I think one of the other things that's been noticed about the team (and which, like the whining to the ref, I dislike) is that our players go out of their way to try to provoke opponents into physical responses that would get them penalized (the first part of Joe's second sentence). Some of our players (not all of them) jeer, insult, trip, shove, and otherwise try to put players off their game. Now, that's not new, and it's not restricted to DC. There's always jostling, always a bit of "yo momma" mouth from the more classless players attempting to get the other guy off his game. But it seems to have developed into a calculated tactic at DC, focused on players known to have a short fuse, and played to an extent that the perps almost do it even when simply playing ball would get them more of an advantage. One example is a marked focus on Evan Whitfield. Evan is a bit of a thug himself, and has a temper that can get him into trouble. In the first match of the postseason tie, I watched Etch systematically shove, trip, step on, and swear at Whitfield when he might have thought he was shielded from the ref or not directly in his line of sight. And he got several fouls out of it when EW retaliated, but no card (IIRC). I believe Hristo was going after Whitfield again in the tackle and subsequent bitch session that led to his 82' caution and his petulant push on Bobby Convey (who just wanted to get on with the game). Whether we have Hristo, Marco, or Ray back next year or not (and I have to say at this point I hope not), I'd like to see an end to this particular tactic. It's unsportsmanlike, it's demeaning, and--for thsoe who don't care about either of those issues--it's bound to get us more fouls and cards and more bad rep with officials. That particular game is not worth the candle.