Despite a tough loss last night to the New York Red Bull, DC United sit in first place in the Eastern Conference with 47 points. Their 2014 campaign has been a complete turn around from 2013. Last year, they were at the bottom of the table, poor in every facet of the game, and an improbable US Open Cup saved their season (and possible Ben Olsen’s job). While there are many reasons they have improved this year (off season roster moves, not firing Ben Olsen, being healthier, etc), one in particular stands out to me and stands to be the main reason they are a contender for the Supporter’s Shield and MLS Cup.
Bobby Boswell has been the Defender of the Year in MLS.
Bobby Boswell might not be the attractive pick for Defender of the Year. He isn’t a national team player, hasn’t played for USMNT since 2007. He’s not a marketable defender like Yedlin, Gonzalez, or even Olave. He’s the MLS working man’s savvy veteran. Based on the results from the MLS All Star voting, my pick a month ago would have been Matt Besler, because of what he’d done for both club and country this season. But, with Sporting’s losing streak and his drop in form in parallel, I don’t see Besler in the running. Yes, Boswell isn’t the star power pick, but look at what he’s done on the field.
DC United picked Boswell up in the first stage of the 2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft. His option was not picked up by the Houston Dynamo, and DC chose to invest a significant amount of money in him. Boswell was part of the plan to rebuild the team, specifically from the back out. Boswell was the mastermind behind the Dynamo defense, an organizer in the middle and physical presence that a Dom Kinnear teams are known for. He came in with Sean Franklin, one of the best full backs in MLS, as well Steve Birnbaum in the 2nd overall MLS SuperDraft. Franklin secured the right side of the field and provided outside support in attack. Birnbaum stepped in as a rookie and learned on the job.
DC United has given up just 31 goals in 28 games, good for the second best goals surrendered tally in the league. Boswell pulls all the strings, organizes, provides leadership as DC’s new captain, and brings a physical toughness that was missing from last year. Oh, and when the back line does mess up, they have one of the best young keepers in MLS in Bill Hamid behind them.
One could argue that Bobby Boswell is just a piece of the puzzle and has not contributed enough to be a runaway favorite for MLS Defender of the Year. However, it’s not just what DC United gained, but what the Houston Dynamo lost that makes Boswell’s impact more noticeable.
Even early on in the season when they were higher in the table, it was clear the the Houston Dynamo were not living up to their reputation defensively. They sit in eighth in the conference, outside the playoff picture. They have surrendered 48 goals in 31 matches, second worst in the league. The tenacity has been on and off, but the organization and resilience has not. I like David Horst and think he has the physical skill set to match Boswell, but he has yet to show the same leadership, experience, and cognitive acumen.
Take Sporting’s defensive pairing of Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler. While both have talent and build, Besler has been the brains defensively, Collin has been the brawl, the do-it-all aggressive center back. A similar analogy can be drawn to the USMNT with Besler and Gonzalez. Boswell is one of the few defenders in MLS who is asked to be a hybrid between these two roles. Houston doesn’t have that right now. Toughness and hard tackling only gets you so far. Houston’s only major change in the off season was not exercising the option on Boswell. They had not made a significant defensive change during this season until they signed DaMarcus Beasley, who hasn’t been there long enough to make enough of an impact.
While DC’s improvements indicate that Boswell is just a piece to the puzzle, his absence from the Houston Dynamo indicates that he was a very crucial cog in the team defensively. The two teams have nearly switched places between this year and last year. Boswell has had as big of an impact on DC United as any player this season, save maybe Fabian Espindola (nine goals, nine assists). When combining this with the Dynamo’s drop this year, it is clear that Boswell is and has been a tremendous player with a multi-faceted defensive presence.
Furthermore, Boswell should be in the conversation as MLS Defender of the Year, if not the front runner.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on twitter @LWOSMattPollard. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at sports injury alert.
Feel free to discuss this and other footy related articles with thousands of fans at r/football.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
