There’ll be time to digest D.C. United’s season over the coming days, so let’s stick with the biggest lessons from tonight’s 1-1 draw with Portland:
It can always get stranger. The frantic and furious final 20 minutes were a fitting way to top the unbelievable finish that D.C. United had experienced in its 2-1 loss to Chicago last weekend. Yet, it didn’t seem possible in the least with the heavy legs and lack of sophistication going forward that D.C. United showed prior to Dwayne De Rosario’s game-tying goal.
But from the moment DeRo scored, things almost turned into a lacrosse match, with two completely different sets of attackers and defenders at each end with neither team able to keep itself compact and intact.
“The disappointing truth is we might’ve played for another 10, 15, 20 minutes and still both teams probably wouldn’t have scored,” United forward Josh Wolff said. “I think Bill and Troy did some unbelievable saves at the end but both teams had very good looks to win it. It’s a bizarre ending.”
The MVP push for De Rosario is a strong one, but will it be enough? In any other game, De Rosario probably would’ve taken himself out almost immediately after getting cracked in the right shin, in a spot he said he’s been kicked three games in a row. Instead, he put D.C. United on his back, again.
“At halftime I didn’t think I was going to be able to make it,” De Rosario said. “Sometimes you gotta suck it up and play for your team.”
No one around RFK is going to characterize him as selfish, either.
Asked point-blank about his season, which he’ll finish with a career-high 16 goals, and about Washington, here’s De Rosario’s response (which he gave, by the way, standing in the cold tub in the training room): “Disappointing. Another year for me that I’m not going to make the playoffs, it’s tough to swallow, to be honest. I love the fans. The fans are passionate. You see them after the game, they come and salute us. But I’m not even trying to worry about that right now. I’m just really disappointed that another year gone by where I have to watch the playoffs on TV.”
Since there’s no question, for once, about who’s going to be the coach next season, the biggest offseason question could be the future of Charlie Davies. Pulled off for rookie Blake Brettschneider in only the 51st minute, Davies was long gone from the locker room by the time reporters arrived. Ben Olsen said Davies’ style didn’t suit the game, with the Timbers’ big defenders sitting back and not giving a lot of space in behind, but for a guy who had questioned his playing time three days ago, Davies didn’t offer a lot to strengthen his case going forward. Yes, he may also have been weighed down mentally by news, first reported by The Washington Post, of a $20 million lawsuit that he’s filed against the club that he’d attended and had served alcohol to the driver before his infamous accident and Red Bull, which was hosting a party that night at that club. It all remains to be seen, but there were no answers from Davies himself tonight.
Lots more in the coming days. For now, we’ll finish with the highlights:
