2008 D.C. United season

D.C. United
2008 season
OwnerD.C. United Holdings
CoachTom Soehn
Major League Soccer10th
MLS CupDid not qualify
U.S. Open CupChampions
CONCACAF Champions LeagueGroup stage
CONCACAF Champions' CupSemifinals
Atlantic CupChampions
Top goalscorerLuciano Emilio (9 goals)
Highest home attendance35,979
vs. LA (Jun 29)
Lowest home attendance14,660
vs. HOU (Jul 23)
Average home league attendance19,835
← 2007
2009 →

The 2008 D.C. United season was the fourteenth year of the club's existence, as well as their thirteenth season in Major League Soccer and their thirteenth consecutive season in the top tier of the American soccer pyramid.

To fans and the media alike, this year marked a downfall for the franchise, as well as end to what was considered a "second golden age" for the club in league play. The justification behind this involved the United failing to defend the Supporters' Shield, an awarded given to the MLS club with the best regular season record, for a third-consecutive year. With a 10th-place overall finish and a 6th-place finish in the Eastern Conference, United finished the lowest in the conference and league tables since 2002. With the subpar record, United failed to make the playoffs, having qualified since 2003.

Their performance league play reflected on the continental stage as well. Finishing as the 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield winners, United qualified for the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament replaced the obsolete CONCACAF Champions' Cup, and was modeled similarly to its cousin tournament, the UEFA Champions League. In the Champions League, United continued their misfortunes, losing all their Group stage matches at home, and only managing to pick up one draw at Costa Rica's Saprissa. United finished in the bottom of Group C, with a record of 0–1–5 (W-T-L).

In spite of the poorer performance in league and continental play, United excelled in the U.S. Open Cup play, ultimately winning the domestic title against Charleston Battery, 2–1. The domestic cup title was their first since their inaugural season. The U.S. Open Cup, a domestic cup tournament much similar to the FA Cup runs parallel to the regular seasons of all tiers of professional and amateur soccer in the United States. The tournament is open for entry for any soccer club, professional or amateur, that is affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. For MLS clubs, the top six American MLS clubs overall in the regular season are admitted entry into the third round proper, or round of 16, in the tournament. By finishing 1st overall in the regular season, United booked a third round entry in the tournament proper. The club opened Open Cup play with wins against Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division (second tier) and New England Revolution of MLS (first tier) in the third round and quarterfinals respectively. In the semifinals, United won in extra time to defeat Chicago Fire. In the championship, United defeated Charleston Battery of the USL Second Division (third tier) to win the Open Cup for a second time in club history.

Club

2008 roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK United States USA Zach Wells
2 DF Argentina ARG Gonzalo Peralta
3 MF United States USA Joe Vide
4 DF United States USA Marc Burch
5 MF United States USA Quavas Kirk
6 MF United States USA Domenic Mediate
7 MF Brazil BRA Fred
8 DF Sierra Leone SLE Ibrahim Koroma
10 MF Argentina ARG Marcelo Gallardo
11 FW Brazil BRA Luciano Emilio
12 MF Honduras HON Iván Guerrero
13 DF United States USA Ryan Miller
14 MF United States USA Ben Olsen
15 MF Russia RUS Rod Dyachenko
16 DF United States USA Greg Janicki
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 FW South Africa RSA Thabiso Khumalo
18 DF United States USA Devon McTavish
19 MF United States USA Clyde Simms
20 DF United States USA Mike Zaher
21 DF United States USA Pat Carroll
22 MF United States USA Ryan Cordeiro
23 DF Colombia COL Gonzalo Martínez
24 MF United States USA Jeff Carroll
25 FW United States USA Santino Quaranta
26 DF United States USA Bryan Namoff
27 GK Liberia LBR Louis Crayton
28 MF Argentina ARG Jonathan La Rosa
30 FW Liberia LBR Francis Doe
40 GK United States USA James Thorpe
99 FW Bolivia BOL Jaime Moreno (captain)

Transfers

In

Date Player Position Previous club Fee/notes Ref
January 18, 2008 United States Ryan Cordeiro MF / FW United States University of Connecticut 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Round 3 selection [1]
January 22, 2008 Argentina Gonzalo Peralta DF Argentina Almirante Brown Free, Discovery Player
January 29, 2008 Argentina Marcelo Gallardo MF France Paris Saint-Germain Free [2]
March 1, 2008 United States Pat Carroll DF United States West Virginia University Free
March 15, 2008 United States Quavas Kirk MF United States Los Angeles Galaxy Traded for Greg Vanney [3]
March 27, 2008 United States James Thorpe GK United States Franklin Pierce College Developmental contract [4]
April 17, 2008 United States Mike Zaher DF Canada Toronto FC Traded for undisclosed SuperDraft pick
April 23, 2008 Liberia Francis Doe FW United States New York Red Bulls Waived by New York, free transfer [5]
June 30, 2008 United States Craig Thompson MF United States Houston Dynamo Free [6]
July 16, 2008 United States Joe Vide MF United States San Jose Earthquakes Free
July 31, 2008 Honduras Iván Guerrero MF United States San Jose Earthquakes Trade for partial allocation
August 7, 2008 Liberia Louis Crayton GK Switzerland Basel Undisclosed [7]
September 15, 2008 United States Ryan Miller DF / MF United States Cleveland City Stars Free [8]
September 16, 2008 United States Greg Janicki MF United States Pittsburgh Riverhounds Loaned, subsequently signed developmental contract [9]

Loan

In

Player Pos. From Start End Ref
Argentina Franco Niell FW Argentina Argentinos Juniors January 22, 2008 June 28, 2008 (waived) [10]
Sierra Leone Ibrahim Koroma DF Sierra Leone Kallon September 1, 2008 January 31, 2009
South Africa Thabiso Khumalo MF / FW United States Pittsburgh Riverhounds September 1, 2008 January 31, 2009 [11]

Standings

Major League Soccer

Conference Standings

Pos Team
 Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Columbus Crew 30 17 7 6 50 36 +14 57 MLS Cup Playoffs
2 Chicago Fire 30 13 10 7 44 33 +11 46
3 New England Revolution 30 12 11 7 40 43 −3 43
4 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 10 9 37 39 −2 42
5 New York Red Bulls 30 10 11 9 42 48 −6 39
6 D.C. United 30 11 15 4 43 51 −8 37
7 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 34 43 −9 35
Source: MLS

Overall Table

Pos Team
 Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Columbus Crew (C, S) 30 17 7 6 50 36 +14 57 CONCACAF Champions League
2 Houston Dynamo 30 13 5 12 45 32 +13 51
3 Chicago Fire 30 13 10 7 44 33 +11 46 North American SuperLiga
4 Chivas USA 30 12 11 7 40 41 −1 43
5 New England Revolution 30 12 11 7 40 43 −3 43
6 Kansas City Wizards 30 11 10 9 37 39 −2 42
7 Real Salt Lake 30 10 10 10 40 39 +1 40
8 New York Red Bulls 30 10 11 9 42 48 −6 39 CONCACAF Champions League
9 Colorado Rapids 30 11 14 5 44 45 −1 38
10 D.C. United 30 11 15 4 43 51 −8 37 CONCACAF Champions League
11 FC Dallas 30 8 10 12 45 41 +4 36
12 Toronto FC 30 9 13 8 34 43 −9 35 CONCACAF Champions League[a]
13 LA Galaxy 30 8 13 9 55 62 −7 33
14 San Jose Earthquakes 30 8 13 9 32 38 −6 33
Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (S) Supporters' Shield
Notes:
  1. ^ As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship

CONCACAF Champions League

Group A

Club Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Honduras Marathón 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13
Mexico Cruz Azul 6 3 1 2 8 4 +4 10
Costa Rica Saprissa 6 3 1 2 7 9 −2 10
United States D.C. United 6 0 1 5 4 13 −9 1

Match results

MLS

Win Tie Loss
D.C. United playing Houston Dynamo in the 2008 SuperLiga.
Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Ref.
March 29, 2008 Kansas City Wizards A 0–2 10,385 [12]
April 5, 2008 Toronto FC H 4–1 20,161 Emilio, Quaranta, Gallardo, Moreno [13]
April 12, 2008 Real Salt Lake A 0-4 13,193 [14]
April 17, 2008 Columbus Crew H 1–2 13,329 Namoff [15]
April 26, 2008 Real Salt Lake H 4-1 23,269 Moreno (2), Quaranta, Gallardo [16]
May 4, 2008 Colorado Rapids A 0-2 13,115 [17]
May 8, 2008 Chicago Fire H 0–2 18,605 [18]
May 17, 2008 Chivas USA A 1–3 13,113 Gallardo [19]
May 21, 2008 Toronto FC A 0-1 19,791 [20]
May 24, 2008 Toronto FC H 3–2 18,647 Peralta, Moreno, Emilio [21]
May 29, 2008 New England Revolution A 2–2 8,159 Emilio, Fred [22]
June 7, 2008 Chicago Fire A 1–2 19,256 Moreno, Emilio [23]
June 14, 2008 New York Red Bulls H 4-1 18,622 Emilio (3), Simms [24]
June 22, 2008 San Jose Earthquakes H 3–1 17,922 Simms, Martínez, Emilio [25]
June 29, 2008 Los Angeles Galaxy H 4–1 35,979 Moreno, Emilio (2), Gallardo [26]
July 23, 2008 Houston Dynamo H 0–2 14,460 [27]
August 2, 2008 Kansas City Wizards H 2–0 18,731 Emilio, Moreno [28]
August 10, 2008 New York Red Bulls A 1-4 15,038 Moreno [29]
August 16, 2008 Chicago Fire A 0–1 19,560 Fred [30]
August 20, 2008 New England Revolution A 1-2 14,962 Moreno [31]
August 23, 2008 Colorado Rapids H 3–0 17,283 Vide, Quaranta, Kirk [32]
August 30, 2008 New York Red Bulls H 0–0 15,616 [33]
September 6, 2008 San Jose Earthquakes A 1-2 10,121 Quaranta [34]
September 13, 2008 FC Dallas H 2–2 19,890 Moreno, Quaranta [35]
September 20, 2008 Los Angeles Galaxy A 2-5 27,000 McTavish, Khumalo [36]
September 28, 2008 FC Dallas A 0-3 12,138 [37]
October 4, 2008 Chivas USA H 0–3 28,145 [38]
October 12, 2008 Houston Dynamo A 0–0 17,531 [39]
October 16, 2008 New England Revolution H 2–1 16,672 Doe (2) [40]
October 26, 2008 Columbus Crew A 0-1 19,591 [41]

CONCACAF Champions' Cup

See also: 2008 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
Win Tie Loss
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Ref.
QF March 12, 2008 Jamaica Harbour View A 1–1 6,985 McTavish [42]
QF March 18, 2008 Jamaica Harbour View H 5–0 12,394 McTavish (2), Emilio (2), Fred [43]
SF April 1, 2008 Mexico Pachuca A 0–2 18,642 [44]
SF April 9, 2008 Mexico Pachuca H 2–1 17,329 Dyachenko, Niell [45]

CONCACAF Champions League

See also: 2008–09 CONCACAF Champions League
Win Tie Loss
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Ref.
GS September 16, 2008 Costa Rica Saprissa H 0–2 6,105 [46]
GS September 24, 2008 Honduras Marathón A 0-2 8,000 [47]
GS October 1, 2008 Mexico Cruz Azul H 0–1 7,124 [48]
GS October 9, 2008 Costa Rica Saprissa A 2–2 10,000 Doe, Dyachenko [49]
GS October 21, 2008 Mexico Cruz Azul A 0-2 4,265 [50]
GS October 29, 2008 Honduras Marathón H 2–4 7,156 Doe, Janicki [51]

U.S. Open Cup

See also: 2008 U.S. Open Cup
Win Tie Loss
Round Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers Ref.
R3 July 1, 2008 Rochester Rhinos H 2–0 2,752 Burch (2)
QF July 8, 2008 Chicago Fire H 2–1 (a.e.t.) 4,118 Doe, Namoff [52]
SF August 12, 2008 New England Revolution H 3–1 6,797 Emilio (2), Quaranta [53]
F September 3, 2008 Charleston Battery H 2–1 8,212 Emilio, Fred [54]

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