The Struggles of DC United: A firsthand account
9:32 am in Uncategorized by Jason Longshore
I’m in DC for the weekend, planning my vacation around two DC United games. The first was last night against Seattle. In a game where DC had many more of the chances, Seattle popped a goal late to take the victory. It’s really the story of DC’s season.
First, let’s start with the highlights. Even for an old, beat up stadium, RFK has a great atmosphere. It was nice to see that in a largely forgettable season, there was a good crowd on a Thursday night that were into the game. The atmosphere picked up with every DC chance in the second half. That’s why I love this team and love the possibilities of MLS.
As for the play on the field, I especially liked the play of second half substitutes Pablo Hernandez and Branko Boskovic in their United debuts. While the season is pretty much over at this point, there’s hope for the future with these two signings as well as the play of young stars Andy Najar and Chris Pontius. Hernandez’s movement off the ball was impressive, consistently making the right runs to create space. He also looked good in the air, nearly scoring with a header that forced a point blank save by Kasey Keller. Boskovic is a very technically skilled player with a great first touch. Once he settles into the team, I think he’ll be very helpful in jump starting United’s woeful attack. I’m still not sure if he wouldn’t be better as a winger, but that’s another discussion.
The defense, which has been playing well lately, ended up killing the team again. A giveaway in possession by rookie Jordan Graye allowed Fredy Montero to break away. Montero’s cross found a loosely marked Roger Levesque, who finished nicely with a diving header. When you can’t score goals, there’s even more pressure on the defense. DC’s defense has been held together by duct tape and prayers this season, and it shows in the stats.
I’m hoping we’ll get a better overall performance out of the team on Sunday night as the LA Galaxy come to town. The thought of Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle running at this defense is scary though.
