I’ve been bouncing around from the Wizards to Georgetown to the NCAA Tournament the last few days, but I haven’t missed out on D.C. United. So, after you’ve read my blog post on Charlie Davies and my story in today’s print edition, let’s get to rounding up the rest of United’s news from the week:
*A bit more about Davies and the rest of the projected lineup for tomorrow’s match against Columbus. My guess for the back line, based on what the team has used already in preseason and what’s been observed in training sessions: Jed Zayner, Dejan Jakovic, Perry Kitchen and Daniel Woolard will get the nod. Obviously, Pat Onstad is starting in goal.
Also, Dax McCarty will take the captain’s armband, having been announced in the role for the season by United head coach Ben Olsen during the team’s kickoff luncheon on Wednesday.
“We’ve been missing a guy like Dax here for a little bit,” said Olsen. “I think he represents a lot of what I like out of players and what I think can be a very good captain. I know it’s early, and I don’t know Dax that well. But I got a feeling that he’s got the right personality to lead this group.”
*With Onstad starting, Bill Hamid would be the likely choice to be the backup since he is back to full participation in practice. But Hamid hasn’t played any minutes since September. None. Even rookie Joe Willis, who was officially signed this week, has seen more action, which might make him a better candidate than Hamid for the 18-man roster.
Regardless, Hamid will man the net when D.C. United kicks off the reserve league season Sunday morning at 11 on the RFK auxiliary field.
*Speaking of the reserve match, due to an NCAA rule passed last summer, D.C. United can call up to five players from its academy teams to play in reserve matches with no fear of those players forfeiting their amateur status. On Sunday, D.C. expects to have Jalen Robinson from its under-16 team, and Iyassu Bekele and Cody Albrecht from the under-18s.
*Attendance at tomorrow’s match is expected to be between 15,000 and 17,000 at RFK Stadium, which has a much-improved pitch – especially considering the rough shape it was in when the Davies introduction press conference took place back in February. D.C. is scheduled to get the field re-sod after the friendly against Ajax on May 22.
“It’s awesome,” said United rookie Perry Kitchen after his first practice inside the stadium. “I walked out, and I got chills seeing all the stands, everything. It’s a little old, but definitely nice.”
*As for Kitchen, he’ll only get to play one MLS match before taking off to join and captain the U.S. under-20 national team for the CONCACAF U-20 championship, which takes place from March 28 – April 10 in Guatemala.
“It’s not the best timing,” said Kitchen. “But when I get back, I just have to get back into it with the team. I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to keep playing.”
*Going back a few days, there were a few notables that I spoke with during Wednesday’s kickoff luncheon, starting with Jaime Moreno, who talked about his decision to stay with D.C. United in a youth coaching capacity rather than continue his playing career overseas. How close did he come to leaving?
“Pretty close,” said Moreno. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have many options, but I could’ve gone back home [to Bolivia]. But then, like I said before, it was a big decision because it was my family first so that’s why I decided just to stay, and stay with the team in a different area. That doesn’t mean I won’t play next year. I might do it. You never know, but I’m just focusing on what my job is right now.”
*Bryan Namoff, who is continuing down his long road of recovery from concussion and whiplash symptoms, didn’t want to talk on the record but was clear that he hadn’t given up on continuing his career.
*D.C. United owner Will Chang was a low-profile presence, which matched the information that he had on the team’s simultaneous pursuits of a stadium and the diversification of its ownership group, with the latter essentially a prerequisite for the former. D.C. Councilmember Harry Thomas was among the luncheon attendees.
“The more diversified the ownership group, the more support I’m going to have locally,” said Chang. “…[The team is] definitely further along, and we are in discussions. I’m not prepared to really give details, but we are in discussions, and I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m going to be able to report something soon.”
Chang made it clear that he’s not relocating permanently to Washington, which wasn’t new, which led to a question about his future with the club.
“I’m committed to this team long term,” said Chang. “Bringing in local folks and diversifying the ownership really has no bearing on my commitment to the team. I love this team, and I try to make every effort to be a part of the D.C. United family, and that commitment absolutely will not change.”
*D.C. United president Kevin Payne also gave his impression of the team this season and the challenge of balancing the team’s past with the current group of players forging its own identity.
“We’re not ever going to forget our history,” said Payne. “We obviously are very proud of our history. But we understand that it’s time to write new pages in that history. We have a foundation in place, and it’s time to build something on that. But we’re all really excited about this group of young players. There will undoubtedly be ups and downs this year. We’ll make some youthful mistakes. But I think when we make mistakes, they’ll be mistakes of commission, mistakes of enthusiasm. They won’t be mistakes because we didn’t try to do something, and I’m convinced that this team is going to be really difficult to play against and is going to bring energy to every single game and is going to make the fans proud.”
Lastly, after three poor seasons in a row, I asked Payne if he had any sense of the fans’ frustration in the team and whether there was any indication of the team’s base of support eroding.
“Fans are disappointed when you don’t do well, and if you don’t perform up to expectations for a couple of years, then they don’t have the same level of faith because they don’t want to invest a lot of emotional capital into you and then be disappointed again,” Payne said. That’s natural. I don’t think it’s anything lasting. I think if we come out and play the way we expect to play this year, I think that our fans will be as enthusiastic and supportive as they’ve ever been.”
