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.