Wednesday's clash with Toronto FC at BMO Field has D.C. United bracing for a bruising night at one of the most imposing venues in Major League Soccer, but the Eastern Conference's cellar dwellers are eager to dispense with excuse-making and earn a desperately-needed result.
The late collapse in Saturday night's 3-1 loss to Chivas USA undid more than an hour of hard work and exposed United's psychological fragility as the Black-and-Red found themselves unable to manage the game to a calm conclusion.
"The performance was good for about 65 minutes, and we were, for the most part, in control of that game," said midfielder Clyde Simms. "Once they got the [first] goal, we needed to change our mentality. We felt like we had to win the game, like we were in a do-or-die situation. But even a tie on the road is good, especially at Home Depot. With the goal, we had to just keep playing our game and I felt like we took too many chances going forward. ... I think some of that may come from our record so far. Once we get back used to winning, it becomes more of a habit and easier to do."
The Red-and-White grabbed their first-ever victory against D.C. as a result, and a resurgent TFC will be confident of making similar history of their own in the colorful confines of BMO Field on Wednesday.
"I don't want to say we don't know how to win, but when you're not in that situation very often, like we were in the second half, I think it's natural to just sit in and let a team come at you when you need to get three points so bad," said winger Santino Quaranta of the Chivas match. "We wanted to win the game and we were taking way too many chances. It's still early on, and a point is not bad right now, where we are."
The trip to Canada, the first half of an unusual home-and-home matchup between the two sides this week with TFC visiting RFK Stadium on Saturday, presents several challenges. BMO Field has become famous for its frenzied, in-your-face atmosphere and its artificial surface has few admirers among visiting teams -- and with several new foreign signings, the in-form Reds present an altogether different proposition from the side that capitulated in a 4-1 D.C. win in early April.
"It's almost like a playoff series," said United coach Tom Soehn of the scheduling quirk. "We've been in that environment, it's a tough place to play. They're pretty organized. They have a core of guys who sit back and wait for counterattacks."
French international Laurent Robert made his first MLS appearance against United last month, and he's since settled in well, transforming the TFC midfield alongside Rohan Ricketts and Amado Guevara. The hulking presence of target man Danny Dichio adds further difficulty to United's task.
"Toronto is a tough place to play, on that turf and with their fans. And so every time we go there, it's hard to really play soccer on that field so we know it's going to be a battle going in, physically," said Simms. "They play with five midfielders so it's going to be crowded in there, but we just have to be prepared physically and be ready to battle. We have to match their intensity and pass it."
But the passion and noise of the Reds fans might actually help D.C. raise their game, just as they've seen visiting teams rise to the occasion amidst RFK's lively atmosphere over the years.
"I'm excited to play there. I don't think it's a disadvantage, I don't," said Quaranta. "Because once you step on the field, it's just 11 on 11. The fans, they can scream all they want but they're not scoring goals, they're not doing anything to hurt you. It's an atmosphere where it helps the home team -- of course it does. So does RFK, it helps us, but we've lost here this year as well."
The weight of losing has clearly grown worn on the Baltimore native and he called on his teammates to step up and make United's crowded schedule -- the club has three matches in the next seven days -- a momentum changer rather than a burden.
"I told the guys, it's changing our whole season in one week: you can come out with nine points, beating two good teams, essentially, in three games," said Quaranta. "Then everybody starts to understand how to win again and the team gets a change. I've been around this before where that happens -- and then again if it doesn't happen, it goes the other way. We just want to play hard -- win or lose, if everybody puts the effort out, and can walk off the field and look at themselves in the mirror and say 'I've done my best for my teammate next to me,' I'm fine with that, winning or losing."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
