Key factors promote United mid-season resurgence

Key factors promote United mid-season resurgence

Chris Webb

July 03, 2008

Chris Webb takes a look at a few key factors that have gotten United back into a position of comfortablity after a disastrous start to the 2008 MLS season.

Washington D.C., After nine matches of the 2008 MLS regular season DC United were 2-7 and in dead last in the Eastern Conference and last overall in MLS in fact. Even lower than the expansion San Jose Earthquakes. Things were falling apart. If it wasn't horrific back passes that lead to goals or simple goalkeeping blunders, it was an inept offense that was predictable and easy to defend. Injuries were also hampering the teams ability to gel and get a consistent lineup and flow on the field.

Week to week and game to game came constant lineup changes and similar poor results. United's 1-0 loss to Toronto FC on May 21st seemed to be rock bottom for the Black and Red. Despite outplaying the home side on the day, United gave up a terrible goal inside of the first five minutes and couldn't break down the TFC bunker. With Toronto up again on the docket just three days later, something had to happen in a positive manner. Moral victories and "better play" just wouldn't be enough anymore. With United slipping further down the table, they had to put a stop to the rot.

I believe the seminal moment in United's impressive turnaround actually began that night in Toronto. They didn't get the win or the much deserved draw at the very least, but they did in fact seem to play much harder. Three days later at RFK United again fell behind by an early goal against the run of play but this time they did something about it. Santino Quaranta put on a display that night that told his teamates that the season was not over.

Though Quaranta didn't score a goal or get credited with an assist, it was his aggressive demeanor going at goal that drew the penatly that got United level at 2-2 and his thirty yard run through the TFC defense and rasping shot from 25 yards that stung the face of goalkeeper Greg Sutton. The resulting rebound was pounced on by the struggling Luciano Emilio and his toe poke set the 2007 MLS MVP on a nine goal in six game streak that is still in place today.

I believe this turnaround is due in part to a few different factors. Healthy players, familiarity and a better mentality on game day are just a few of the things that have set United on a six game unbeaten streak that has gotten them into third place in the Eastern Conference at the SuperLiga break.

Honestly though, it's getting their key players to play better that have righted this ship. There is still some work to do with some players on this squad, but for the most part the players this team need to play well have done so.

Emilio scoring goals

It's simple really. When Emilio scores, this team wins. 30 goals in 44 MLS matches. It's tough to lose with that type of production. The problem this season was getting Emilio to that level we are now accustomed to. He really struggled in the first nine matches of the season scoring only one goal and missing numerous chances to convert. On top of that his touch, never a strong suit, was woefully bad and he wasn't attacking the goal. Most of that had to do with struggling confidence but a large part of it was that the team around him was perfoming pretty poorly. No shots on goal means no chances for rebounds. The cutting passes he was used to getting from Christian Gomez weren't yet there with Marcelo Gallardo.

At the end of the day Emilio had to take it upon himself to improve his fitness and his game. He's done that. He looks leaner, quicker and sharper. My theory is he simply came into camp a bit out of shape. Tom Soehn had made mention that several players came into the February camp a bit off of what he expected. I feel that Emilio was in that group of players. Others will tell you that he got lazy with the service he was getting last season and when it wasn't coming early this season he was expectedly innefective. I can buy that theory, but since it comes from the mouth of Mike Martin, I automatically have to denounce it. I also feel that Emilio just thrives in warm conditions. We have to remember that he went on his 11 goals in 10 games tear last season when things starting heating up in June and July.

The return of Fred

Fred was a relative non-factor this season until that two game stretch against Toronto. Although he missed numerous chances inside of six yards to get the equalizer in that first match (a trait that still is haunting him as we speak - have you ever seen a person miss so many one-v-one chances on goal without scoring? Bobby Convey anyone?) his unpredictablity all over the field has helped United become a dangerous attacking team. Fred missed a few games prior to the Toronto matches and not coincidentally United lost all those games. His ability to unbalance teams be it on either flank or even in his preferred position in the middle of the field has been a key reason why this team is playing so much better offensively. If he could actually convert some of his layups, this team could be on the Galaxy level of scoring goals. United's not far behind that pace, but they would be right there with them if he could only finish his chances.

Marcelo Gallardo - Yes we realize he's not Christian Gomez

This was always going to be the battle with Gallardo. How do you replace a player who has been the gold standard for attacking midfielders in MLS the past three seasons?

Once people realize that they play different games it might make it easier to appreciate what both players have done and what Gallardo can do for United. For me it was always about getting to know the league and getting to know the limitations of his teamates. That takes time. Some people just aren't patient enough to wait it out. What I've seen from Gallardo is a player with supreme ability on the ball and the sense to know what avenues are open and what passes to make to split open defenses. It's not his fault that Emilio and others weren't making those runs earlier this season. Now that this team has had time to get to know each other, Gallardo's effectiveness will only increase from this point. He's already notched four goals and while the assist numbers aren't what we hoped for yet, I feel his numbers will climb steadily as he gets more comfortable in MLS.

Don't worry folks, at the end of the day he will be worth the money that got him here to DC. Not that anyone is going to forget Gomez anytime soon, but I definitely had a moment this past Sunday at RFK when Gallardo was simply controlling everything that I indeed say to myself that Gomez wasn't being missed. Yes, I know. Sacrilege.

The Old War Horse

No, I don't mean Ben Olsen. Although his presence on Sunday afternoon lit up RFK like a Christmas Night at the Griswold's. No, I'm talking about The Bolivian. One Mr. Jaime Moreno.

Yes, Jaime doesn't possess the speed that once devasted all of MLS on a weekly basis. But what he does have in spades is intelligence, ability on the ball and the knack for converting every penalty put in front of him in every conceivable fashion. If you listen to my fellow message boarders, Jaime would have been benched after the third week of the season to give Franco Niell (have a nice trip back to South America) or Francis Doe (who's shown nothing aside from an inability to trap a ball) a shot up top with Emilio, who also by the way was ticketed on the next bus out of town by a lot of impatient people.

All that Moreno has done this season is put up six goals and six assists and has been the hardest player in MLS to get the ball off of. Yes, it does infuriate me at times that Jaime drops so deep into midfield to get the ball and often holds on to the ball too long. But I'd rather have a player of that ability than have a turnover machine in the middle of the field fueling counter attack chances.

We will have to play without Jaime sometime in the very near future but for the time being, he is absolutely necessary to this team right now. The question that remains is how long will Moreno last this season? With all the competitions this team is in and Soehn not really using all that much depth up top so far, how much gas is in the tank with Moreno? The past few seasons tell us that unless we can get him some significant rest, we might see him fade down the stretch when we really need him to lead United.

No shutouts yet, but it's getting better. Really it is.

DC United is still the only team in MLS without a shutout. Not even close really. Zach Wells has been a big underachiever this season. Had United known that this was the Wells they were getting, they never would have made the trade to get him.

However, while Wells bears a big portion of the defensive blame on this team, he is not alone. Gonzalo Peralta has taken longer than expected to get used to MLS play. He's actually done pretty damn well in the international matches, but until now he's really struggled with the pace of MLS. I think as the team has gotten better, so has Peralta. Wells is a different story. Wells has by far the worst save percentage in MLS. Through 14 matches, Wells has made only 37 saves on 60 shots on goal for a 61.6% save percentage. The MLS average is just about 73%. That is not acceptable.

While Wells has seeming gotten a bit better, he still looks uncomfortable at times and unsure what move to make. If he can sort this out, United can become a devastating team. As it happens though, United has to be content to outscore their opponents rather than shutting them down. That could work for a good deal of time but when the playoffs roll around, you need to be able to stop teams from scoring. Wells and his defense have not shown that ability consistently though it is getting better.

The number of mistakes that were being made and punished earlier this season are shrinking. The move to put Gonzalo Martinez out on the left has been a very good move and a catalyst not unlike moving Marc Burch out on the left last season. Devon McTavish and Peralta are starting to gel in the middle though I still would like to see Peralta dial down the aggressiveness in upfield marking in favor of more conservative marking deeper in defense. He seems to let people get behind him too easily due to his upfield pressure and McTavish, Martinez and Bryan Namoff have to bail him out from time to time.

Namoff is playing at an MLS Best XI level (as is Martinez) but you can't really have two of your four defenders in consideration for Best XI when you give up nearly two goals a game can you?

With that being said, United has cut down on the goals per game during their six game unbeaten streak. Through the first eight matches of the season, United gave up 17 goals. In contrast United has given up only 9 goals in the subsequent seven matches.

Mixing it up

One of the few complaints about United and thier style of play over the years has been their tendency to possess the ball a little too much. I've often joked that they rather prefer to walk the ball into the net as opposed to shooting from long range or utilizing the flanks to open up scoring chances.

During the first nine games of the season, Soehn had mentioned on occasion how United were "easy to play and very predictable." Obviously when you are struggling with injuries and dealing with a cast of new players, learning on the fly can be difficult. What makes matters worse is when everyone seems to be playing poorly which is exactly what happened. Again though, that first Toronto match at BMO signaled a change in this team.

While this team at the heart of the matter still wants to possess the ball and stroke it around the field, it suddenly has come up with a pretty lethal counter attack on occasion. The entire second half of their demolition of the Galaxy before all the country to see was an indication of their ability. Sure, LA folded like a cheap tent, but United were the aggressors and looked fantastic and if not for a series of fantastic saves they could have put 7 or 8 past the Galaxy.

This wasn't an isolated incident though. Many of United's goals in their patch of good form have come from counters. Emilio's game winner at Chicago. Two of his three goals against Red Bull and the fourth goal on Sunday as well. If United can continue to mix in counter attack soccer with thier preferred possession style, this team could be very difficult to beat the rest of the season and not be as predictable as they have been in the past.

These have been just a few of the examples that have gotten United back on track for this MLS season. With the SuperLiga break upon us, United could very well fall back down the table due to league inactivity while the rest of the Eastern Conference (aside from New England) continue their league schedules. Taking 16 out of a possible 18 points the last six matches has made UnitedNation a little more palpable to be around and has called the dogs off of Tom Soehn for the time being. I guess we'll see how this whole thing will pan out.

As long as Mike Martin doesn't make any Stone Cold Lock predictions, United should be alright for the second half of the MLS season provided they don't fall apart from fatigue due to the CONCACAF Champions League and Open Cup play.

View From The Mezzanine

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