D.C. United midfielder Kasali Yinka Casal knows all about Toronto FC forward DannyDichio, and he wasn’t surprised at all to see the 6-foot-3 striker’s physical — but often violent — behavior in Toronto’s 3-1 win over Chicago.
“He comes from, like, Millwall. That’s got to be the most vicious team in all of England,” said Casal, who despite his 13-year age difference with Dichio, shares the same hometown of Hammersmith, West London. “No one wants to go play at Millwall. They’re tough, and they’ve got the craziest fans. That’s just natural from him, really. That’s no big deal.”
Whether or not Dichio plays when United visits this weekend remains to be seen — thanks to his red card against the Fire, he was suspended for Toronto’s game Wednesday against Houston — but another rowdy atmosphere at BMO Field is virtually guaranteed.
After littering the playing surface with promotional seat cushions over the weekend, season ticket holders were e-mailed this week and warned of punishment should the unruly behavior continue.
“It’s a pretty hostile environment,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “It’s going to be great for our league to have that kind of fan support. As we look to give our guys experience, hostile environments like that will make you a better player.”
Fred, Simms training again
Midfielders Clyde Simms (ankle) and Fred (hamstring) could make their return to United’s lineup against Toronto. Both have recovered from their respective injuries and are training at full strength this week.
Fred had his most influential game yet with D.C. in its 1-1 draw with New England, getting forward and back, as well as to both sides of the field from his right midfield position.
“The guy works hard. I had some concerns about his defensive shape, but against New England, I thought he did a great job,” said Soehn. “He not only caused problems in the attack, but he was the first one back. He gave Khano [Smith] a real bounce. He’s reassuring us more and more that he is a complete player.”
“We have smart guys behind him too with [Ben] Olsen, [Brian] Carroll, Simms the idea that if he pushes forward that we cover,” said Soehn. “It’s not too different than when Freddy [Adu] was on our team. Freddy had more of an attacking mentality and how we covered when he went forward. Unlike Freddy, Fred’s got a better engine to get back, so in that sense, it has been a real positive.”
