United's depth limits playing time for McTavish
By: Craig Stouffer
Examiner Staff Writer
May 14, 2009
Injury, quality D.C. bench kept veteran out of lineup
Devon McTavish had to be hard on himself.
He began the year with high expectations, a new contract and a place in D.C. United's first eleven, only to see things quickly derailed when he bashed heads with teammate Greg Janicki against Los Angeles on opening day. Compound a head injury with the emergence of the deepest team in MLS, and it was eight games before McTavish was a starter again last weekend.
But the usual workmanlike effort against Toronto -- the kind of showing that has made him into one of D.C.'s most dependable players -- was overshadowed by a single play.
"I think I broke up some plays and prevented some stuff," said McTavish. "But I don't think that was true the entire 75 minutes that I was on the field, and the fact is that [Adrian] Serioux was my man, and he scored that second goal. I have to prevent that from happening again."
United head coach Tom Soehn, who intended on starting McTavish a match earlier at Kansas City but kept him out due to illness, used the exact same last sentence in his message to the fourth-year midfielder.
"It's real easy," said Soehn. "It's a difficult roster to make."
Despite more than two-thirds of the regular season remaining, McTavish won't be able to match the career-high of 26 league appearances (25 starts, 2,223 minutes played) in 2008. But his ability to play nearly anywhere along the back line or in the midfield will ensure he's not too far away when Soehn does need help.
McTavish said fighting his way back into the first eleven has been frustrating. But he's not about to break ranks.
"Devon's a player that will always be in the mix," said United midfielder Clyde Simms. "Sometimes we joke that you're real versatile, you don't know if it's a gift or a curse. It's a bit of both, depending on the time in the season. I think it's a gift."
