It seemed unthinkable just a week ago, but DC United is now in the drivers seat for a playoff berth. The Black and Red won on the road for the second time in 4 days, edging New England, 2-1, last Saturday night (October 5). A small but vocal group made the trip to Foxboro (see photo above); more photos are at the bottom of the page.
The win followed the miraculous comeback in Nashville earlier in the week. That game put DC into a 3-way tie for 9th place. However, 8th place Montreal lost (2-1 to Charlotte), and the two teams tied with DC for 9th place also lost (Toronto to Miami, 1-0 and Philadelphia to Columbus, 3-2). Now DC is tied for 8th place with Montreal (with 40 points) and wins the goal differential tiebreaker, -15 to -18. (Yes, neither total is flattering). Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto are now tied for 10th place with 37 points.
I'll go over scenarios later, but first let's recap the game. DC started Bono in goal; Santos, Bartlett, Peltola and Herrera on defense (McVey was suspended for one game for violent conduct in the Nashville game); Ku-Dipietro, Rodriguez, Klich and Stroud in midfield; and Pirani (rewarded with a start for his Nashville stoppage time heroics) and Benteke at forward.
DC got off to a dream start, as Santos hit a screamer from an impossible angle on the left to score a goal in the 3rd minute, and after defensive miscommunication, Benteke beat New England keeper Aljaz Ivacic to a ball at the top of the box and headed it home in the 8th minute. (The goal was Benteke's 23rd of the season, and unless Bouanga or Cucho Hernandez get 4 goals, or someone else gets 5 or more, he will win the MLS Golden Boot.)
DC held the lead comfortably for most of the game, although New England dominated possession, especially in the 2nd half. Still, things seemed well in hand until Peltola scored an unfortunate own goal in the 74th minute, making it 2-1 and making the remaining 16 minutes of regulation, and 8 minutes of stoppage time, nerve-wracking for fans. But the lead held, and combined with the other results (and for those present, a perfect early fall New England evening), it was a great night.
Now, back to playoff scenarios:
Everyone in the league (except Toronto, who drew the short straw this year) has one game left, on October 19. Toronto cannot catch DC and Montreal, so they are eliminated. That leaves DC, Montreal, Philadelphia and Atlanta competing for the last two playoff spots.
DC has the easiest path. A win or a draw (at home against Charlotte at 6pm on October 19), and they make the playoffs. A win would give them 8th place (unless Montreal wins by 5 or more goals); a draw would give them 8th or 9th place depending on how Montreal does. Even a loss would allow DC to make the playoffs if at least two of the following 3 things happen: Montreal loses; Philadelphia draws or loses; and/or Atlanta draws or loses.
The other games to track on the 19th (all at 6pm): Montreal at home against NYCFC; Atlanta away against Orlando; and Philadelphia at home against Columbus. Hopefully it won't matter what they do.
If DC finishes 8th, they will host a playin game against the 9th place team; if they finish 9th they will go on the road for a playing game against the 8th place team. MLS has not announced an official schedule yet, but they have announced that Miami will host their game against the 8th-9th winner on Friday, October 25. This almost certainly means that the playin game will be Tuesday, October 22 (hopefully at Audi Field!).
This Saturday (October 12) there is no MLS game (it's an international weekend) but DC will play an exhibition game against Asante Kotoko from Ghana (6pm kickoff).
Vamos United!
(And to my fellow fans in Foxboro, a photo salute:)
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