D.C. United is in trouble. Anyone who has watched them play in recent weeks can tell that something is definitely wrong with D.C., and it’s more than just a case of chemistry issues or injury issues.
D.C. isn’t the first talented MLS team to get off to a slow start, and it would be easy to write off the slow start, but something is different this time around. D.C. officials surely recognize that, as evidenced by team president Kevin Payne’s scathing remarks about his team after Thursday’s loss to Chicago.
I gave my take on the D.C. situation in this ESPN.com piece.
Do I think D.C. can turn things around? The talent is there, but if Emilio doesn’t return to his MVP form and if D.C. doesn’t go out and get help or a replacement for Clyde Simms and replacement for Ben Olsen, D.C. will not be good enough to be a real factor in the East.
I am also not sold on Marcelo Gallardo. Haven’t been since day one. He is such a defensive liability that I can’t help but wonder if D.C. will need to find a way to go back to the 3-5-2 to give Gallardo the support he needs behind him in midfield. There’s a reason D.C. has been beaten repeatedly by opposing team’s central midfields. What has been easily forgotten is that Gallardo wasn’t D.C.’s first choice, Juan Veron was, and while Veron isn’t a true two-way midfielder either, he definitely has a higher work rate than Gallardo.
What I can’t help but wonder is whether D.C. owners will start looking at head coach Tom Soehn if the team keeps struggling. I think it would be very premature to let Soehn go but when you have new owners who have spent so much money on the team you never know what can happen. Former D.C. United coaching legend Bruce Arena is available and I have a feeling Kevin Payne wouldn’t be opposed to a reunion with Arena. I also can’t help but think that Arena would jump at the chance to coach his old team.
What do you think of D.C. United’s struggles? Share your thoughts below.
I don’t have a good feel for how much or how little Soehn is part of the problem. I also don’t think Gallardo is the issue. For starters, he played hurt against Colorado. And the Gallardo for Gomez swap isn’t really accurate. DCU tried to re-sign Gomez a year ago and he got angry because even though they offered him sufficient money, they didn’t guarantee enough years. They then went after Veron and crashed. They then went after Gallardo when it was clear that no matter what, they couldn’t re-sign Gomez.
I think the primary issues are:
–they can’t finish. Having Emilio out of form is a huge issue for this team since there really isn’t anyone else on the team you look at as a real goal scorer. Moreno hasn’t been a consistent scorer in the run of play since 2004. So some games they’ve gotten blown out in, they started reasonably well but missed chances.
–depth and performance at outside mid. Fred has been hurt. Quaranta can do some things at outside mid but that has never been a good position for him. Losing Olsen is really big for this team. But lost in the discussion is that the team basically lost Gros late last season because of the concussion issue. Now Olsen and Gros might not be the best pair of outside mids in the league but they’re a hard-running pair with a lot of grit. Take those two players from any team in the league and then have Fred in and out of the lineup with injuries and your workrate, grit and outside play is going to drop off significantly. So the team becomes a lot easier to defend against and midfield possession becomes worse.
–Peralta appears to have limitations as a sweeper. He’s good at a couple of things but has holes in his game and had a stinker on the road against RSL. Combined with losing Brian Carroll to the expansion draft, that means the defense is just good, not really impressive at the level of Houston, SJ, Columbus or Chicago.
The problem with bringing back Bruce is that he’s not the same Bruce who was at DC so many years ago. I think instead of looking to Bruce to go back to days of old, the club, if it decides to change coaches, needs to look forward.
Unfortunately, this start has the press and public (outside DC) realizing just how instrumental Ben Olsen has been for all these years. As a long time DC United supporter, it was very tough to hear Bennie bear the brunt of a lot of skepticism and critism during the last world cup. Bruce appreciated his “intangibles” and I’m so happy for him that he got to play. He may not be the best soccer player ever to hit MLS but he is the reason DC has lost their way.
Olsen, Gomez and others were able to hide Soehn’s significant weaknesses last year – at least until the playoffs when they became glarinly obvious. He is consistently outcoached. Bring back Bruce!
Regardless of any other problems or issues, one thing was readily apparent Thursday night: Soehn was *COMPLETELY* out-coached by Hamlett.
That’s because Quaranta is flat-out not an outside midfielder, no matter how many coaches have tried to hammer that peg into the hole. He’s a forward, and when United has played him as such, he’s been one of their top players on the field.
If I were Kevin Payne, I would give Soehn until the end of June — unless it becomes apparent before then that he has flat lost this team — and then look to replace him with Bruce Arena. I would take a look at Marco Etcheverry as well.
Don’t know what happened to my comment, but the discussion of right wing was about Santino Quaranta. For all of the talk of him coming back to form, he really isn’t that good. He misses a dozen easy plays a game and isn’t very accurate in shooting or passing.
Yeah, I have to agree with the comments above — I like Gallardo and see the quality of his play, I don’t think he’s the issue.
To me it seems the problem is having quality around him. When Fred is on the field with Marcello, the attack is dynamic. The right wing is a ? For all of the talk of him coming back to form, he really isn’t that good. He misses a dozen easy plays a game and isn’t very accurate in shooting or passing.
Then the conundrum is why Luciano hasn’t shown up this season. They just upped his pay, and to me it appeared that his work rate was up in the last game, so maybe now its just a question of getting him on the field with Gallardo behind him. But still, he hasn’t been effective at all. Moreno is good, but old and slow at this point. Niell is worthless in this physical league and Doe, you’ll soon find out, is also worthless.
The question on defense has to lie with the trio of Peralta, Martinez and Zach Wells behind them. The Gonzalos haven’t been a good centerback pairing, its just a fact. They start off well and lose steam as the game goes on. On Wells, the guy hasn’t had a clean game yet. In the last ESPN broadcast, Harkes mentioned that it doesn’t look like the defense has faith in Wells. I think he’s right, they’ve lost faith in Wells and Zach hasn’t been communicating well.
In my view, Clyde Simms is as good as any defensive midfielder in this league. I don’t think the blame should be landing on him.
i don’t understand the criticism of gallardo’s defense; he’s an attacking mid, and has always been one.
dc is really hurting at forward. that neill guy has looked pretty worthless. on thrusday w/out gallardo, fred, and benny, there was no creativity or dynamism in the attack – actually there was no attack at all.
Personally, I think Jaime Moreno is one of the biggest contributors to the team’s problems. Good strikers are able to hold up the ball when necessary, force their way through at other times, or make the quick pass and run to carve apart tight defenses. Moreno sees so much of the DCU ball that he has become a roadblock for the attack. His ball control is generally great, but his willingness to make the runs and very quick passes is no longer there. He goes for the conservative “hold it up and look for the Arsenal-type killer pass” which never comes. There was a day when the aging Valderama-type players with specific great skills, but absent all-around contributions, could be tolerated in MLS. But that day has passed, thank goodness.
Thanks Ives for not picking the Red Bulls vs the LA Gals… That is a good omen for NY 🙂
Also Franco Neill reminds me of Sergio Galvan Rey… he has some good moves but he is too small and tentative to be effective in MLS!
What do I think of DC’s struggles? F’em! That’s what I think.
Good point about Gallardo’s defense. I’m more of a fan than you are, but I’m wondering if he isn’t a better player for a defensively solid team that goes on quick counters. Gallardo makes a dozen mind-blowing passes a game, but perhaps United’s not quite a speedy enough team to take advantage. And then when they lose possession, they lack the shape and bite in midfield to protect themselves.