D.C. United's CONCACAF Champions Cup adventure compelled the Black-and-Red to play five matches in fifteen days at the beginning of this month, and last week's heavy loss at Real Salt Lake revealed the consequences of that congested schedule.
But everything was supposed to be different back in Washington when the Columbus Crew hit town on Thursday night. Buoyed by their loyal home fans and better able to weave their attacking magic on RFK Stadium's pristine turf, United was confident in producing a much-improved performance.
All that had evaporated by the closing stages of the first half, however, as the home side fluffed a string of scoring chances before Alejandro Moreno's grit and graft produced two goals that put United behind the 8-ball. Neither was pretty - the first, an awkward close-range finish to a fluid passing move and the second an own goal off Gonzalo Peralta just seconds after Bryan Namoff's equalizer - but both were just rewards for the Crew. The combined effect was devastating to D.C.'s fragile mindset.
"The second goal that Columbus scored was obviously an emotional hit for us, going into the locker room," said United playmaker Marcelo Gallardo. "In the second half they were able to play well defensively and we weren't able to penetrate. I thought we played much better in the first half, but that second goal gave them a big mental advantage."
That ineffectual second-half display compounded the damage and doomed the home side to their third league loss of the season, continuing the tradition of the "CONCACAF hangover" that seems to afflict participating MLS clubs.
"We found openings, we just didn't finish our chances, and that seems to be the saga the last few games," said a subdued Tom Soehn after the game. "So I don't want to keep going back to tired legs, because it's getting old for me. But we need to rest, and then this week we're going to work really hard to make sure we're clinical in the areas we need to be clinical in."
Soehn also expressed frustration with his defenders' mental lapses. As expected, Argentinean legend Guillermo Barros Schelotto was pulling the strings for the Crew but United had no answer for his passing and movement.
"We talked all week about breaking them down and making sure that Schelotto and Moreno on the counterattacks didn't hurt us, that we'd be tight," he said, "and we weren't. We gave them way too much space, and they punished us for it."
Visiting teams who bunker at raucous RFK are usually tempting fate, but on this night the defensive-minded Crew kept their shape in the back and by the end of the match, United had clearly run out of ideas.
"The whole second half, Columbus was just packed in the back," said D.C. striker Franco Niell, who came on for Marc Burch in the 57th minute. "We kept attacking and attacking, but they just put a lot of men back there. Obviously when you do that it's hard to break the barrier."
The Black-and-Red now hope to make the most of a nine-day respite before their next match, a home date with Real Salt Lake. While it might seem like a prime opportunity for revenge after last week's 4-0 defeat in Utah, at this point United will have to tend to their own affairs before turning their focus outward.
"We've been through a tough stretch. I feel this is déjà vu from last year," said Soehn, referring to his team's 0-3-1 start to 2007. "We've got a long week coming up and we're going to work hard to make sure we are where we need to be, because we're not there yet."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
