Coming off an unlikely 2014 season, it would be an understatement to say that expectations in D.C. are high this year for D.C. United to sustain last year’s success. D.C. made history with their record shattering turn around season in which they increased their point total over 300% from 2013 to 2014 by going from 16 points and bottom of the East to 59 points and top of the conference. The turnaround was led by a stout defense that allowed a league low 37 goals last season, tied with the 2014 MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy, led by captain Bobby Boswell and rookie of the year candidate Steve Birnbaum. Contributions from Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva, Nick Deleon, Perry Kitchen and the return to top form by goalkeeper Bill Hamid all became critical factors in the team’s run to the top of the eastern conference. Coach Ben Olsen has experienced up and down years in his four and a half years in charge of D.C. United, so he is under pressure to put a halt to the inconsistency from year to year.
2015 D.C. United Season Preview
Key Returning Pieces
The nucleus of the 2014 season stays intact in 2015. D.C. found a winning formula and didn’t see much reason to make changes.
GK – Bill Hamid – Coming off his first 100 plus save season, Hamid returned to the form that got him a call up to the national team in 2011. He was third in the league, among goalkeepers who played in at least 20 games, in goals against average (1.13) and top in the league in save percentage (75%). Hamid is back on the US national team radar and rumors continue to fly that his time in with D.C. may be numbered as he may have his eyes on Europe to follow in the footsteps of Tim Howard.
Defenders – Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Steve Birnbaum and Chris Korb – The back line returns intact with the center backs being the strength on the squad. Boswell provides leadership and stability on the line, while Birnbaum has seen his star rise very quickly as his rookie year earned him a call up to the U.S. Men’s National team this past January. Franklin is a solid fullback who can provide good pace from the back when needed. Korb is solid from the left back position, however, if he can help create a little more offense from his position, it would add key strength of the backline to defend and help kick start the offense as well.
Midfielders – Nick DeLeon, Perry Kitchen, Davy Arnaud and Chris Pontius – The midfield play surprisingly came together in 2014 and may have improved going into 2015. Chris Pontius was injured for the majority of 2014 and didn’t return to the team until September. Now healthy and ready to contribute, Pontius can play as a playmaking, attack oriented midfielder that D.C. missed throughout much of last year. Kitchen and Arnaud are great for the “defend first” mentality of this D.C. team.
Forwards – Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva, Eddie Johnson, and Chris Rolfe – Chris Rolfe is a perfect example of the cumulative results from various individual efforts. Attained in an early season trade with Chicago, Rolfe instantly provided some key goals and assists throughout the year as he scored six goals and had six assists before missing the remainder of regular season with a broken arm. Espindola had a career type year with career high 11 goals and 9 assists, while Silva notched career high 11 goals as well. Eddie Johnson made more news off the field than on the field in 2014 and he will begin the season being out indefinitely as he attends to medical issues.
New Players
On a team with a strong group of players, the new pieces brought in during the off-season were done so to compliment the existing team and provide some depth.
MF Markus Halsti – a defensive minded midfielder who signed as a free transfer with D.C. from Malmo FF in the Finnish League. The Finland international seems to have the tools to fit well with the defensive minded D.C. United squad. He can play across various back line positions as well as on the wing. Should provide solid depth for the team.
FW Jairo Arrieta – the 31-year-old Costa Rica international striker will provide Ben Olsen with another option to play up top along with Espindola, Silva, Rolfe and Johnson. He was acquired in a trade with Orlando City and should bring some passion and flare on the field for D.C. The Black and Red just hope that goals accompany that passion and flare.
MF Michael Farfan – Farfan returns to MLS after spending a year away while sitting on the Cruz Azul bench in Liga MX. D.C. United signed him to help solidify the midfield depth on the team and the fact that he once led the Philadelphia Union in assists one year, is also a big plus on his side.
MF Miguel Aguilar – the team’s first round draft pick from University of San Francisco is a young midfield talent who should bring some speed on the wings for Ben Olsen. Aguilar is considered raw at this point, so any contributions in 2015 will be considered a plus from the youngster.
Key Games
The four time MLS champions have a lot of pressure to perform again in 2015 as they will look to prove that 2014 was not a one and done type of year. In order to prove that this team is really a team built to contend in 2015, the following games will go a long way in quieting any critics
Opening day game – vs. Montreal (March 7) – It is not always important to get off to a good start, however, it certainly can’t hurt. Especially since D.C. will find themselves without Fabian Espindola (suspension) and Eddie Johnson (medical), thus will have to rely on a combination of Luis Silva, Jairo Arrieta, Chris Rolfe and Chris Pontius to help get the team started on the right foot at home.
Best in the East – at New England (May 23) – D.C. may have finished as top in the east during the regular season last year, however, New England were the Eastern Conference representatives in the MLS Cup. This will be D.C.’s lone trip to Gillette Stadium this season so they will have to make it count if they want to be in the picture for top teams in the conference.
Atlantic Cup – vs. New York Red Bulls (March 22, April 11, August 30) – The DC-NY rivalry won’t change despite the fact that there is a new team in New York this season. D.C. United – Red Bulls is still a rivalry and one that added a new chapter in 2014 when D.C. took the Atlantic Cup but were eliminated from the playoffs by the Red Bulls. These three matchups should be full of fan passion and drama, especially since Fabian Espindola was awarded red cards in two of the games against the Red Bulls in 2014.
Here are some other key games on the schedule for D.C. this season.
Outlook for 2015 D.C. United
When a team that achieves success returns most, if not all, of the same players the following year, the natural tendency would be to assume the team will achieve the same or similar results this season. The Eastern Conference landscape has changed significantly from last year. Sporting Kansas City and Houston moved to the Western conference, while two expansion teams, Orlando City and NYCFC begin play in the East. Thierry Henry and Marco Di Vaio retired from New York Red Bulls and Montreal Impact, respectively, while Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco arrived in Toronto. New England and Columbus seemed to have improved on last season’s surprise runs while Chicago and Philadelphia look like teams who could surprise and make a playoff run or tank and finish at the bottom of the standings.
Needless to say, this is one of the most wide-open years for the Eastern conference as there has ever been. The United roster has the potential to finish at the top again, however, the heavy reliance on defense and the lack of guarantee that Espindola and Silva can keep match their career numbers in 2014 highlight the potential pitfalls that could keep the team out of the playoffs. 2015 will be a year to validate last year’s team or fail to prove that it wasn’t anything but a fluke.
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