D.C. United opened CONCACAF Champions’ League play Wednesday against Jamaica’s Waterhouse FC. A 5th-minute goal from Eddie Johnson off a lateral pass from David Estrada was enough for United to take home three points and sit tied atop Group 4 with their opponents on the night. Still, the match raised many questions about the young reserves of the team and whether they could be learning more from the more experienced players who start the club’s Major League Soccer matches every week.
In CCL United Survive Waterhouse
Nana Attakora was caught out-of-position, allowing Waterhouse’s forwards to make dangerous runs to the corner flags; it was lucky for the Black and Red that Waterhouse couldn’t seem to get their crosses to anyone’s feet. The defense was also fortunate that the Jamaicans seemed to rely on shots from outside the penalty box, rarely attempting to connect with runners near goal. Indeed, Waterhouse could have stolen a point or three had they made any more than a tepid attempt to run at the heart of the defense.
The likes of Steve Birnbaum and Taylor Kemp have managed to develop well playing with the first team, but Attakora, Conor Shonasky, and Collin Martin seemed all-too-content to sit back and rely on Waterhouse’s mistakes and unsound tactics to bail them out. It is important to note through this criticism that this was possibly the youngest and most inexperienced side Ben Olsen could have put up in international club play, with the likes of Chris Rolfe and Fabian Espindola looking on from a team-occupied club box. This young core, with help, could lay a promising foundation for D.C. United in the years to come.
United recently acquired Kofi Opare from the LA Galaxy, presumably to shore up the defense after injuries to Jeff Parke and Chris Korb have tested their depth. The disparity between the development of the first team away from the bunker and the rest of the roster’s reliance on it must be bridged before United can be expected to go anywhere in the MLS playoffs, let alone CCL. He did well enough to help Joe Willis earn a shutout for the club, but needs more time to adjust to playing for his new club before any reasonable or fair conclusions can be drawn about his play for D.C.; at times he looked hesitant to step toward oncoming forwards, reinforcing the bunker that many D.C. fans have lamented as both lazy and a ticking time bomb.
Much the same can be said for David Estrada, who look unsure of himself in the final third in his first appearance since leaving the Seattle Sounders. He looked unsure of his shots for most of the night, choosing to hold the ball too long and either missing goal-scoring opportunities or being stripped of the ball before he had the chance to put it on goal. Chances are as he gets more playing time throughout the rest of CCL play, he’ll grow in confidence and start taking the first-time shots that catch the defense and keeper off-guard. Until then, he needs to work on honing his finishing instinct. The natural partnership between Eddie Johnson and his former Sounders teammate Estrada was obvious, as the two linked up to score the game’s only goal early on in the context. It will be interesting to see if both the Johnson/Estrada and Espindola/Silva partnerships can peak in time for an MLS playoff run and, later on, a serious chance for an MLS side to run away with the tournament in CCL play.
Right now, D.C. look like a long shot in CONCACAF, but as the bench and full roster start to come alive that may very well change. The true test of this squad will come in their next CCL match, an away fixture against Waterhouse in Jamaica. If they can manage a point against the same Waterhouse side that showed up in the District, that will mean the reserves and bench are deep enough to compete through the group stage and beyond.
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