At the end of a long season, DCFC might look back at two games in May and wish they had the four points they dropped against Indy XI and Hartford. Blowing a two goal lead to ten-man Indy XI wasn’t a good look. The players and staff were clearly disappointed by their inability to lock that game down. However, being held to a 0-0 draw at rock-bottom Hartford will leave an even more sour taste.
Coming off a heavy defeat in the US Open Cup against the Chicago Fire of MLS, Coach Danny Dichio had to rotate the team. Stephen Carroll and Jay Chapman didn’t make the trip. Carlos Saldana served as the backup goalkeeper. Jeciel Cedeno and Connor Rutz started on the bench. That meant a first start of the season for both Dominic Gasso and Sebastian Guenzatti.
The two teams traded fouls and yellow cards over the course of a chippy and choppy encounter at Trinity Health Stadium in Connecticut last weekend. Neither team carved out many opportunities. Darrin Smith, voted USL Championship Player of the Month for April, found little room to work and barely had a sight of goal. At the other end, defender Michael Bryant saved one shot off the line and Carlos Herrera had one spectacular save to deny the home side.
The draw will never be remembered as a classic, just as a missed opportunity to keep pace with the three hottest teams in the USL Championship. DCFC slipped as the Charleston Battery won their fifth game in a row, Louisville City extended their unbeaten run, and Loudon returned to winning ways with a big 5-1 win over Lexington SC. North Carolina moved up in the table to just two points behind Le Rouge with a win over Orange County. With several teams dropping lower in the table, the top tier has begun to separate from the pack. DCFC has to start winning more, especially against teams well beneath them in the standings.
Danny Dichio’s men will get another chance to do that on Sunday afternoon in Birmingham, Alabama. The Legion don’t have the type of support DCFC has, so they won’t have to contend with a raucous crowd. Their last two results were a loss to Hartford and a draw with the equally poor Tampa Bay Rowdies. As it was last weekend, this a is an important three points.
A lot of fans who made the trip to Chicago for the midweek Cup match also came home disappointed. The Fire pounced on a string of errors to win comfortably 4-0 over a first choice DCFC side. After falling behind less than five minutes in, City never recovered and had precious few looks at goal. The MLS teams who entered the US Open Cup at this stage took the tournament seriously. Fifteen out of sixteen MLS teams won their Open Cup games. Some were close or went into extra time, but only the Pittsburgh Riverhounds managed to put out an opponent from the top domestic league.
It wasn’t that long ago DCFC celebrated a perfect week with two wins in the league and advancement in the Open Cup. The past week went just about as poorly with two disappointing draws and a blowout loss. The team has to regroup with the end of its month on the road in sight. Unfortunately, the first home game will be a major clash against Charleston. DCFC cannot allow their drift down to mid-table to continue much longer, while the top teams pull further away.
