DC United neither went downstream or upstream against the Rapids on Saturday night, as fans at RFK stadium saw DC tie 1-1 against their opponents. Drew Moor scored off a set piece in the 23rd minute of the match, and Chris Pontius leveled it in the 62nd minute with a penalty kick after being brought down inside the box.
After losing 4-1 against Colorado earlier this season at DSG Park, this score line suggests that this match was better than the previous one and I believe that to be correct. A few things stand out that seem troublesome. The last two matches, both at home, have been matches where neither team didn’t really deserve to win. There was not a lot of action and not a lot of opportunities for DC to score in the attacking third. That needs to change. The defense has been way better during the home stand (which was great to see) but the offense didn’t come alive like most fans hoped it would. It’s also worth mentioning that Colorado was without some of their best players including Caleb Folan and Omar Cummings.
Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff had to leave in the first half due to injuries, and that has to be making fans nervous. The last thing we need is for two of our best players going down in the middle of the season. So far, nothing has been said as to how severe the injuries are, however I would suspect that they are not that serious. (News has since come out that Davies will miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury)
With all negativity aside, DC received 5 points during this home stand. They allowed only 2 goals and scored 3. While other writers have said this is a disappointment, I tend to think otherwise. DC did not lose a match during the past few weeks and has played good enough to not lose. Last year, I don’t think this team would have made it 3 matches without losing.
DC now has about 2 weeks of a break between league matches, with one friendly against Ajax in the middle. Their next league match takes them to Jeld-Wen field to face Portland, which will be probably the hardest match this season. Portland is on target right now when they play at home, and only one team (Chivas USA) has been able to go across the country win an away match this season. DC will have to rest up, prepare well, and work hard if they want to take some points in the upcoming matches.
(image courtesy of coloradorapids.com)
