Dissecting "The Streak"
“As they have in so many other matches this year, the Black-and-Red grabbed the all-important first goal...”
- Charles Boehm, MLSnet.com, 07/15/2006 (LINK)
There’s no question: DC United has enjoyed a banner 2006. Barring an implosion of catastrophic proportions, the 19-point lead they enjoy over their nearest rival means they’ll walk away with the Eastern Conference regular season title. While the rest of the East traded blows and results in league play, DC United strung together wins, including one remarkable stretch of six wins in a row. If one looks at the score sheet and nothing else, DC seems poised for an MLS Cup coronation this November. It’s only when one scratches below the surface that the latest and current hiccup seems less anomalous than predictable, even inevitable.
The Past
Curiously, DC’s best run in league play - a six-game winning streak, which was itself part of a 14-game run without a loss - featured a team that was, in part at least, riding its luck. Just before that streak, they snuck what appeared to be a fortunate draw out of the New England Revolution’s Gillette Stadium. In fact, good fortune played a hand throughout the streak, which featured a series one-goal wins, not a few of them failing to impress MLS’s in-house pundits (LINK, LINK, LINK). It’s also worth noting that four of the six wins came against two teams - the Columbus Crew and the Kansas City Wizards - who are enduring, as opposed to enjoying, their 2006 season.
In the grand scheme, the mini-fizzle was a long time coming. The few blowouts DC meted out (4/22, 5/27, and 5/31) dried up around the end of May; after those, any games in which DC scored more than once, their opposition played right behind (for example) them as if the Soccer Gods required they sacrifice defensive solidity to produce more than one goal. For all that, there’s no denying their consistency. And DC’s defense, the league’s best in terms of goals allowed, deserves much of the credit for that.
Key Men
Following up on that last sentence, one would have to name DC United’s defenders among this team’s key men. Guys like Brian Carroll, Bobby Boswell, and Brian Namoff, even Clyde Simms and Ben Olsen, mean as much to this team as anyone, even if they don’t have the individual statistics to back that claim; the collective statistic - the 20 goals they allowed against the league average, which comes in just under 30 - tells the story there. One could also point to Troy Perkins’ numbers.
While DC shows no signs of flagging form at the back, the downward trend in scoring suggests a need for their offensive players to pick it up. While all their key offensive players - Alecko Eskandarian, Jaime Moreno, and Christian Gomez - all have solid numbers for the season (just click their names), the match reports tell the story of DC United’s slump. (Honorable mention should certainly go to Josh Gros and, OK, OK, Freddie Adu - even if their numbers aren't eye-popping.) Overall, though, they’re threatening to follow the rest of the East into the give-one-take-one rut that’s produced so many frickin’ ties.
The Future
Looking forward through the rest of the season, one could argue that DC has a tough end to the season ahead. Here, somewhat sloppily arranged, is their remaining schedule:
Los Angeles Galaxy; @ Chivas USA; Real Salt Lake; @ New England Revolution; @ Chicago Fire; Red Bull New York; @ Houston Dynamo; New England Revolution; Chicago Fire.
Of all the above, it’s the games against Chicago, the away games to Houston and New England, and the upcoming home game against Los Angeles that should most worry Peter Nowak’s men. Chicago has played them very tough in both meetings, as has New England; in fact, both teams are playing angry these days, though New England to lesser effect. Los Angeles, for all their inability to score, are awfully hard to beat; more than that, they’re finally getting things in place in the wake of Steve (Bastard) Sampson’s departure. And Houston, allowing for the occasional slip-ups, they’re just tough.
At the same time, DC United is certainly up to it; refer again to 1) their defense and 2) the quote at the top of the page. The reality is, DC United’s damned hard to beat themselves; add their penchant for early goals and you’ve got your winning season. The problem with the latter is that they have to do it. There’s a big difference between avoiding losses and actually winning. And they’ll have to figure out not just how to return to winning, but how to win comfortably and confidently to tie a big, pretty bow on what has been a marvelous 2006 season.
If figuring out how to win is your biggest concern, things could be much worse. These guys are in with a very loud shout.
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