There are way more questions than answers after D.C. United’s 2-0 loss to Chivas USA, their third consecutive home loss in MLS play. They had never botched a homestand like this, and the last time they lost this many home games in a row in the domestic league? 2000, which is a bad sign.
Playoff hopes? They’re now on life support. I haven’t done all the permutations, but the way I see is this: United can only catch New England. Now, the Revolution, who tied Colorado on Saturday, finish the season with two games against Columbus and one vs. Chicago. But still. Let’s just avoid the confusing scenarios for now.
Jaime Moreno: “We got nothing to say. There’s only two games left, and we know the situation, where we are, is very critical.”
What did United think of the performance tonight?
Marc Burch: “I feel like they outworked us a lot today. Even though they didn’t have many chances, they were the better team today. They outworked us. They outran us. They won a lot of balls in the midfield. They won a lot of balls off our forwards, and they were making good runs up top, and it was tough for us to defend them. I think in the first half, we got ran into the ground, and it was tough to bounce back in the second half.”
Ben Olsen: “They were a better team. They took advantage us, some of our shortcomings, and obviously after I’m out, the game changes. Frankly I thought they were better without me out there, and they’re a good team. They fight hard, and they work hard, and they a lot go on their end, so I don’t know if we really matched that fight early on, and that was part of my frustration.”
Was Tom Soehn’s continued player rotation, and his decision to start the match with Luciano Emilio and Jaime Moreno on the bench, to blame?
Moreno: “The rhythm isn’t there because we haven’t played two games in a row with the same team. It’s very simple.”
Clyde Simms: “We’ve been together for a while now, as a team, and we’ve trained a lot, back since January, and so we’re very familiar with one another, and I don’t think that’s an excuse. I don’t want to use that as an excuse. No matter who’s playing out there, I’m used to playing with ‘em, and I have confidence in ‘em, so I don’t think that’s a problem.”
Where does Soehn go from here? What does the franchise do? Can Chivas produce in the playoffs?
