United Can't Solve Playoff Puzzle
New-Look Club Ends With League's Best Record, but Falls Short When It Counts

By Steven Goff
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 3, 2007

Last fall, after failing to meet postseason expectations for the second consecutive year, D.C. United set out on an ambitious course to not only reclaim the MLS championship, but make strides internationally.

The club perused the foreign player market and signed an accomplished scorer and a sleek midfielder. It added an experienced defender in a midseason trade and acquired a journeyman who evolved into a starter. The new coach improved communication between players and staff, changed formations to remedy lingering defensive issues and carefully managed playing time to keep players fresh throughout an exhausting season.

The modifications appeared to work. United brushed off a slow start to finish the regular season with the best record in the league for the second straight year and, despite faltering in international play, seemed poised to solve its playoff riddle.

In the end, though, the new team was the same as the old team.

"You play 10 months, you have a good season, you have the best record in the league, and then all of a sudden it comes down to two games and you don't play your best and you go home," midfielder Ben Olsen said following a 2-2 tie with fourth-place Chicago on Thursday that sent the Fire to the Eastern Conference final by virtue of a 3-2 aggregate victory in the two-game, total-goals series. "It's so cruel."

A year that began with United pursuing six trophies ended with the club winning just one -- the MLS Supporters' Shield, awarded to the top club during the regular season. It was an unfulfilling consolation prize after missing opportunities to upset Mexican power Chivas Guadalajara in both the Champions' Cup and Copa Sudamericana; being beaten by David Beckham's free kick in the SuperLiga semifinals; flopping in the first round of the U.S. Open Cup against a third-tier opponent; and, on a wild night at RFK Stadium, watching its MLS Cup pursuit end against a Chicago side with a .500 record in the regular season.

After winning the championship in three of the league's first four years, United has reached MLS Cup just once the last eight seasons.

"I believe we are the best team in the league," United President Kevin Payne said yesterday. "However, we had some big moments and came up short in all of them. We have to try and understand why it happened in the games that mattered most."

Payne said he, General Manager Dave Kasper and Coach Tom Soehn began discussing the club's future moves late Thursday night and that the club may very well finally utilize MLS's designated player rule, a year-old innovation that allows teams to sign a high-priced marquee player along the lines of Beckham (Los Angeles), Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago) or Juan Pablo Angel (New York).

"Certainly you have got to think about, 'Do we need more leadership and someone who has been through the big battles?' " Payne said. "And it's likely you are only going to find a player like that through a designated player."

This past summer, United was in discussions with midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, an Argentine national team veteran who has played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, including Manchester United and Inter Milan. Sources familiar with the talks said recently that United believes it has a chance this winter to sign Veron, who is currently playing for his boyhood club, Estudiantes.

United is also preparing to resume contract negotiations with Argentine midfielder Christian Gomez, the 2006 league MVP whose deal expires next month. The last time the sides talked, in the spring, the club offered two guaranteed years at $325,000 annually plus incentives, sources said. He made $218,500 this season. Gomez, who will turn 33 next week, may opt for a bigger offer elsewhere, perhaps in the Middle East.

There are also questions about the future of team captain Jaime Moreno, 33, who is entering a league-held contract option. Asked if he believes he will return for a 13th MLS season (12th with United), the Bolivian forward said: "I don't know. It's a long way yet and I have to see first if I am still in the coach's plans. There are a lot of things to talk about."

Payne came to the support of Soehn, his first-year coach, saying the staff "did a great job and I think the team was very well prepared."

He then placed some blame on the back line. "There are some individuals who have to question how they prepare themselves," Payne said. "We had several breakdowns in the back in critical situations in big games this year. They should have been harmless but became critical in the way they were handled."

In the playoff opener last week, Devon McTavish and Greg Vanney did not assert themselves on a long ball early in the match. Vanney then misplayed the bouncing ball and Marc Burch did not react in time, allowing Chris Rolfe to score the only goal. On Chicago's first goal Thursday, Bobby Boswell got beaten by Chad Barrett, and slow reactions from several players opened the way to the Fire's second strike two minutes later.

Boswell was in and out of the lineup the second half of the season after being named the 2006 MLS defender of the year, and Vanney, acquired in June from Colorado, might have to take a pay cut after earning $236,000 this year.

"We want to make our team better for the league, for knockout competitions and for international play," Payne said. "We're going to sit down and make some decisions because we know we are better than this."