D.C. United's three-game winning streak has pushed the team out of the Eastern Conference basement and helped diminish the frustration of their early-season struggles. But the crisp, flowing style that made the Black-and-Red such a fearsome force over the past two seasons has only emerged in patches, as the side has often relied on a more workmanlike approach to garner 10 points in their last four matches.
For three weeks in a row, United have scraped past the opposition in tight 2-1 results featuring frenetic late rallies that have forced D.C. to sweat until the final whistle. Last Saturday it was Houston's turn to be frustrated by this pattern, as Dynamo fell behind 2-0 in the first half before grabbing the upper hand in the late going, only to leave RFK empty-handed as United successfully clung to their lead.
"At our best? No, I think we've got a long way to go to get to our best," acknowledged D.C. defender Bobby Boswell afterwards. "This is another step in the right direction and we're just going to keep doing that. The more games we get, the more consistent we'll get and the truer form will show. I think the true form is good soccer - that we're a good team."
Houston, like Toronto and Chivas USA before them, outshot the Black-and-Red and drew several stellar saves from goalkeeper Troy Perkins, including a penalty kick denial of Dwayne De Rosario. But United's four-man back line seems to be growing more and more comfortable with each passing game, and having been bailed out of trouble by their teammates' attacking prowess in years past, the defense seems content to stick to the basics as creative influences like Fred, Jaime Moreno and Christian Gomez work their way into form.
"We have moments where we can play the pretty soccer that everybody's looking for," said Josh Gros. "But for right now, I think we're just grinding out wins until we get our confidence to where we're controlling the whole game - which we haven't done yet, which is why we haven't gotten any shutouts. But once we start controlling games like we used to, no matter what formation, you'll see the old flair with Christian and Jaime and them."
Though Brazilian midfielder Fred might be able to bear some of the load once he has fully adapted to MLS, reigning league MVP Gomez remains the linchpin of United's attack. As his countryman Facundo Erpen noted, "we have to find Christian early, because he has, like, four eyes to see everything," and his strong showing against Dynamo offered promising signs of a resurgence after being harassed by tight marking earlier in the season.
"Yeah, we found him the ball and he was busy and motivated," said Ben Olsen, whose gamewinner was set up by a refined through ball from the Argentinean. "It was nice to see, because it's no secret that we need him."
For his part, head coach Tom Soehn remains focused first and foremost on maintaining his squad's intensity and organization.
"You have to get the first part right to get to the second part," he said after Tuesday's training session. "And as we now work harder and create more chances because we're winning balls higher, it brings out the creative side. You start seeing Christian more involved. So it's a combination of things. ... We're still creating a lot more chances. Obviously we're not scoring on them all, but we're creating chances."
Having repeatedly remarked that he doesn't expect to see his team running on all cylinders so early in what will be a marathon season, Soehn is far more concerned with addressing his defense's inability to garner a clean sheet in 2007.
"I was a defender - you pride yourself on not letting teams score," he said. "Had we kept Houston out, it wouldn't have gotten hairy at the end."
With conference rivals New York and New England off to blazing starts this season, United recognize the need to roll up points by whatever means necessary. A tired Boswell spoke for many of his teammates when he extolled the virtues of winning ugly on Saturday.
"It's not the prettiest way to end the game," he said, "but like I always say, at the end of the year a 'W' is what's worth three points, no matter how you get it done."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
