WASHINGTON --
Relieved to be home and eager to debut on their home turf, D.C. United are confident of grabbing the victory they need in Tuesday's second-leg CONCACAF Champions' Cup quarterfinal match against Harbour View FC at RFK Stadium.
An uneven performance in their 1-1 tournament opener in Kingston, Jamaica last Wednesday has left the Black-and-Red lacking the sort of second-leg comfort zone they enjoyed following road wins in their two previous Champions' Cup quarterfinal outings in 2005 and 2007. But the defending Supporters' Shield holders undoubtedly maintain the upper hand as they prepare to host their Caribbean adversaries.
"Obviously there's disappointment in the way we played on Wednesday, but there's a lot of circumstances leading up to that," said head coach Tom Soehn. "I think everybody's excited to be home. We've seen better stretches while we've been on the road through preseason, so why I don't think we had a great day, I haven't really pinpointed it. But ... if we can't take care of business at home, then we don't deserve to be there."
Soehn's rejiggered squad remains a work in progress. But coach and players alike believe that Tuesday should offer a dramatic improvement, especially on a lush RFK playing surface that should be far more conducive to D.C.'s possession-oriented style than Harbour View's rough home pitch.
"It poured the night before, and then it was hot that day and dried up, so it was kind of like grass over concrete," said goalkeeper Zach Wells of the first-leg conditions. "We weren't necessarily accustomed to it, but we can't really make excuses. We've still got to be better on the ball and I've got to be better communicating and organizing the defense on set pieces. It's just, everyone has to do their role a little bit better and I think with all the new players, it's going to take a little bit of time."
Wells and his back line looked comfortable through most of the first leg, only to be undone by poor marking on a corner kick as Lovel Palmer notched the tying goal just five minutes from full time. United have been undone by similar such lapses at crucial moments in recent years and the topic has undoubtedly been broached over the past three days of training at the RFK auxiliary fields.
"It's some of the basic things of goalkeeping," said Wells. "Trying to get stuff organized on set pieces, on corner kicks, as soon as possible and just maintaining that concentration level throughout, and trying to make it easier on the team in front of you."
The team also expects to get a boost merely by settling into their regular weekly routine, as Thursday's flight back from Jamaica finally brought down the curtain on six weeks of far-ranging preseason travel. Many of the club's new signings have thus far spent little to no time in their new home town and can now unpack and explore, while veterans are gratified to return to the simple comforts of home.
"We had two-a-days and the team understands that's just the way we work," said midfielder Santino Quaranta. "But now gearing up for games, gearing up for [MLS First Kick opponent] Kansas City and especially this Tuesday, it's just nice, because it's like it's in sight now, you know? The weeks are more structured and it's really good."
Last week's hamstring injury has sidelined United captain Jaime Moreno for the next 2-4 weeks and while his guile and leadership cannot be readily replaced, his replacement, Argentinean striker Franco Niell, produced a lively performance against Harbour View that will likely earn him a starting role on Tuesday.
"Well, we went out and made sure we had three forwards this year, for the exact situation that just occurred," said Soehn. "Any time Jaime is off the field, obviously it's a loss to us. He's our captain and you always miss someone like that, because he's got the ability to hold the ball and do things that a lot of guys can't. But again, we don't dwell on that, we move forward and we've built a deep team for situations just like now."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
