Happy World Cup Eve!

So, it's been a while since this blog was updated. Why I felt the need to type that last sentence I don't know. Considering you could just scroll down and look at the date of the last post, but hey, it's my blog and I'll digress if I want to!

Anyway, with the world cup almost here, United gets a nice little break after tonight's game in Seattle. Hopefully when we come back from our respective World Cup holidays we will see some new faces on the roster, because unless you've been living under a rock or only following mainstream American sports coverage for the last four months, you know that the season thus far has been a little on the disgraceful side. Seven points from eleven games. A four - nil loss away to Kansas City. A two - nil loss at home to the Red Bulls. When looking for things to complain about this season, the pickins ain't exactly slim. The fans' first reaction when their team isn't playing well is almost always to grab their respective pitchforks or torches and march to the manager's house screaming bloody murder. However, in this instance, I think that anger would be misplaced. This isn't Onalfo's fault. The man took over a flawed team weeks before the season started and hasn't really had the chance to bring in any talent (Morsink doesn't count). The fact that we're going into tonight's game with the hope of securing points is testament to Onalfo's ability. He took a team that looked like it was in free-fall after the first few games and made a side that is still in the playoff picture. Although, much of the reason that we're still in the picture has to be attributed to fact that, aside from Columbus, the East is awful this year. As far as assigning blame goes, I think you have to put it squarely on the shoulders of Dave Kasper. This group of players isn't good enough. For the past four years, this team has steadily gotten worse and worse, and the vast majority of the players we have brought in have been duds. And yet, here we are, at a new summer transfer window, looking for a new number 10 who can make things all better. I really hope we find him, because better would be nice.

O.K., Let's Get Rolling

So where to begin discussing the new season? Since our last post, two major developments have taken place. The Club has signed Christian Castillo and named Curt OnaIfo Head Coach. I like both steps. Curt Onalfo (while not the first choice) knows the value of the Badge. He's played here, assisted here, and he brings the requisite experience to understand our League's strange rules. With a capable Coaching Staff and Front Office, things are looking up. I also like the Castillo signing. A fast young player with skills is usually a good thing. The only question I have is can he adapt to MLS?


So what about the roster? Let's start at the back and work forward. Josh Wicks is said to be likely to return to practice a couple of weeks before the scheduled start of the season. Both Milos Kocic and Bill Hamid are to return. I can live with that scenario. I think it will be a good test for Milos to see if he can handle the number one job temporarily. I also think Josh Wicks is a solid #1 Keeper. I know that the team is always looking to improve, but I thinks we have other positions of need before another keeper.


Let's talk about the defense. This is a group that has taken quite a bit of flak for leaking so many goals. But I am optimistic. The reports that I have read state the the Namoff is recovering well from the head issue. I have also read that one of the offseason priorites for the team was finding an experienced central defender with an eye to pairing him with Dejan in the middle of a four man backline. I think that is an outstanding idea. With some salary cap space freed up from departing players, we should be able to spend a reasonable amount here. The left back is a question in my mind. I think that Burch has made strides and would be much better in a four man line than a three man line. Rodney Wallace may be another option here.


The midfield, on the other hand, is going to need significant retooling. With Benny's retirement and Jacobson gone to Philly, we have lost two solid holding middies (thank goodness for Clyde Simms...). It also appears likely that Christian Gomez will not return. So we have Clyde, Danny Szetela, Fred, Santino, Rodney Wallace and Chris Pontius retuning. The club is also said to be optimistic about Brandon Barkledge. It is also worth noting that the upcoming draft is loaded with midfielders. I also think that Ponius and/or Tino should be playing as frowards. At any rate, it seems to me that our 2010 midfield will be very different from last year. Do we play Fred on the right wing? I think that we should look at him playing the Central Attacking role if Christian Gomez does not return. But if he is in the middle, who is the right wing?


So what about the forwards? It appears that Luciano Emilio will not be returning, but that Jaime Moreno will (He was at the Meet the Coach event last night). As I have stated before, I would like to see Chris Pontius and Santino play as forwards. Along with Jaime, we have three solid options up top.


So here is my summary:





GK: Wicks/Kocic (Hamid as depth)


D: Namoff, Jakovic, TBD, Burch? Wallace? (James as depth inside, not sure about outside depth)


MF: Simms (Holding), Castillo (Left wing), Fred (either CAM or Right Wing), TBD (Where does Szetela fit in? Barkledge?)


F: Pontius, Moreno, Quaranta (Khumalo for late sub/depth)



Bench: James, Habarugira, McTavish




See you at the draft in Philly.

Offseason Priorities Part Two: Take My Roster...Please

Looking at our current roster strikes me as a good news/bad news sort of situation. The good news is we have a solid core group of young players (Pontius, Wallace, Jakovic, Tino). The bad news is that a lot of our key players are getting too old. The decisions about the veteran players have got to be the most painful for the club to make. This is especially true for legendary guys like Jaime and Benny.
The first roster decision that the Front Office must make concerns the upcoming Expansion Draft for the Philadelphia Union. The reports that I have read indicate that the protected list (of eleven players) must be submitted the day after MLS Cup and that the actual draft will occur three days later. So who do we protect? Here's my breakdown;

No Brainers
Pontius, Wallace, Jakovic, Namoff (get well soon), Quaranta, Simms, Jacobson (yes, that is a short list)

Questions
Szetela (was his benching because of a issue with Tommy or is he a problem case?)
Burch (I say protect him assuming we play a four man backline, which we should)
McTavish (decent utility player, very cost effective)
Every goalie on the roster (this is not meant as a knock on the guys we have, but I think some other teams goalies will be more attractive to the Union than ours). I am also curious to see if Cronin fits in to the mix.
Vaughn (has room for improvement, but with the right coaching could be a solid player)
Khumalo (some much needed speed, the touch needs a lot of work)

Don't know (have not seen enough)
Habarugira, Allen, DiRaimondo, Barklage

Not Protected
Fred (nice guy, but ineffective and expensive)
Gomez (expensive, can't go 90, a sentimental favorite to be sure)
Emilio (not worth the DP money)
Janicki (no comment necessary)
John (dont think he's be an attractive target for an expansion club)
N'Silu (just not impressed with what I saw from him)
Shipalane (did not see much except the crossover move)

The only two players I have not included are Jaime and Benny. I am absolutely torn on these two. If (and this is a very big if), Jaime is willing to accept a pay cut and a reduced role (think super sub), he should be protected. That is asking a lot from a player with Jaime's resume. I am leaning towards protecting Benny. He has stated that he wants to play next year and, especially with a new coach, he brings a lot more to this team than just his play on the field. With his ankle issues, it would be a major risk for the Union to pick him.

One final topic, the ongoing labor negotiations. How is a front office supposed to make plans for retooling a roster when they dont know what the ground rules are? This is especially true for a team (like ours) that could see significant roster turnover. How many roster spots will there be? How many DP spots will there be? What will the salary cap be? Add to these questions the possibility that there could be a strike or lock out of the players next spring? What does Kevin Payne or Dave Kasper say to some player's agent when they are trying to convince another South American that DCU is the right club for him? Good luck with that, fellas.

Offseason Priorities Part One: We Need a Coach

Now that we have had some time to reflect on the second disappointing season in a row, it is time to take a look at what steps the club should take to right the ship going in to next season.

The first item on the agenda is finding the right head coach. Richie Williams, Curt Onalfo and Preki have been widely mentioned as candidates. Goff has also blogged that Caleb Porter from the University of Akron has been interviewed. Dennis Hamlett's name has also been mentioned. If this is the list to choose from, I say narrow the list to Preki and Richie Williams immediately. Besides the requisite experience in the way MLS really works, these two would bring the fire in the belly attitude that this team has been missing.

Richie Williams resume and reputation speak for themselves. He has made a lousy team respectable as the interim coach on two different occasions. I think Red Bull would be foolish not to offer him their head coaching position. But their history of foolishness is well documented. If they feel like they need a big name coach to put butts in the seats of their new stadium, then they could shoot themselves in the foot yet again.

The concern I have about Preki is the playing style of Chivas USA during his time there. One of the things I love about United is that they at least try to play elegant, attacking football. Kevin Payne alluded to this in the comments he made that cost him five grand. My personal opinion is that he was absolutely right. When you look at the bunker way some of the teams in this league play (New England comes to mind), it can be downright painful to watch. Chivas USA has been guilty at times of playing that same style. What I think we need to know is, was that style a result of his Preki's coaching philosophy or was it simply the case of matching tactics to the talent he had to work with. I personally think that it was the latter.

I have to believe that the coaching job at United is one of the more coveted positions in the league. A team with a passionate fan base, a history of success and a solid nucleus of good young players has to be very tempting to a coach looking to make his mark. Let's just hope we find the right man.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

There has been a lot of discussion about what is wrong with this team. Part of the answer is obvious. We are paying some very high salaries to players whose form is poor. Between Fred, Luciano Emilio and Christian Gomez, we are paying just under a million dollars against the cap to players who either are on the bench, should be on the bench, or are part time players. In a league with a fixed salary cap, I don't see how that can be overcome.

But I think there's more ailing this team than a few players underachieving. This is a team that really looks lost to me. Despite having already played almost 40 matches, we sometimes look like a team that has been playing together for two weeks. The players often appear to be waiting for someone else to make a play. Runs away from the ball are rare, and the ones that do occur are not rewarded with effective passes. Speaking of which, how many truly incisive passes has this team made in the last five matches? Contrast that with how many passes of less than five yards that accomplished nothing in the last five matches. I'm sure a lot of that is due to fatigue. Forunately, the seriously brutal portion of our schedule ends with our next match. But it still points to a coaching issue.

Another factor that needs to be considered is our frequently changing lineups. I understand that minutes must be managed in a ridiculously crowded schedule*. This is especially true for the older players. But how are the players (especially the young guys) supposed to develop chemisty together when they don't get consisistent time at a given postition? Consider Chris Pontius and Rodney Wallace as examples. Is Pontius a winger? a striker? a central midfielder? Is Wallace a winger? a holding midfielder? an outside back? The balancing act between managing minutes and building team cohesion has not been handled effectively. This also points to a coaching issue. But, in fairness, it should be pointed out that if our much vaunted depth was as deep as advertised, we wouldn't be in this situation. That is a front office issue.

On the bright side, we still have a realistic chance to make the playoffs. With three very beatable teams (San Jose and Chivas USA at home plus Kansas City on the road), as well as a home match against Columbus, we can still get to 45 points. A playoff berth is 100% assured at 45 points. But our margin for error is gone.

*At the conclusion of the regular season, DCU will have played 45 matches. The Colorado Rapids will have played 33. Both teams operate with the same roster and salary restrictions in a league that prides itself on limiting competitve advantages to its member clubs. To paraphrase P.J. O'Rourke, "This is what those of us who follow such things closely refer to as bullshit."

Talking Points: The Defense

First things first. Should we play three or four in the back? I think that the fairly obvious answer is four. Recent results bear this out. It is especially true with Dejan Jakovic out of the lineup. I don't see another player on the roster capable of holding down the middle in a three man backline. Even with Dejan in the lineup, we have been exposed repeatedly on counterattacks.

The good news is that in Namoff and Dejan (once he's back) we have two steady and reliable professionals. The question marks are the other two spots. I think that Marc Burch has made signicant strides in his marking ability. I also think his skill set would benefit a great deal from having a second inside back on the field to provide cover.

The top question in my mind is the other centerback slot. Greg Janicki? No thank you. Julius James? I haven't seen him enough to know whether his performance against Dallas last night was indicative of a marginal player's typical performance or a capable player having a bad night. I also haven't seen enough of Habarugira to know what to think about where he should fit in. In considering this slot further, another question comes to mind. Does the team still consider Devon McTavish an option on defense? I thought his play on the backline in the past was decent. Not great, but decent. Considering all of the options available, I would like to see him get a shot at the second centerback slot.

One final thought, the fact that what formation we should be using could even up for debate in the month of September says something about the leadership of this team. But that is a subject for another post.

Talking Points: Our Transition Offense

Welcome to something I've just started calling: Talking Points. The hope is that we can make this into a regular feature here at United Front. It will bring up certain topics that have been on our minds, and quite possibly yours as well.

No use beating around the bush, our transition from defense to offense is SLOW. In fact, over the last two years it seems to have steadily slowed so that it might simply ground to a halt somewhere around the 63rd minute of the game against the Sounders on the 12th. Whether this is do to players being old and slow, lacking in vision, or a fault of the coaching staff is up for debate, and frankly, that's what this place is for.

The standard DC United Offensive buildup:

Meander up the field making sure that every player gets a touch. Make sure to take your time, or the opposing team won't be in proper position to defend any crosses or incisive passing. Slowly but surely, bring every player into the opponent's half so that we're wide open for a counter attack. Never forget, there's no such thing as one pass too many.

As I read the above, oh-so-subtle, bit of satire I realise that it may be a bit harsh. There are times when we play some damn good ball. But, more often than not, we are subjected to watching our team miss opening after opening do to a lack of sharpness and speed. It's getting a bit old.