More than a week removed from United’s disappointing exit from the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs, the loss to the Montreal Impact still hurts for members of the Black-and-Red.
“It was disappointing, we expected a lot out of that game as did the fans, and we had pretty high hopes for this postseason, so that one hurt,” defender Taylor Kemp said. “There are lessons that can be learned, and it’s another game of experience under our belt and I think that this group showed a lot of promise in the second half and we’ll carry that into next year. None of us wanted to be in the offseason this early, however, there’s a lot to look forward to and we’re excited, but that loss hurt."
The early exit for D.C. was surprising, given the team’s offensive dominance throughout the second half of the year. United were the hottest team in Major League Soccer for over two months, scoring goals seemingly at will. Their two goals against the Impact marked the tenth consecutive match in which they scored multiple goals in a match and finished the regular season with a +9 goal differential while leading the league in goals per game (around 2.5). Yet while disappointed, head coach Ben Olsen is excited for what next season will bring.
"I’m extremely disappointed and the guys are extremely disappointed but I really like this group,” he said. “I’m excited to work with them next year and build off of what I think is a very good nucleus. A majority of this group will be coming back and we’re going to build on the second half of the season…that’s a very exciting thing. If we add to [that nucleus], hopefully we’ll be able to put together the types of performances that we did in the second half over the course of a full year. I think we’ll be more familiar with each other and we can use this to build from."
That excitement to build off the momentum from the end of the 2016 regular season has players looking towards the future as well. Steve Birnbaum, who enjoyed a career a year this season with his first career All-Star game nod and nine national team appearances, knows, “it’s a learning experience and we have to come out with a different energy. [We’re] definitely looking forward to next season.”
Sean Franklin, who won two MLS cups with the LA Galaxy in 2011 and 2012, knows the importance and intensity of playoffs, and what it takes to make a deep run.
“It takes more than just getting into the playoffs to do something special,” the California native said. “We worked so hard to put ourselves in that position, and once we got there, maybe we relaxed and thought, ‘ok we’re in.’ But, It’s a brand new season, it gets even harder and it’s good that people are still mad and we have that sting because we know how much we want it next year and it’s only going to make our team better."
