Early Goal Woes Finally Down D.C. United
D.C. United’s early-match woes continued in their 2-0 home defeat against the San Jose Earthquakes. Sloppy clearances and lazy defening by the United back four allowed for an early Chris Wondolowski goal from the six yard box. The early goal continued a worrying trend for D.C. United in the back end of the season, conceding three goals in the first 30 minutes for the third time in five matches. The early goals against D.C. have common roots, mostly a failure by the defense to clear the ball or step up to attacking players.
Regardless of the defensive lineup, protecting the goal early in matches has proven problematic for United. Much of the chatter has focused on center back Steve Birnbaum, but with Birnbaum on the bench to start today’s match and Kofi Opare in his place, it is quite obvious the issues run deeper than the play of one single player. San Jose, Real Salt Lake, and Philadelphia all capitalized on an excess of space between the D.C. defense and midfield—the result of a defense that hasn’t moved away from a bunker mentality the midfield and offense have worked to shed in 2015.
D.C. United Drop 3 Points to Quakes at RFK
D.C.’s defense has seen flashes of promise throughout the season, but has not been able to absorb pressure as effectively as they did in their 2014 season. With few changes from last year’s roster, it appears that the rest of Major League Soccer has figured out a way to unlock the United defense.
Whereas in 2014 the D.C. midfield was primarily tasked with reinforcing the defense, this season’s objective is clearly to become more involved in the attack; players like Conor Doyle need to do better in this area. United look very positive in the offensive and defensive thirds, but in the true midfield they look lost. With several key players on the verge of returning from injury, this may very well change; the full strength 18 is something that has not been seen for most of this season, but the core players have been consistently impressive.
As Chris Pontius and Sean Franklin rejoin Arnaud, DeLeon, Kitchen, and Rolfe as midfield options for Coach Ben Olsen, they will need to play some of their best soccer to make a run for the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. Pontius in particular, when at his peak, can have a huge impact on the field with his size, strength, and physicality. If he is able to replicate his 2011 MLS Best XI form, D.C. United could challenge the best in MLS in the back end of the season.
After going down to San Jose 2-0 early in the second half, D.C. made some changes that improved their pay. Pontius had an important role in several dangerous chances for D.C after coming on for Doyle in the 71st minute. As he gets healthy, look for Doyle to be relegated to playing limited minutes to close out games, as well as allowing the starters rest in the 2015-16 CONCACAF Champions League group stage. There has always been talk of “the standard” in D.C. United circles, a title formerly belonging to Orlando City’s Lewis Neal; it is clear at this point that Conor Doyle is the frontrunner for the title going into next season.
