It’s an unfamiliar spot given last year’s struggles but also where D.C. United feels it belongs: first place in the Eastern Conference.
A chip on the shoulder has helped propel United (3-1-3) back to the top of the standings for the first time in more than a season, and D.C. needs to maintain that edge against the Kansas City Wizards (3-3-1), the team most recently displaced from first.
“The confidence is there, knowing that you’re in first, even though it’s early,” said D.C. midfielder Clyde Simms. “The mood around the locker room is much better.”
Christian Gmez is likely to feature in the attack after appearing as a substitute against Dallas last weekend, an effective stint in which he assisted the second of two goals for Jaime Moreno, helping the Bolivian earn his seventh career MLS player of the week award.
“I think it took [Gmez] a little bit to get into the game,” said United head coach Tom Soehn. “But once he did, he really managed the game well. He knew when to go for it, when to hold it, when to spray the ball.”
Goalkeeper choices
United rookie Milos Kocic (salary $20,100) made his first regular-season start last weekend, raising questions about the future of Louis Crayton (salary $179,000). For now, though, D.C. would like to believe it has three legitimate starting options, as Josh Wicks ($42,000) is also getting close to full fitness after a hip flexor injury.
“We want him still to get a little bit fitter from his starting points when he came from L.A.,” said Soehn. “Like everybody, we want them at a certain spot. To his credit, he’s getting closer to that benchmark that we set for him, and he’s been working really hard. Pretty soon our decision will get even harder.”
Fred practicing again
Brazilian midfielder Fred will miss his second-straight match, staying home to work on fitness after spending the weekend at Johns Hopkins Hospital where his 11-month-old daughter, Eduarda, underwent five and a half hours of surgery to correct a craniofacial disorder. Despite an incision from ear to ear across the top of her head, “She is the same as before surgery,” said Fred, who didn’t sleep for four days. “You survive, man. You have to do it. We did it.”
