Well, so far D.C. United’s offseason has been as interesting as the games were themselves, eh? Actually, maybe more.
First, there’s goalkeeper Josh Wicks getting shoulder surgery. What started out as 4-6 weeks has turned into 4-6 MONTHS. Nice. An interesting coincidence that it was announced the same day Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton appeared with a cast and crutches SIX DAYS after getting surgery on his foot.
That makes offseason player acquisition job No. 1 the same as it was last year: find a goalkeeper. (Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, are forward – because keeping Luciano Emilio at $750,000 isn’t worth it – and finding another defender – unless you think Julius James is a long-term solution.)
Second, there’s United president Kevin Payne getting fined $5,000 by Major League Soccer and then apologizing for these comments: “I deeply regret some of the comments I made in an interview published earlier this week. In trying to explain the, sometimes, unfair expectations on the Head Coach of D.C. United, I made critical comments of Colorado, New England, Real Salt Lake and the League. Those comments were unprofessional. I have great personal regards and professional respect for my colleagues at those organizations and for their ownership and fans. I have apologized to those teams and individuals privately and now do so publicly.”
There was plenty of uproar over Payne’s comments, but why get knickers in a twist over a man who’s clearly frustrated and disappointed in his team after they missed the playoffs. Isn’t a guy allowed to rant every once in a while?
Instead of a fine, the league could’ve just re-released the RSL-DCU match report from May 23, which showed that RSL out-shooting DCU, 14-9, with Wicks having eight saves to just one for Nick Rimando. That’s not bunkering. As for New England and Colorado, United tied the Revolution at home and lost at Gillette Stadium. Scoreboard. The Rapids: they scored one fewer goal (42) than D.C. (43).
Those are facts. Calling Payne’s comments “detrimental to the public image of the League” is one opinion versus another, sort of like Ricardo Salazar’s refereeing in Seattle.
As a final item for the weekend, here are some thoughts about Tom Soehn. The argument to retain him, you might be surprised to know, is actually pretty strong.
Soehn has a strong working relationship with Payne and DCU GM Dave Kasper. He has been in Washington since 2004. A system is in place, there was improvement over last year, and the schedule the past two seasons has almost been unfair. United is not Toronto – which has never made the playoffs in three years – or worse, New York – which is an abomination, aside from Red Bull Arena. Those teams are desperate for coaches and GMs who can build something successful. The reality with D.C. United is that while there are challenges – such as improving the international scouting and parting ways with Emilio, Christian Gomez, and quite possibly Fred, and placating Jaime Moreno – the team needs tweaks, not fundamental changes.
Remember, the wild card is sole team owner Will Chang. He’s the one with the big wallet, so he has the final say, but it’s difficult to know who has his ear. Is it Payne? Is it someone else? It will be interesting to see.
