Remember that more fired up D.C. United side we saw last week against Sporting Kansas City? The one that - while not quite as good at the soccer part of the game - was willing to scratch and claw to a point? Yeah, that team didn't show up this week, and the Black-and-Red saw their winless streak go to nine games as they lost a 2-0 home result to the Portland Timbers.
This week's Major League Soccer round doesn't offer the most exciting matches. Most of the games are between a team that is sure to make the playoffs and another team that is sure to miss them. However, who knows what all can happen on any given day in football.
D.C. United are surprisingly in last place of the Eastern Conference table.
The hits keep coming for D.C. United. First, there was the nightmarish 4-0 loss to the Houston Dynamo at a damp RFK Stadium. Next, United faced FC Dallas - top of the table at the time - on the road and, while playing something close to competently, still lost 2-1. Most recently, the Black-and-Red managed to avoid defeat for the first time since the Nixon administration, putting up a decent 70 minutes before hanging on for dear life to hold Sporting Kansas City to a 1-1 draw.
Red Bulls manager Mike Petke foreshadowed it last week on his weekly media teleconference, and the news was eventually released on late Wednesday night that midfielder Tim Cahill had been selected for Australia's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches.
For the first time in a couple months, we can't say "another week, another loss" for D.C. United. Last weekend, the Black-and-Red took their first step forward in some weeks, earning a home draw to Sporting Kansas City. That leads off this week's episode of Filibuster - the Black & Red United podcast.
With the FIFA international dates coming closer, and national teams in the CONCACAF region preparing for either Hexagonal play, friendly matches, or both, numerous Major League Soccer players have been chosen to take part.
Jamaica has called up Portland Timbers duo Donovan Ricketts and Ryan Johnson along with Vancouver Whitecaps forward Darren Mattocks to a 12-day training camp, where the Jamaican side will play Tottenham Hotspurs in a friendly match on Wednesday and then The Bahamas on May 31, before three World Cup qualifiers in June.
Happy Monday, ladies and gentlemen. We took a little break at the end of the last week after critters got into the server room and chewed up some stuff, but we're back. D.C. United didn't lose this weekend, which is super neat. Draws aren't great, but they're better than losses.
I know, that's the kind of hard-hitting analysis that keeps you coming back.
In close games many times you'll see a questionable call by a referee help to decide the game. More often than not that quesitonable call is a judgment call by the referee that could be called either way and is usually argued as such depending which side of the call you're on. Then you have incidents like in today's game and you get offside calls that are blatantly wrong.
WASHINGTON- It took an outstanding goalkeeping performance, a goal from an unexpected contributor and one massive stroke of luck, but D.C. United finally snapped their seven-match losing streak Sunday evening, grinding out a 1-1 draw against Sporting KC at RFK Stadium.
It has to be said that tonight's postgame press conference in the bowels of RFK Memorial Stadium was not full of champagne and high fives. But it was still a hell of a lot more upbeat than any other presser in the last two months. It's all thanks to D.C. United's losing streak busting 1-1 draw with the visiting Sporting Kansas City, who had owned United previously with five consecutive one-goal victories over the Black-and-Red.
Two of the league's best face off on Sunday as the Los Angeles Galaxy visit the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena.
In the only meeting between the two clubs, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane look to build off their terrific performances last Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Union.
Think of somebody you'd want to play if you were an MLS team on the ropes and riding a seven-game losing streak. Now picture the exact opposite. There's a good chance you're thinking of Sporting Kansas City, D.C. United's opponents tonight. Here goes nothing.
Happy United Day, boys and girls! This afternoon at RFK Stadium, D.C. United will host Sporting Kansas City in what we can only hope will be MLS' upset of the week. So, to get us ready for the match, we exchanged a few questions with Ben Gartland, the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Sporks site The Daily Wiz.
Sporting KC visits DC United today at 4:00 PM. Join @417Loyal and @SoccerOzarks as we cheer on the boys from our local home base.
by Ben Garland
The last time that Sporting KC and Handball DC United met Sporting stole a win late after Soony Saad put a ball in position for Claudio Bieler to score the match winner in the 89th minute.
Tomorrow's game against DC United at RFK Stadium is a classic trap game for Sporting Kansas City. Sporting comes into the game coming off a big win over Houston on the road last week. DC on the other hand comes in on the backs of a 7 game winless run and lost their last home game 4-0 to Houston. So DC is at a point of extreme pressure to get a result.
All the way back in 2009, D.C. United arrived at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to play some team named the "Kansas City Wizards" in the last game of the regular season, and everything was on the line. Thanks to a logjam on the fringe of the playoff race, United would have qualified for the postseason despite a season fraught with injuries, tired legs (14 non-MLS competitive fixtures!
Join the podcast crew as we explore the depths of our misery as D.C. United fans in 2013. We start off by looking at Ben Olsen's lineup and tactical changes in the midst of a combined 6-1 beatdown on D.C. United over two legs by the state of Texas. In the harsh light of United's performances against the Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas, we also ask ourselves at what point focus will shift from this long slog of a season to building for 2013.
The letting the kids play experiment worked as well as anything else has this year, and so I expect that Ben Olsen will stay with at least parts of that starting 11 when D.C. United takes on Sporting Kansas City this Sunday. But, for the second week in a row, the key question is about Chris Pontius' groin.
Happy Tuesday, ladies and gentlemen. We play Sporting Kansas City this weekend, if you didn't know. So I'm sure we're totally about to turn this thing around. This game is a gimme. We got this.
Feature: Kyle Porter | D.C. United
Confidence key in unlocking winger's potential! That's it, guys.
Last week, D.C. United ended their seven-match losing streak against one of the tougher teams to do that against, and this week, they'll look to finally put a second tally in the win column against another difficult opponent. Tonight, United will host the Portland Timbers, who haven't lost since the third week of the season - coincidentally, the last time D.
Word broke today from the assembled D.C. United press that the team has two trialists in camp: English striker Akpo Sodje and American defender Frank Simek. Simek is a right back who has played for Sheffield Wednesday in the Football League Championship and has spent the last three seasons with Carlisle United in League One.
Happy Monday, ladies and gentlemen. We have the worst team in MLS and the playoffs are looking like a near impossibility if we don't make a couple of spectacular signings and make a couple of miracle trades. That's not happening, so sit back and just laugh when we concede for the rest of the season.
D.C. United lost yet again, this time to FC Dallas, in the same way that they have lost most of their games this season: giving up an early goal and then being forced to chase the rest of the game. When your team is pressing for over an hour each game, more goals for the opponent are often the result.
Nine games on the slate this week in Major League Soccer, including the seemingly annual Memorial Day weekend meeting between two of the most famous fanbases in the country. We've collected all of Black & Red United's coverage into one convenient place.
Last week, D.C. United, while not having an objectively good week with a home draw, enjoyed the best week the team has had in a couple of months.
The last thing the Los Angeles Galaxy needed in their current three losses in four games skid is to lose their captain for an extended period of time.
This looks to be the case, as Galaxy manager Bruce Arena and captain Robbie Keane came to an agreement to allow the 32-year-old forward to play for the Republic of Ireland on four different occasions in the next three weeks.
RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Kickers claimed a 4-1 win over Icon FC in the Second Round of the U.S. Open Cup Tuesday night, en route to the Third Round where they will face the club's MLS affiliate D.C. United on Tuesday, May 28.After conceding a 9th minute Argjent Duka goal, the Kickers rallied behind a Joseph Ngwenya penalty kick and a pair of Stanley Nyazamba tallies to oust their USASA opponent from tournament action.
WASHINGTON — As Chris Pontius wrapped up training at RFK Stadium on Tuesday, he got wind of the news that his D.C. United side will be gaining a new Eastern Conference rival come 2015.
Then he found out New York City FC will be owned by Manchester City and the New York Yankees.
On Wednesday, May 15, Robbie Russell announced he is retiring from soccer and will enroll in Georgetown University's Post-baccalaureate Pre-Medical Certificate Program. Listen to the veteran defender discuss his plans for life after MLS.
RELATED: Read Steven Goff's article on Russell's retirement
Don't miss this one! Philadelphia Union midfielder/defender Amobi Okugo talks about sports movies, playing D-min, and more. In the second segment, friend of the show Sebastian Salazar from CSN Houston goes around the league with Roche.
Okugo is a student and a student of the game. He and Roche talk about his online courswork and his knowledge of the of soccer especially recent great defensive mids.
WASHINGTON — D.C. United fans for weeks now have been awaiting the arrival of reinforcements to help end this club's dramatic downward spiral. At training Tuesday, former U.S. national team defender Frank Simek was presented as one possible piece of that roster retooling puzzle.
Since Frank Simek's release from Carlisle United, he's been looking for an opportunity to play. That chance just may end up coming in Major League Soccer.
According to D.C. United, Simek took part in the club's training session on Tuesday morning as a trialist, opening a possibility for the American international defender to play in MLS for the first time.
Happy Wednesday, ladies and gentlemen. The Richmond Kickers won their U.S. Open Cup game against a fifth division side (featuring former D.C. United midfielder Danny Szetela) on Tuesday night, setting up a match with DC. We're also waiting on players to return to injury and for us to sign some mediocre players to turn our season around, because that's just what we do.
The second round of the 100th edition of the US Open Cup is upon us, and this is the round in which most of the NASL and USL Pro teams enter the competition. The Richmond Kickers, featuring D.C. United loanees Andrew Dykstra and Michael Seaton, will take on New Jersey based Icon FC, who beat the Brooklyn Italians of the NPSL in the first round to earn a trip to Central Virginia.
The Portland Timbers continue their three match road swing on May 25 with their only meeting against D.C. United in the nation's capital. Considering these teams have played just three times in MLS history yet each match has featured something rather unusual - a strange penalty kick sequence, a crazy 15 minute sequence at the end of a match originally delayed by a hurricane, or a phantom handball call - I wonder what odd event will happen this weekend.
We're always eager to find the scoop on other teams in MLS, particularly when our boys in black will be playing them. In that spirit, we exchanged a few questions with Geoff Gibson in advance of D.C. United's match this Saturday against the Portland Timbers. He's the managing editor at SB Nation's beyond excellent Timbers site, Stumptown Footy.
Last week, D.C. United, while not having an objectively good week with a home draw, enjoyed the best week the team has had in a couple of months. Our own Stephen Whiting, though, had himself a very good week, nailing 70% of the available points and moving past ChestRockwell and into the lead in our predictions contest.
Happy Tuesday, ladies and gentlemen. D.C. United didn't lose last weekend. I wanted to remind everyone, just in case you forgot. We didn't lose. Hooray for not losing. Here are some things to read.
3 trialists at training today | The Twitter machine
I recommend not looking up Mike Grella's scoring record.
D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid will be returning to the USMNT after being called to the 26 player roster by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.
CHICAGO (May 16, 2013) - U.S. Men's National Team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called in 26 players to begin training camp in Cleveland in advance of the five-game stretch in May and June that includes three FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and the Centennial Celebration Match against Germany.
