Once the attacker, now the attacked

Though it was just a few months ago, that swagger is gone, replaced by tension and doubt. With its season on the line in Sunday’s Eastern Conference final, United must rediscover its possession game and attacking flair against New England, a team that is unbeaten in eight of its last nine matches and D.C.’s fiercest rival.

“When we were going through that really long stretch of playing well, I don’t think anyone was thinking about anything other than we’ll just show up and play and we know we’ll get it done,” said United midfielder Brian Carroll.

But after a mistake-plagued defense began leaking goals toward the end of the regular season, United rededicated itself to stopping the opposition. Still, D.C. nearly faltered against New York in the conference semifinals. Defensive concerns have hindered United’s ability to do what it’s always done best, score goals.

“We weren’t playing attacking,” said forward Alecko Eskandarian of the team’s performance against the Red Bulls. “It’s a bit of problem where we were so focused on our defensive responsibilities that we almost didn’t know what to do offensively.”

United still squeaked through, and United head coach Peter Nowak has that as his building block.

“You still can feel it, the great relief after the game when they show up in the locker room, and you can feel the emotion,” said Nowak after last weekend’s 1-1 draw. “Maybe that’s the kind of situation I’m sure is going to make this group stronger.”

Though a wide-open affair is expected Sunday, United is less concerned about style than the result.

“It’s not so much about who’s playing prettier soccer,” said Eskandarian. “It’s about making the most of your opportunities and defending like animals.”

MLS Eastern Conference Final

New England Revolution at D.C. United

» When: 4 p.m., Sunday

» Where: RFK Stadium

» TV: ESPN2

» Radio: WMET-1160 AM, WACA-1540 AM