The D.C. United home opener saw the lowly Colorado Rapids come to the nation’s capital for a battle that many deemed a terrible candidate for a nationally televised Major League Soccer match. Before the match news broke that U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Tim Howard would be joining the Rapids later this year, ending the 37 year-old Howard’s career in the highest levels of world soccer; he is believed to have signed a 5-year contract with the rapids making anywhere between $2.3 and $2.8 million annually.
In a rather uneventful first half, D.C. United looked on several occasions like a threatening attacking presence, with Luciano Acosta, Chris Rolfe, and Patrick Nyarko threatening the Rapids and using speed to exploit Colorado’s center back pairing. Toward the end of the half, Neagle seemed less isolated and connected with Rolfe well for an opportunity in the 40th minute that nearly resulted in a United goal. Still, despite several corner kicks and multiple free kicks in dangerous spots, the teams entered halftime 0-0.
The second half continued much as the first, with D.C. creating more chances, but failing to convert. Colorado capitalized on the last of finishing and went ahead 0-1 off a header on a corner kick in the 69th minute. The following ten minutes were an uneasy spell of possession, with D.C. United looking hard for an equalizer. It came in the form of a Fabian Espindola effort from six yards out in the 79th minute. The score held and D.C. United finished their third match in a 1-1 draw.
“I thought we had a lot of great performances,” Head Coach Ben Olsen told the press after the match, “but disappointed we didn’t get three points out of it.”
After a second-consecutive loss to the New York Red Bulls in the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals, Olsen acknowledged that his team may have hit a ceiling with the bunkering “Benny Ball” style that had become a hallmark of his more successful past couple seasons. He promised changes in the offseason and, despite an obvious effort, it may be just a little while longer before the almost entirely new midfield figures itself out and the creative presence of Argentine Luciano Acosta has asserted itself.
“I think we can get fitter as a group, as a whole. I still think we’ve a few guys who arent there yet,” Olsen commented after the match.
Playing a higher press requires players who have match fitness and can keep moving for 90 minutes. The second half of matches has not been kind for D.C. United to start the 2016 season, stretching back to the CONCACAF Champion’s League Quarterfinal series against Queretaro. The new system will not be fully online unless the players are able to manage it athletically.
Chris Rolfe agreed with Olsen’s comments, “It’s still early in the season and it’s weird because we had the abbreviated preseason…you don’t really have a lot of time for the starters to put a lot of effort into training to try and get fit, try and do extra runs and stuff….but it’s three games in.”
“We’re not built like we were the last two years…we know that,” Olsen continued, referencing D.C. giving up a third set piece goal in three matches, “Now it’s just a matter of guys who have to do maybe a little bit more–be a little bit more responsive.”
Olsen made the interesting decision to leave both Miguel Aguilar and Julian Büscher off of the match day 18 for D.C. United, opting instead for Jared Jeffry and Luke Mishu. Aguilar was an attacking bright spot for the Black-and-Red after Acosta was subbed off against the New England Revolution, while Büscher has proven to be a versatile asset on the D.C. United bench.
D.C. United will face a formidable F.C. Dallas in their second home match of the season on Saturday at 5:30pm EST. Starting center back Steve Birnbaum will miss the match to join the U.S. Men’s National Team for a 2018 World Cup Qualifier against Guatemala on Friday and will miss Saturday’s match, setting up an opportunity for Kofi Opare to earn the start.
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