Our beloved D.C. United may have crashed and burned (again) in the MLS playoffs this season, but life goes on. Also, the playoffs go on — right in our backyard, in fact. Many moons ago, Washington was picked to host the 2007 MLS Cup this Sunday at noon, at RFK. Time to put aside your grieving and check out the game. Tickets start at $30, maybe even less on Craigslist. When else are you going…

Sunday afternoon D.C. United went toe-to-toe with the New England Revolution in a battle for supremacy of the Eastern Conference, and arguably the entire MLS. The match did not disappoint. It was a competitive affair in which each side took turns playing from behind before United dealt the knockout blow and cruised to victory. By most standards, it was a fantastic match. Flash forward to last night. D.C. United is facing a Real Salt…

Two weeks ago, D.C. United traveled to Los Angeles to play a depleted Galaxy team and were lucky to come away with a disappointing 0-0 tie after Nate Jaqua missed two easy opportunities in front of the United goal. Determined not to fall into the trap of playing down to their competition again, United scored early in their 3-1 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire and never looked back. Fire goalie Matt Pickens bobbled…

It took D.C. United over four hundred minutes to claim their first lead of the 2007 MLS season. After nurturing it, bolstering it, and holding off Chivas USA’s desperate final attacks, they parlayed it into their first victory of the season. Before 14,267 at RFK Stadium yesterday afternoon, United built on Thursday’s draw and used a spirited performance to secure a 2-1 victory, bringing their record to 1-3-1. Due to player fatigue (three matches…

D.C. United announced its MLS schedule yesterday, and we’ll cut to the chase: you have exactly 183 days before David Beckham comes to Washington. He’ll be here on August 9 for a Thursday night game, but unless you’re planning to buy a full season ticket package, tickets won’t be available until July 2. And that goes for half-season and flex plans too — the August 9 match against Beckham’s LA Galaxy (formerly known as…

Last year, D.C. United disappointed their home crowd, bowing out of the playoffs to the Chicago Fire. Defensive lapses led to an astonishing 4 goals conceded. The offense sputtered, taking only 9 shots to the Fire’s 15. Play turned ugly as 4 United players were booked for misconduct. The loss was an embarrassment on all levels. Yesterday, United’s play beared absolutely no resemblance to last year’s debacle. A swarming defense allowed one shot on…

D.C. United entered last night’s match against Red Bull New York with a grim resolve. In contrast to the pregame festivities in the RFK parking lot and the excitement of the 21,455 in attendance, United’s starting 11 didn’t crack a hint of a smile during the starting lineup announcements. They knew that for all intents and purposes, last week’s favorable result was meaningless; the scars from last year’s embarrassing playoff defeat attested to the…

D.C. United’s defense let them down once again on Sunday as the Chicago Fire sprinted to a 2-0 lead in the first half and held on for a 3-2 win in front of 18,652 fans at RFK Stadium. United has now lost three in a row and have but one victory in their last seven matches, not the kind of playoff tune-up coach Peter Nowak wanted. As bad as it was, it could have…

D.C. United came into Saturday night’s game both optimistically and urgently. An animated crowd of 21,022 cheered enthusiastically as United was presented with the Supporter’s Shield. The match at hand would provide them with a quality opponent, the New England Revolution, indicative of the competition they would confront in the rapidly-approaching MLS Cup playoffs. Such a stage would seem the perfect situation to right the ship and make a bold statement before entering the…

For D.C. United, the events that transpired in the last week confirmed two unalienable truths. Contrary to United’s play during their prolonged slump, they are, in fact, a very good team. And despite a run of good form in U.S. Open Cup play, there’s something about the 92-year-old competition that gives D.C. fits. Last Sunday, United snapped its miserable 5 game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Chivas USA. The win gave United…