D.C. United emerges as MLS dynasty
Club confident it will win third title in as many years
Posted: Friday October 16, 1998 10:14 AM
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United has the best players, the best coach, the best facilities, shrewd management and a solid fan base AP |
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In the nation's capital, even the non-soccer
fans know that D.C. United is a very good team.
They may not know that United has won 13 straight playoff games
and is two victories away from its third Major League Soccer
championship -- the closest thing America has to a reigning pro
sports dynasty.
They may not know that United averaged 16,007 fans per game this
season, roughly on a par with the NBA Wizards, NHL Capitals and
WNBA Mystics. They may not know that United has its headquarters
and training facilities at the old Redskin Park, while some other
MLS teams have had to launch almost daily searches for a place to
practice over the league's three-year existence.
They just know that United has been dominant from Year One.
Which begs the question, for soccer and non-soccer fans alike:
What makes this team so darned good?
To find the answer, simply talk to someone who has played
elsewhere. David Vaudreuil, a two-year starter with United and now
with the Colorado Rapids, paid a visit to his old teammates this
week as they prepared for Sunday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference
finals at Columbus. United leads the best-of-three series 1-0.
"In the end, it's the players," Vaudreuil said. "But you have
to give a lot of credit to the stability and the direction of the
front office. A lot teams have good players, but they don't have
the same chemistry, the same preparation that allows them to go out
and win games."
Indeed, United has the best players, the best coach, the best
facilities, shrewd management and a solid fan base. It is
a professionally run flagship franchise in a league where MLS could
sometimes be mistaken for Minor League Soccer.
"In Tampa, we practiced on any field that was available to
us," said forward Roy Lassiter, who has scored 18 goals after
coming from the Tampa Bay Mutiny in an early season
steal-of-a-trade for Roy Wegerle. "Whether it was a decent field,
... a field with no goals on it, we didn't know what field we were
practicing on the next day."
With the leadership of Harkes (right), D.C. United is the closest thing America has to a pro soccer dynasty AP | |
In Washington, Lassiter has discovered a nice setup and an
atmosphere where winning breeds winning, where the expectation that
United will take the MLS Cup '98 on October 25 is unquestioned -- and
reflected in the relaxed confidence on the practice field.
"We'll all on the same page," Lassiter said. "We all have the
goal, and our mission in not completed until we win that third
championship."
With likely player of the year Marco Etheverry (19 assists)
feeding Lassiter and Jaime Moreno (16 goals) the ball, a defense
that includes U.S. national players Eddie Pope and Jeff Agoos, the
leadership of John Harkes, and the dynamic talent of the country's
best young talent, Ben Olsen, it's not hard to see why United's
success starts with its players.
But it doesn't end there. United is truly united, exemplified
when every member of the team showed up for a cookout at Harkes'
house. General manager Kevin Payne has kept the talent well deep,
even though the league has tried to restore parity by allocating
fewer incoming talents to United. With Payne pulling off deals like
the Lassiter trade, it makes it easier to survive the loss of
players such as Vaudreuil via the expansion draft and the trade of
prolific scorer Raul Diaz Arce because of salary cap concerns.
Harkes said he's talked to players from other teams who say they
have to miss practices to make public appearances to publicize the
league. While United's players do their share of PR, it's organized
within the context of what a team should be about.
"It makes a huge difference," Harkes said. "When things are
run smoothly off the field as well, it's going to help you relax
and enjoy playing on the field. It gives you time and space to do
what you do best, and that's be a player."
Finally, there's coach Bruce Arena, who won five national titles
at Virginia before taking the reins at United. Other than a slow
start in 1996 when he was distracted by his coaching stint with the
U.S. Olympic team, Arena has a been firm, guiding force. There's no
question he's in charge when he walks on the field, yet just about
any of his players, past or present, would run though a wall for
him.
"He's a good leadership figure," Vaudreuil said. "He gives
the players the reins to do what they need to do to be successful.
He doesn't try to micro-manage and over-coach. There's a point
where he steps away and says, 'All right, you're here to do this
job. You can do it, do it right.' If not, you're going to have
competition from other players."
How long can United keep it up? Next year will be pivotal. The
team is owned by a limited partnership, coordinated by Payne, and
one of the groups wants to sell. Payne would like to put together a
new partnership, but it's not out of the question that a rich
soccer fan could buy the team and install new staff and management.
Then there's Arena, who will likely be offered the U.S. national
team job at the end of the season. Payne is also mulling
replacements, but Arena himself left no doubt that the dynasty will
continue after he's gone.
"At the end of the day, it's not about your organization, it's
not about your facilities," Arena said. "It's about the 11
players on the field. You ask why we're good, and I say good
players. If I'm not here, we have good players."
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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