# 2008 D.C. United season

The 2008 D.C. United season was the fourteenth year of the club's existence, as well as their thirteenth season in Major League Soccer and their thirteenth consecutive season in the top tier of the 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 2007 MLS Supporters' Shield winners, United qualified for the inaugural CONCACAF Champions League. The tournament replaced the obsolete CONCACAF Champions' Cup, and was modeled similarly to its cousin tournament, the UEFA Champions League. In the Champions League, United continued their misfortunes, losing all their Group stage matches at home, and only managing to pick up one draw at Costa Rica's 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 U.S. Open Cup play, ultimately winning the domestic title against Charleston Battery, 2–1. The domestic cup title was their first since their inaugural season. The U.S. Open Cup, a domestic cup tournament much similar to the FA Cup runs parallel to the regular seasons of all tiers of professional and amateur soccer in the United States. The tournament is open for entry for any soccer club, professional or amateur, that is affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. For MLS clubs, the top six American MLS clubs overall in the regular season are admitted entry into the third round proper, or round of 16, in the tournament. By finishing 1st overall in the regular season, United booked a third round entry in the tournament proper. The club opened Open Cup play with wins against Rochester Rhinos of the USL First Division (second tier) and New England Revolution of MLS (first tier) in the third round and quarterfinals respectively. In the semifinals, United won in extra time to defeat 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 | USA | Zach Wells |
| 2 | DF | ARG | Gonzalo Peralta |
| 3 | MF | USA | Joe Vide |
| 4 | DF | USA | Marc Burch |
| 5 | MF | USA | Quavas Kirk |
| 6 | MF | USA | Domenic Mediate |
| 7 | MF | BRA | Fred |
| 8 | DF | SLE | Ibrahim Koroma |
| 10 | MF | ARG | Marcelo Gallardo |
| 11 | FW | BRA | Luciano Emilio |
| 12 | MF | HON | Iván Guerrero |
| 13 | DF | USA | Ryan Miller |
| 14 | MF | USA | Ben Olsen |
| 15 | MF | RUS | Rod Dyachenko |
| 16 | DF | USA | Greg Janicki |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 17 | FW | RSA | Thabiso Khumalo |
| 18 | DF | USA | Devon McTavish |
| 19 | MF | USA | Clyde Simms |
| 20 | DF | USA | Mike Zaher |
| 21 | DF | USA | Pat Carroll |
| 22 | MF | USA | Ryan Cordeiro |
| 23 | DF | COL | Gonzalo Martínez |
| 24 | MF | USA | Jeff Carroll |
| 25 | FW | USA | Santino Quaranta |
| 26 | DF | USA | Bryan Namoff |
| 27 | GK | LBR | Louis Crayton |
| 28 | MF | ARG | Jonathan La Rosa |
| 30 | FW | LBR | Francis Doe |
| 40 | GK | USA | James Thorpe |
| 99 | FW | BOL | Jaime Moreno (captain) |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| January 18, 2008 | Ryan Cordeiro | MF / FW | University of Connecticut | 2008 MLS SuperDraft, Round 3 selection |
| January 22, 2008 | Gonzalo Peralta | DF | Almirante Brown | Free, Discovery Player |
| January 29, 2008 | Marcelo Gallardo | MF | Paris Saint-Germain | Free |
| March 1, 2008 | Pat Carroll | DF | West Virginia University | Free |
| March 15, 2008 | Quavas Kirk | MF | Los Angeles Galaxy | Traded for Greg Vanney |
| March 27, 2008 | James Thorpe | GK | Franklin Pierce College | Developmental contract |
| April 17, 2008 | Mike Zaher | DF | Toronto FC | Traded for undisclosed SuperDraft pick |
| April 23, 2008 | Francis Doe | FW | New York Red Bulls | Waived by New York, free transfer |
| June 30, 2008 | Craig Thompson | MF | Houston Dynamo | Free |
| July 16, 2008 | Joe Vide | MF | San Jose Earthquakes | Free |
| July 31, 2008 | Iván Guerrero | MF | San Jose Earthquakes | Trade for partial allocation |
| August 7, 2008 | Louis Crayton | GK | Basel | Undisclosed |
| September 15, 2008 | Ryan Miller | DF / MF | Cleveland City Stars | Free |
| September 16, 2008 | Greg Janicki | MF | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | Loaned, subsequently signed developmental contract |

### Loan
#### In

| Player | Pos. | From | Start | End |
| Franco Niell | FW | Argentinos Juniors | January 22, 2008 | June 28, 2008 (waived) |
| Ibrahim Koroma | DF | Kallon | September 1, 2008 | January 31, 2009 |
| Thabiso Khumalo | MF / FW | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | September 1, 2008 | January 31, 2009 |

## Standings
### Major League Soccer

Conference Standings
| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 3 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 4 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 30 | 10 | 11 | 9 | 42 | 48 | −6 | 39 | MLS Cup Playoffs |
| 6 | D.C. United | 30 | 11 | 15 | 4 | 43 | 51 | −8 | 37 | |
| 7 | Toronto FC | 30 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 34 | 43 | −9 | 35 | |
Overall Table
| Pos | Teamvte | 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 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 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 | North American SuperLiga |
| 5 | New England Revolution | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 40 | 43 | −3 | 43 | North American SuperLiga |
| 6 | Kansas City Wizards | 30 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 42 | North American SuperLiga |
| 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 |
| 13 | LA Galaxy | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 55 | 62 | −7 | 33 | |
| 14 | San Jose Earthquakes | 30 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 32 | 38 | −6 | 33 | |
* ↑ As winners of the 2009 Canadian Championship

### CONCACAF Champions League

Group A
| Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 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 |
| D.C. United | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 13 | −9 | 1 |

## Match results
### MLS

| Win | Tie | Loss |
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| March 29, 2008 | Kansas City Wizards | A | 0–2 | 10,385 | |
| April 5, 2008 | Toronto FC | H | 4–1 | 20,161 | Emilio, Quaranta, Gallardo, Moreno |
| April 12, 2008 | Real Salt Lake | A | 0-4 | 13,193 | |
| April 17, 2008 | Columbus Crew | H | 1–2 | 13,329 | Namoff |
| April 26, 2008 | Real Salt Lake | H | 4-1 | 23,269 | Moreno (2), Quaranta, Gallardo |
| May 4, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | A | 0-2 | 13,115 | |
| May 8, 2008 | Chicago Fire | H | 0–2 | 18,605 | |
| May 17, 2008 | Chivas USA | A | 1–3 | 13,113 | Gallardo |
| May 21, 2008 | Toronto FC | A | 0-1 | 19,791 | |
| May 24, 2008 | Toronto FC | H | 3–2 | 18,647 | Peralta, Moreno, Emilio |
| May 29, 2008 | New England Revolution | A | 2–2 | 8,159 | Emilio, Fred |
| June 7, 2008 | Chicago Fire | A | 1–2 | 19,256 | Moreno, Emilio |
| June 14, 2008 | New York Red Bulls | H | 4-1 | 18,622 | Emilio (3), Simms |
| June 22, 2008 | San Jose Earthquakes | H | 3–1 | 17,922 | Simms, Martínez, Emilio |
| June 29, 2008 | Los Angeles Galaxy | H | 4–1 | 35,979 | Moreno, Emilio (2), Gallardo |
| July 23, 2008 | Houston Dynamo | H | 0–2 | 14,460 | |
| August 2, 2008 | Kansas City Wizards | H | 2–0 | 18,731 | Emilio, Moreno |
| August 10, 2008 | New York Red Bulls | A | 1-4 | 15,038 | Moreno |
| August 16, 2008 | Chicago Fire | A | 0–1 | 19,560 | Fred |
| August 20, 2008 | New England Revolution | A | 1-2 | 14,962 | Moreno |
| August 23, 2008 | Colorado Rapids | H | 3–0 | 17,283 | Vide, Quaranta, Kirk |
| August 30, 2008 | New York Red Bulls | H | 0–0 | 15,616 | |
| September 6, 2008 | San Jose Earthquakes | A | 1-2 | 10,121 | Quaranta |
| September 13, 2008 | FC Dallas | H | 2–2 | 19,890 | Moreno, Quaranta |
| September 20, 2008 | Los Angeles Galaxy | A | 2-5 | 27,000 | McTavish, Khumalo |
| September 28, 2008 | FC Dallas | A | 0-3 | 12,138 | |
| October 4, 2008 | Chivas USA | H | 0–3 | 28,145 | |
| October 12, 2008 | Houston Dynamo | A | 0–0 | 17,531 | |
| October 16, 2008 | New England Revolution | H | 2–1 | 16,672 | Doe (2) |
| October 26, 2008 | Columbus Crew | A | 0-1 | 19,591 | |

### CONCACAF Champions' Cup

| Win | Tie | Loss |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| QF | March 12, 2008 | Harbour View | A | 1–1 | 6,985 | McTavish |
| QF | March 18, 2008 | Harbour View | H | 5–0 | 12,394 | McTavish (2), Emilio (2), Fred |
| SF | April 1, 2008 | Pachuca | A | 0–2 | 18,642 | |
| SF | April 9, 2008 | Pachuca | H | 2–1 | 17,329 | Dyachenko, Niell |

### CONCACAF Champions League

| Win | Tie | Loss |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| GS | September 16, 2008 | Saprissa | H | 0–2 | 6,105 | |
| GS | September 24, 2008 | Marathón | A | 0-2 | 8,000 | |
| GS | October 1, 2008 | Cruz Azul | H | 0–1 | 7,124 | |
| GS | October 9, 2008 | Saprissa | A | 2–2 | 10,000 | Doe, Dyachenko |
| GS | October 21, 2008 | Cruz Azul | A | 0-2 | 4,265 | |
| GS | October 29, 2008 | Marathón | H | 2–4 | 7,156 | Doe, Janicki |

### U.S. Open Cup

| Win | Tie | Loss |
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result | Attendance | Scorers |
| 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 |
| SF | August 12, 2008 | New England Revolution | H | 3–1 | 6,797 | Emilio (2), Quaranta |
| F | September 3, 2008 | Charleston Battery | H | 2–1 | 8,212 | Emilio, Fred |