United's Emilio May Be Rebounding Just in Time

If D.C. United's Luciano Emilio were judged solely on statistics this season, the Brazilian striker would receive a passing grade: His nine goals rank in MLS's top 10 and his 12 strikes in all competitions are the most on the club.

Assessing his season, though, is not that simple.

The league's most valuable player in 2007, a 31-goal scorer his first two regular seasons and now United's highest-paid player with a salary more than twice that of any teammate, Emilio confronted soaring expectations.

So when his scoring rut and United's crumbling play coincided late in the summer, Emilio absorbed the brunt of the blame. Much of the criticism was valid. He missed opportunities from near distances, exhibited clumsy footwork, mistimed his runs and wasn't synchronized with teammates. Without consistent scoring from him, the club couldn't possibly contend for the MLS Cup or advance in international competition.

He described his play in a recent stretch bridging two matches as "terrible."

His outlook began to change Thursday. After faltering on three chances in the first half, Emilio needed less than two minutes to break a scoreless tie against Marathon of Honduras in the CONCACAF Champions League. He then played an integral part in Jaime Moreno's goal and added his second of the evening to cap a 3-0 victory that enhanced United's bid for a quarterfinal berth.

"Forwards, when they can't score goals for a long time or miss a lot of goals in a short time, it is bad for us," Emilio explained Saturday. "But the good thing is, after we score, we get back the confidence. I recovered my confidence. I am feeling much better."

United is hoping Emilio's resurgence continues to the league schedule, which resumes Sunday at RFK Stadium with a vital match against the San Jose Earthquakes (5-12-7). Jammed in a tight playoff race with a month left in the regular season, United (8-6-12) cannot afford to slip up at home.

And Emilio can't afford to squander scoring prospects.

"We've helped him, supported him, been hard on him," Coach Tom Soehn said, "and eventually the good ones find their way out."

Emilio has contributed primarily in spurts: four goals in five league matches early in the season and three in a three-game period. But from early August through the Marathon encounter, his only goal in six MLS matches came on a tap-in against Kansas City.

Consumed with ending the scoring drought, he shirked other responsibilities, such as pressuring defenders with possession, distributing the ball effectively and positioning himself to receive service.