DC United Against A Good Colorado Rapids Team

DC will face one of the few opponents they defeated last year, when they meet Conor Casey and the Rapids in Colorado. The home team is off to a great start this season, scoring four goals and being rewarded with two wins. Colorado is expected to start the same line-up they played on opening day which scored three goals. While Casey is a big target in the middle, his link-up play with Omar Cummings in the match. This combination will give DC's make-shift backline a a serious challenge. At midfield, Kurt Morsink and Dax McCarty will also need to fight to protect the ball and avoid goofy give aways that allow Colorado opportunities.

United's back line will again be without Perry Kitchen, but neither will DC have Dejan Jakovic (despite the league's quiet agreement that the red card last week was a poor call). DC United has options: Daniel Woolard played well in preseason and continues to do well in the reserve league, while Chris Korb (another one of those "Akron guys") was impressive in his first ever MLS start last week. However, goalkeeper Pat Onstad will have his work cut out for him, as he works to get this collection of good players to defend cohesively.

United will start a different attacking tandem than in the first game this week as Josh Wolff was downgraded to "out" on Thursday, due to a hamstring strain. Olsen has options here; Charlie Davies may be fit enough to start the game, while rookie Blake Brettschneider has been scoring regularly on the reserve squad and may get the call to start on Sunday night.

Prediction. Davies will start the match on Sunday, but don't be surprised if Brettschneider makes his MLS debut after the half (whether for Davies of Joseph Ngwenya). At midfield, last week's lineup will remain intact, but if Morsink is subbed-off during the second half, Olsen may well try Branko Boskovic, whose absence on the field this year has raised questions (and an admission by the coaching staff) about his lack of fitness.

On defense, Mark Burch may shift to centerback due to his experience, leaving Woolard to fill the left-back slot and deal with Cummings. An aggressive Colorado, hosting DC's make-shift defense, and a touch of altitude sickness will combine to vex DC; this game can well end 2-1 Colorado... but this author hopes he's wrong...

DC United Wins 2011 Opener in Style

There was something hanging over DC United, prior to their season opener. There were many questions that needed to be answered. How would this team react to so many new faces? How would the team react to the start of a new season after what was an embarrassing effort in 2010? Would Andy Najar still have his mojo? Would McCarty's leadership translate to DC? Would Charlie Davies deliver the goals and excitement that the fans hoped he would? DC's opening match answered all of these and more.

The first half of tonight's game was painfully even. Neither DC nor Columbus was especially sharp, despite a coupe of great efforts by Andy Najar (M), Chris Pontius (M) and Joseph Ngwenya (F). Josh Wolff started the route in the 51st minute, beating a defender, positioning the ball with his left foot then putting it in the back of the net with his right. In the 52nd minute, Ngwenya was subbed off and Charlie Davies entered the game. His speed and touch clearly changed how Columbus tried to defend. Davies played further back, and nearer the wing than Ngwenya had, giving the defense trouble the rest of the game. Davies converted a free kick in the box in the 53rd minute and then scored again in the 77th minute. On opening night, DC lived up to the off-season hype.

There were a few surprises on Saturday night. Woolard, Boskovic and Davies did not start. Instead, it was Josh Wolff, not Davies who coupled with Ngwenya up front. Mark Burch started at left back and Pontius started on the wing instead of Boskovic. Burch did not feature at preseason games, and Wolff had not played at all. This lineup was clearly difficult to predict and it will be exciting to see how the line-up will shake out over the next couple of months.

It is difficult to know what this success means so early in the season, but there are a few things worth mentioning at this stage. Perry Kitchen's performance was outstanding; his communication with the players made them more effective. Santino Quaranta came on late in the second half and I will expect that to continue for regular-season MLS games. The expanded roster and number of experienced players on the bench, will allow DC to compete in Open Cup this year. Andy Najar picked up where he left off last year, although he is a little taller and stronger-looking this season. One final note: Pat Onstad played better tonight than anyone expected him to play. He was in the air and on the ground many times; until we get Bill Hamid back and in form, Pat Onstad will be a fine goalkeeper.

Two Days To United's 2011 First Kick

With just two days to go before the start of the season for DC United, the anticipation is almost overwhelming. DC United have increased their public profile in recent months by ramping up PR across the region. Meet the Coach events, happy hour with some players, revealing the new all-red kit at a car show, even commandeering U street's Ben's Chili Bowl for St. Patrick's Day. It is clear DC United is trying to reinvigorate public support.

Despite the public efforts, all of this will be a wasted effort if the team fails to perform on the field. Charlie Davies's loan has provided an enormous boost to ticket sales according to team officials, but if they do not start the season strong, the specter (and bad luck) of last year's poor performances can return to wreak havoc.

Ben Olsen has done a great job assembling this team however and his work ethic seems to have already transcended onto his team. Midfielder Dax McCarty promises to anchor the center of the field with a burst of energy that drove Dallas FC for several years and a young US National team in January exhibition games. Add a recovering Davies (still with something to prove) and a strong forward like Joseph Ngwenya, and you now have an attacking core that will give defenders different things to worry about. Add to that, a strong support cast of wingers and defenders, and what you have is a young team that has every reason to at least qualify for the playoffs.

PREDICTION: Against a Columbus Crew that is looking to find its identity, DC United will win their home game 2-1 on Saturday night.

What Signing Charlie Davies Could Mean to DC United

The news last week that Charlie Davies was going to DC to trial with DC United generated much media attention, but whether or not he plays in DC remains uncertain. A host of interviews and press conferences led to only a single conclusion: Coach Ben Olsen will only retain Davies if he believes Davies can improve the club ability to compete in 2011. There are three key variables here that I think the club should account for in determining whether or not to accept the terms of the loan: health, competitiveness and ability to sell tickets.

Prior to his injury, Davies was easily the best US forward on the national team. In 2007, he scored 4 goals in 17 games in international competition. Whiles he only scored twice for Sochoux in 2009, he only played 8 games. Prior to that (2007-09), Davies scored 21 goals in 56 appearances for the Swiss club, Hammarby. Numbers alone can only tell so much, but it is clear that Davies found the net frequently in the two years before his injury. In order to reestablish himself, Davies will need to be in top physical form; not only to play 90 minutes (or close to that) per game, but also to heal quickly enough between games to be able play again or train.

At his best, Davies’s game is very physical; he is very fast and aggressive in the attack. This is important because Davies will be considerably less effective if he is not as quick as he used to be and therefore less confident. As a member of DC United, Pablo Hernandez arrived in camp mid-season last year. Interviews and articles indicated he was good on the ball. But he never developed much chemistry with the rest of the team; he kept the ball too long and his shots on goal lacked any real conviction. This is because the focus, confidence and determination that great strikers have were not exhibited by Hernandez.

Finally, DC United needs to benefit by selling tickets. Attendance was low last season, owing to the team’s poor performance. This season the team is aiming to increase per-game turnout and Charlie Davies’s signing could lead to just that. A source in the ticket office told me as soon as Davies’s name was mentioned, season ticket requests started coming in. This should not mean anything to Coach Olsen. But for DC United’s front office, increased turnouts and public support could yield increased revenue and perhaps a slightly better chance of coming to an agreement to build a new stadium.

So far, Davies seems to be doing well. He scored Friday in an inter-squad scrimmage and today had a goal and an assist in 74 minutes against the Canadian U-20 squad. Most importantly: for now he is showing that he can play long minutes and score at the same time.