The stakes are high for D.C. United as they travel to the Meadowlands this weekend for a match that will go a long way in determining the look of the 2005 Eastern Conference playoff table.
The Black-and-Red finish their season series with traditional rival MetroStars over the next two weekends, with the Gotham side needing maximum points to give themselves a fighting chance for the East's last postseason spot and United determined to gain ground on the conference-leading Revolution -- even as Chicago lurks just two points behind them.
"It seems like it's like this every year, about this time," said veteran midfielder Ben Olsen. "Going in there, it's always crucial points down the stretch, and the MetroStars are going to be fighting for their lives, and we're going to try and catch the No. 1 spot."
United has yet to officially qualify for the postseason, and the value of grabbing home-field advantage is obvious for a side that directly benefited from it during last year's MLS Cup run.
"We want to get in this next game," said striker Jamil Walker. "We want to do it as fast as we can. We don't want to wait. It's still possible to get first place and get home-field advantage. I think that's what our goal is now, because you never know what's going to happen between the one and four, two and three (playoff spots)."
Despite the ravages of a long, grinding season, United are approaching the postseason with a quiet determination that points to their championship experience and belies the squad's overall youth.
"You can tell the focus has been a little bit more fine-tuned," said Olsen. "The playoffs are around the corner. You kind of sense that when the weather starts changing, your mentality changes at the end of the season. It gets a little cooler, and it's a sign to get ready for playoffs. It's been good."
The team has tried to shake off last week's devastating Copa Sudamericana loss to Universidad Catolica in Chile, when a 2-0 lead evaporated into a 3-2 loss in the final minutes, sending the MLS side home empty-handed.
"We're disappointed, definitely, that we lost the game," said winger Josh Gros. "We know it's important for us to be able to play in tournaments like that, and the only way to do that is to win the championship again. So we're right on that road. We've got to get points and secure either second place or first place."
Though it must have been painful, the team watched the tape of the Catolica match, and Walker believes some important lessons were learned.
"It's in the past now, so we don't want to harp on it, because we have a big game coming up," said the third-year striker. "But we know defensively and offensively what we could've done better throughout that game. We can use that as an indication of how we're going to do on a playoff run, because that's a playoff-caliber game, a lot of high intensity and a lot of goals."
The setback in Santiago, Chile, was the third in a series of heartbreaking tournament losses for United this year, having already been knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup and the U.S. Open Cup under difficult circumstances.
"It's been a real rollercoaster of a season," says Olsen. "The disappointments have been plenty. We've lost some big games in tournament play, and that's been tough. But saying that, we've got one left, we've got one thing to fight for now. Maybe it'll help us to focus on one thing and one goal, and down the stretch of the playoffs, really be solid and try to take something out of this season."
D.C.'s inspiration in Chile came from in-form attacking midfielder Christian Gomez, and his suspension due to caution points makes Saturday's task that much more difficult. Coach Peter Nowak must decide whether to bring Freddy Adu off the bench to replace the Argentinean, or drop Jaime Moreno or Santino Quaranta into the playmaking slot.
"Everyone's going to have an extra responsibility, because he brings a lot to the field," said Walker of Gomez. "So everyone's got to be that much more creative in their attack and see some of the things that he sees when we're playing. Hopefully one of us in the midfield steps up, and the forwards and wings get more crosses in maybe - just some different angles."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
