Here is the good news for D.C. United: they aren’t the only team to be blindsided in soccer history by Didier Drogba. The Ivorian has made a career out of punishing opponents early and often. Saturday night’s 2-0 victory for the Montreal Impact over United was just another example of that.
Now here is the bad news for D.C. United: the loss was just another of their slide down the Eastern Conference standings. With their loss against the Impact United are now win-less in four of their last five matches and have won just twice on the road since April (2-3-7, 9 points).
Saturday’s loss against Drogba and the Impact was just a further reminder for United coach Ben Olsen that the stakes have changed for D.C. “We made some mistakes against a great forward, and now we’re down, 2-0, and the game plan goes out the window because we can’t do simple things that professional soccer players need to do.,” said Olsen after the match. “If you don’t do that, teams aren’t going to let you off the hook now.”
The one saving grace for D.C. i that Saturday’s match did not further hamper their playoff chances. With the New York Red Bulls (first place; 14-9-6, 48 points) and Columbus Crew SC (second place; 13-10-8, 47 points) losing to Orlando City SC and the Portland Timbers respectively and the New England Revolution (second place; 13-10-8, 47 points) drawing against the Philadelphia Union United did not lose any ground in the playoff standings.
But all of that will be a moot if the team cannot figure out how to correct this late season tailspin. “We obviously need to continue to do some soul searching and find a way out. But we’ve got to clean up the wounds that we’re making ourselves. If we don’t do that, we’ll continue to take losses.,” said Olsen. “It’s not cutting it right now.”
D.C. United midfielder Chris Rolfe and Columbus Crew SC defender Emmanuel Pogadetz (photo credit Jennifer Jordan-Harrell)
Chris Rolfe signs extension with club
On Thursday the D.C. United announced that it had come to an agreement with midfielder-forward Chris Rolfe on a contract extension. As per league policy, exact terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
Rolfe,32, came to United last year in a trade with the Chicago Fire. After a difficult 2013 campaign with the Fire which saw him score a career-low 4 goals, Rolfe became an immediate impact player with D.C. He currently leads the team in goals with ten and has provided a steadying force for a an attack that has battled through injuries and suspensions.
What will be interesting to see is what moves the club makes in the off-season now with Rolfe secured for the long-term. On Saturday, Olsen used midfielder Chris Pontius on the right and moved the club’s usual right-midfielder, Nick De Leon, to center mid. Noticeably absent was incumbent center-midfielder Perry Kitchen, who was serving a yellow card suspension. Although the match itself did not produce the desired result, De Leon pulled in a serviceable effort against a very difficult Impact midfield. Furthermore, it showed that Pontius may perhaps be more useful as a right midfielder in the future.
The other interesting point about Rolfe is that he can also play forward as well and has times gotten the best out of forward Fabian Espindola. Given that flexibility he seems like a natural fit for the club in the long-term. The question entering into the off-season will be how everyone else fits around him.
Richmond Kickers bounced out of the USL Playoffs.
On Sunday D.C. United’s affiliate club in USL, the Richmond Kickers, were eliminated from the playoffs due to a 2-1 loss in overtime at the hands of the Charleston Battery. The Kickers gained the lead early in extra-time thanks to an own goal by Battery defender Taylor Mueller. But the Battery would make up for that error with two decisive headers off of corner kicks. Battery midfielder Dane Kelly would provide the equalizer in the 110th minute while rookie midfielder Forrest Lasso would notch the game-winner.
D.C. United midfielder Collin Martin played 76 minutes for the Kickers on Saturday night and was integral to the club’s defensive success in limiting the Battery early on.
With the victory, the Battery move on to face Louisville F.C. on Saturday October the 3rd. However Saturday’s loss marks the end of the Kickers season. The team finished with a 10-7-11 record and made the playoffs for the twelfth consecutive season.
