One wonders what DC United Coach Tom Soehn said to his team at halftime. Down 1-0 after dominating possession in the first half, without two banged up star midfielders, but at home against a tough but beatable Chicago Fire team, did he make tactical changes? Did he exhort the players to make the second half a turning point in the season? Did he pull misfiring forward (and reigning MVP) Luciano Emilio aside and give him......

Our beloved D.C. United may have crashed and burned (again) in the MLS playoffs this season, but life goes on. Also, the playoffs go on -- right in our backyard, in fact. Many moons ago, Washington was picked to host the 2007 MLS Cup this Sunday at noon, at RFK. Time to put aside your grieving and check out the game. Tickets start at $30, maybe even less on Craigslist. When else are you going......

Washington has a ton of good things, but also a lot of problems. One we often hear about is a general lack of customer service in some local businesses — sometimes people are slow, rude, forgetful, or a combination of the three. We've seen it all over, from fancy joints to Mickey D's, but it seems to be worse here than elsewhere on the East Coast. Somebody could make a lot of money by renting......

For 25 minutes, D.C. United attacked the Chicago Fire unrelentingly. They poured all of their efforts forward, creating chance after chance. In the process, they scored the two goals they needed to advance to the Eastern Conference finals. Unfortunately, United's disjointed play during the preceding 70 minutes allowed Chicago to tally two goals of their own, earning them the 2-2 tie, the 3-2 series victory on aggregate, and a ticket to the next round.......

D.C. United's MLS season is on the line tonight at RFK Stadium (7:30 p.m.). After a dominant regular season that saw United go 10-2-3 at home, they return to RFK for possibly the last time this season. Standing in their way is their playoff nemesis, the Chicago Fire. In 5 total playoff games against the Fire, D.C. has yet to score a goal. United will need to find net if they wish to move on......

The press ahead of D.C. United’s first round playoff clash with the Chicago Fire last night leaned heavily on D.C.’s poor record against the Fire, especially in recent playoff history. A lot of it also talked about Chicago’s big signing, Mexican national team veteran Cuahtemoc Blanco. And to some extent, there was some talk about D.C.’s injured stars, Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio. Both players picked up injuries in United’s completely meaningless season finale last......

D.C. United played out a relatively dull and featureless 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire on Saturday night, but the real celebrations would come on Sunday night. The Colorado Rapids scored in the final minutes to pull out an upset over Chivas USA, 2-1, making D.C. United the first team to ever successfully defend the Supporters’ Shield. It probably wasn’t the stylish way United will have wanted to take the regular season crown, but with......

FRIDAY: >> Two shows for DAM! Fest tonight, with events at Rock and Roll Hotel and the Red and the Black. The former includes an appearance by recent Three Stars subject the Beanstalk Library, plus The Exit, Dragons of Zynth and The Teeth. Stick around for the free afterparty, We Fought the Hej, a combo of two of our favorite DJ nights, Hej Hej and We Fought the Big One. >> Don't forget to check......

>> D.C. United star striker Luciano Emilio is neck and neck with the Chicago Fire's Cuauhtemoc Blanco for MLS Goal of the Week. Emilio scored his 20th goal of the season with an sensational left-footed volley. Be sure to vote. It's your civic duty. >> It's been exactly five years since the sniper shootings perpetrated by John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo began. [WTOP] >> "D.C. Council leaders will not hold up the......

Two weeks ago, D.C. United traveled to Los Angeles to play a depleted Galaxy team and were lucky to come away with a disappointing 0-0 tie after Nate Jaqua missed two easy opportunities in front of the United goal. Determined not to fall into the trap of playing down to their competition again, United scored early in their 3-1 victory over the visiting Chicago Fire and never looked back. Fire goalie Matt Pickens bobbled......

FRIDAY: >> DCist favorites The French Kicks are at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight with The Childballads (the Bon Savants cancelled). $13, 9:30 p.m. >> Exotic Fever Records is keeping the spirit of the D.C. underground scene alive almost singlehandedly, and this weekend they'll celebrate their seven year anniversary with an ecclectic festival to showcase their artists. Tonight it's Mass Movement of the Moth, New Idea Society, Den of Thieves, Kathy Cashel, Worn In......

D.C. United dispatched the New York Red Bulls yesterday, 4-2. In previous years, this would not be any more than standard procedure for the boys in black, who had compiled a 24-15-5 record against their Atlantic Cup rivals. This year, however, the result was something more than a routine win: it was a statement. The New York team that came into RFK yesterday was not the same Red Bull/MetroStar squad they had faced in......

Pending an official announcement (currently broadcast live at United's web site), D.C. United coach Peter Nowak is leaving the team to become the U.S. men's national team assistant coach. United is expected to name Tom Soehn as their new coach. The transition shouldn't be too difficult for the team, as Soehn has been Nowak's right hand man on the bench for the last three years. Nowak's departure doesn't come as a complete surprise. His name......

Last year, D.C. United disappointed their home crowd, bowing out of the playoffs to the Chicago Fire. Defensive lapses led to an astonishing 4 goals conceded. The offense sputtered, taking only 9 shots to the Fire's 15. Play turned ugly as 4 United players were booked for misconduct. The loss was an embarrassment on all levels. Yesterday, United's play beared absolutely no resemblance to last year's debacle. A swarming defense allowed one shot on......

D.C. United's defense let them down once again on Sunday as the Chicago Fire sprinted to a 2-0 lead in the first half and held on for a 3-2 win in front of 18,652 fans at RFK Stadium. United has now lost three in a row and have but one victory in their last seven matches, not the kind of playoff tune-up coach Peter Nowak wanted. As bad as it was, it could have......

For D.C. United, the events that transpired in the last week confirmed two unalienable truths. Contrary to United's play during their prolonged slump, they are, in fact, a very good team. And despite a run of good form in U.S. Open Cup play, there's something about the 92-year-old competition that gives D.C. fits. Last Sunday, United snapped its miserable 5 game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Chivas USA. The win gave United......

Sometimes you need to clean yourself up, get serious, and move in with daddie for a few months before you head to Latin America for a new gig. The District bids Jenna Bush adios. D.C.-based television shows have an elderly audience and DCist has some suggestions to fix that. They're also throwing Butterstick the panda bear a birthday bash. Yeah, we may have a few issues with our World Cup broadcasters here, but this guy......

Written by DCist contributor Matt Bourque. With four MLS Cups under their belts, DC United can accurately claim to be the most successful franchise in the league's ten year history. Behind such legends as Marco Etcheverry, John Harkes, Raul Diaz Arce, and Roy Lassiter, DC United has procured the reputation as the team to beat in American soccer. After a disappointing first round exit from last season's playoffs, DC United is off to a blistering......

The big sports story of this weekend for area sports fans is going to be the inspiring play of the George Mason men's basketball team as they compete for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. Still, we hope that you will spare a thought for your DC United, who open their 2006 season Sunday at RFK Stadium against the New York Red Bulls. Ugh. Yes, DC, the MLS team you love to hate just got......

Ugh. It had been a long time since the Redskins had found their way to a midseason division game that found them looking to actually take over the top spot and assert dominance instead of trying to make up games on the division leader. And after their thorough drubbing of the 49ers, Sunday’s meeting with the Giants was seen as a chance to turn the final corner and start being thought of as a......

>> Although it's (finally) playoff time in MLS, most of the discussion around DC United centers around 16-year-old Freddy Adu. Last week he complained publicly about his playing time, or perceived lack of it. The next day, Adu met with team officials in an effort to clear the air, but apparently he did not apologize, so he was suspended for United's playoff game on Friday against the Chicago Fire, which ended in a listless......

This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go. With significant periods of rest doled out in a midweek 3-1 win over Real Salt Lake, the Kansas City Wizards attempting to claw their way into the playoffs at home against the conference-leading Revolution, and DC’s own personal chokeponies from New Jersey coming to town, absent the coach that had driven them to a fourth-place tie over the course of the season, things looked so......

A week and a half after coming from behind to beat the Chicago Fire at home, the DC United fell short of duplicating that feat in Chicago. Despite a long period off, a recent return to winning form and the breaking of their road-scoring curse, DC fell 4-3 in the Windy City last night. “We gave away the first half,” said United coach Peter Nowak. Chicago’s Nate Jaqua traded early goals with Christian Gomez,......

D.C. United fans celebrated a come-from-behind win this week and have been rewarded with a high profile exhibition game as a midsummer treat. Chelsea FC, who posted a 29-1-8 record this past season as they soared to win the Premiereship, will be coming to these shores to take on the United here in the DC area, as well as playing a pair of dates with Champions’ League runners-up AC Milan. AC Milan is similarly scheduled......