This was not exactly the weekend that D.C. United was hoping for. A 3-2 loss to the non-playoff bound Columbus Crew closed out United’s MLS regular season and snapped United’s unbeaten streak (dating back to July). Worse yet, United lost their two star strikers, Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno, to foot injuries. With last night’s Fire victory over the Galaxy, United were assigned the Thursday night time-slot against a Fire team that might be…

Saturday night’s meeting of D.C. United and Toronto FC looked like a mismatch on paper. An expansion team with the worst record in Major League Soccer lined up against the most decorated club in the league’s history and current point leaders. Add D.C.’s distinctive home field advantage and you have a recipe for a blowout. Yet for one half, TFC hung with their hosts. Indeed, at many points in the first half Toronto was the…

D.C. United takes on Red Bull New York tonight in a match crucial to league standings and regional pride. United has taken advantage of a torrid August (3-0-0 in league play) to move into second place in the eastern conference. In NYRB they face an opponent that is fresh off of a high octane 5-4 victory over David Beckham and the LA Galaxy. The winner will retain sole possession of second place and assert themselves…

D.C. United fans have gotten their share of David Beckham firsts, and after last night’s exit from the SuperLiga – almost single-handedly due to Beckham’s right foot – we’ve had our fill. After playing his first MLS game in a 1-0 D.C. win last Thursday at a sold-out RFK, he started his first match for the Galaxy last night in the SuperLiga semifinals against visiting D.C. Then he proceeded to register his first goal and…

D.C. United manager Tom Soehn wants to forget about last Saturday’s debacle at previously winless Real Salt Lake. After an opening spell that might have given Soehn flashbacks, an under-strength United helped him do that with a strong final sixty minutes and a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at RFK Stadium. There were plenty of important moments – newcomers Fred and Luciano Emilio’s fluid passing movies with playmaker Christian Gomez, Jamaican forward Nicholas…

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…

Under some circumstances, a draw is an acceptable result in soccer. Playing in a hostile stadium against a superior opponent would be one of these circumstances. If you head into the second leg of a Cup match with the lead on aggregate, you’d be happy to walk away with a draw. You’d contently take away one point from a match when you are desperate to end a season-long losing streak: baby steps, right? D.C. United…

After weeks on the road in hostile conditions, United had been looking forward to Saturday night’s MLS home opener for quite some time. The boisterous 22,358 in attendance were determined to make United’s homecoming a pleasant one. The driving rain and potent Kansas City Wizards offense were not. The Wizards took advantage of United’s defensive lapses with polished finishing to claim a 4-2 victory. It took only 3 minutes for the Wizards to deliver…

In front of a hostile crowd at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, D.C. United achieved a dream start in the 36th minute. Unfortunately for United, the MLS drought on Mexican soil was not to be extinguished as Chivas drew even before the half and eventual netted the game winner in the second half, earning a trip to the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup Finals on 3-2 aggregate. From early on in the first half, United played more aggressively…

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…