The end to the Major League Soccer season is all about momentum. D.C. United isn't yet in the postseason, and must rely on other teams to fail. Meanwhile, the New England Revolution has already qualified, but is in the midst of a slump in form. The postgame quotes from the Revs 2-1 loss to D.C. in Washington Thursday might leave you wondering which side is psychologically best placed to succeed from here on in.
"We keep shooting ourselves in the foot," striker Taylor Twellman told Monique Walker after the Revs gave up a 1-0 lead in the final half hour, taking its winless streak to five games, and facing the rest of the season without stats leader Steve Ralston. Coach Steve Nicol said: "The difference now is when you get to this time of year, you can't get away with it. You can't make it up." And defender Michael Parkhurst admitted that "we've struggled of late and it's frustrating. We've got one more game to get some confidence back before the playoffs and we need it."
United, though, has suddenly turned a long goalless, winless streak into a mini two-game unbeaten run. Its comeback was counter to all previous form, including the timely first two goals of the season from reserve striker Samuel Doe. "It keeps going to the next week," said midfielder Santino Quaranta in the Washington Post , "and that's all we can ask for." Captain Jaime Moreno, who came off the bench at 0-1 and helped inspire the comeback with an assist, added, "Sometimes we need a slap in the face to wake up and to react."
Whether United makes the postseason or not, it was a stirring finale that at last gave its long-suffering fans something to shout about. The turning point was Twellman's missed header inside the six-yard box that would have made the score 2-0, just before United went down to the other end of the field and leveled. If United carries the momentum into next week's final game at a possibly demotivated Columbus Crew (already outright winners of the Eastern Conference and the regular season), the Revs may end up regretting that lax couple of minutes if United returns to haunt them in the playoffs.