Asked about his team's current state of affairs in the wake of Saturday night's 5-2 drubbing at the hands of the LA Galaxy, D.C. United head coach Tom Soehn explained, "We were all over the place."
But Soehn wasn't referring to the slapdash defending that saw his side surrender a season-high five goals to a team that hadn't won a match in three months. He was describing the consequences of hectic preparation for United's trip from Los Angeles to Honduras for a daunting CONCACAF Champions League clash with CD Marathon on Wednesday.
Four players had to split up from the rest of the group over the weekend to attend to last-minute visa requirements and fly south early, while Saturday's unused reserves went through a light training session and the starters took advantage of some much-appreciated down time on Sunday before undergoing some 12 hours of travel the following day.
"A few of us went to the beach," said midfielder Clyde Simms, "to try to get our minds off the Galaxy game and reboot for Honduras." While the disjointed nature of the squad might have disrupted its normal routine, a mental respite for Soehn's charges might come in handy this week as D.C. enters the lions' den -- or in this case, the dinosaur's den -- to face a Marathon side riding high after their 2-0 win at Cruz Azul last Wednesday.
Nicknamed "The Green Monster" and sporting a Tyrannosaurus Rex as its mascot, Marathon will be keen to offer a hostile reception to a beleaguered United side which remains undermanned and short on confidence.
D.C. captain Jaime Moreno will not be able to offer much-needed reinforcement, a swollen knee forcing him to remain in Washington in the hopes of recovering in time for Sunday's league match against FC Dallas, and he'll soon be joined by defender Devon McTavish, who did not make the trip to San Pedro Sula due to suspension for his red card received in United's opening loss to Deportivo Saprissa.
The reigning Honduran Apertura champs put on a classic smash-and-grab display to stun their Mexican hosts last week and United are wary of the abundant attacking pace that made it possible.
"They have some speed," said Soehn. "I think they countered very well against Cruz Azul." Wednesday night's match at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano will likely offer the D.C. defense an opportunity to prove that they learned from their Saturday setback. While Marc Burch's controversial second-half sending-off surely did not help matters, by that time United had already allowed three goals in 15 minutes and were struggling to come to terms with the pace and movement of Landon Donovan and the rest of the Galaxy front line.
"I feel like we played into their hands sometimes," noted Simms. "Our line was a little too high, [giving] Landon a little too much space to run into." McTavish's absence means that Soehn will once again have to improvise in his selection process, and tactically, it could further encourage a conservative defensive posture.
"Probably," said the D.C. boss, when asked if his team will sit in against Marathon. "We'll have to evaluate how many minutes we can get out of some guys."
Center back Gonzalo Peralta is finally nearing match fitness and could see time against Marathon, though it's unclear whether he's ready to slot into the first XI. The alternatives include starting a rookie like Pat Carroll or Mike Zaher, or even moving Simms or left winger Ivan Guerrero -- who called the return to his home country "a special game" -- back into defense.
Moreno might represent the biggest loss. The veteran's poise and skill would be extremely valuable in a hostile setting where D.C. will need to string together possession to take pressure off the defense. The Black-and-Red are hoping that Luciano Emilio and Boyzzz Khumalo -- who scored his first United goal against L.A. -- will step up to fill the gap. "You definitely see a change in our attack without Jaime," said Simms. "But Boyzzz Khumalo played well the other night and he's got a lot of confidence right now."
The challenge facing them is a substantial one, but if United can earn a decent result in Honduras it would offer a huge psychological boost. A long, draining campaign now looks likely to go down to the wire as United try to maintain their grip on the last MLS playoff spot, and international success could help generate priceless momentum.
"You have your ups and downs through a season, and we've played more games than anyone except Houston," said Burch, still smarting from his harsh dismissal by referee Terry Vaughn on Saturday. "Everyone's got their heads up -- we've got a lot of games to go."
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