D.C. United hosted Sporting Kansas City at RFK Stadium in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. The visitors were content to sit back and absorb pressure, testing D.C. United’s patience and ability to build an attack from the defense against conference-switching Sporting Kansas City. Without an injured Fabian Espindola, the burden fell mostly on Chris Pontius to try and replicate the role of United’s valued designated player. Head Coach Ben Olsen reflected after the match:
“In the first half they looked very hungry. They surprised us a little bit with their tactics; we prepared for them to be much more aggressive…in their usual manner.”
In trying to probe the Kansas City defense, United showed flashes of their best build-up play, only to waste opportunities on the last pass or shot. D.C. looked dangerous for the majority of the night, but left themselves exposed on a couple opportunities at the back by the trio of Dom Dwyer, Benny Feilhaber, and Graham Zusi. United’s defense, for the most part, has picked up near where they left off at the end of the 2014 season: stingily keeping the ball from their net. The offense, however, has become quite adept at both counter attacking and set piece goals and looks to be much more dynamic than in years past.
Pontius in particular has begun to show flashes of peak form since returning from a season-ending injury in D.C. United’s disastrous 2013 campaign at the tail end of last MLS season. He is a player who is both an aerial threat and extremely strong on the ball. In the absence of Espindola and Luis Silva, Pontius needs to be a threatening presence on the field to ensure United have ample scoring opportunities. If he is consistently able to play to the level that earned him an MLS All-Star Team spot and MLS Best XI award in 2012, United will continue to sit atop Major League Soccer. Coach Olsen discussed the value of Chris Pontius, especially in his better matches in post-game:
“He was very dangerous when we put his up top and his ability to run the channels has helped us out, and it’s something we wanted to exploit in the second half. He does a good job of that. And he looks like he’s getting his speed back, which is nice.”
On the night, he was very involved in almost every United attack, causing trouble for the Sporting back line. On several occasions, he was able to use his strength to hold off the center backs and play the ball to a surging midfielder, usually either Chris Rolfe or Nick DeLeon, who had ample opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net.
Nick DeLeon is another player for United who will show flashes of promise, only to fail in the final execution of both shots and and runs in the final third; he is making all the right decisions, but needs to get hot for United to endure the grueling schedule ahead of them in MLS and CONCACAF Champions League play. If both he and Diego Farfan continue to develop positively, United appear to have the depth in midfield to simultaneously close out the 2015 MLS season and embark on their 2015-16 CCL journey.
This week’s main take-aways:
- Chris Pontius is returning to his best form in at least two years, contributing meaningfully to the D.C. United attack over a stretch of several matches dating back to the 2-2 home draw against the New York Red Bulls in April. If his trajectory continues, Pontius could be on his way back to the form that earned him end-of-season honors in 2012. If he succeeds in returning to that level of play, United will have gained another powerful offensive weapon to operate along side Espindola, Silva, and Rolfe.
- While usually defensively-sound, United have a habit of letting in goals when they’re ahead. This is a trend that cannot be allowed to continue into mid-season, as other clubs ramp up their production and start playing at their best. It is a certainty that United will get scored on, but minimizing the point impact of those goals–not giving up leads and scoring multiple goals themselves–will ensure winnable games don’t continue to result in draws.
- Nick DeLeon and Michael Farfan are two very similar players both positionally and in skill-set; if one of them is able to take it to the next level in technique and execution, they could be another major component of the D.C. United counter. DeLeon showed flashes, but lacked the composure to finish key passes and shots in the final third; Farfan showed technical skill and excellent dribbling, but has little to show for it either.
- Perry Kitchen continues to do impressive work in a defensive midfield role. As his development and role in the club continue to progress and grow, will he be able to work his way up the USMNT depth chart? If he continues playing like he has recently, that’s a distinct possibility with the Gold Cup squad in the works.
- Offensively, this is not the D.C. United club that fans have watched for nearly the past decade–this team can produce dangerous chances a variety of ways, and the rest of Major League Soccer is dealing with the possibility that United might actually be good at more than just defense.
