COLUMBUS -- D.C. United and the Columbus Crew reversed roles and it wasn't a good feeling for United by any means.
The Crew went from a non-playoff qualifier in 2007 to winning the Supporters' Shield as the best team during this year's 30-game schedule. The trophy belonged to D.C. last season, but the team walked out of Crew Stadium Sunday failing to earn a playoff spot after a heartbreaking 1-0 loss that enabled idle New York to claim the final spot on the last day of the season.
"Tonight's called bad luck. It kind of summed up our season," D.C. coach Tom Soehn said.
D.C. finished with 37 points, two behind the Red Bulls, who took the second wild-card spot and will move to the fourth position in the Western Conference and face two-time defending MLS Cup champion Houston in the first round.
After Kansas City defeated New England on Saturday to earn the first wild card, D.C. knew it was either win or go home against a Crew side that had nothing but pride to play for after clinching the Supporters' Shield two weeks earlier.
The match reflected D.C.'s desperation. It aggressively attacked, defended the middle and limited the Crew to two shots on goal. Unfortunately, one by midfielder Brad Evans in the 77th minute sent D.C. packing.
It was epitomized D.C.'s frustration. United hit the same left post that Evans' shot nicked on the way in twice in the first half. D.C. also saw reserve forward Thabiso Khumalo smack a shot off the crossbar four minutes prior to the deciding goal.
"We did everything we could," goalkeeper Louis Crayton said. "We had two chances in the first half. We had one with Khumalo. Unfortunately it turned out not to be our day. This is part of life. Life has its unexpectancy and this is one of those situations that happened with us today. I must commend the coaching staff and playing team. We threw everything in today to win the game."
In the quiet locker room afterward, the players still could not believe the outcome after outshooting Columbus 19-10 and forcing goalkeeper William Hesmer into making four saves, including one with his fingertips on close-range shot by Ivan Guerrero in the 73rd minute.
"We were a much the better team all around," defender Marc Burch said. "We were creating chances. We were passing the ball around. They play a style of play that's tough to defend -- it's kickball. We created everything and were unlucky. What more could we do? Three posts for us and one post for them and it goes in."
D.C. pushed the pace from the onset and didn't allow a Crew shot until the 33rd minute. Meanwhile, United had five by then and missed an opportunity in the 13th minute. Bryan Namoff was unmarked six yards off goal to receive a corner kick from Burch. Namoff's header from the near post whistled past Hesmer before finding the far post and falling away.
In stoppage time of the opening half Luciano Emilio was sent through and Hesmer came out to challenge for the 50-50 ball at the right edge of the penalty area. Emilio got there first and took several dribbles before bending the ball toward the open goal. He missed scoring by inches as the ball kissed the pipe.
"I didn't feel that much pressure going into the second half because we dominated them in the first half. I thought for sure we were going to score. We were just unlucky," Burch said.
With time running out on the season, Soehn implored his team to push the play immediately after halftime.
"We opened ourselves up for counterattacks but we had to win the game," he said. "There was no question we were going to do that."
Veteran forward Jaime Moreno entered in the 54th minute and provided a spark as did Khumalo in the 70th but the difference was the shot by Evans from 30 yards that found its way to the back of the net.
"He got a chance and he buried it," Crayton said. "I bet he was not expecting that it would go in the goal. Fortunately for him it turned in his favor. That's all I can say. There was nothing I could do to prevent it. I wish I could."
That was it for D.C. as it essentially faced a two-goal deficit.
"It's crushing," Burch said. "You have the run of play the entire time. Jaime (Moreno) came in and started creating more chances. I thought for sure we were going to win. It hits the post and goes in. It tough to say we're going to win from then on out."
"I can't fault the guys they did everything possible," Soehn said. "They hit the post three times. I don't know what more than could have done. We came up short as far as our chances.
"Both teams played with urgency but if we finish off one of our chances the game is going to open up a little bit. On all the chances, and there were tons of them, just an inch or two here or there and it's a different game. Obviously, you're on the road against a team that has had great success defensively it takes a goal to open them up. Our guys did everything I asked of them to create the opportunities. Unfortunately, it didn't bounce our way."
Crayton said he couldn't imagine losing the match. "I felt it before we even went on the field that today would have been our day. The chances came," he said. "It's hard to explain. It's part of life. It would have been a good birthday present for me."
That United came so close to winning and qualifying was not lost on Burch.
"It comes down to the entire season. It just wasn't this game," he said. "We should never be in this position. We've had a lot of games slip we should have won. We end up tying or missing one play. Everybody fought hard tonight. It was a team effort. We just got unlucky."
It will be long offseason of evaluation for the organization, Soehn said.
"It's been a really tough year in so many areas whether it's injuries or personnel changes. It's been nonstop. We've been on the wrong end of so many calls this year so we're all going to take time to reflect," he said. "We still have to use it as a springboard to make us stronger. It's a frustrating time and everybody is going to do a lot of reflecting over the course of the offseason."
