D.C. United’s 2007 campaign was set up as the ultimate insurance for all that had gone wrong in 2005 and 2006, when regular season triumphs didn’t equate to playoff success.
But while United did everything right for most of April through September, October and the postseason again proved cruel.
Already down 1-0 entering the second game of the Eastern Conference semifinals, United allowed Chicago to score two quick, deflating first-half goals and continue its postseason mastery of D.C., denying United a victory for the sixth time in seven playoff meetings with a 2-2 draw. The Fire’s 3-2 advantage in the two-game series advanced them into next week’s conference final.
“They were sharper,” said United forward Jaime Moreno. “We knew that we couldn’t give them any chances because the chances that they had, they put away so they were pretty accurate. It’s very sad, a very sad moment.”
Despite finishing the regular season with the best record, Major League Soccer’s best offense (56 goals), its top scorer in Brazilian import Luciano Emilio (20 goals) and a revamped defense, United saw its third consecutive season end with a defeat at home.
D.C. also misses out on a chance to host MLS Cup, which is Nov. 18 at RFK Stadium.
“It’s a little bit embarrassing because I know people die for this team,” said United midfielder Ben Olsen. “They expect us to die for them. We did the second half, but in the first half, I didn’t see it.”
In the 31st minute, Chicago’s Calen Carr bent a ball over two D.C. defenders to Chad Barrett, who finished powerfully to put the Fire ahead. Suddenly down 2-0 on aggregate, United andits 19,438 fans were stunned silent two minutes later, when Cuauhtemoc Blanco headed a bouncing ball to Chris Rolfe for a volley finish over the outstretched hands of United goalkeeper Troy Perkins.
“When you let two goals in, it’s an awful big mountain to climb,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “I still credit our guys for fighting through that and making it interesting. I thought for sure we were going to win the game.”
United grabbed consolation when Clyde Simms scored United’s first-ever playoff goal on the Fire in the 69th minute, but when Christian Gomez finished off a through-ball from Rod Dyachenko four minutes later, it set the stage for a frantic finale.
United was denied an overtime-clinching goal by Christian Gomez in the second minute of stoppage time after Gomez hit the ball with his hand.
