‘RFK Stadium’
courtesy of ‘Paul Frederiksen’
Here are a few difficult statistics for D.C. United fans:
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Last MLS Goal Scored at Home: October 17, 2009
Number of Scoreless Minutes at RFK This Season: 270
Consecutive MLS Losses: 5
Current Goal Differential: -11
Bleak. Yesterday’s game at RFK, caught by only 12,089 people, was just about the same level of bleak that we’ve seen all season. The only change is the names on the field, but the play remains the same. We saw the return of Simms and Pena after hamstring injuries, the return of Luciano Emilio and the debut of midfielder Stephen King, but it seemed to do no good for United, who just couldn’t turn offensive pressure into goals.
The first half of this game was the same traditional first forty-five: United demonstrates they can control the ball on offense and make turnovers into offensive possessions, but at no point could they get the ball past the keeper. They’re not so much making mistakes as they are not taking the risks associated with mistakes.
The anemic offense, and flat-out mistakes by Troy Perkins in goal, combined to put United at a deficit early in the second half. One goal could’ve been forgiven, a tough deflection into the waiting feet of Ibrahim, but the other, Perkins didn’t even dive for. Not making the effort seems to be a team trait this year so far.
Wednesday night, United takes on the KC Wizards, who curbstomped them in KC during the season opener. Here’s hoping they can come around.
I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.
