WASHINGTON — D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen made clear how important defeating the Colorado Rapids would be for his side on Saturday night at Audi Field (8 pm ET | TV & streaming info) after Wednesday’s disappointing home defeat.
Following that 1-0 loss to the New York Red Bulls, in just the second game at D.C.’s new home, the Black-and-Red finish the first half of their season on 14 points, still 14 beneath the playoff line. And they’ve earned only three points in three matches since opening their new ground, a landmark that was supposed to spark a second-half surge.
That said, Olsen clearly doesn’t think all is lost, considering the caliber of D.C.’s last two opponents, the top two clubs in the Supporters’ Shield standings.
“We’ve played [the Red Bulls] and Atlanta in the last two games,” Olsen said afterward. “Two pretty good teams. There’s some urgency here. But also sometimes you also have to tip your hat a little bit to the other team.”
Colorado certainly aren’t in that class, having earned only fractionally more points per game than D.C. despite playing 11 of 20 matches so far at home. And despite Colorado being idle over midweek (although they did play a friendly against Argentine side Boca Juniors on Tuesday), D.C. aren’t quite facing the numbers crunch that some teams might be.
Wayne Rooney played 33 minutes as a second-half sub — following his first start in Atlanta last Saturday — as he continues to work toward 90-minute fitness following his June arrival.
“We have to go again and try to win,” Rooney said of the Rapids game. “There were some positives tonight, but we have to rest and be ready for Saturday’s match.”
Also, midfielders Russell Canouse and Ulises Segura — both projected starters or major contributors before the season began — were productive subs during a much-improved second 45 minutes as they continue working back from injuries. For Segura (right knee), it was the Costa Rican international’s first action since May 12.
And D.C. are already forced to rest midfielder Paul Arriola after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season vs. New York and a card-accumulation suspension for Saturday.
“Certainly there will be some fresh bodies on the field,” Olsen said. “It was good to see Russell in there, and he looked like he won more tackles in that second half than our whole team combined in the first half. That’s a little bit of what we need right now.”
The Red Bulls held D.C. scoreless for the first time since March 31. But Olsen isn’t particularly worried that Wednesday’s finishing issues indicate a trend.
Paul Arriola had a potential first-half goal called back for offside following a Video Review. And D.C. on a couple occasions believed they should’ve earned a second-half penalty, most notably when Rooney tangled with defender Tim Parker in the 66th minute.
“For most of the season we’ve been very efficient with our chances,” Olsen said. “We created plenty of looks, and that’s an important thing to build off [in] the second half. That’s a positive, but it only is a positive if we can learn from the first half and learn to get out of our comfort zone a little bit, and learn to have a little bit of a tougher mentality.”
