The glimpses were there, as usual, as Hamdi Salihi and other D.C. United players took part in finishing drills on Friday morning at RFK Stadium before departing for Saturday’s game at New England. The 28-year-old Albanian simply has a nose for the goal.
He just hasn’t converted yet in four MLS games, and New England isn’t exactly a place that’s been ripe for scoring, with United converting 29 goals in 28 games in Foxboro.
Which would make it all the better for D.C. if Salihi got his first MLS strike this weekend.
“I was like every game – in Vancouver, against Dallas, the last match [vs. Seattle] also – really close to goal, but it’s not enough,” Salihi said. “I have to do a little bit better, but it’s also a little bit luck. I know that maybe now I can have three or four goals after these chances, and when I have these goals, now I am a different player.”
Certainly the storyline would be different for Salihi and for United coach Ben Olsen, who hasn’t lost faith in his prized offseason signing.
“Obviously, he came in with a lot of hype because of his goal scoring record,” Olsen said, referencing Salihi’s 53 goals in 90 career matches over three years with Rapid Vienna. “But we said from the start, every league is different. You’ve got to figure out your new life and your new teammates and your opponents and the style of the league. We also said that we have to make him better. He’s not a guy that’s going to come back 40 yards from goal, turn and beat three guys and hit one from outside the 18. He’s a goal scorer. He’s a fox in the box, and we need to get him as many looks as possible so he can be successful.”
United (1-2-2) also doesn’t yet have a goal from Dwayne De Rosario following an MLS MVP season which he finished with 16. De Rosario does have two assists, but he’s spent much more time shouldering two-way responsibilities in the midfield as well as trying to generate offense for others and himself.
“It comes with the position and my role in the team, playing that midfield position on this team, with two forwards,” he said. “It’s a big job because you’ve got to make sure you keep the team balanced.”
Asked if he was ready to get his first goal this weekend, De Rosario responded, “I’m ready to win.”
While D.C. could see some changes in the midfield and defense against the Revolution (lineup prediction below), signs point to De Rosario, Salihi and Maicon Santos.
Like De Rosario, Olsen said he’s also tasked Salihi with dirty work and has been pleased with the effort that he’s put in off the ball.
“I’m also asking him to be a little bit different than he has played for his entire career,” Olsen said. “I’m asking him to be more mobile and to get out of his comfort zone, too. So he’s getting used to that, and I have a lot of faith in him.”
Despite is goal scoring exploits, Salihi said he has gone through dry spells before.
“I know this situation,” he said. “It’s not the first time in my life, and I believe in myself and what I have. I know this will change.”
*D.C. United has loaned out Andrew Dykstra to the USL PRO Charleston Battery for two games: April 14 against the Charlotte Eagles and April 17 against the Richmond Kickers. Dykstra played for the Battery last season.
*As for United’s potential lineup vs. the Revolution, here’s my prediction based on observations at practice this week: Joe Willis, Daniel Woolard, Brandon McDonald, Dejan Jakovic, Robbie Russell, Nick DeLeon, Marcelo Saragosa, De Rosario, Danny Cruz, Santos, Salihi. Willis’s form in net has been solid so there’s no reason to rush back Bill Hamid. Emiliano Dudar, who tweaked a hamstring in training on Thursday, was in running shoes, not cleats, at training on Friday. Saragosa has gotten work in this week over Perry Kitchen with the first team, and an RFK return for Hamid and Andy Najar seems likely with the busy schedule ahead, starting with the team’s first ever game against Montreal on Wednesday.
