So, are we in panic mode yet? Three losses on the trot and the team seems completely disorganized and out of ideas in the attacking third. Red Bull have piled up a 10-point cushion on us - and don't give me any of that "game in hand" crap. It's like the entire league held a conference call and figured out that all you have to do is choke off the middle of the park and DC's attacks will wither and die.
All of that aside, I think I'll give DC the next two games to improve before I hit the ejector seat button. Two home games in a row and the spur of a win-less start should give the boys some impetus to start accumulating points. If we're still on a goose-egg at the end of this week then it'll be time to start the soul-searching (and scouting for a defensive DP).
On a positive note, I think that Moose and Fred showed really well against Columbus. Both looked comfortable on the ball and quick. I was particularly impressed with Moose's one- and two-touch play in the middle of the park. If he doesn't start in place of Carroll against the Revs, I'll be shocked. Carroll and Gomez were pretty pathetic and Moreno looks like he's past his sell-by date.
McTavish looks to be a solid, if not spectacular, addition to the back line, which looked a bit more organized. That said, we gave up 3 or 4 solid chances, and if the Crew had better finishers, this probably would have ended 2 or 3 to nothing. But let's keep things in perspective, the Revs and Red Bulls both eked out draws against this same side, which look to be a much more solid team than in the past.
On the other side of the ball, United had maybe a couple of chances from the run of play (the Fred chance sticks out as the best opportunity), as well as a few free kicks in decent positions. For a club with the amount of firepower that United should be bringing to the table, this is shockingly bad.
The good news is that we can try to pull a Nicol this year and suck for the first half of the season, start to hit our grove in late August, and steamroll into the playoffs. We only need to beat out five other teams this season to make the playoffs and I'm pretty sure we can get more points than Salt Lake and Toronto, so that's two down.
So, my finger is hovering around the panic button, but not quite ready to press it yet. By next Sunday, I may be singing a different tune, but for now, I'm firmly in the wait and see camp. It'll be interesting to see if Soehn benches some of the underperformers. I'd like to see a lineup sans Carroll, Moreno, Erpen, and possibly Gomez. Plop Fred in the middle in front of Moose and Olsen (who should get the captain's armband - he's the true heart of the team) and see what they can do. Obviously the current formula isn't working, so let's mix it up a bit - there's enough quality here to win some games.
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