Who do you pick now to make the playoffs? With a handful of games remaining there are now three teams who have assured themselves of a playoff berth - New England, Houston, and Columbus, one team that hasn't been there in awhile, two that have been there time and time again. Who's next? That's a [... Click to continue reading...

Both fortunately and unfortunately, I was out of town for Saturday night's game against Chivas USA. A tough, tough loss at a time in the season when every single point matters. Here's the post-game recap with quotes from players and Head Coach Tom Soehn.

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Not in the season, and possibly not in the playoffs but DC United is breaking its website off from the MLSNet.com web template in a move that reflects a baby step away from single-entity as well as the growing stature of a club which secured the 3nd largest sponsorship in MLS history. If you like our friends at BehindTheBadge. Click to continue reading...

Let's get the predictable story out of the way first: Marcelo Gallardo, D.C. United's 1.9 million-dollar man, will miss the remainder of the MLS season with a knee injury. The results of an MRI exam showed a Grade 2 sprain of a medial collateral ligament, an injury that typically sidelines a player for six to eight [. Click to continue reading...

Is Soehn the next to fall? Msybe.

We just received the following rumor via our maildrop. Whether Soehn is done now or after the season doesn't matter, if this rumor is true then the club must think he has lost the team. Bad news for United which only adds to the news today that their nearly $2 million dollar man, Argentine playmaker, Marcello Gallardo is done for the season. Click to continue reading...

Talking to folks before the last couple of matches, it's clear that supporters have reached the conclusion that Coach Tom Soehn must go, even if he is not the primary architect of United's demise this season. I think we can all agree that they players have quit on him and need a new voice in [...] Click to continue reading...

My real life job involves the mortgage banking industry at the moment. As you can imagine, it's been ridiculously busy, and I've spent much of the last two months on the road or drowning in work, which meant less time for my love here. That does not excuse neglecting a lover though, and it is clear my lack of attention is straining this relationship.

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There is some meme going around the Internet called "Epic Fail." I don't know where it came from or if it has anything to do with cheeseburger-eating kittens, dancing hamsters, or all that other stuff makes me, a 25-year old, feel inexplicably old when it comes to the Internet. Anyway, this Epic Fail thing seems quite [. Click to continue reading...

1. We suck. 2. Results elsewhere mean we're still in it, but . . . 3. We suck with an almighty sucking. 4. Does another rash of injuries even matter when we take a 3-0 humping at home in front of nearly 30k and get outshot in "Our House" when our backs are to the playoff wall? 5. Yeah, but technically . Click to continue reading...

Remember when DC United and the LA Galaxy would have solid arguments in either camp for ultimate MLS supremacy?

As recently as 2004 and 2005, both claimed the MLS title. This past weekend, losses for both sides leave them close to missing the playoffs. The Open Cup title might provides some consolation for DC United, but coming against a USL team in a year when so many shiny new trophies with international prestige attached were available, it doesn't have as much luster. Click to continue reading...

The once proud DC United team, has now went almost four and a half games without scoring. Has went 16-21-4 this season. With six games to go before the season is put out of its misery, Three MLS and Three CCL games. They laid an egg in superliga losing all three, they have laid an egg in the CCL so far losing all three. Click to continue reading...

It seems like everyone in the stadium knew that this was a must-win game for DC United, except for anybody wearing black. What ever happened to being "hard to play against"? Wasn't that always Soehn's philosophy? This team was fairly easy to play against last night, making bad passes all over the field, including one that probably cost us all hopes of continuing our season. Click to continue reading...

I'll have more tomorrow after I get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. Posted in DC United, Soccer Click to continue reading...

Where to start. A devastating mistake, a compounded injury situation, a crippling loss and United teeters on the verge of missing the playoffs for just the fourth time in team history. The gory details may be found here.

Want a silver lining? If Houston holds on tonight, as they should given their 3-1 halftime lead, League results were pretty favorable to United's cause.

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looks like eskandarian sealed the deal. good for him.  Click to continue reading...

Tommy Soehn has charged the following 11 players with taking the full three points from tonight's game:

Louis Crayton, Bryan Namoff, Gonzalo Peralta, Gonzalo Martinez, Fred, Clyde Simms, Joe Vide, Marcelo Gallardo, Ivan Guerrero, Santino Quaranta and Boyzzz Kuhmalo.

They'll line-up as such:

--------------Kuhmalo--------------------Quaranta-------------------

------------------------Gallardo------------------------------------------

Guerrero--------------------------------------------------------Fred

----------------Vide--------------Simms-------------------------------

Martinez----------------Peralta-------------------------Namoff

----------------------Crayton-------------------------------------------

Let's get a result!

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It's an exciting time of year. As the crisp autumn weather cools most places around the country, the playoff race is heating up. Teams are fighting for their postseason lives, anxious to be one of the eight to have a shot at the MLS Cup. It has been well documented here that Columbus is the [...] Click to continue reading...

A whole MLS season could be on the line tonight as United hosts Chivas USA. Though a draw or loss wouldn't eliminate the Black-and-Red, it would make things very difficult for the club to qualify for post-season play. With that in mind, Tommy Soehn will field a squad set on a full three points tonight.

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(Summary is not available.) Click to continue reading...

For your listening pleasure... Posted in DC United, MLS, Podcasts, Soccer, Sports Click to continue reading...

So another loss (this time, though, due to an unlucky goal) in Champions League means D.C. United sits at the bottom of Group A with 0 pts. while the rest of the teams are all tied with 6 pts. On the bright side, several newcomers got the chance to play and showed a lot of effort and energy for the Black-and-Red.

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Injuries, fixture congestion, Superliga, US Open Cup. The excuses these days are frequent and quite frankly amusing coming from DC United supporters. The excuses are from my vantage point completely unbecoming of a set of fans who have experienced more success than any other in the short history of MLS and an organization whose very [. Click to continue reading...

I'll be recording and posting a new podcast at some point tonight, probably after the debate wraps up. Subjects will likely include: The DC Death Spiral The Champions League - Too big, or just right? Is Columbus going somewhere other than the playoffs? Posted in DC United, Podcasts, Soccer Click to continue reading...

Now that really could've gone worse. That DC was robbed of a 0-0 draw by an unlucky goal despite putting out a lineup that arguably only included one preseason starter is, in fact, a great (if slightly Pyrrhic) achievement. To be honest, neither team was any good last night. United was probably just slightly worse than [. Click to continue reading...

Jaime Moreno
Originally uploaded by BehindTheBadge.com Cruz Azul gano con un solitario gol del Paraguayo Pablo Zeballos en el minuto 56.

Miguel Sabah ya no tiene miedo, y los jugadores del Cruz Azul tampoco, ya que enfrente no estaba el América si no el DC, a los americanos no les gusto nada el resultado. Click to continue reading...

Cruz Azul después de su dolorosa derrota de éste domingo en la Liga Mexicana contra el América se enfrentó hoy, dentro del Grupo A de la Concachampions al DC United y  le gana por la mínima diferencia.  El marcador pudo haber sido mucho más abultado en favor del "Azul" pero no se les dió hoy [. Click to continue reading...

When DC was in town, I was chatting with one of their associates about their recent losses. They weren't in full panic mode yet, but the signs weren't looking good. We talked about how the end of the season could wear teams down, especially if they had to play extra games.

I shared my theory that it was unfair for MLS teams to be involved in international competition like the CONCACAF Champions League without some sort of assistance to handle the extra burden. Click to continue reading...

Win, loss, or tie, the result of this match didn't matter much to me as far as the CCL goes. We're just not a better team than Saprissa or Marathon, so even if we'd managed to beat Cruz Azul at home, we still had relatively no chance of advancing out of the group stages. But this match had a larger meaning than that. Click to continue reading...

With a side made up primarily of reserves, United fought extremely hard, created several decent scoring opportunities - including one shot that careened off the post - but in the end, lost on a (big time) fluke Cruz Azul goal. The team's determination and effort though could not be questioned tonight.

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Well, that's over. We're not officially eliminated from the Champions' League, but given away trips to Saprissa and Cruz Azul, I'll call a spade a spade. That said . . . Christ, we should've run out the reserves against Dallas. They might've played a damn sight better than the starters given what I've just witnessed. Click to continue reading...

dc united lives under a rain cloud, a very dark rain cloud. Click to continue reading...

A lot of the regulars are set to get some rest in tonight's game versus Cruz Azul, as Tom Soehn has decided to rest players in advance of Saturday's League match with Chivas USA. The clubs's head coach will run out a 4-5-1 with the following players:

Zach Wells; Craig Thompson, Greg Janicki, Marc Burch, Mike Zaher; Quavas Kirk, Devon McTavish, Joe Vide, Jamie Moreno, Rod Dyachenko; Francis Doe.

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I'll have more when I get to the stadium, but I refuse to predict that DC will win a match until they prove me wrong. Tonight won't be the night. Prediction, 4-1 Cruz Azul. Posted in DC United, Soccer Click to continue reading...

Benny Olsen asked me to share news of the birth of his first child with his extended United family.

Ruby Lou Olsen was born last night at 9:30 p.m. Weighing in at eight pounds and two ounces, Ruby and her mother, Meghan, are now resting comfortably at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

On behalf of the staff and United fans, we are so happy for Benny and his family and share in the excitement.

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Are you among the 20,000+ heading to RFK Stadium on Saturday for United's tilt against Chivas USA? Be sure to wander by Main Gate on the concourse level to check out the silent auction taking place beginning at 6 p.m. ET. You'll be able to bid on game-worn and autographed attire from the starting eleven and other players.

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