DC United can't hide its wild west blues

June 23, 4:36 PMWashington Soccer ExaminerEd Morgans

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Something gnawed at me for a while after DC United's 3-0 loss at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night. I know United has a nice record; a 5-3-8 mark that has them in first place in Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference. 

I have made it clear in this space many times this season that I didn't feel going into the season that United was going to have a very good year. To be on 23 points through 16 games isn't bad, and it's a pace that would put the club in the playoffs after the regular season - a summit to which I didn't think this team could ascend. 

But I also look at things sometimes and wonder if the record shouldn't be better. It's easy to look at individual games from the other direction - such as the 3-2 win at New York, or the 1-1 home draw vs. New England, and think that perhaps the club is lucky to have as many points as it does. You can also look at other games such as both trips to Los Angeles and the game at New England and fairly surmise that United should have five more points than it does. Proper officiating at key times in those three matches would have United on 28 points right now at 7-2-7. It'd be good for a seven-point lead over the Chicago Fire in the East.

However, those games aren't really what I'm talking about when I suggest that United have missed some opportunities - and the games played at Western Conference opponents are the culprit. Now, to be clear, this isn't a new problem for United. Throughout head coach Tom Soehn's tenure, United have been dreadful when playing a team from the opposite conference away from home. 

Since Soehn took over to begin the 2007 season, United are a somewhat unbelievable 1-11-6 in road games at Western Conference opponents. The lone win came in September 2007 at Dallas. Three of the ties have been this season (at LA, at Chivas USA, at Seattle). In those latter two matches, United had to score the final two goals in each simply to get a point. 

* Is it because the Western teams are simply better? Consider this. In the same time period used for the example in the previous paragraph, United is a gaudy 11-2-3 against the same Western opposition in matches played at RFK. 

* Is it simply a case of it being that hard to win when significant travel is involved? This would require a detailed analysis of all the teams and their home/away work vs. the opposite conference over the last three seasons (at least). It could be that United are simply following a league-wide trend, and I will look more into that. 

* Is it coaching decisions? The theory here is that Soehn chooses some Western games to rest players, give squad players a run out, or try something new that the team wouldn't be totally familiar with. Last year, he started Jose Carvallo in goal at Real Salt Lake - a match United lost, 4-0. At Colorado Saturday night, Soehn lined up in a 4-4-2, forgoing his favored 3-5-2. This is a move I had been calling for for much of the season. I, and the rest of the planet, can now see why he hadn't done it except for the closing minutes of a couple games here and there to preserve games. Without two defensive midfielders to help the defense and clog up space, Colorado was allowed to run free on the range, with Omar Cummings making United defenders look about as fast as the wrecked police cars in the desert near the end of Smokey and the Bandit II. 

* Here's another thought. Since the start of 2007, United is 8-8-4 on the road against Eastern Conference opponents. Shorter trips, better results? In that same time period, but in home games against the East, United is an exceptional 13-3-6. United is 2-0-3 in such games this year, and went 6-1-2 in that situation in 2007. 

United have three Western roadies left - at Houston, at San Jose, and at FC Dallas. Houston is the best team in the league in my opinion. Dallas has never been a fun place for United to visit - especially the old days in the Cotton Bowl - and even as an expansion team last season, San Jose won when it hosted United. 

The truth is, I don't really know the answer. But I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on it. United have shown at times to be a very good team this year. Perhaps you throw the Colorado game out as the one real stinker that happens every season and move forward to the Open Cup match on June 30 and the return to league play on July 4 at Columbus. 

But make no mistake - United are not a good enough team yet to survive missing chances for points. And it would seem, for whatever reason, that when changing time zones and playing teams from the opposite conference away, something in the formula just doesn't add up. 

TODAY IN UNITED HISTORY:

JUNE 23: United is 0-3 on this date in its history, and fittingly for this story, two of the losses were on the road at Western Conference opponents. 

2007: Robbie Findley scored twice as Real Salt Lake beat visiting United, 2-1. The win was the first of the season for RSL, as well as its first in 15 matches going back to the previous season. Luciano Emilio scored the only goal for United. 

2001: In their last ever trip to Tampa Bay, United lost to the Mutiny, 3-2. Tampa Bay finished the season just 4-21-2, and were contracted after the season ended. When the Mutiny later visited RFK for the final time toward the end of the season, United won, 5-1. 

1996: For the second time in the league's first season, United lost at the San Jose Clash, this time 2-1. United lost the league's first-ever match, 1-0, at San Jose, as well. 

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