Wayne Rooney's DC United was beaten 1-0 by New England Revolution on Saturday night, leaving it stranded seven points adrift at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
DC fell to defeat after Carles Gil, the former Aston Villa midfielder, scored in just the 18th minute at the Gillette Stadium to send Rooney to his second loss since returning to Washington as coach.
But - whisper it quietly - for a team in such a bad spot, there might be signs of life and reasons for encouragement in Rooney's team moving forward.