after the match. “We’re a different team when he’s not in there. That goes for a lot of these guys. Davy is a real glue, Perry as well. When we talk about “us being at our best” it’s when those two are in there together.”
The Bad: It’s tough to pinpoint any performance on Saturday that was particularly awful. Fabian Espindola didn’t have his best game; the Union frequently threw numbers at him, double-teaming United’s danger man. Espindola has a tendency to run at players when he’s cornered instead of finding an easier outlet, and he made that mistake several times against Philly, trying to dribble out of trouble against Raymond Gaddis or Sheanon Williams. It didn’t go very well.
Outside back Taylor Kemp wasn’t at his best either, though he settled down as the game progressed. And to be honest, Kemp has been a pleasant surprise throughout 2014, for the most part filling in admirably.
Moment of the Match: Pretty easy. Luis Silva’s early strike, which proved to be the game-winner. Good on Chris Korb for bringing the ball down, and great on him for playing a picture-perfect ball to Silva’s noggin.
“[Luis’] confidence is so high right now, every time he takes on players and he has the quality to do it,” Olsen said. “He’s got a little bit of everything; he’s calm and his composure is there.”
The Rest: At some point on Saturday, United could’ve actually clinched a spot in the playoffs, but a stunning comeback by Toronto FC in their match against the Portland Timbers eliminated that possibility. … Chris Pontius made his first home league appearance for United in nearly a year after recovering from a hamstring ailment. … United will take another shot at clinching on Friday evening when they welcome Sporting KC to RFK (8 p.m., NBC Sports Network, Tickets). … The LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane scored one of the goals of the season on Sunday evening. See for yourself.
