So, I’m still in the early stages of figuring out how to balance my D.C. United beat with new responsibilities covering the Washington Wizards. It’s a work in progress, to say the least. Please bear with me.
I’ll get to Rodney Wallace in a moment. But first, I did make it down to RFK earlier today to visit with DCU ahead of tomorrow night’s match against New York with a spot in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on the line. The Red Bulls’ focus on a rematch and revenge for the 3-2 result at Giants Stadium probably differs from that of D.C. United’, which has more concerns about putting together a first eleven that can grind out a result without inflicting too much damage on this weekend’s prospects against visiting Real Salt Lake.
Plus, DCU head coach Tom Soehn never reveals his lineup.
With that in mind, the most pressing item was Ben Olsen’s hamstring, which will sideline him for 3-4 weeks. One wonders if he’ll be ready enough for the two-game road trip to Seattle and Colorado from June 17-20. Olsen said last week that he was in denial about the initial tweak, which kept him out of the Toronto match on May 9. He clearly thought he was ready last weekend but that didn’t prove to be true. It’s important to understand that because he’s a veteran, because he’s so important to the team, because he has unique injury challenges, he doesn’t get the same treatment as other players. It’s not the same as keeping Greg Janicki out with an ankle knock. It’s way more fluid.
As Andrew Jacobson has been seeing more time on the pitch in place of Olsen, I asked Soehn about his partnership with Clyde Simms: “One of Andrew’s strongest suits is the ability to get into the attack. We’ve focused a lot on the defensive side of the game, which isn’t one of his strengths. But now he’s really absorbed that role, and he’s forgotten that he can attack so we’re going to push him to be a two-way player a little bit more, play box-to-box. He can hit a great ball so we need him closer to goal.”
As for Wallace, I figured now was as good a time as any to ask him about his international plans. He was born in Costa Rica, and there’s a summer full of international matches coming. Best not to be blindsided. Here was Wallace’s response about weighing his options: “I’ve heard different things here and there. I’ve been thinking about it. But to me, right now, it’s just something that is not number one on my list. Obviously, it’s something important and something that I have to face at a point. But right now, I’m focused on playing here, getting myself into D.C. United, just focusing on the situation that I have right now. I think that right now, I’m playing well and doing the right thing so I don’t want to get sidetracked. But it is important to think about.”
Wallace declined to comment when I asked him if he’s been contacted by the Costa Rican national team.
Thoughts? CR or USA?
