For only having two wins since the middle of May, D.C. United went into Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Union in a position to create a logjam at the top of the Eastern Conference. A win would have created a three-team tie atop the East, between United, the Union, and Atlanta United. Paul Arriola spoke midweek about how the game was a "must-win" for D.C., so it seemed that the club understood the importance of the game.

That didn't exactly show up on the field on Sunday night, however, as United fell behind early and were played off the field in a 5-1 loss, the most goals they've conceded at their new home. Junior Moreno picked up a red card in the first half, and Chris Durkin left with a right foot injury early in the game. It was a statement game for the Black-and-Red, but the statement that they made will make for a tense final two months of the season.

Here's a couple of thoughts from last night's game.

United Didn't Step Up When They Needed To Against The Union

Head coach Ben Olsen addressed the team after the deflating loss, even though he'd prefer to not use that tactic too often. But it's hard to blame Olsen for thinking his team needed to hear some harsh words after a game in which they were completely outplayed.

Olsen didn't exactly mince words when he got to this postgame press conference either. 

"They had more guys show up than we did," Olsen said of the Union, "and that’s a concern."

Knowing the stakes of the — the first of the final 10 games of the season, against a rival in the playoff standings, and at home — United should have been able to come out flying on Sunday night. Instead, they were tepid and were behind by the third minute, when Alejandro Bedoya struck for the opener. 

Although United almost got to the break down just a goal, the rest of the first half continued to favor the visitors. Union held a 16 to one shot advantage at the break, with United failing to do much in the offensive third of the field. And then Moreno was sent off, and Marco Fabian scored in first-half stoppage time. By the time the teams retreated to the locker room, the result already seemed secured for Philly. 

There was a small response from United in the second half after they had already conceded the third goal. Frederic Brillant grabbed a goal back, and Arriola just missed on two other occasions, as United managed a more respectable 10 shots in the second half. After the game though, no one was too impressed that United only finally seemed to wake up after falling behind by three goals.

"I think it's B.S. We should be able to do that from the beginning of the game," Arriola said in the locker room after the game. "We are just not on the same page, collectively."

The loss hasn't doomed United's season, but Olsen recognized after the game that the team is now at a crossroads. United can either use this game as motivation, and turn around their recent run of poor form, or let the moment get the best of them and end up out of the playoffs at the end of the regular season.

"We can go two ways from here. This is a moment," Olsen said. "This is a game where we can respond, and have a real charge at this, or we can go the other way."

Crisis At Center Midfield

D.C. were already weakened in midfield after Russell Canouse suffered a collapsed lung against the Chicago Fire. Canouse is likely to miss most of the month of August recovering, which made the injury to Durkin even more painful for United. Olsen said after the game that there was some real concern about Durkin's right foot injury, and the 19-year-old left the stadium with a boot on. 

There's no timetable yet for his injury, but it seems likely that Durkin won't be available next Sunday, at a minimum, when United host the LA Galaxy. On top of that, Moreno's red card will also rule him out against Zlatan Ibrahimovic's side, robbing United off all three of their central midfield options.

Against the Union, Olsen used Leonardo Jara, Lucas Rodriguez, and Wayne Rooney in the two defensive midfield roles. None of those options are quite ideal, but there won't be many other options for Olsen against the Galaxy. Antonio Bustamante, who played for United in the Open Cup and has spent most of the season with Loudoun United, is an option but lacks professional experience. 

The transfer window is still open of course, and the injuries to Canouse and Durkin might force United's hand into making a move. But with three absences next week, any combination in the midfield roles will be patchwork, in a game that United really needs to win, having just three home games left after the visit from the Galaxy.