Dax McCarty was one of the last guys to see Chris Pontius before he hurt his right hamstring during U.S. men’s national team training camp in January 2010, a year before the two players became D.C. United teammates.
“You could see in training what he brought to the table,” McCarty said, “Good athleticism and a very good one-on-one player out wide, a guy who is going to create chances for you and make stuff happen.”
But a storybook ascent from first-round draft pick to MLS rookie of the year candidate to U.S. national team member was not to be. Instead, after four goals and three assists as a rookie, Pontius’ sophomore campaign couldn’t have been more of a pain, literally.
Sure, he played 17 games (13 starts) for D.C. last season, but thanks to the hamstring, which he re-aggravated against Chicago in April, Pontius was never quite himself, eventually shutting things down to get surgery in September. Pontius didn’t touch a ball again until D.C. United opened preseason in January, but only three months later, he casting aside any doubts that he’s all the way back after scoring a pair of goals in United’s 3-0 win last weekend in Toronto, including a bending strike on his second that harkened back to his similarly well-taken debut goal in United’s season opener at Los Angeles two years ago.
“It feels good,” Pontius said of his first goals since scoring a pair of strikes five minutes apart in last June’s 3-2 win at Seattle. “Last year, on either of those goals, I wouldn’t have been able to burst out and use the speed on the first one, and on the second one, that cutback would’ve hurt pretty bad, that motion on my hamstring.”
“It’s never a fun situation because [last year] he could play, but he couldn’t play to his maximum potential, and that’s frustrating both for him and for us because we didn’t necessarily know what it was,” said United head coach Ben Olsen. “Then, he goes in and finds out there’s some real stuff going on in there. I know it was a tough stretch for him. We needed him, but we’re glad it got fixed. I think you see now that he’s 100 percent healthy, and I know he’s enjoying playing again, and we’re enjoying having a 100 percent Chris Pontius.”
Lost in the focus on Charlie Davies’ return, Pontius also returned to the RFK Stadium for the first time since his injury when D.C. began its season on March 19 against Columbus. But this time, he started the year on the left side of the midfield – instead of a failed experiment at forward last season – and despite the competition from a deep roster, Pontius has been there ever since, one of just three D.C. players to start every MLS match this season (along with McCarty and Marc Burch).
“I’m sure there’ll be a game or two where I’ll be changed around,” Pontius said. “But I feel comfortable out on the left, and I think Benny sees that as the position that I can contribute to the team the most. That’s the most important part, just contributing to the team.”
“Sometimes your idea of a player isn’t always how it works out,” said Olsen. “Sometimes it’s important to ask them where they feel comfortable and what they think is their best spot. Obviously, after some experimenting, I think he’s in a good spot right now for him. He seems to like to face the field, still working on his ability to combine and be active and be a threat not just with the ball but without. All this stuff is going to continue to be a process because he’s still a young kid, but the talent that he has, he’s well-rounded, he’s a good player, he’s good in the air, his timing is good. He’s got some creative parts in his game, and he can finish so I’m glad he got his two goals.”
Pontius said he hasn’t changed the way he plays or the way he runs, only that he does do more hamstring exercises, but that’s part of simply taking better care of his body as he gets adjusted to being a pro.
“Everything is pretty much the same,” he said. “I’m just able to get into another gear now, which my body is finally allowing me to do.”
