D.C. United center back Steve Birnbaum, addressing the media two days after Ben Olsen departed as head coach, feels they're in a “do-or-die situation."
Chad Ashton is serving as interim manager, and they sit bottom of the MLS overall standings with a league-worst 11 points through 16 matches. Injuries have mounted before Sunday’s trip to face Chicago Fire FC (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in US, on DAZN in Canada), one of seven matches left to salvage something from their 2020 campaign.
It all creates urgency, where they can’t afford slip-ups while hoping to snap a seven-game winless stretch (0W-5L-2D).
“We're last in the league right now, it's no secret,” Birnbaum said. “But it is MLS and we're trying to take this next schedule one game at a time. It's super cliche, but that's the way we're thinking about it. We're thinking about, 'We're in the playoffs right now and we have to win this game against Chicago this weekend,' and then we go to the next one. That's just our mentality right now and I think that's the way guys are thinking about it. That's the best way for us to get results.”
Birnbaum is set to miss a “little time” while in a walking boot, adding that he suffered a crack in his ankle. An exact timeline for his return wasn’t provided. D.C. could be lifted by the return of Peruvian midfielder Edison Flores, though. Ashton said he’ll be available for selection after sustaining facial fractures during an Aug. 25 match against the New England Revolution.
Given the state of affairs, the Black-and-Red are adhering to short-term goals while trying to right the ship.
“We really are in a place right now where we just need to focus on one game, not talk about anything else, not talk about past years, not talk about future years, not talk about playoffs,” Ashton said. “Let's go out and figure out a way to get one result.”
Ashton said D.C. will look to play more attack-minded soccer, which the players have advocated for this season. Put simply, he wants D.C. to “enjoy our football a little bit more” and look to create chances. They’ve scored only 12 goals this year, which is the second-worst total in MLS and only better than FC Cincinnati.
There’s also the lingering impact of Olsen’s tenure, since he played in or coached 71.1% of D.C.’s matches since they entered MLS in 1996. That sort of legacy won’t just go away, and Ashton hopes they can channel how Olsen approached every day.
“When I was going to speak to them, I realized how many guys probably had never seen [Olsen] play,” Ashton said. “It was important to let them know that every time he stepped on the field, he gave all of himself and you never had to ask after, 'Could he have done more?," because he always put his heart on the line, he always gave you every ounce that he had, body, mind, soul – every time. We just talked about trying to be a team like that, that when we can step away after the final whistle's blown, that we don't have any regrets. We're completely happy, we did everything possible and the result is the result then.”
Even during this emotional time, D.C. still need to get a result against Chicago. Ashton said they’re a quality opponent, but the cup mentality again applies
“Let's go about this game the way we want to go about it,” Ashton said. “Let's try and get this game, us dictating the game in terms of how we want to play and I think if we can have some success within that and go out and get a result, I think you can see building blocks moving forward into future games."
