D.C. United had hoped that participation in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup would speed the squad's progress towards midseason form once the MLS regular season kicked off. But D.C.'s 0-2-0 start suggested that those early-spring exertions brought on more fatigue - mental and physical - than sharpness, with most everyone in the locker room eager to enjoy the recent bye weekend.
Except Tom Soehn, that is.
"The plusses? I think the guys needed a break. We had a season within a preseason, and we weren't able to sit and work on individuals and structural stuff like we wanted to," said the first-year head coach this week. "The minuses? I had to sit and stew all weekend. I wanted to play more than anybody."
The grim memory of their losses to Colorado and Kansas City won't be eased until the Black-and-Red earn their first points of the season. But two weeks of lively training, split by a rare weekend off, has helped Soehn and his coaching staff improve their players' tactical understanding and remind them of their duties within the D.C. system.
"From an outside perspective, nothing really structurally has been changed, as far as formation is concerned," said defender Bryan Namoff. "We've just taken a closer look at, from an individualistic standpoint, what we need to do, what our roles are as individuals, and collectively what the team needs to do to get an outcome."
United's early struggles have heightened the importance of a positive result against the Crew - not just to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference, but as a psychological boost to a side anxious to regain a winning mentality.
"More on the side of confidence for us, to get back to what we know we can do," said Soehn, who will be closely watching his team's defending in Columbus. "Keep teams from scoring on us first: That's priority one for me. When you do that, the rest starts coming."
Namoff and the rest of the back line will be under the closest scrutiny, especially with Devon McTavish expected to take over Facundo Erpen's starting spot for the first time, but "team defending" has become a mantra for the entire group.
"Defensive problems come as a team," said Soehn. "We always say this. It starts from the front, to the mids, to the back. If we're sending too many guys forward, we're going to set ourselves up for the counter, and that's what we've done. So we're going to get back to defending as a team, making it predictable, killing the channels, and doing that, you're going to get more opportunities going forward, because you're going to win balls in higher spots."
Even United's strongest performances this year, like the comfortable Champions' Cup dispatching of CD Olimpia, have been blemished by the occasional defensive slip or mental error. Coaches and players alike know it's a habit that must be stopped.
"Little mistakes early on in a game can cause us to sit back - times where we just kind of shut off for a little bit," said Namoff. "Bad passes or letting guys get in behind us defensively, or not pressuring someone who needs to be pressured. Those are just the little things that, when we do them correctly, we're very good."
The present focus on defensive improvement also portends a more judicious approach to getting forward. Soehn is quite comfortable placing his trust in Luciano Emilio and the rest of United's skilled Latin American attack.
"I think it's been a general pattern where we're attacking with too many guys," he said. "We have enough weapons up top - we don't need to attack with five and six guys. In the end, we're getting in each others' way. So if we keep our shape a little bit better and rely on the guys who can finish to finish, then we'll be fine."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
