Coming off a perfect 5-0 August in league play, D.C. United might be the hottest squad in Major League Soccer. But the Black-and-Red are knuckling down even further as they prepare for a crucial stretch featuring showdowns with FC Dallas, Chivas USA and the New England Revolution, three fellow contenders for the MLS Supporters' Shield, awarded to the league's top regular-season performer.
"These next three games are six-point games, each," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins, named on Friday the league's player of the month for August. "We've really got to prove ourselves now. Two big games away and then one big match at home here, and this is a good point for us to really prove what we're worth, I think, at this stretch in the season."
Perkins was the star of the show again in Toronto last Saturday, making four saves and patrolling his penalty area with the necessary authority to snuff out TFC's crosses and free kick deliveries in a workmanlike 1-0 win. It's the type of result D.C. will need to repeat as they look to challenge for the Supporters' Shield while continuing to build towards the postseason.
Already deprived of league leading scorer Luciano Emilio, head coach Tom Soehn elected to rest Ben Olsen's sore ankle and sit captain Jaime Moreno for the first half, and the gambit paid off as his makeshift lineup scrapped out the victory.
"There's times where, as a coach, you take a chance and you rest guys when you feel like you can afford the risk," said Soehn this week. "And through the course of the year we've got so many games, that was a situation where we chose to do that. And we knew it wasn't going to be the prettiest -- taking guys out who are the pretty part of our game, we knew that.
"So you know it's going to be a game where you've got to roll up your sleeves and work, and I credit the guys that we put in, they did that. ... So we knew it was going to be like that and it was not a gamble -- it was an educated risk and we got some rest to guys who needed it."
Noting that last year's squad dominated for most of the regular season, only to fall short at the finish, holding midfielder Clyde Simms believes Soehn has found the right balance to ensure that United is playing their best soccer when it counts most. Simms pointed to a more astute tactical outlook that has helped his team understand what is necessary to close out matches.
"Like the game in Toronto, we knew it wasn't going to be pretty, and we knew they were going to battle," said Simms. "I think in the past, we'd lose those games, or have a tougher time with those games. As a team, we're starting to realize the situations a little better and that will definitely help us in the playoffs."
Backstopped by Perkins' strong play, United have surrendered just one goal during their torrid month-long run, helping the club move into close proximity with the Eastern Conference-leading Revolution, who, with 42 points, also top the Supporters' Shield race.
At present just three points separate the two sides and with two games in hand on both the Revs and Western Conference leaders Houston -- not to mention three of their final four matches at home -- United are well-positioned to grab the honor for a second consecutive year. But those hopes hinge on the more immediate results of the next 10 days.
"This is an important stretch for us," said Soehn. "We've got four games coming up, three of which are on the road, and it's vitally important to come out of that stretch doing what we need to do. Finishing off the season at home makes it probably a little bit easier to play with your lineup at that point."
The task begins at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday night against a dangerous FC Dallas side which is one of only two teams to have scored more than two goals against D.C. this season. United certainly remembers their first meeting, a July 14 barnburner where the Hoops nabbed a 3-3 draw at RFK Stadium by scoring three second-half goals after United had raced out to a 3-0 lead.
"I think we're starting to get a little better feeling about ourselves," said Perkins, quickly adding, "Obviously we don't want to get too ahead of ourselves, because these are three big matches, especially this first one. It is a big one -- they obviously stole two points from us here and we need to get those back at their place. That's all we're worried about."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
