It was a busy offseason for a number of Eastern Conference teams but after their remarkable turnaround a year ago, it shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise that D.C. United wasn’t among them.
Ben Olsen’s side went from the worst team in the Eastern Conference in 2013 to first place in 2014 proving their commitment to a strong foundation and building from within was on track. The lack of any major losses from the roster allowed for D.C. to make only a couple of minor moves to solidify their depth.
They just wrapped up their first stage of training camp on Friday with a 1-0 loss to Swedish champs Malmo at the IMG Academy in Florida. While it’s not the result they were hoping for, fans shouldn’t be discouraged as a number of regulars were unavailable. They still head into the season with plenty of optimism but the toughest test will to build on such a strong campaign after going from outhouse to penthouse in one season.
The Focus On Depth
It seemed for a moment as though the D.C. midfield would be bolstered by the acquisition of Thomas McNamara but that didn’t last long as New York City FC scooped him up in the expansion draft. It didn’t take long for United to find a capable replacement as they traded for Andrew Driver from the Houston Dynamo. Driver is a solid, experienced player that will be reliable in the middle of the field as both an offensively creative player and the type of defender that will help clog the middle when the opposition attacks. D.C. also managed to snag a player that could be used at both midfield and on defense in Markus Halsti. Another notable pick up was striker Jairo Arrieta, who was acquired via trade at the expansion draft and he should provide some depth.
While those three moves don’t stand out among the flurry of activity that took place this offseason, they were all quality additions that address the depth in the middle of the field for United.
Looking To The Future
D.C. United was able to turn things around last year thanks in big part to their preparation and decision to stick with the plan and build from within. While they let a couple of players leave, they also added what could be a major figure for the future in defender Dan Metzger in the January SuperDraft. Metzger won’t step in right away but by drafting him, the club solidified its depth and ensured themselves the arrival of a quality defender that could be a key cog on their back line for years to come. He didn’t endear himself in his first outing, registering two yellow cards in just 72 minutes against Jönköpings Södra but in fairness, he’s just adjusting to the speed of the game.
He’s got time to develop because they are already fairly deep across the board. D.C. had the flexibility to look to the future and they have to be happy with landing a potential stud in Metzger.
Outlook
With a number of Eastern Conference teams loading up in the striker department, there is concern about whether D.C. did enough up front to be a true contender again this year –especially considering that the position was one of their few weaknesses a year ago. They managed to score 65 but not as many of them came from the strikers as they’d like. Fabian Espindola will get a chance to build on a strong campaign after he led the team with 11 goals but Eddie Johnson has to redeem himself following a disappointing campaign. And while Arrieta adds some depth, he’s only scored 17 times in 67 games.
It’s hard to argue with United’s strategy after the success that they had last season and if the strikers can do a little bit more to support an excellent midfield, there isn’t any real reason to expect a major drop-off from D.C. Now they’ll just have to deal with the burden of increased expectations following a surprising 2014 campaign.
