D.C. United marched professionally through its worst-to-first revival act this season. There were comprehensive displays and high points along the way, but this side made its mark and secured the top seed in the Eastern Conference through its consistency and its professionalism.
Those qualities remain integral to the core of the side, but they are not enough to extricate United from its current predicament. United will need a dose of expansiveness and a hefty serving of magic to recover from the hole created by the 2-0 defeat at New York last Sunday.
“We certainly have to press the game,” D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen told dcunited.com this week. “We’re down 2-0. We’ve gone over different situations in training. Hopefully, we can execute and get the result.”
United faces a long road back against a Red Bulls side rejuvenated by its shift to a 4-2-3-1 setup during the waning stages of the campaign. The addition of a third player in the center of the park stopped teams from playing through that department so easily and supplied a firmer base for Thierry Henry, Peguy Luyindula and Bradley Wright-Phillips to exploit the opposition.
New York relied on its strength in midfield to brush aside an out-of-sorts United in the first leg, but the Red Bulls will need mental fortitude in the return match to navigate through this assignment. The backing of 1,200 traveling supporters provides the visitors with plenty of backing as they attempt to see out the series.
“It’s about mindset for me,” Red Bulls coach Mike Petke told his club’s official website this week. “You can talk about tactics all you want. For me, it’s about guts, it’s about desire, it’s about passion, all those words that are thrown around, but not many people actually step up to the plate and possess those. I need my guys to possess those type of characteristics. It’s less about tactics at this point. It’s more about how much you want it.”
United never finds its intent in question, but it must concoct a way to cope with the Red Bulls and present more of a threat going forward. Their generally measured approach isn’t quite applicable here. They will need to ally solidity (a Red Bulls away goal would force them to score four times in order to advance) with swashbuckling fare in order to progress.
It is not an easy assignment by any stretch, but this United side accepts the terms presented and strives to somehow fulfill them to secure a berth in the Eastern Conference final.
“Well, we’ve faced adversity all year,” Kitchen said. “We’ve been able to respond after tough situations. I’m hoping we can do the same thing. We definitely have the character to do it.”
Five Points
1. Can United strike the right balance in midfield?: The character test starts in the center of the park. New York dictated the terms of the first match by asserting control in the middle third and using that dominance to decide the game. United is always at a numerical disadvantage there (two-versus-three is a tough ask even for Kitchen and Davy Arnaud), but it must find a way to cope more reasonably to cut out the service.
2. Monitor the fullback areas carefully … : New York tends to provide plenty of license to Richard Eckersley and Roy Miller to push onwards and supply width. Their forays played a large part in the first leg success, but the scenario here requires more prudence. United coach Ben Olsen will almost certainly restore Sean Franklin on the right and then select between Taylor Kemp and Chris Korb on the left. Olsen will hope to receive better performances from that department after a particularly difficult first leg.
3. … and see if United can use the wide areas effectively: Most of United’s attacking forays stem from intelligent runs starting in the wide areas. Olsen boasts plenty of options -- Nick DeLeon and Chris Pontius both function effectively when they cut inside, while Fabian Espindola offers an outlet on the break when he peels onto the flank -- to generate opportunities. If that group can find a way to exploit the Red Bulls’ fullbacks and provide Eddie Johnson with room and service, then United will find itself in good stead.
4. New York must focus primarily on discipline and shape … : Petke preached the need for the proper mindset ahead of this perilous second leg. The right approach includes a keen awareness of the state of play and a positional discipline to maintain that advantage. New York isn’t cautious by nature, but it cannot afford to make poor decisions or send too many numbers forward in search of that away goal. It is, as always, about maintaining composure while searching for the killer blow.
5. … and wait for the right time to pounce: There will be moments in this match when United pushes forward too earnestly and stretches the field vertically. Henry and Luyindula tore United apart during those sequences in the first leg. A similar display here -- plus a goal from Wright-Phillips -- would see the Red Bulls through to the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2008.
