D.C. United boarded a charter Thursday for the last and most taxing trip of the season, a seven-day adventure that will determine whether the MLS playoffs remain within reach.
After squandering opportunity after opportunity at home to build its postseason portfolio, United is desperate for points on the indoor artificial turf in Vancouver and in the outdoor heat of Austin. It is also going to need results in other Eastern Conference matches to fall its way.
Otherwise, for the fourth consecutive year, D.C. will miss the playoffs in a league that hands out invitations like Halloween treats.