Photo by Pablo Iglesias Maurer
D.C. United have been a maddeningly inconsistent team to watch this year.
They’ve at times stormed out to early leads—only to blow them—while other matches have seen them wait until the dying moments to salvage a draw. One game will be a blowout, the next one a smackdown. In general, though, D.C. United just hasn’t looked particularly interested in making a playoff run.
You wouldn’t have guessed that if you watched them on Saturday evening, though.
D.C. used an early goal, a pair of strikes early in the second half, and a late insurance tally to cruise to a 4-1 victory over Orlando City SC, nudging United (for the time being) just above the playoff line.
With four games remaining, they sit in the sixth and final playoff spot, a single point ahead of New England and three ahead of Orlando. It’s going to come down to the wire.
The Highlights:
The Good: Taylor Kemp, the crowd. There are plenty of reasons United were so fun to watch on Saturday, not the least of which was the lineup they fielded, which included a pair of overlapping defenders: Nick Deleon and Taylor Kemp. Deleon was serviceable filling in for an injured Sean Franklin, but Kemp was truly outstanding.
United fans have long grown accustomed to Kemp’s offensive upside, which was on full display against Orlando. He had a hand in every one of United’s goals and, if only for a moment, was part-owner of Major League Soccer’s all-time record for assists in a single match, with four. (One of his assists was later rescinded after the match.)
Also: 25,842 people saw Kemp’s performance, far and away United’s largest crowd of the year. Many in attendance likely came to see former Milan and Real Madrid legend Kaká, who had a quiet match before being subbed out mid-way through the second half.
The Bad: Orlando City’s back line. Not to take anything away from United’s performance, but OCSC’s defensive corps looked like a tire fire on Saturday. You look at the club’s roster—which features not only Kaká but other standouts like Cyle Larin, Antonio Nocerino, Brek Shea and Kevin Molino—and you wonder how, exactly, this team is going to miss the playoffs. But then you watch them defend, and it all makes sense.
The Rest: It wasn’t all roses on Saturday. Tenacious midfielder Marcelo Sarvas went down with a knee injury during second half play and did not return. After the match, United head coach Ben Olsen did not sound positive about his prognosis. “We’ll take a picture of [his knee] on Monday,” Olsen said. I’d expect him to miss 3-4 weeks, if I had to guess
D.C. are in playoff position at the moment, but their chances of booking a post-season slot seem iffy at best if you look at their remaining schedule; a match-up against Columbus at RFK this Wednesday is followed by an encounter with conference-leading Toronto on Sunday. They follow that by welcoming a formidable NYCFC side and wrap the season with an all-important re-match against Orlando. Total crapshoot at this point.
Lastly, here was a nice moment from Saturday’s match. Sarvas brought his young daughter out for the anthem, but it turns out she wasn’t into the fireworks. Just before the opening kick, Kaká himself came over to comfort her:
Photo by Pablo Iglesias Maurer
