Shortly after the conclusion of Saturday evening’s match between D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes, the smattering of fans that had stuck around were treated to a post-game fireworks show.
Shells soared high above the arching roofline of the place, painting the night sky with shimmering bands of yellow, red, and green.
They were the only fireworks the team provided on Saturday night.
United surrendered a fourth-minute goal and couldn’t hit the side of a barn, falling 2-0 to the Quakes and dropping their second match in as many games. Though there’s no real reason for alarm—D.C. remain perched comfortably atop the east and are very much still a part of the hunt for the Supporters’ Shield—the lackluster performance exposed a pair of weaknesses worth expounding on.
Many of the 20,000+ in attendance hadn’t even settled into their seats when San Jose nabbed their opener.
In the fourth minute, Quakes defender Shaun Francis streaked down the near sideline and unleashed a low, left-footed blast that United keeper Andrew Dykstra pushed back into the area. The rebound found San Jose midfielder Fatai Alashe; he immediately redirected it to U.S. national team forward Chris Wondolowski, who stung a right-footed attempt into the far side netting.
It was the third consecutive match that United had given up a goal in the opening four minutes of play. What’s worse, they’ve given up nine goals over the course of the year in the opening fifteen minutes of a match, worst in MLS.
And while United have typically managed to wash away those early blunders—coming back to win or tie on nearly every occasion—most players and coaches have bemoaned the poor starts, repeatedly suggesting that they’d eventually be punished. On Saturday, their number was up.
“It’s terrible,” midfielder Chris Rolfe said. “I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how we can keep getting off to that kind of a start. I’ve never been on a team that has given up so many goals at the beginning of the game. It’s getting old.”
United’s woes weren’t purely defensive. The club struggled to put anything on goal, firing off 24 shots and only testing the ‘keeper four times. After the match, Rolfe suggested his side’s struggle to steer shots on frame was perhaps the result of their ever-evolving lineup—D.C. have used a different starting eleven in all but one league match.
D.C. head coach Ben Olsen had a much more succinct evaluation of his team’s struggle to find the back of the net.
“We should put [shots] on goal,” a clearly frustrated Olsen told DCist. “We should shoot them on goal. That would help a lot.”
San Jose’s second goal came just after the halftime whistle. Former Chicago Fire forward Quincy Amarikwa collected the ball 40 yards from goal, took an excellent first touch around United center back Kofi Opare and played it out wide towards teammate Shea Salinas. Streaking toward the end line, Salinas turned, firing past Dykstra, just inside the far post.
The pair of goals were just too much for a United side that looked a bit punchless throughout.
D.C. won’t get much time to bounce back from this one; they face a quick turnaround before a Tuesday evening CONCACAF Champions League encounter against Jamaican side Montego Bay United at RFK. Olsen is certain to continue his lineup shuffle, starting a reserve-heavy side against some rather lowly opponents. The full squad will return to action on Sunday when they travel north to face arch-rival New York.
