A driving rain fell on the 19,308 fans in attendance at D.C. United’s encounter with Sporting Kansas City at RFK Stadium on Friday evening, but none of them seemed to mind.
Less than a year after finishing the worst season in Major League Soccer history — a dreadful campaign that saw them win just three of the 34 matches they played — United scratched and clawed their way to a 0-0 draw with Sporting KC. The single point they earned for their trouble was enough to put them in the postseason for just the second time in seven years.
With three matches remaining, D.C. (15-9-7) sit atop the eastern conference, six points clear of second place KC.
Much has been made of their turnaround, but the difference is truly staggering: United have won five times as many matches as they did in 2013 and scored over twice as many goals, while their goal differential has gone from -37 to +12. They’re on pace to break the record for the biggest single-season turnaround in MLS history; in reality, it’s difficult to find a single-year improvement in any professional sport that’s been as miraculous as this one.
“It’s good to get that out of the way,” United head coach Ben Olsen said after the match. “Enjoy tonight and move on. Fortunately, I think the team has bigger goals now, and there’s a feeling that they can do something. Whether it’s finish top three, finish first and make a run at this thing. We will continue to find out a little bit more about ourselves over the next couple games and get ready for the postseason.”
Highlights:
The Good: The Fans
United have managed to draw three decent crowds in a row, Friday evening’s being the liveliest of them all. In a year where their plans for a new stadium at Buzzard Point may finally come to a vote, United need all the positive optics they can get. Filling even a few thousand more empty seats makes a huge, huge difference.
“There was a good vibe in the city,” Olsen reflected after the match. “Even driving here. I took the long way through the city, and I got a little bit of the Nats vibe. The city was vibrant. Take RFK out of it — you know it’s an old, beat up building, and I’ll be happy when it blows up — but there’s not a better show in town. When our fans show up and put on a performance like that, there’s nowhere else I want to play.”
Honorable Mentions: Davy Arnaud, Chris Pontius
Arnaud played the destroyer role well, clamoring into and crunching opponents through midfield; he very nearly got himself ejected in the second half. He continues to provide a bite that United has been lacking badly in the center of the park.
Pontius made his first league start since recovering from off-season hamstring surgery and looked lively throughout his 60-plus minute shift. Aside from a bit of rust, the pacey midfielder doesn’t look any worse for wear after nearly a year off.
The Bad: I really don’t even know
I thought this category would be a lot easier to fill every week when I came up with this format, but it’s been exceedingly difficult to in the past few months. The food in the press box was pretty awful, so there’s that. Also I left my earbuds at the stadium. I’d say those were my two main negative takeaways from Friday evening’s match.
Moment of the Match: Referee Hilario Grajeda’s non-call on a clear United penalty kick early in the second half
United very well may have walked away from this one with three points had it not been for Grajeda’s non-call, which is truly hard to wrap your head around. “It was a PK,” Pontius said after the match. “I’m not diving there.” Take a look:
The Rest: United get the Houston Dynamo on Sunday. They’ll face them in Houston, where they’ve never won a game since the team’s inception in 2006 … The LA Galaxy’s Robbie Keane did something ridiculous again. Check out his stunning half-volley … With only a couple of games remaining in the regular season, Philadelphia Union keeper Rais Mbolhi may have single-handedly put his team out of the playoff picture with this epic fail.
