D.C. United Goat of the Month for June 2013

Last month, it was the man in charge, Ben Olsen. In April it was every single attacking player on the team. Back in March, it was Lionard Pajoy all by himself. Who will get the dubious honor of having the blame for D.C. United's month of June - which at a record of 3W-1D-3L was the least bad month of the year so far - placed on their shoulders? The nominees are:

Brandon McDonald: He didn't play much in June after a poor first three months (understatement!) saw changes to the whole team lineup. Nevertheless, the blame for arguably the worst result of the month, a 2-1 home loss to Toronto FC, is squarely on him. His lackadaisical defending of Robert Earnshaw on a free kick allowed the smaller Welshman to head the equalizer past Bill Hamid, setting the stage for TFC's game-winner (more on that in a second). The play was all too familiar to McDonald's game this season. B-Mac has since been banished to the far end of the bench, and barring injury he is unlikely to see the starting XI again anytime soon.

Own Goal: D.C. United is tied for the league lead in own goals scored, with two of them coming this past month. Own Goal scored Toronto's winner, thanks to the head of Daniel Woolard, and Own Goal (assisted by Nick DeLeon) was responsible for the opener in United's 2-0 loss in Chicago to start the month.

Ben Olsen: Our defending "champion" returns with another nomination this month. The results still aren't meeting expectations, even if the performances are improved over the last few weeks. His substitution patterns aren't working, with three attacking players entering in the second half against Vancouver last weekend only to go totally invisible providing the latest indictment on that front. Fans expect and deserve better from the team, and the head coach is always going to be a focus of ire for underperformance.

Dave Kasper: June saw D.C. United part ways with three players signed in the last year: Marcos Sanchez, Raphael Augusto and young designated player Rafael Teixeira de Souza. Dave Kasper has been in the front office since the end of the 2001 season and has been a part of the club's most recent successes - the 2004 MLS Cup, back-to-back Supporters' Shields in 2006 and 2007 and the U.S. Open Cup in 2008 - but also the club's lowest points ever, in 2010 and today. Unfortunately those low points coincide with his tenure as General Manager. Dissatisfaction with Kasper certainly extends well beyond the scope of June 2013, but the departures in the last month are emblematic of the organization's inability to bring in effective international talent, and they bring into focus the squandered promise of the team's 2012 playoff run during the last offseason.

Who gets the nod? Vote in our poll and have your say in the comments.