WASHINGTON -- D.C. United's reserve-laden side were soundly beaten by Houston Dynamo in their SuperLiga finale on Saturday night, handing United their third consecutive home defeat in the tournament and piling more stress on an injury-ravaged club facing a second meeting with the Orange just three days later.
But the Black-and-Red are approaching Tuesday's rescheduled league match as an opportunity for a fresh start, hopeful that their sudden SuperLiga funk disappears as they turn towards their first MLS contest in more than three weeks.
"We've just got to get back to the league and try to start winning again," said defender Marc Burch after Saturday's setback. "It's tough to take three losses but we'll learn, we'll move on. We're in a good place in the league right now and if we beat them on Tuesday, now that's the most important game."
With several starters recovering from significant injuries and others looking worn down by the daily grind, this meeting with the defending MLS Cup champs arrives at a less-than-ideal time for D.C. But squad can look forward to a break after Tuesday, with the All-Star Game -- which, for the first time ever, will have no United representation -- presenting nearly two weeks off from match play.
"You can see a lag. You can definitely see some tired legs, and you can sense where we need to regroup," said Bryan Namoff. "I think this is definitely going to be a time where the bench is going to need to give us some added depth in the latter half of the season."
Saturday's match saw head coach Tom Soehn practically empty that bench, starting three rookies and giving a fourth, Mike Zaher, his first-team debut. The resulting 3-1 loss offered several hard lessons for those youngsters -- most notably, the consequences of lax set-piece marking at the top level -- but Namoff saw reasons to be encouraged as his team looks to reverse the result some 72 hours later.
"I think we can take some lessons learned on some marking situations, but they didn't really create a lot of chances," said the veteran right back. "I didn't think they were that dangerous. Defensively we were pretty sound, and we were a lot tighter than the last couple of games. So there's definitely some positives to take away from this game, leading up to Tuesday."
Perhaps the greater challenge for D.C. lies at the attacking end. Though their statistical dominance has lagged this season, the Orange boast one of the league's sturdiest back lines and United have scored just five goals in six total meetings with Dynamo since the organization's 2005 relocation from San Jose.
Reflecting its South American components, the Black-and-Red attack is possession-based and typically lets the ball do the work -- but a new tack might be required if Dynamo's formidable but sometimes ponderous defense is to be breached. With Marcelo Gallardo's continued absence likely forcing Soehn to field striker Jaime Moreno in a playmaking role, the speed of in-form frontrunner Francis Doe could become more of an option.
"They're good. But I think we need to maybe change it up a little bit and look for a couple balls in behind. They're big, physical players -- I don't think they're the fastest players," said D.C. midfielder Clyde Simms. "I think just to vary it up a little bit, some checking in and if one [striker] checks in the other go in behind, and hit a couple balls over top. Ultimately if we get those over top every now and then, I think it'll open up things in the middle."
Doe seems to have settled into life in the nation's capital after his early days with United were interrupted by international duty with Liberia, including a lost passport incident that delayed his return to D.C. after World Cup qualifiers last month. Beyond scoring in three of United's last four matches, his athleticism gives the front line a different look when deployed alongside Luciano Emilio's instinctive finishing skills.
"When I first came here, I didn't understand the guys, the way they played," said Doe on Saturday. "But it was my first time. In training and in games, I'm understanding the way they're playing and coach is telling me where to be: get into space, holding the ball. I think it's going better for me."
His entire team will hope for the same improvement as they eagerly return to league play.
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