D.C. struggles as games pile up

WASHINGTON -- In late January D.C. United introduced a flurry of ambitious new South American signings in an eventful week full of much fanfare and optimism ahead of the 2008 season.

Headlined by the capture of designated player Marcelo Gallardo, the roster additions were expected to help United vault into the upper echelons of the CONCACAF region with a squad tailor-made to maintain success in MLS, while also seizing the initiative in international competitions like the new-look CONCACAF Champions League.

Eight months later, D.C. find themselves in an unexpected position: struggling on all fronts and forced to temper their commitment to the competition. Regional glory remains as elusive as ever with shortcomings in two tournaments and an 0-2 record in a third -- and now, for the first time in five years, United's participation in the MLS postseason is in real jeopardy as nearly every team in an increasingly cutthroat league jostles for a prized playoff berth.

The weekend's results mean that if the MLS Cup Playoffs began tomorrow, the defending Supporters' Shield champs would miss out and with only four league matches left to rectify that situation, head coach Tom Soehn has little choice but to give precedence to the home front at the expense of CCL. Wednesday night's clash with Mexican side Cruz Azul at RFK Stadium is likely to feature yet another youthful lineup for the Black-and-Red as weary veterans are rested ahead of a crucial visit from Chivas USA on Saturday.

"Our primary focus is to make the playoffs," said Soehn. "Obviously we still want to represent ourselves well [in the Champions League] and until the point that I feel like we're out of it, then we'll adjust. But right now it's still going to be a balancing act. ... There's some subs you have to make as you try to keep guys fresh, and it's not necessarily subs you want to do, but you have to do."

Such pragmatism is a bitter pill for United and their fans to swallow, and it leaves many of the club's old hands wondering what might have been.

"You always love getting into these tournaments, because it's another chance to showcase an MLS team going against outside competition and some well-established teams," said veteran defender Bryan Namoff, who is likely to be rested against Los Cementeros.

"To be in this situation is, I guess, surprising because based on our tradition and based on the years of the past, we always have done so well throughout the league early on that it was never the case of not making the playoffs. So it's definitely an eye-opener."

Gallardo, the sophisticated star who was expected to lead the team to glory at moments like this, spent months wracked by complications from sports hernia surgery and has just returned from a rehabilitation stint in Argentina. He's probably arrived in time to play a role at the weekend, but doesn't expect to suit up against Cruz Azul.

Team captain Jaime Moreno would normally be another top candidate for a night off at this stage. But after Sunday's red card against FC Dallas he'll have to sit out the Chivas USA match so, depending on the whims of his sore knee, he could be called upon to lead the youngsters into battle against the Mexicans. Moreno's uncertain health has represented the latest blow in a luckless month for United, who won just one match over a crowded September calendar and have struggled to replace the creativity and experience of their injury-hit South American contingent.

"It really is a difficult task to try to fill their shoes when they are absent," said Namoff, discussing notable absences like Gallardo, Moreno, Fred and Luciano Emilio. "I'm not using that as an excuse to why we're losing, but when it comes down to winning a championship, you definitely want to have those kind of players on the field or at least healthy."

But for the time being, any hopes of a Champions League revival rest with United's greenest campaigners, as the likes of Craig Thompson, Quavas Kirk and Joe Vide are given another opportunity to make an impression against top-caliber international opposition while the veterans are reserved for the domestic dogfight.

"Nobody wants to be sitting here watching the playoffs. I've experienced that before and it's ridiculous. Nobody wants to be in that situation and we control our destiny, basically," said Santino Quaranta, another dinged-up linchpin who is a prime candidate for rest. "Going forward here, if we make the playoffs it'll be because of the work that we did, not with somebody helping us or [other] teams losing, winning."