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D.C. United picks up pieces after 1-0 loss to New England
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By Kyle McCarthy
August 9, 2010
Foxborough, MA — One image in the aftermath of D.C. United's 1-0 loss at New England revealed how radically things have changed for United over the past week.
The telling picture: D.C. investor/operator Will Chang leaning against the wall just outside the United locker room and listening as new interim coach Ben Olsen addressed the media after yet another loss in this lost campaign for the league's most decorated club.
Just like every other person interested in United these days, Chang wanted to hear what Olsen had to say.
For both men, the scene constituted a scenario they probably couldn't have envisioned even a month ago. The circumstances, however, changed rapidly as United's performances and prospects declined after the World Cup break. The powers that be soon decided first-year boss Curt Onalfo needed to go and first-year assistant Olsen offered the most sensible option to shake D.C. out of its doldrums.
“For better or worse, we used this (game against New England) as a fresh start,” Olsen said as he conducted his first post-game press conference as United coach after taking over on Wednesday. “Something, I think, the guys embraced and I think you saw some good energy out there. Again, in the end, it's very, very disappointing for the staff and the players because there's nothing at the end of the day but me saying it was a good performance.”
Given the upheaval of the past week, it was by no means assured that United would present a coherent and effective display. Emotions swirl around and sweep through a squad in times like these. While those feelings often result in an earnest performance, they do not always lead to one with a unified purpose.
United defender Carey Talley admitted the events of the past week made it difficult to maintain focus on the task ahead against the streaking Revolution, but the veteran defender noted the novice coach and his revamped staff did the best they could to help the players block out the external considerations.
“I would say that this was a pretty heavy week for us,” Talley said. “I think that, if anything, it was a pretty big distraction. Ben and the rest of the coaching staff did what they could to rally the troops and say, 'O.K., here's what we're doing on Saturday night, here's how New England plays, and the next three or four days, we're solely concentrating on that.' We went in with a game plan and, for the most part, we executed. We pressed higher up the field, but it didn't go our way.”
The game plan started with United's central, unwavering belief – get forward and pose a threat to the other team – and heaped a healthy dose of application on top of it. While industry should form the foundation for each and every performance in this parity-ravaged league, it is not a quality United has displayed consistently during the campaign, according to Talley.
“That's something that hasn't been around all year,” Talley said. “I don't think there have been many games where we've gone out, especially in a losing effort, where we can say that we actually dug in for 90 minutes and worked as a team. This is probably the first loss for our team where I think we went in and fought as a team. Every guy that came in, every guy that was on the field. In the past, that hadn't been the case.”
All of the application in the world can't make up for a momentary lapse in concentration at the back and lack of quality at the sharp end. United created more than its fair share of chances from the run of play, but spurned them in a manner befitting a team rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
The poor finishing spread through the United ranks like an epidemic with most of the attacking players taking their respective turn to spurn a decent opportunity. Adam Cristman, Pablo Hernandez, Andy Najar and Chris Pontius all squandered clear chances to put United in front or restore level terms at some point during the contest.
Revolution midfielder Pat Phelan punished the visitors for their profligacy by slipping through Branko Boskovic's casual marking to head home Chris Tierney's free kick for the only goal of the match three minutes before halftime.
While the defeat did not convey what United probably deserved for its efforts on the evening, it also didn't diminish Olsen's pride in his new charges.
“They fought extremely hard. I thought, at times, we played some very good stuff,” Olsen said. “We didn't do the most important thing, and that's to score some goals. That's been a bit of a thorn all year, but my overall thoughts are that this is a good step. The way they battled, those guys are sick of losing in there. Unfortunately, they didn't get rewarded again for what I thought was a pretty good performance.”
Building on this performance and mounting a wholly improbable run toward a playoff spot will require more than just a marked improvement in direction and effort. But for a proud club mired in the middle of a stretch it can't bear to stomach any longer, the defeat may represent the first step toward the new reality it so desperately seeks.
“When things aren't going right and you're trying to make your own luck, it really takes something powerful to do it,” Talley said. “Right now, tonight, it didn't happen. But I think in terms of our effort and in terms of the coordination of our team, we looked more like a unit tonight. It's a lot easier to fight when you know the guy out there next to you is fighting too.”
• Soccer, World Cup News Archive Index
2010, 2009
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