His team has not won an MLS match in almost two months. Scoring has vaporized. A key midfielder remains out with a concussion. Two players are serving yellow-card suspensions. Friday’s opponent features three world-renowned players.
Of all the issues confronting him and his stumbling team, D.C. United Coach Ben Olsen is not going to fret about rain.
Six tarps will protect the 950 square yards most of the day but, at some point, the field might turn to oatmeal.
“Both teams have to deal with it,” Olsen said. “It should play absolutely fine. In fact, it will play great with a little rain. Guys always prefer a little bit of a slick surface. And it’s more entertaining.”
Olsen isn’t that worried about entertainment value against New York City FC; he’s worried about ending the six-game winless streak, an anxiety-raising plunge as the playoffs approach. United (13-12-6) has claimed one of the 18 available points during the skid but, thanks to quality results throughout the campaign, the club remains in good position to secure a postseason berth in the congested Eastern Conference standings.
A victory Friday would clinch a spot and forge a first-place tie with the New York Red Bulls (who will have played three fewer matches). A draw would leave United in fourth place but comfortably ahead of Orlando City and NYCFC, expansion teams in desperate need of points to catch the leaders.
With a Nor’easter roaring toward the area Friday, United officials discussed postponing the match for at least a week. Ultimately, they said they believe the field will endure the expected deluge and the match can proceed on schedule. The tarps will remain in place into the afternoon; it will take between two and 2 1/2 hours to remove them and prep the field.
In summer 2008, a storm forced multiple delays and left large pools of water on the RFK field before the officiating crew postponed United’s match against the Houston Dynamo.
“You can’t control the elements; you can only control how you prepare,” said United captain Bobby Boswell, a member of the Dynamo in ’08. “There are going to be balls that die and stop. They are going to take funny bounces and skips.
“It’s a game of mistakes and, in the rain, there are going to be even more. You have to be the team that capitalizes on them and doesn’t get punished.”
Of late, teams have punished United for mistakes. Montreal’s Didier Drogba scored twice in the first 11 minutes last weekend, effectively settling the outcome. United has not won since Aug. 8 in Montreal and hasn’t held a lead since the first half Aug. 13 at NYCFC.
Olsen will change the starting lineup, though to what extent remains unclear. Two moves stem from yellow-card suspensions: Midfielder Perry Kitchen will return from one, while defender Steve Birnbaum will serve one. Midfielder Davy Arnaud (concussion) will miss a fifth consecutive match.
As for other possible switches, Olsen said: “There will be a change or two. I am not going to blow up all the hard work we’ve done. We’ve got a bunch of different lineups we can go with to be successful. I’ve got to pick out the one that’s best for us against this team.”
NYCFC, which has won three straight, features three of the most accomplished players to sign with MLS: Italy’s Andrea Pirlo, England’s Frank Lampard and Spain’s David Villa. They arrived at various points in the season, delaying true team-building opportunities until late in the year.
Villa, who has scored in two consecutive matches, is third in the league with 17 goals. Lampard, slowed by injury at the start of his tenure this summer, has scored twice in the past three outings.
The player who did the most damage in United’s 3-1 defeat at Yankee Stadium in August was not from that famous trio. Rather, it was Kwadwo Poku, a 23-year-old reserve whose speed and technical ability shredded United’s resistance.
“They’ve got a lot of weapons and have a high soccer IQ,” Olsen said. “Scoring goals hasn’t been their issue [seven in the past three matches], so we have to make sure we stifle them as best we can and make sure we do our part on the other end.”
United notes: Because of maintenance work, Orange and Silver Line trains will not stop at the Stadium-Armory station during the evening rush hour. Only the Blue Line will discharge riders. The change is in effect from 2 p.m. to 7:30. … At half time, former team president Kevin Payne will become the 11th individual inducted into the organization’s Hall of Tradition.
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