It was mighty breezy at RFK Stadium tonight. But the sheer number of shaking heads in the D.C. United locker room after their 2-0 loss to the Fire in front of 18,407 booing fnas generated nearly as much wind. After two Chicago goals in the final ten minutes sunk D.C. to 0-4-0 in the young 2010 MLS campaign, matching their worst start in franchise history 14 years ago – in Major League Soccer’s inaugural season – head coach Curt Onalfo couldn’t put his finger on it, Jaime Moreno didn’t know what to say (he arrived in August 1996 by which time the season had already been turned around), and Santino Quaranta had no idea, either.
“I know they way not to get out of holes is to start to point fingers at people,” said defender Carey Talley. “We got to lift each other up and give each other something constructive to work with instead of just pointing fingers at people.”
That’s all well and good, but somebody better be prepared to find some answers, and fast. If there’s one thing that covering the Washington Wizards taught me over the past seven months, it’s this: Don’t think it can’t get any worse.
“Even though we have so many injuries, the guys that we have on the team are capable, that’s why they’re on the team,” said Moreno. “To be honest, we just got to – I don’t have an answer. I’ve never felt this way. I’ve never been in this situation. I don’t think anybody has. This is hard to describe, and you know how deeply bad we feel because of the fans and all the people that support us. I don’t they deserve all this bad moments that we’re going thorugh, but at the same time, they have to understand that we’re going through a really tough time, and it’s not easy for us either.”
A few thoughts:
United’s tactical changes offensively – which followed on from the second half in Philadelphia last weekend – made some difference but clearly not enough. For all its early dominance in possession, which faded badly in the second half, here are United’s three shots on goal: a weak header by Andy Najar, an even weaker shot by Christian Castillo, and Quaranta’s 52nd-minute free kick blast, which Woodbridge-native Andrew Dykstra parried away and then got some help on Danny Allsopp’s ensuing rebound, as it deflected off Wilman Conde.
“I felt we created some good chances wide, and in the second half, just straight down the middle and losing our shape,” said Quaranta. “I felt I just stood out wide for the whole half and just didn’t touch it a whole lot.”
Meanwhile, here’s how Onalfo responded to a couple questions in near succession after the game:
Q) How would assess how Carey and Julius [James] did holding up at center back? A) I don’t want to comment on individual performances. We do that as a group internally.
Q) How do you think Najar did in the center of the park? A) He’s a 17-year-old, and we had a very depleted team in terms of injuries and options in the middle of the field, and I thought he grew with each minute. I thought he was a bright spot.
Just saying.
Troy Perkins needs to ditch the yellow goalkeeping uniform. It made him look like the yellow light in a stoplight, and it made him act like he saw one while driving, forcing him to either rush or hesitate. After the loss to the Union last week, Perkins owned up to two of the three goals, no questions asked. Tonight when the D.C. locker room opened to the media, Perkins got up and left for the sanctuary of the training room.
His return to Washington was supposed to inspire a defense that had struggled with its identity during his two-season absence. But he’s got to make plays to make that happen, or scare his back line into making sure he doesn’t have to. The second Fire goal, a glancing ball off the back of Brian McBride’s head into the lower corner, isn’t the type of goal that a guy gives up who was pushing into national team consideration.
Onalfo was also asked if he thought he could win with his current roster. “Yes, I do,” he answered. But it’s quickly starting to look like it may not be realistic to build the spine of the team with a 36-year-old forward who struggles to play 90 minutes running the offense next to a journeyman Australian who didn’t register a single shot on goal in 68 minutes playing in front of a 17-year-old central midfielder who was playing high school soccer at this time a year ago. D.C.’s two goals in four games have come off a deflection and an illegal play. Injuries or not, that just doesn’t have the feel of a recipe for the playoffs. Onalfo’s sticking up for his guys, but it’s he and United general manager Dave Kasper who put those guys in place.
“We’re men in here,” said Quaranta. “We’re professionals. We can’t just keep staying positive. We’ve got to hold each other accountable, and this is ridiculous. In the end, we work all week, and we work hard for whatever, 75 minutes, and then there the game goes again. It’s getting old.”
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