D.C. United Returns to MLS Play, Less Hostile Atmosphere Awaits

The last time D.C. United stepped on a soccer field, its players were greeted, how shall we say, passionately by the opposing fans.

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"I felt something a little bit wet on my head, then I looked at my coat," midfielder Ben Olsen said of Tuesday night's trip to Mexican club CD Chivas Guadalajara. "It was just a nice welcome to Jalisco Stadium, to have your suit sprinkled with spit."

Indeed, the atmosphere for Tuesday night's Copa Sudamericana loss was memorable, with both national pride and a trip to the Sudamericana's quarterfinals on the line and tens of thousands of Chivas supporters in attendance.

With its final international tournament of the season finished, United will turn its attention back to the MLS season, beginning with a rare Friday night trip to Kansas City, whose average attendance of 11,388 is last in the league. The atmosphere, needless to say, promises to be a bit more reserved.

"I don't think there's going to be 60,000 screaming Mexicans there," defender Bryan Namoff suggested.

"Extremely different," Olsen agreed. "But we're pros, and we're pretty used to playing in different atmospheres. Sometimes it's 40,000 or 50,000, and sometimes it's 10,000. We have to motivate ourselves and think about the Supporters Shield, and the first challenge we have to get that is going through Kansas City."

Entering its final three games of the regular season, United has plenty of reasons for motivation. The club still tops the league standings and is on pace to win its second straight Supporters Shield, the regular season title that carries a berth to next spring's CONCACAF Champions Cup. United can clinch home-field advantage for the Eastern Conference final as early as tomorrow, if it defeats Kansas City tonight and New England loses at Chicago.

And United can also rid itself of the memory of Tuesday's frustrating 1-0 loss at Chivas. The last time United fell at Chivas, in this spring's Champions' Cup, the one-goal loss plunged United into a three-game losing streak.

"We're in a much different place than we were in the beginning of the season," Coach Tom Soehn said. "Obviously it was absolutely disappointing for everybody, but we know there's still a lot on the horizon. You take your day to mourn and then you focus on your next opponent. We're lucky -- we get to play in two or three days and take out our frustration on somebody else."

The Wizards would be an apt target. They handed United its only home loss of the season and are the only team that has outscored United head-to-head this year. If the season ended today, the two teams would meet in the opening round of the postseason.

"Anytime you play a team that you could face in the playoffs you want to do well, you want to put it in their mind that we're a better team," Olsen said. "But I think our focus right now is trying to get the Supporters Shield. It's a big deal for this club, and I feel that we're just as desperate for three points as they are."

With MLS's revised playoff format, 11 of 13 teams are still alive; Kansas City could clinch a berth with a win tonight and losses by Columbus and Los Angeles over the weekend. But the Wizards will be short-handed, with defender Jimmy Conrad and midfielder Davy Arnaud both serving red-card suspensions. And after a fast start the club has been struggling of late, with just one win in its last six games.

"We've played very well, created a lot of chances," Kansas City defender Kerry Zavagnin said. "It seems like that's what players say when things are going poorly, but we feel good about ourselves right now, despite the fact that we're in a battle for our lives to make the playoffs."

United's playoff berth has long been secured. Still, for months players have openly said their goal is to retain the Supporters Shield, which is why they said they'd have no trouble putting Tuesday's result behind them.

"There's three games left, and we want nine points," Namoff said. "That's all there is to it."

United Notes: After injuring his ankle against Chivas, Jaime Moreno participated in yesterday's training session but is questionable for tonight. Midfielder Fred (groin) came back to the Washington area to continue his recovery. . . . Tonight's game will be shown on the newly launched CSN+; the Comcast SportsNet Web site offers a channel finder by zip code.