Team: DC United
Coach: Ben Olsen
Last Year’s Finish: 8th Eastern Conference, 16th Overall, 6-20-4
This year’s seemingly annual retooling of DC United carries much more weight than usual.&nbsp; After finishing not only the worst season in club history, but&nbsp;likely the worst in MLS history, United had holes to fill all over the place.&nbsp; But before adding pieces to a league worst everything (attack at the bottom, tons of goals against), DCU needed to decide who would attempt to lead them from the abyss.&nbsp; After initially claiming the United legend was not a candidate, the front office did a 180 and made Ben Olsen’s temporary job a permanent one.&nbsp; Though lacking experience in the position and not far removed from a brilliant playing career, the feeling is that United needed a leader with his fiery passion to motivate a team that seemed to give up on itself very early last season.&nbsp; In fact, virtually all the roster moves made this offseason reflect on an attempt to form the club in his image, with players who have that inherent grit and drive inside them.&nbsp;
Key Roster Additions: While MLS &nbsp;journeymen Stephen King and Kurt Morsink tried desperately to fill the shoes of the retired Olsen last year, there was decidedly something missing in the center of&nbsp;midfield.&nbsp; Enter Dax McCarty, who has been brought in to really stabilize the core of said midfield.&nbsp; McCarty is known as both an effective distributor and ball winner.&nbsp; He has the kind of motor that is a bit reminiscent of Benny’s.&nbsp; We all know what a&nbsp;hard time this club had putting the ball in the back of the net (among so many other difficulties).&nbsp; Enter Charlie Davies, who is trying to not only help ressurect DC United, but also his career.&nbsp; Davies has come full circle to the place where a car accident nearly took his life and ability to play soccer.&nbsp; The onus is on Charlie to find the back of the net because the amount of proven goal scorers on this team is negligible at best.&nbsp; Perry Kitchen was drafted as the 3rd overall pick and should shore up two very gray areas, defense and on – field leadership.&nbsp; Kitchen is another addition in the Olsen mold; fiery, passionate, a leader, gritty, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; Pat Onstad has also been added as a player/coach, due to injuries.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stikers, Joseph Ngwenya and Josh Wolff were picked&nbsp;up in the Re-Entry Draft.&nbsp;&nbsp;Uruguayan defender, Rodrigo Brasesco was added to solidify the backline.

Key Roster Subtractions:&nbsp; Troy Perkins was supposed to be a stabilizing influence last year and he turned out to be anything but that.&nbsp; Perkins dropped off massively in quality compared to his previous DCU stint and was practically run out of town to make way for promising Academy signing, Bill Hamid.&nbsp; Rodney Wallace, who spent much of last season with a broken leg, was also sent packing.&nbsp; Wallace was making the transition from midfield,&nbsp;back to his collegiate position of left back.&nbsp; He began as a starter, but his progress was stunted due to injury.&nbsp; Concerning Luciano Emilio and Pablo Hernandez : the attack was flat out horrible, neither of these midseason acquistions did much to help the ball find it’s way into the back of the net.&nbsp;
Projected Starters: If healthy, Bill Hamid will definitely be the starter in goal.&nbsp; After a promising slate of appearances last year, Hamid like Andy Najar, showed that United’s academy must be doing something right.&nbsp; However, a shoulder injury that has been nagging for some time, could see Pat Onstad start the season between the posts.&nbsp; Though his first priority is the development of the young Hamid, Onstad is still darn good at 43 and so valuable in both his roles.
Last year it was pick your scapegoat for the Black and Red.&nbsp; With the attack and defense being equally horrible, a dramatic sea change was on the horizon.&nbsp; The backline suprisingly doesn’t appear to be too much different.&nbsp; Jed Zayner will certainly occupy one of the starting fullback positions.&nbsp; It appears that Dejan Jakovic and Perry Kitchen, will start in the center and potentially be a very formidable duo.&nbsp; The other fullback position&nbsp;looks wide open.&nbsp; Though Marc Burch seems the likely candidate … perhaps Brasesco will get a look there.&nbsp; He is considered a more central defender but has potential to play on the flanks.
When we get to the midfield and striking corps, the big question is what formation first – year coach Ben Olsen will utilize.&nbsp; Midfield is definitely where the largest amount of talent and depth coalesces.&nbsp; Add that to the fact that the striking line is improved, but still somewhat barren, and it seems that going to&nbsp;five in the middle makes sense.&nbsp; A couple of&nbsp;things seem to be certain: rookie of the year, Andy Najar, will be on&nbsp;one wing.&nbsp; Expect to see McCarty and Clyde Simms forming a tough, gritty&nbsp;core in the center of midfield.&nbsp;Beyond that, depending on the formation … Santino Quaranta, Branko Boskovic and Chris Pontius appear set to fill out a wing spot and potentially an attacking midfielder or supporting striker’s role.&nbsp;
Up top, we all know who the man is gonna be, Charlie Davies.&nbsp; He should be on the pitch regardless of the formation.&nbsp; If Olsen goes with two strikers, then we could see Joseph Ngwenya paired with Davies or perhaps Quaranta / Pontius in a support role.&nbsp;
Player to Watch:&nbsp;Could it be more obvious here … Charlie Davies.&nbsp; Though they didn’t score much last year, the club did display the ability to pass and link up well.&nbsp; They often fluidly moved the ball into scoring positions, only to either finish poorly or even more concerning … simply be afraid/hesitant to shoot.&nbsp; Though the entire scoring load isn’t Charlie’s responsibility, the club’s success will in large part depend on the midfield moving the ball well and Davies finishing opportunities provided.&nbsp;
Predictions: This team is drastically improved from a roster standpoint this year.&nbsp; There is a lot more depth and Olsen has many more options at his disposal.&nbsp; Based on the way last year finished, the club can only go up.&nbsp; Add to the fact that this is a league of&nbsp;parity and quick turnarounds; and factoring in a weak Eastern Conference, there is reason for some guarded hope.&nbsp; Despite all the additions though, this is a team with a lot of questions to answer.&nbsp; The least of which is not, whether Ben Olsen is ready to take the reins full time.&nbsp; Then there’s the whole Charlie Davies factor. If he can’t be an inkling of his former self, where do the goals come from? How drastically will a healthy Jakovic, as well as Kitchen, improve the league’s worst defense?&nbsp; Despite a solid offseason, the expectations should be muted due to so many unanswered variables.&nbsp; Still in this league, a turnaround and playoffs are never out of the question.
Best Case Scenario: Olsen completely transposes his heart and determination onto the team.&nbsp; They fight with heart week in and week out, managing to secure a wildcard&nbsp;playoff spot.&nbsp; Charlie Davies proves to be a goalscoring machine.&nbsp; Kitchen and Jakovic hold down the fort, leading a much improved backline.&nbsp;
Worst Case Scenario: Olsen bombs out with the job.&nbsp; The club repeats last year’s travesty, with a continued inability to score goals (much less stop them).&nbsp; Olsen loses out on a dream job because he might have gone for it too early.&nbsp; Yet another offseason rebuild would likely follow in such a situation.

MLS '11 Preview : Can the Black and Red Unite Under the Fiery Olsen?

MLS '11 Preview : Can the Black and Red Unite Under the Fiery Olsen? - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter" src="http://img.metblogs.com/seattle/files/2008/05/640-spt0529_sounders_p2standaloneprod_affiliate5.jpg" alt="" width="498" height="342"></figure></div>
With weeks of labor talk dominating the MLS headlines, the start of the season has been sneaking up on me.
Seems like a good time for a preview.
Eastern Conference
1. Columbus Crew– It’s hard to bet against them winning the Eastern Conference this year after watching them – in the preseason, no less, take Toluca to the limit in a CONCACAF Champions League match.
The core group is solid with Chad Marshall and Frankie Hedjuk anchoring the back and Robbie Rogers and the ageless (37) &nbsp;Guillermo Barros Schelotto working in the midfield.
With rampant coaching and personnel changes in the East, the Crew look like the safest bet.
2. Toronto FC – I keep waiting for the team with, arguably, the best fan support in the league to finally produce a team worthy of their supporters’ passion.
Maybe Preki will be the manager that pulls it off.
<div>
Julian de Guzman and Dwayne De Rosario are the two biggest names in a lineup that won’t blow anyone away on paper. But again, this seems like a wide open race to me. And Preki, for my money, is the second-best manager in this conference behind Steve Nicol.

3. Chicago Fire– The Fire made headlines this week by waiving veteran keeper Jon Busch, so Andrew Dykstra will be between the pipes for the Fire in the season opener.
It’s a bold move for first-year coach Carlos de los Cobos, and one that could eventually define his legacy in the Windy City.
It’s also a move that makes me nervous about de los Cobos and his hold on the locker room. Toss in the combustible Collins John, and it’s a chemistry mix that I’m going to need to see work before I place too much faith in them.
4. New York Red Bulls – Can a new stadium, new manager and a few new players right the ship for the fighting energy drinks? We’ll see.
The 3-1 win over Santos, while only an exhibition, featured a far different looking side than the pitiful one that often took the pitch in 2009.
New manager Hans Backe has some better players and a glorious new home stadium to defend. Could be good times in (or is it near?) NYC.
5. New England Revolution – I won’t do it. I won’t rank a Nicol team any lower than this.
The roster looks a little thin, though. Corey Gibbs comes in, but a raft full of players like Jay Heaps, Chris Albright, Jeff Larentowicz and Steve Ralston left.
Nicol’s a high-quality coach, but any finish higher than this might me too ambitious.
6. D.C. United – Curt Analfo will have some new toys at his disposal in the nation’s capital, namely Christian Castillo and Danny Allsopp, but a lack of goals may eventually be this team Achilles Heel.
Still, Santino Quaranta is one of the league most exciting players, and his presence alone gives United a fighting chance.
7. Philadelphia Union – It’s an expansion team, but one with a good coach (Peter Nowak), talent in goal and enough solid defenders to make life tough on opposing offenses.
Goals, however, could be a real issue.
Still, a new stadium and a passionate fan base will make the home games easier for the Union – enough so to help them escape the cellar.
8. Kansas City Wizards – Dane Jimmy Neilsen is expected to be the starting keeper for coach Peter Vermes’ squad, and he figures to be rather busy.
Questions abound all over the roster, from the forwards all the way back to Jimmy Conrad in central defense.
Too many questions and not enough answers for me.
Western Conference
1. L.A. Galaxy – OK, I put the Galaxy here. I almost copped out and made it a tie with Seattle.
Really, it could go either way.
Landon Donovan is the headliner, but his 10-week loan spell in England and looming World Cup duty, might make him a bit leg weary down the stretch.
Still, I think Bruce Arena’s side is a tad deeper than Seattle and that gives them the ever-so-slight nod.
2. Seattle Sounders – Take a quality coach (Sigi Schmid), a terrific home field edge and talented play makers (Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg) and you have a recipe for success.
Kasey Keller, who at age 40 is even more ageless than Schelotto, is still one of the better keepers in MLS.
The Sounders could be pretty tough to drown out this year.
3. Real Salt Lake – The defending champions will try to ride an energetic midfield and a recently-capped national team keeper to another deep postseason run.
Nick Rimaldo stopped everything last season in RSL’s deep postseason, and there’s no reason to believe that he won’t have another fine season.
Kyle Beckerman, whose hair I deeply envy, anchors the midfield for this solid, if unspectacular, club.
4. FC Dallas – Any team that can score and stop folks from scoring has a chance, and that could be FC Dallas this season.
Kevin Hartman and Dario Sala will battle for the keeper duties, but both are capable net minders.
Of course, manager Schellas Hyndman can rely on Dax McCarthy, David Ferreira and Jeff Cunningham to spark the offense.
I like the Heath Pierce signing as well. It’s a risky pick to take them this high, but I’m feeling lucky today.
5. Houston Dynamo – It may take Dominic Kinnear’s best coaching job to get the Dynamo into the postseason.
With Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden missing from the midfield, this is a team in search of an identity.
How it turns out will be interesting.
6. Colorado Rapids – There’s no way the Rapids can be as banged up as they were in 2009 again, can they?
Omar Cummings and Conor Casey provide a potent attack, and new additions like Larentowicz and Wells Thompson will help provide cover in case the injury bug starts biting again.
A healthy Colorado should compete for a spot in the postseason.
7. Chivas USA – Preki leaving town, for me, was the biggest change for this team.
Preki’s team were a little more rough and tumble than the new incarnation figures to be, but apart from Jonathan Bornstein and Sacha Kljestan, the roster isn’t exactly brimming with proven talent.
Still, it could all work out.
But it’s a Missouri team. They have to “show me” first.
8. San Jose Earthquakes – After giving up a league-high 50 goals last season, San Jose needed to get its defense in order.
I’m not really sure that happened.
A return to good health and good form for Jason Hernandez would be a nice start, but, on paper, it doesn’t look like the Earthquakes have solved their problems defensively.
</div>

2010 MLS Season Preview

2010 MLS Season Preview - World Soccer Talk

Latest news from MLS season preview. Find out about all the news related to MLS season preview on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "MLS season preview"

News

MLS '11 Preview : Can the Black and Red Unite Under the Fiery Olsen?

News

2010 MLS Season Preview