something that is becoming an annual thing -- limped into the playoffs and exited in the first round for the third consecutive season.
"I think we started well and the first half of the season was positive because we were on a good run," FCD head coach Steve Morrow said. "We had a little inconsistency toward the end of the second half and that showed in the results we had toward the end.
"I reminded the players all along that it was all about having the right mentality for the playoffs and we certainly had that going into the playoffs. Our mentality as a team was better but we need to find ways to prevent the slip we had in September. Given a little luck and different circumstances, we would have advanced in Houston."
The high points were a 2-1 win on April 12 against the LA Galaxy, the Hoops' first-ever win against the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center. Also making the list was a 2-1 win at Kansas City on May 12, the Hoops' first win at Arrowhead Stadium since 1999, and a similar scoreline at Chicago just five days later.
On October 6, the Hoops clinched their third consecutive playoff spot in grand fashion. They went into Crew Stadium, where they had never won as a club, and came away with a 3-1 win.
FCD also played well in their first two SuperLiga matches but had two 1-1 draws to show for it. They still had a chance to advance, but fell to the Galaxy 6-5 in their last match of the group stage and instead saw their West rivals advance.
Another big positive was the Hoops' run to the U.S. Open Cup final, an event FCD won back in 1997. FCD fought hard in the final against New England but the Revs were too much in a 3-2 win that allowed the visitors to claim the Dewar Trophy.
There were also plenty of low spots. FCD failed to score in a club-worst 11 matches and surrendered 44 goals, tying them for seventh-most in MLS. A 3-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls in April at Giants Stadium, a 4-0 defeat at Toronto FC in June and a 4-0 blanking at the hands of D.C. United in September were definite low points.
And the Hoops' futility against their in-state rival Houston continued. They dropped both regular season matches in the Bayou City, making them 0-4-0 at Robertson Stadium. The only positive result was a scoreless draw on June 30 at Pizza Hut Park. FCD's struggles against the Orange continued in the playoffs.
After building a one-goal lead in aggregate heading into the second leg in Houston, FCD added a second goal but then fell apart, watching Dynamo prevail 4-2 and advance to the Western Conference Final. An Arturo Alvarez red card in the 47th minute put the Hoops behind the 8-ball in the second half and it proved to be too much for them to overcome.
"In the first part and the middle, the team played well and won a lot of games," said midfielder Juan Toja. "In the end of the regular season, we had problems when we didn't win and lost a lot of games. Then, when we got in the playoffs, our mindset changed. We wanted to win and to become champions. That was our goal. We tried to do that but didn't and that's soccer. For us, the season is over."
Fellow midfielder Dax McCarty agreed.
"I think if you look back on the year, we had a lot of ups and downs as a team," he said. "We started off really strongly, were in first place for a little bit and had a good run going in the SuperLiga and Open Cup. Making the Open Cup final was a tremendous achievement but you want to get stronger as the year goes on.
"But unfortunately, for some reason, I think we ran out of gas in the end," he continued. "You can see that we gave all our heart in the playoffs but unfortunately, it wasn't enough and some mistakes here and there probably cost us. Those are things that you need to learn from, get better from and move on from. Next year, we will try to right those and get better."
A number of players emerged for FCD in 2007. None was bigger than Colombian midfielder Toja, who was named the team's MVP after scoring six goals and was the Hoops' lone representative at the MLS All-Star Game.
Fellow midfielder and newcomer Pablo Ricchetti was a stabilizing force in the middle of the park and Arturo Alvarez made a strong push for a new contract as the 22-year-old midfielder netted eight goals in all competitions. McCarty led the team with seven assists in 25 matches.
In the back, Clarence Goodson rebounded from a tough 2006 and was FCD's defender of the year, then was left unprotected in the MLS Expansion Draft and chosen by the San Jose Earthquakes. Just behind him, second-year 'keeper Ray Burse emerged to give the Hoops a more athletic option than incumbent Dario Sala. Burse was solid in one SuperLiga match and again in his six regular season appearances. He could be the No. 1 'keeper as soon as 2008.
"That's been one of the positives for me this year," Morrow said. "There were certain things that I found in certain players. We have a great future here and all those questions have been answered. I think we have a core group of young players who have a very good future for this team.
"We have had a lot of young players step in and play well this year," he said. "We also had some fringe players step in and play well. There are definitely a lot of positives. With one or two players, there was a loss of form that I didn't expect at the start of the season."
One thing is for sure, FCD will not have to change coaches this offseason like they did a year ago, and the player turnover could be a bit lower than it has been in past years. Morrow has put together a group heavy on young players with solid veterans sprinkled in.
"We have a good mix of young guys and veterans and that makes for a great mix in the locker room," Burse said. "We have great camaraderie among the guys. We had an awesome group and hopefully we can keep most of that going into next year."
Defender Drew Moor agreed. "Steve (Morrow) has done a great job of doing that (building a team for the future)," he said. "They're all great guys and great soccer players. This year was a big test for Steve and I think both he and this team both passed it.
"The end result wasn't what we wanted but it's a sign that if we're together for the next few years that special things could happen here. I'm expecting those things to happen and that gets me excited looking down the road."
In the wake of their latest opening-round departure from the playoffs and considering that FCD last won a playoff series in 1999, Morrow clearly has a number of things to address in the offseason.
"I think I know where this team needs to improve," he said. "Our goals against record is certainly something that bothers me. We need to improve defensively and that's as a whole team. I will focus on making us better defensively in the offseason."
Steve Hunt is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
