WASHINGTON ā For head coach Ben Olsen, D.C. Unitedās spectacular second-half climb has gone beyond merely achieving the goal of a return to the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Itās brought a club that was MLSā original power in the late 1990s back to a version of itself that is worthy of comparison to those great teams.
Thereās a long way to go to match the accomplishments of those teams, of course. D.C. only ensured its playoff spot with their 3-1 victory over New York City FC on Sunday at Audi Field. Yet itās clear Olsen, now the second-longest tenured coach in the league in his eighth full season in charge in D.C., doesnāt want this trip to end anytime soon.
āIām enjoying coaching probably over the last couple months more than I ever have,ā Olsen said. āAnd itās partly because weāre winning, and itās easy to enjoy that. But itās also the way weāre playing. I know weāre entertaining the fans and weāre putting together a really good product.
āItās not just glitz, itās tough, itās gritty. I feel like it has a lot of really good components, and Iām looking forward to testing how far we can go.ā
The opening 23 minutes of Sundayās encounter suggested that may be as far as Luciano Acosta and Wayne Rooney can take them.
Acosta slalomed devastatingly through a handful of NYCFC defenders to set up Rooneyās eighth-minute opener and tie Philadelphiaās Borek Dockal for the MLS lead with 17 assists.
Then 15 minutes later, Rooneyās holdup play helped free Acosta for a gorgeous strike from distance that had too much power for goalkeeper Sean Johnsonās outstretched hand.
After converting a penalty to seal the match, Rooney now has a team-leading 12 goals despite only making his debut in the Audi Field opener on July 14. Heās scored five goals in D.C.ās last four games.
Meanwhile, Acosta has nine of his 10 goals and nine assists since the beginning of August.
āA couple games ago, I got the sense [Rooney] wasnāt pleased with his performance, his own performance,ā Olsen said. āAnd the last two games, heās been, again, at a very, very high level. And Lucho today, was just playing at a level I think early that they just couldnāt deal with.ā
The victory actually pushed United up to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings ahead of Columbus Crew SC. A win in Chicago on Decision Day presented by AT&T would actually clinch a home Knockout Round match because Philadelphia and NYCFC face each other.
That leaves Olsen with a tougher decision than he mightāve envisioned heading to Toyota Park, given all but one of D.C.ās 14 wins this season have come at home.
āOn the surface a home game is a big deal, especially for a knockout game,ā Olsen said. āAnd then you weigh the risk of how quick the turnaround is, and the energy level. And [if youāre] better off going away and being fresh. But weāre also in a really good rhythm.
āThatās all stuff Iāll ponder tonight over a quiet bourbon.ā