It’s officially October, which means the final month of the MLS regular season is upon the Black-and-Red. D.C. United currently sit in the No. 7 slot in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Montreal with two additional games left to play. With four out of the five remaining matches set to be played at home, D.C. United's players and coaching staff understand that their destiny is in their own hands. Now, it’s a matter of executing and taking full advantage of each remaining game.
“This is the biggest month of the season. This is where our destiny lies,” defender Steven Birnbaum said after training this week. “We had a good game, but it’s time to move on. Now, we’re ready for Chicago on Sunday.”
D.C. United had a massive 5-0 win over the Montreal Impact in Week 31, but Head Coach Ben Olsen noted after the match that his players need to have a short memory. The Black-and-Red now need to take the positives from the match and shift their focus to their next challenger: Chicago.
“We got two days off which was good to unwind and let it all soak in," goalkeeper Bill Hamid said. "Now, it’s time to focus on Chicago. The moment we walked in today everything was geared towards Chicago, watching film and preparing for the next game, taking the positives from this game and just continuing to build.”
Olsen echoed Hamid's thoughts and noted that while Saturday's performance and atmosphere were great, and the crucial win was sweet, there's no time to dwell. United are taking the remainder of the regular season one match at a time, not looking in the rearview mirror nor looking ahead past their next challenge. And while the three points over the Impact helped keep United's playoff push in a healthy state, the three points lose significant value if they don't follow up last weekend's performance with another sharp showing.
“Our mood’s good after a win like that…it was a great night in that we halted [Montreal's] momentum and built a little bit of our own," Olsen said. "It was a great night and a great crowd so from that perspective it was a success, but today we’re talking about Chicago, because the three points there don’t mean anything if we don’t get the three this weekend, and the three after that, and then the three after that. So, this is a long month of staying highly focused and disciplined and not getting too caught up in the scores, and understanding that we have a lot of work to do.”
With United still below the playoff line and only five games remaining, the pressure is on for October. But the Black-and-Red are confident that if they take this month one week at a time, and keep their sights set firmly on extending their season, they can achieve their goal of earning a spot in the playoffs.
“I don’t think the pressure will be too much," Olsen said. "I think we’ve got good momentum, and I think the guys believe in each other and what we’re doing here. We’re playing some good teams—it’s a tough schedule. But the pressure won’t be an issue.”
