Breaking: Tom Soehn out at DCU Manager
By: jon |
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Just coming out at Behind the Badge, Tom Soehn will not be back next year as DC United’s manager. This was the move you knew would happen, as two years out of the playoffs is just not acceptable to anyone involved.
The harder decisions (roster) are forthcoming, and hopefully, a good search can be conducted and the best possible candidate can be hired.
EDIT: Apparently, after reading more closely, the official line coming out of the team is that Soehn himself walked away before the team could make a decision. Interesting, and probably a good move on his part. Always better to quit than be fired.
Category: DC United Team News
DCU News: Payne Talks, Soehn Waits, Players (Move?)
By: jon | 3 Comments
As always, Mr. Unprecedented Access, Steve Goff, has a sit down with Kevin Payne and Tom Soehn over on his blog. Some big quotes…
“We don’t want to play like Colorado or New England, which most of the season sat with eight or nine guys behind the ball. How many people go to watch Colorado or New England play? That’s a problem for our league. We can’t play like we’re a team desperately trying to remain in 14th place in the Premiership.”
AND
Given a choice, we would rather attack than cynically defend. You look at the way Real Salt Lake played when they came here [a 0-0 tie in May] and sat 10 guys behind the ball. You don’t have to do that. Sometimes that is the best way to get a result — if you don’t care about the product, if you don’t care about advertising your league. Long term, who wants to watch that?”
One more…
“There are a lot of games in our league that I can’t watch. The problem in our league isn’t who is or isn’t in the playoffs; it’s that not enough people want to watch our league yet, and we have to convince them that our league is worth watching. I don’t think [playing conservatively] is the way to do it. I recognize there is more than one way to skin a cat. I’m not saying that everyone has to play an attacking style, but that is our style and identity, and we have to be honest with ourselves and say there are sometimes liabilities [such as missing the playoffs] that come with it.
“We still have a lot more trophies in our case than everybody else, so I think in the long run, it’s the right thing to do. This league is changing [a smaller percentage of teams will make the playoffs as MLS expands by three over the next two seasons] and we are going to see more of that kind of [defensive] approach: results at any cost.”
Making Friends and Influencing People, by Kevin Payne. Needless to say these comments have not been taken well across the league, and the fact that DCU have missed the playoffs twice in a row, along with the fact that DCU tied RSL in goals scored makes the comments ring a little hollow.
Meanwhile, Tom Soehn waits for his future to be sorted as his contract expires this month. This could also be read as, Tom Soehn starts to clear his office as the Front Office searches for his replacement and waits for his contract to expire so they don’t have to pay a guy they fired.
Looks like Moreno and Olsen would like to come back, with Moreno making a here or elsewhere-I’m playing statement, and Olsen saying that his future will be decided by the front office in the coming weeks. For both, it’ll be a necessary pay cut that they’ll have to accept to stay with the club. The team is stronger if they’re able to keep them, but in a reserve capacity. We will soon see how that shakes out, and the new CBA agreement may have a lot to do with it.
Lastly, and kind of interestingly, Fred is a wanted man, somewhere. Looks like Melborne would like to bring back Fred in a CAM role, AKA the role in which he’s a productive player that we never played him in. DC has an option for him in 2010, but I see him moving on.
More as it develops.
Annnnd Scene: The close of the 2009 DCU Season
By: jon | Add Comments
I won’t write what I wanted to write after watching the Kansas City game, because the more I kicked it around, it was a trite and cliche angle. The game was exciting, and the team fought as hard as they could (in the second half). Reckless desperation is always pretty fun to watch, but as DCUMD noted, a lack of defensive concentration (which is not a skill but an effort) ended our season. A lack of speed, an aging roster, and defensive mishaps killed this team. After being pushed out of CONCACAF (which I’d have to think, the DCU front office didn’t have designs on advancing at the start of the tournament), all this team has before it is a relatively short offseason and a great deal of roster management ahead of it.
Steve Goff reported tonight that Dave Kasper is going nowhere, and the team will take the next month or so to evaluate Tom Soehn’s future with the club. As has been said in the comment section, this is most likely a formality, as the team has a history of not firing coaches but allowing their contracts to expire and then not renewing. Soehn’s three year contract ends this month, so we’ve likely seen the last of him.
That brings us to the matter that blogs have been kicking around for a month or so; if not Soehn, then who? Paul Mariner, who could have been a candidate for a head coach position, has gone home to Plymouth in England. Richie Williams, a former DCU player and current coach of the Red Bulls, may have earned a contract to stay in NY with Red Bulls climb to quasi-respectability. I honestly have no names to put forward, but I’m sure Kasper and Payne will have a short list ready to call upon.
This blog will remain about as dead as it has been, barring major developments in the offseason. So if something DCU related happens, come here, and I’ll probably have talked about it. If you are going on offseason hiatus, I’ll see you for the expansion draft and then Superdraft!
Category: DC United Team NewsColumbus at DC United: The Last Home Game
By: jon | 1 Comment
Well, the long winding MLS season has come down to this: needing 6 points from 2 games and needing a host of other things to go our way in MLS play for the chance to advance into the playoffs. Last year around this time, Columbus was eliminating us at Crew Stadium, and I was happy that the elimination might lead to sweeping changes in the team. Well, we did, and it didn’t. So this year, my hopes are solely for victory for DCU.
With the CBA expiring, old players at the ends of contracts, and generally poor performance, I have to imagine change in inevitable, and it would be for the better.
Reading other blogs, I think I must be one of the few who have general confidence in Josh Wicks. I think he has been an adequate shot stopper, and is not as insane as some people who repeatedly post the same things would have you believe. I can tell you for sure, that Steve Cronin is most likely not the answer. So, I’m not sure I agree with giving him the start over Kocic, who the team has invested in to some degree.
No Benny today, and none of the long term injury guys obviously (Namoff, Quaranta, Wicks). Columbus is in good form, has already clinched, and will likely still bring the whoppin stick to RFK.
My prediction: Columbus 3 DC 1. DCUs season is over, with only CONCACAF in the midweek to play for.
Let’s hope this weather has just made me unjustly pessimistic.
Category: DC United Team NewsPost Game: DCU 5 San Juan 1
By: jon | Add Comments
I’m not going to spend a lot of time discussing a game we should of won big that we did win big. I saw some good things. And here we go…
Read the rest of this entry »
To be a soccer fan in DC
By: jon | 5 Comments
There is a caveat to this post: we don’t have it near as bad as Red Bull fans have it. True, they have a new stadium coming, but that team is a disaster from top to bottom, with little hope of immediate recovery. Now that I’ve cleared that up, this is a bad time to be a United fan.
The breadth of this experience was on display Sunday afternoon. After a solid performance last Thursday against Marathon at home, DC came out against a team that hadn’t won at home in eons, in a game that HAD to be won. The first half, I turned to my fiance, saying that the team hasn’t looked this good in a while. They were working triangles, making smart runs, and generally showing some sorely missed flair. We were hard done to not have scored in the first half, but I dismissed the poor finishing as par for the course, and hoped we’d figure it out.
Then the dark cloud (figuratively and literally) moved over RFK and sat there.
Josh Wicks came out aggressively (for a change) and made contact with Ryan Johnson instead of the ball, dislocating his shoulder and spraining his knee.
Now, would the team react with fire and battle to keep the lead? Or would they fold like a lawn chair? Guess which one happened.
The team fell apart, with a free kick goal that was hard to be stopped and a Marc Burch disaster that led to goal number two. (To be fair, Soehn threw Burch to the wolves after not playing for weeks). They threw the kitchen sink at San Jose after Soehn finally brought in Christian Gomez with 10 minutes remaining, but too little too late.
No heart. No strength. No playoffs.
I’m in the same position as I was one year ago where I thought not getting in the playoffs may be better for the team in the future. The front office was able to hold off the fans, by promising greater accountability and better results. We got neither, and this year looks to be another year without playoff soccer. If we don’t make it this year, we’ve forced some changes.
The only thing to get out of the rest of this season is to advance in Champions League (which is doable) and to see what we have with the rest of this roster for the rest of the MLS season. By default, we get to see what Milos Kocic is made of, and I want to see players like Shipalane, Habarugira, Szetela, Jacobson (and N’Silu at Toluca). If these guys can’t make the best of their opportunities, then they need to be cut loose. Going into the close season, changes will need to be made, and the new CBA agreement will have a lot to do with it. Higher salary cap, DP’s not counting against the cap, and higher pay minimums mean a restructuring will be necessary and possible.
I’ll do what everyone else is seemingly doing and give me thoughts about the roster, and what we should do with them.
Goalies
Wicks- Keep him. He’s shown that he’s capable, and is an affordable option. The reason we suck is not Josh Wicks.
Kocic- Here’s his opportunity. Run with it Milos, and you’ll be here next year. Be horrible, the picture is less clear.
Hamid- Keep obviously. Maybe loan him out?
Defence
John- Adios, buddy. Coaching maybe in TnT?
Habarugira- If he gets a runout for the rest of the season, we should be able to see what we have. If we don’t play him, we should keep him until we figure it out.
James- I’m torn on James. I’m not impressed all the way, and I think what has been said about him before holds true. Athleticism only gets you so far, and he seems to have some mind lapses that you can’t have in that part of the field. I’ll go with cut him.
Vaughan- Keep him. Valuable backup, and with more experience in the team, will be a good asset.
Burch- If you can find a better LB in the offseason, trade him. He’ll have value somewhere, but he gets burned too often and he isn’t dangerous enough going forward to look past that.
Jakovic- Lock him up. Throw away the key.
Janicki- Reserve. Too slow, nice guy, but not cut out for MLS.
McTavish- Useful as a guy off the bench, but should not be relied on for major minutes. If a better option can be found for his spot at an increased salary, make it happen.
Namoff- Concussion news is scary, as we’ve seen in the past. Hopefully, the prognosis is good and he’ll return to the same form. Keep, but watch out for problems.
Wallace- Keep.
Midfield
DiRaimondo- Waive. Not good enough.
Szetela- Who knows? Hopefully we get to find out, particularly if Olsen retires, he’ll be necessary.
Allen- Waive.
Shipalane- Keep, has something that the team lacks, speed and the ability to attack defenders. Needs to be coached more, but that’s the easy part.
Barklage- Keep. Looked good before injury, and is a good option.
Fred- Ah, Fred. He who has so much talent, but produces so little. As much as it’s hard to say, Fred needs to go. Can’t finish, gives the ball away, and isn’t good enough at crossing the ball to be retained as a pure winger.
Gomez- Keep for one more year. With more speed around him, Gomez can still be dangerous. He also steps his game up internationally, which we’ll need next year.
Jacobson- Play him for the rest of the season, flashes of talent, but may be able to find someone better at his salary.
Ben Olsen- Pay cut, and keep. He still has aggressiveness and bite, shown against Marathon, but can also turn in stinkers like San Jose. Has a role to play, but not at 200k plus.
Pontius and Tino- KEEP.
Simms- I don’t love Simms, but he’s consistent. No more CB, and I see him as value, but he needs to level out his play and try to get forward occasionally.
Forwards
Emilio- Reduce salary, find him a suitable strike partner, and keep. If he isn’t willing to take a pay cut, then let him go. Too inconsistent, and too reliant on others to score.
Moreno- Not a 90 minute player any more. If he can accept that, keep him. If he can’t, offer him a job in the organization.
Khumalo- Keep. Needs work on his finishing, but he’s a talent, and cheap.
N’Silu- Sorry buddy. Waive.
What do you think about all this? Want to see DC make the playoffs? Care about Champions League? Fire Soehn?
A Week Off For the Both of Us: DC United Round Up
By: jon | Add Comments
Following their 1-0 win at San Juan Jabloteh on Sept 15th, the guys have been resting up, practicing, and hopefully getting some tactical and finishing work in before their next game on Thursday, against Marathon. I’ve been doing much of the same, save for the practicing or working on my finishing.
But a funny thing happened since last Tuesday… Read the rest of this entry »
Make Big Plays Today! DCU at FC Dallas
By: jon | Add Comments
Were there regulation in MLS, this would be called a relegation 6 pointer. DC United stinks on the road, but FC Dallas stinks everywhere. Dallas sits second to last in the Western Conference with 23 points, and DCU has 32 points which puts them in 4th in the East. Rapidly losing ground in the playoff race, with teams above them with games in hand, DC United needs to take care of business on the road and come back with all three points.
After the generally disappointing showing in the US Open Cup (Congrats to Seattle), United needs to find the intensity they played with in Chicago. At this point, they also need to punt CONCACAF. As much as I have been a fan of the CL, and I’m one of its stronger proponents, this team can’t handle international play. They can barely handle MLS. This teams needs to be blown up and rebuilt, and after this season, I think we can count on that happening. What needs to happen is a hot run like NYRB experienced last year, and just hope we luck our way into the playoffs.
A bit of bad news to add to the misery…Dejan Jakovic is out with a potential hernia situation (just like Simms and Gallardo). 2-3 weeks is the diagnosis, but you never know. A defense that was already in flux just got a lot less solid.
Potential Lineup
—–Wicks (I think they keep him in here, we’ll see)
–Namoff—–James——McTavish——-Burch or Habarugira
–Olsen——-Simms——-Gomez——-Wallace
Quaranta——Pontius
Do I think that’s what Tommy puts out there? No. But that’s my pick.
Official Predictions
I think DC United takes care of business against an inferior team. 2-1.
Rumors: Both believable, one upsetting
By: jon | 2 Comments
Take it for what it’s worth, but Yahoo has Bryan Namoff on the way out (I’d imagine after the season’s over) to the Greek league. As Namoff has become the absolute stalwart of the defense, the team would have a hard time replacing him. However, for Bryan, you’d have to understand the move to make one real payday. He’s at his playing peak, and would probably welcome the opportunity to test himself against European competition.
Believability Scale: 10/10
Probability Scale: 8/10
Rumor numero dos will come as laughable to the people on bigsoccer who rejected this talk out of hand, but the same article has Andriy Shevchenko (Woohoooo!) to DCU after his two year stint at Dynamo Kiev is over. As much as I don’t want MLS to become a retirement home, I love Shevchenko. Consummate professional who would devastate MLS even at an advanced age. Professional goal scorer. Hope this happens.
Believability Scale :7/10
Probability Scale: 4/10
Hamid Signs With DC United
By: jon | 1 Comment
As originally reported here (in The Offside’s First official scoop), Bill Hamid, Annandale native and academy product, has signed with MLS and will be on DCU’s roster as the third goalkeeper. As a result of this and other additions like Shipalane, Habarugira, and James, someone on the current roster will have to be cut.
Based on recent comments and the type of players brought in, I would wager Greg Janicki is the one let go. It’s a shame for him, because I think he could be a very serviceable CB in MLS. He’s had a number of shockers that just looked like a temporary loss in concentration that resulted in goals.
Also, the Szetela situation has to be resolved soon, as its becoming preposterous. DCU used a very valuable allocation spot on this player, and even though DCU has done an impressive job at keeping the source of the problem in house, you’d have to imagine that the FO would like Soehn let bygones be bygones and get him on the field. Szetela has had problems at every team he’s played on, and at this point, MLS is the last chance saloon. Get it together, Danny.
The team is headed to Chicago to get a needed three points. The Fire haven’t been great at home this season, but DC has been awful away. A sissyfight, if you will. I’ll have a real preview up tomorrow.
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