When the Black-and-Red returned to the playoffs in 2012, it was the first time they’d done so in five years. For the members of the squad from three years ago who still have a place inside the RFK Stadium locker room in 2015, reaching the postseason is becoming the routine, not the exception.
That familiarity isn’t diminishing the growing excitement around the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs as D.C. United prepare for their final match of the regular season, however.
“You’ve experienced that feeling,” midfielder Perry Kitchen said when asked about what might be different in his third playoff appearance in four years. “You’ve experienced those tight games. It’s definitely beneficial and should help us. For now, we’re still focused on Columbus.”
Kitchen was in his second season in 2012, still 20 years old and part of a core of young, mostly college-drafted players that brought D.C. United to the brink of its first MLS Cup appearance since 2004. He was one of three MLS rookie of the year finalists on the roster then, along with Chris Pontius (2009) and Nick DeLeon (2012); Andy Najar won the award in 2010.
There was also Chris Korb, Kitchen’s Akron teammate and fellow 2011 SuperDraft classmate, and 21-year-old Bill Hamid in goal. (Andrew Dykstra was also on the team but spent most of the season on loan in the USL with Charleston, where he won a championship.)
While there was dramatic turnover on the roster ahead of the 2014 season, DeLeon, Hamid, Kitchen, Korb and Pontius were on the field in last year’s playoffs, too. Apart from Korb, who is injured, all expect to figure heavily in D.C. United’s latest postseason push.
“I actually did take a second to look back at that the other day,” said midfielder Nick DeLeon. “Three out of four years in the playoffs, minus that one crazy year. I don’t really approach it any differently. It’s the most exciting time of the year so it’s kind of easy to get up for... Since I’ve been here, there’s only been five of us who have done it.”
DeLeon is the active leader on the team with three D.C. United playoff goals. He and Kitchen have played every minute of United’s last six postseason contests. Entering the weekend, Pontius is coming off his best performances of the season. Meanwhile, Hamid is making a clear case for a second straight MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award.
“I feel like over these last few weeks, we’ve really been clicking, and playing like a team,” DeLeon said, also giving a nod to the relative health of the overall squad. “There is a little more juice going into these playoffs.”
That urgency has been felt in practice, where competition remains fierce for every loose ball and intensity is high over the slightest of details. The pride in being a part of the playoffs never diminishes, and it’s reflected in those that keep getting D.C. United back into the MLS Cup mix.
“If you lose, you’re out,” Kitchen said. “There’s no next game; there’s no do-overs. Everybody has to be sharp. Everybody has to be ready to go. If you’re not, you’re going to get knocked out and the season is over.”
