When leading at half…
Over two goals per game at home this year
D.C. United was a perfect 7-0-0 when leading at half through the regular season. United is one of two teams in the League to be perfect when leading at half, along with New York (9-00).
Not only is United putting together one of the most impressive streaks in club history, but the team is doing it in sizeable fashion as well. Through 17 regular season home games this year, United averaged over two goals per game at home with an impressive 38 goals inside the friendly confines of RFK Stadium.
First strike is killer During the regular season, the Dynamo were a poor 1-9-2 when allowing the first goal, a winning percentage (.167) that matched League-worst Toronto FC.
Ben Olsen – right substitutes at the right time Dating back to 9/15, almost every single one of Head Coach Ben Olsen’s substitutions have made an impact. On 9/15, Lewis Neal entered in the 56th minute and scored the game-winning goal. On 9/20, Maicon Santos entered in the 57th minute and tallied the game-winning assist. On 9/23, Branko Boskovic entered in the 57th minute and subsequently scored the gamewinner. On 10/6, Hamdi Salihi and Maicon Santos entered in the middle of the second half and Salihi notched the gamewinner on a rebound off of a Santos shot. On 10/20, Lewis Neal entered in the 69th minute and scored the game-winner in the 91st, on a pass from Branko Boskovic, who enetered in the 87th.
DeLeon in the record books Previously, the club record for most League goals scored during a rookie season was five, achieved by Santino Quaranta (2001), Freddy Adu (2004), and Andy Najar (2010). Nick DeLeon, a rookie out of Louisville, netted his eighth of the year on Sunday, and second of the 2012 MLS Cup Playoffs, to secure his spot in the Black-and-Red history books.
Scoring machine D.C. United has been able to find the back of the net this season at a very high rate, averaging almost 2 goals per game. Only three other teams scored more than the Black-and-Red through the end of the season (53): New York (57), LA (59), and San Jose (72).
Time frames to watch D.C. United has found the back of the net between the 61st and 75th minute more than any other timeframe this regular season (15 goals).
Fifteen multi-goal games Through 34 regular-season games this season, D.C. United has 15 multi-goal games. The Black-and-Red have netted four goals three times (against FC Dallas, the New York Red Bulls and Chicago Fire); three goals six different times (against the Houston Dynamo, San Jose Earthquakes, Toronto FC, New England Revolution, Montreal Impact and Columbus Crew); and two goals six different times (against the New England Revolution twice, Toronto FC, New York Red Bulls twice and Colorado Rapids).
De Rosario tallies 100th MLS goal MLS Macgyver In 37 regular season games, Head Coach Ben Olsen has used 32 distinct starting lineups to lead the club to a second place Eastern Conference finish and its first post-season berth in five years.
In United’s 2-2 tie against the New York Red Bulls on 8/29, captain Dwayne De Rosario scored his 100th career MLS goal (105 in all competitions). Only six others in League history have reached this milestone: Jeff Cunningham (134), Jaime Moreno (133), Landon Donovan (124), Ante Razov (114), Jason Kreis (108), and Taylor Twellman (101).
When scoring the first goal… D.C. United has a 15-3-2 record when scoring the first goal this season.
Career-high scoring this season Chris Pontius netted a career-high 12 goals in 34 regularseason games. This season has also seen Pontius develop into a clutch player – 6 of his 12 goals during the 2012 campaign were game-winning goals. He was also one of six players in the League to record a hat-trick (against New York on 4/22).
Impressive history D.C. United is the most successful professional soccer team in United States history. The club has won four MLS Cups (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004), four Supporters’ Shields for putting together the best regular season record (1997, 1999, 2006, 2007), two U.S. Open Cup titles (1996, 2008) and two international trophies – the CONCACAF Champions Cup and InterAmerican Cup, both in 1998.