D.C. United’s recent trip to the Pacific Northwest was a dream come true for rookie Rod Dyachenko. He got a rare chance to see the field as a substitute against Real Madrid in Seattle and did so in front of his parents, who live across the Canadian border in Vancouver and came down for the match.
Stuck for hours in the Seattle airport the next morning — the day of the foiled terrorist plot in London — Dyachenko got a healthy dose of humility when he was the victim to one of teammate Alecko Eskandarian’s better pranks this season.
“He called me pretending to be a [reporter], and I just – it was a disaster,” said Dyachenko. “He tried to start something, it was a funny thing. I didn’t even realize until like two hours later so I was just appalled. It was embarrassing.”
The 22-year-old Russian also sports a buzz cut just like the rest of United’s rookies, but his play has demonstrated serious promise for a long MLS career.
At 6-foot and 185 pounds, Dyachenko is markedly different from the two players ahead of him in D.C.’s attacking midfield role — Christian Gomez (5-6, 162 pounds) and Freddy Adu (5-8, 145 pounds).
“It’s kind of a rare thing, a big kid who’s got good feet. So there’s a lot of upside to Rod,” said United assistant coach Tommy Soehn. “Has he gotten there yet? No, but he’s made progress so we’ve felt good putting him in there in spots.”
“I have a real good example in Christian Gomez so I just try to emulate everything basically that he’s doing because I feel like he’s one of the best players in the league,” said Dyachenko.
He’s appeared as a reserve in D.C.’s last two league games and could be an early option off the bench in tonight’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal against New York. But Dyachenko’s still has a ways to go before becoming a regular in the starting 11.
“The good ones have two, three or four options in their head before they get the ball. When Rod gets the ball at his feet, his first option is just to open himself up and then look, and it’s kind of too late,” said Soehn. “The speed of the game in the pros, you’ve got to have options before you get the ball, and that’s something that Rod’s still gotta learn and grow with. As he gets that, he’ll get better and better.”
Imported talent
Dyachenko, selected by D.C. United in the third round of the 2006 draft out of Nevada-Las Vegas, has played in every reserve match this season, tallying one goal and five assists.
Born in Russia and raised in Canada, Dyachenko spent little time on the East Coast before being selected by United in the third round of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft. “It’s a little more like Europe,” said Dyachenko of Washington. “I went to school in Vegas so that was kind of crazy, but this is just a little different. I’m lovin’ it, though.”
