2008 D.C. United season

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HOU
(Jul 23)
Average home league attendance19,835
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2009 →

The 2008

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

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

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. 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
University of Connecticut
 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Round 3 selection [1]
January 22, 2008 Argentina Gonzalo Peralta DF
Almirante Brown
 Free, Discovery Player
January 29, 2008 Argentina Marcelo Gallardo MF
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
Los Angeles Galaxy
 Traded for Greg Vanney [3]
March 27, 2008 United States James Thorpe GK
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
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
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
Kallon
 September 1, 2008 January 31, 2009
South Africa Thabiso Khumalo MF / FW
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
Cruz Azul
 6 3 1 2 8 4 +4 10
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
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
Emilio
 		[21]
May 29, 2008 New England Revolution A 2–2 8,159
Fred
 		[22]
June 7, 2008
Chicago Fire
 A 1–2 19,256
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
Emilio
 		[25]
June 29, 2008
Los Angeles Galaxy
 H 4–1 35,979
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
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
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
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
Fred
 		[54]

References

  1. ^ "United trade defender Prideaux to Colorado". USA Today. December 15, 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  2. ^ Goff, Steven (April 4, 2008). "Gallardo Is United's Highest-Paid Player Ever". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 4, 2008.
  3. ^ "United acquire Kirk from Galaxy". Retrieved February 16, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Major League Soccer: Roster: Player Bio". dcunited.mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010.
  5. ^ Goff, Steven (April 23, 2008). "United's Start Has a Familiar Look". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 2, 2008.
  6. ^ "D.C. United acquire Craig Thompson" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: D.C. United. June 30, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  7. ^ "Crayton geht, Almerares kommt!". FC Basel (in German). August 7, 2008. Archived from the original on August 18, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  8. ^ "Player Bio: Ryan Miller". D.C. United. Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  9. ^ Butler, Brian (September 16, 2008). "Teams beef up rosters prior to freeze deadline". Major League Soccer. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
  10. ^ "Niell Close to Joining DC United". January 8, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  11. ^ "Khumalo signs for DC United". Kickoff.com. September 10, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  12. ^ "Wizards win season opener, blank D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. March 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  13. ^ "D.C. United overwhelms Toronto FC". ESPNSoccernet.com. April 5, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  14. ^ "Beckerman scores twice as Real Salt Lake romps". ESPNSoccernet.com. April 12, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  15. ^ "Moreno, own goal send Crew past United". Carolina RailHawks FC. April 17, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  16. ^ "Moreno scores twice, propels D.C. United past Real". Associated Press. ESPNSoccernet.com. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  17. ^ "Peterson, Erpen power Rapids past D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 11, 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  18. ^ "Mapp, Blanco fuel Fire past D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 8, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  19. ^ "Second-half explosion fuels Chivas USA past D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 17, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  20. ^ "Dichio, Toronto FC keep D.C. United reeling". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 21, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  21. ^ "Moreno, Emilio help United snap skid". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 24, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  22. ^ "Dube rallies Revolution to draw". ESPNSoccernet.com. May 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  23. ^ "Emilio's late goal helps D.C. United edge Fire". ESPNSoccernet.com. June 7, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  24. ^ "Emilio's hat trick leads DC United past Red Bulls". ESPNSoccernet.com. June 14, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  25. ^ "Second-half flurry sends United to third straight win". ESPNSoccernet.com. June 22, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  26. ^ "Emilio lifts D.C. United past Galaxy". ESPNSoccernet.com. June 29, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  27. ^ "Dynamo survive weather and D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. July 23, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  28. ^ "Moreno, Emilio help United top Wizards". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 2, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  29. ^ "Angel leads New York past D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 10, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  30. ^ "Fred leads D.C. United past Fire". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 16, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  31. ^ "Twellman stars as Revolution down United". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 20, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  32. ^ "Vide, Quaranta push United over Rapids". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 23, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  33. ^ "United claim Atlantic Cup in scoreless draw". ESPNSoccernet.com. August 30, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  34. ^ "Alvarez, Huckerby fire Earthquakes to victory". ESPNSoccernet.com. September 6, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  35. ^ "Rocha nets FC Dallas draw with D.C." ESPNSoccernet.com. September 13, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  36. ^ "Donovan hat trick powers L.A. past D.C." ESPNSoccernet.com. September 20, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  37. ^ "FC Dallas dominates D.C. United". ESPNSoccernet.com. September 28, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  38. ^ "Kennedy, Chivas shut out DC United". ESPNSoccernet.com. October 4, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  39. ^ "D.C. United, Dynamo play to a scoreless draw". ESPNSoccernet.com. October 12, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  40. ^ "Doe propels D.C. United to much-needed win". ESPNSoccernet.com. October 16, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  41. ^ "Columbus 1–0 D.C.: United eliminated from postseason". ESPNSoccernet.com. October 26, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  42. ^ "United draw Jamaica's Harbour View to open Champions' Cup". ESPNSoccernet.com. March 12, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  43. ^ "United route Harbour View to advance to CONCACAF semis". ESPNSoccernet.com. March 18, 2008. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  44. ^ Latest News | MLSsoccer.com Archived May 4, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  45. ^ "D.C. United: News: D.C. Can't get goals they need in win". dcunited.mlsnet.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2009.
  46. ^ "Match Report: D.C. United vs Saprissa" (PDF). CONCACAF. September 17, 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  47. ^ "Match Report: Marathón vs D.C. United" (PDF). CONCACAF. September 25, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2011.[dead link]
  48. ^ http://www.concacaf.com/competitions/matchreport/7169.pdf [dead link]
  49. ^ "MATCH STATISTICS/ESTADISTICAS DEL PARTIDO" (PDF). www.concacaf.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2009.
  50. ^ "CCL 2008–09 Match Report: Cruz Azul vs. D.C. United" (PDF). Confederation of North, Central American and the Caribbean Association Football.[dead link]
  51. ^ "MATCH STATISTICS/ESTADISTICAS DEL PARTIDO" (PDF). www.concacaf.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2009.
  52. ^ Tenorio, Paul (July 9, 2008). "Moreno Comes In, United Moves On". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  53. ^ "Emilio, Quaranta brace propels United to USOC final". D.C. United. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
  54. ^ Leon, Chris (September 3, 2008). "Battery edged by DC United in Cup Final Thriller". Charleston Battery. Retrieved May 28, 2011.
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