Did Boskovic help his case?

He covered ground. He didn’t shy away from the aggressive stylings of MLS play. He orchestrated the D.C. United offense going forward. His set piece delivery was spectacular. He came inches away from scoring – maybe that’s what he needs to show D.C. United his value.

“I was hungry,” Boskovic said. “I didn’t play long time, and I want to use every chance they give to me. I must thank to start because they give it to me this chance.”

His English may still be a bit broken after more than two years in the U.S., but he’s always been clear in not blaming the club that pays him but has never fully embraced him for his struggles.

The 71 minutes that Boskovic played against the Rapids made for his longest outing since the 2010 season finale, just ahead of the 66 minutes he’d played in this year’s season opener. In between that game in early March and Wednesday, he’d started one other game. He’d played once in United’s last five matches, playing a key role in achieving a 2-0 road victory at Toronto.

Despite the lack of minutes, on the field versus Colorado there was a glimpse of the potential of Boskovic, Hamdi Salihi and Dwayne De Rosario together, as had been envisioned during preseason.

“I think we start play good, to recognize what we want between each other,” Boskovic said. “For that you need game, you need little bit time, little bit lucky to win game like this. Because it doesn’t matter if you play like this and lose, nobody’s happy after that. When you play like this and you win, you build your confidence and it’s okay.”

United coach Ben Olsen didn’t seem quite convinced. Asked about his three designated players, he appeared to give a nod to Maicon Santos and Chris Pontius.

“It’s never easy to go away from your quote-unquote starting 11 as a coach,” Olsen said. “But we built depth, and we talk about it, and we have to trust in it.”

If that’s the case, then Boskovic’s search for more than a single game, to prove that the chemistry with his teammates and his own improved play is no fluke, may be in vain. And if Boskovic is gone in six weeks, the trust that Olsen seeks, particularly at attacking midfield, will have to be put in someone else when De Rosario isn’t available. Stephen King? Josh Wolff? United could certainly try to bring in another designated player (costly, risky) or multiple less expensive players (risky), or it could stick with the continuity that Boskovic provides, even if it comes at a price. Right now, there’s balance in the United locker room and on the field.

“You can see on the field today, he brought nice composure, played the ball wide, kept us in possession,” De Rosario said. “He’s very good on the ball, and that’s someone we need in that position. He filled in nicely, and we couldn’t ask any more from him. Unlucky, him not scoring himself, but he’s getting in good areas, and he did well for us.”

There’s also the element of Boskovic’s relationship and influence on Salihi. There’s no guarantee that close friends can be anything more than colleagues in sports, but both players benefit from each other’s presence. 

“I don’t know,” Boskovic said when asked about his future. “Sometimes in soccer you need lucky, maybe to score goal, something like that. We will see. I try to give my best every practice and every game, and we will see.”

While Boskovic joked, Salihi looked beyond the box score.

“I know Branko from long time, and I know what he can do,” Salihi said. “You just give him little bit confidence, and he will give you a lot of good games. I know he is a big player and a player every team need. He’s a player for locker room, for outside, for training, match, for everything. Branko have great character, and I hope he stay here with us because I know every day he can give more for this team.”