D.C. United entered their encounter with the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo on Saturday afternoon badly needing a result. Winless in their previous four matches, United had watched what was once a double-digit lead atop the Eastern Conference evaporate into thin air.
They faced the unenviable task of containing former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba — perhaps the hottest striker in MLS at the moment — and corralling an Impact side unbeaten in five matches.
And they faced perhaps an even greater challenge: eliminating some of their own mistakes, silly, unforced errors that have led to more than a few goals during their slide.
It took just 12 minutes to realize that D.C. wouldn’t be achieving many of those goals on Saturday.
Drogba was a terror from the start, netting a brace and handing United their fourth loss in five games. But it was the way Montreal got their scoring chances that seemed to frustrate United head coach Ben Olsen more than anything.
Drogba’s first strike of the afternoon came just five minutes in, a sensational, driven free kick from 25 yards out that eluded a fully-outstretched Bill Hamid. A world-class effort for sure, but a chance handed to the Impact via a D.C. handball just outside the box.
“[That] leads to a goal, and now we’re chasing,” Olsen told the media in his post-game remarks.
Another United gaffe led to Drogba’s second. Under duress, D.C. midfielder Markus Halsti played an aimless backpass deep into his own end, hitting Drogba in stride. Drogba made no mistake, streaking in on goal, using a quick move to throw off his defender and deftly chipping United ‘keeper Hamid to complete his brace.
“We piss the ball away again, which leads to a breakaway against a great forward, and now it’s 2-0. And then we chase," Olsen said. "The game plan goes out the window, because we can’t do simple things that professional soccer players need to do. If you don’t do that, teams aren’t going to let you of the hook. They have a striker who’s pretty damn good. [We] aren’t going to get let off the hook for little mistakes anymore.”
Responding to a poor first half, Olsen did his best to right the ship, inserting Conor Doyle for Alvaro Saborio, who’d shown poorly in the opening 45. Jairo Arrieta and Michael Farfan were added to the mix later, but none of the added ingredients did much to change the end result.
"We’re at a point know where you gotta do the job,” said Olsen. "And there are some other guys that can bring some life, or if I see something different that the game is going to need, I gotta start pulling those cards. Because what we’re doing isn’t working--and what I say 'what we’re doing,' it’s them and me as a group."
Once Supporters’ Shield contenders, United have less lofty goals these days. Though virtually assured of a playoff spot, United remain in fourth place, and they’ll need to reverse course in order to avoid taking part in a dreaded play-in game. Both the Impact and Toronto FC are suddenly nipping at United’s heels.
"We obviously need to continue to do a little soul-searching and try and find a way out,” said Olsen. "Again, we gotta clean up the wounds that we’re making ourselves. And if we don’t do that, we’ll continue to take losses. It’s just not cutting it right now.
"We try and get into the playoffs, and then when and if we do, it’s a reset," he continued. "That’s the plan right now. Again, we gotta obviously make some changes, we gotta shake some stuff up, because it’s not working. That part is on me to figure out.”
