# 2005 D.C. United season

The 2005 season was the ninth season in D.C. United history, as well as their ninth season in Major League Soccer, the top tier of American soccer. The season covers the period from November 15, 2004, through October 30, 2005.
Under Piotr Nowak's tenure as head coach, this was the first and only season where he did not lead D.C. United to a trophy of any kind. D.C. United entered the season as the defending MLS Cup champions defeating Kansas City Wizards 3–2 in last season's championship. During Nowak's second season as head coach, he led the team to a slightly better regular season record, finishing third in the overall standings.
D.C. United made their first appearance in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup (now Champions League) for the first time in three years, earning qualification through winning the 2004 MLS Cup championship. In the continental tournament, D.C. United were the only American club to reach the semifinals of the tournament before losing to Mexico's UNAM Pumas 6–1 on aggregate.
In other external competitions, United finished as runners-up in the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup and won the Atlantic Cup rivalry series against MetroStars.

## Background

D.C. United entered the 2005 season as the defending MLS Cup champions, earning their first league championship since 1999. During the 2004 MLS regular season, United finished second in the Eastern Conference table and fourth in the overall regular standings. Their playoff run included a 4–0 aggregate series victory over their Atlantic Cup rivals, MetroStars in the conference semifinals. In the conference final, United defeated the Eastern Conference regular season champions, New England Revolution in a penalty shoot-out, after a 3–3 draw in regulation and extra time. Their playoff campaign culminated in MLS Cup 2004 defeating Kansas City Wizards 3–2 in the final.

## Match results
### Legend

| Win | Loss | Tie |

### Carolina Challenge Cup

| Game | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers |
| 1 | March 19, 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | N | L | 0–2 | |
| 2 | March 23, 2005 | Charleston Battery | A | T | 2–2 | Moreno, Quintanilla |
| 3 | March 25, 2005 | Columbus Crew | N | W | 3–0 | Gomez (2), Moreno |

### CONCACAF Champions' Cup

| Round | Leg | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| QF | 1 | March 9, 2005 | Harbour View | H | W | 2–1 | Eskandarian, Gros | 3,825 |
| QF | 2 | March 16, 2005 | Harbour View | A | W | 2–1 | Walker, Moreno | 600 |
| SF | 1 | April 6, 2005 | UNAM | H | T | 1–1 | Gómez | 21,185 |
| SF | 2 | April 13, 2005 | UNAM | A | L | 0–5 | | 22,000 |

### Major League Soccer
#### Regular season

Regular season results source
| Game | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance |
| 1 | April 2, 2005 | Chivas USA | A | W | 2–0 | Gros, Gómez | 18,493 |
| 2 | April 9, 2005 | Chicago Fire | H | T | 1–1 | Petke | 19,052 |
| 3 | April 15, 2005 | Columbus Crew | A | L | 0–1 | | 12,449 |
| 4 | April 23, 2005 | New England Revolution | H | L | 3–4 | Moreno (2), Quaranta | 13,691 |
| 5 | April 30, 2005 | Kansas City Wizards | A | T | 0–0 | | 12,008 |
| 6 | May 7, 2005 | Columbus Crew | H | W | 3–1 | | 14,894 |
| 7 | May 14, 2005 | New England Revolution | A | L | 0–1 | | 13,662 |
| 8 | May 21, 2005 | Kansas City Wizards | H | W | 3–2 | | 18,731 |
| 9 | May 28, 2005 | FC Dallas | H | L | 0–2 | | 16,684 |
| 10 | June 4, 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | A | T | 0–0 | | 11,989 |
| 11 | June 12, 2005 | MetroStars | A | T | 0–0 | | 15,125 |
| 12 | June 15, 2005 | Chicago Fire | H | W | 4–3 | | 14,198 |
| 13 | June 18, 2005 | New England Revolution | H | W | 2–0 | | 17,611 |
| 14 | June 29, 2005 | Chicago Fire | A | L | 3–4 | | 8,202 |
| 15 | July 2, 2005 | Columbus Crew | A | W | 1–0 | Marshall (o.g.) | 12,988 |
| 16 | July 9, 2005 | Kansas City Wizards | H | L | 0–1 | | 18,379 |
| 17 | July 15, 2005 | San Jose Earthquakes | H | W | 3–0 | | 13,978 |
| 18 | July 20, 2005 | Kansas City Wizards | A | D | 1–1 | | 7,560 |
| 19 | July 23, 2005 | Los Angeles Galaxy | A | W | 1–0 | | 27,000 |
| 20 | August 6, 2005 | Chicago Fire | A | W | 3–2 | | 14,478 |
| 21 | August 10, 2005 | MetroStars | H | W | 3–0 | | 11,883 |
| 22 | August 13, 2005 | Chivas USA | H | W | 3–0 | | 16,169 |
| 23 | August 20, 2005 | Los Angeles Galaxy | H | L | 2–3 | | 16,863 |
| 24 | August 27, 2005 | New England Revolution | A | L | 1–2 | | 18,049 |
| 25 | August 31, 2005 | Real Salt Lake | A | W | 5–1 | | 11,455 |
| 26 | September 3, 2005 | Colorado Rapids | A | L | 0–1 | | 17,044 |
| 27 | September 10, 2005 | FC Dallas | A | W | 2–1 | | 1,308 |

#### Playoffs

| Round | Leg | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance | Ref |
| Conf. SF | 1 | October 21, 2005 | Chicago Fire | A | T | 0–0 | | | |
| Conf. SF | 2 | October 30, 2005 | Chicago Fire | H | L | 0–4 | | 20,089 | |

### U.S. Open Cup

| Round | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance | Ref |
| R4 | August 3, 2005 | Richmond Kickers | A | W | 3–1 | Adu, Gómez (2) | 8,412 | |
| QF | August 24, 2005 | FC Dallas | H | L | 1–1 (1–4 pen.) | Gómez | 4,258 | |

### Copa Sudamericana

| Round | Leg | Date | Opponents | Venue | Result | Score F–A | Goalscorers | Attendance | Ref |
| R16 | 1 | September 17, 2005 | Universidad Católica | H | T | 1–1 | Walker | | |
| R16 | 2 | September 23, 2005 | Universidad Católica | A | L | 2–3 | Gomez (2) | 14,118 | |

## League standings
### Conference

Eastern Conference regular season champion  Qualify for 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs
    $^1$Earns top-seed in MLS Cup Playoffs

### Overall

MLS Supporters' Shield, Western Conference regular season champion  Eastern Conference regular season champion  Qualify for 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs

#### Notes

* Note 1: The San Jose Earthquakes earn the top-seed in the Western Conference bracket of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
* Note 2: The Columbus Crew earn the top-seed in the Eastern Conference bracket of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

## Player details

Sources:
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | MLS Cup Playoffs | MLS Cup Playoffs | CONCACAF Champions' Cup | CONCACAF Champions' Cup | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | USA | Troy Perkins | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | USA | David Stokes | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | USA | Brandon Prideaux | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ARG | Facundo Erpen | 0 | 1 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | USA | Nick Van Sicklen | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | USA | Freddy Adu | 0 | 4 | 0+0 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF | ARG | Christian Gomez | 0 | 12 | 0+0 | 11 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | USA | Alecko Eskandarian | 0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 13 | DF | USA | Tim Merritt | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | MF | USA | Ben Olsen | 0 | 2 | 0+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF | USA | Kenny Arena | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA | Brian Carroll | 0 | 1 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | USA | Joshua Gros | 0 | 5 | 0+0 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 18 | GK | USA | Nick Rimando | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | USA | Clyde Simms | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | UKR | Dema Kovalenko | 0 | 4 | 0+0 | 4 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | USA | Jason Thompson | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | USA | Jamil Walker | 0 | 3 | 0+0 | 2 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | GHA | Nana Kuffour | 0 | 1 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 25 | FW | USA | Santino Quaranta | 0 | 5 | 0+0 | 5 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | USA | Bryan Namoff | 0 | 1 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | USA | John Wilson | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 28 | DF | USA | Shawn Kuykendall | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 29 | FW | USA | Matt Nickell | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 30 | GK | USA | Andrew Weber | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | JAM | Stephen deRoux | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | USA | Bobby Boswell | 0 | 3 | 0+0 | 3 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 99 | FW | BOL | Jaime Moreno | 0 | 17 | 0+0 | 16 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 1 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |

## Transfers

All transactions sourced to: "MLSnet.com: Transactions". Major League Soccer. D.C. United. April 3, 2005. Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved August 25, 2011.

### In

| Date | Pos | Name | From | Fee/notes |
| January 14, 2005 | MF | Nick Van Sicklen | Wisconsin Badgers | Drafted in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft second round |
| January 14, 2005 | DF | Tim Merritt | North Carolina Tar Heels | Drafted in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft fourth round |
| February 4, 2005 | FW | Matt Nickell | Drake Bulldogs | Drafted in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft first round |
| February 4, 2005 | GK | Andrew Terris | Stanford Cardinal | Drafted in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft third round |
| February 4, 2005 | MF | Shawn Kuykendall | American Eagles | Drafted in the 2005 MLS Supplemental Draft fourth round |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Name | To | Fee/notes |
| November 19, 2004 | MF | Ezra Hendrickson | Chivas USA | Acquired through 2004 MLS Expansion Draft |
| November 19, 2004 | FW | Thiago Martins | Chivas USA | Acquired through 2004 MLS Expansion Draft |
| November 19, 2004 | MF | Kevin Ara | Real Salt Lake | Acquired through 2004 MLS Expansion Draft |
| January 20, 2005 | MF | Doug Warren | New England Revolution | Traded for fourth round pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft |
| April 4, 2005 | POS | Tim Laweson | No club | Waived |
| May 23, 2005 | DF | Mike Petke | Colorado Rapids | Traded for Chris Henderson |
| May 24, 2005 | MF | Chris Henderson | Columbus Crew | Traded to Columbus for partial allocation money |
| May 24, 2005 | GK | Andrew Terris | None | Released |