D.C. United defender Luke Mishu locking down his opponent in Tuesday’s CCL match against Arabe Unido (photo credit: Jennifer Jordan-Harrell)
United advances to the CONCACAF Champions League knockout stage with 2-0 win over Arabe Unido
United forward Conor Doyle led the charge in just the first minute with a tap in from a cross by forward Chris Pontius. Midfielder Jared Jeffrey would add another in the 22nd minute. Unido provided minimal opposition in the first half, although they did make things interesting late with a couple of shots that hit the cross-bar.
With the victory United became the first team to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2015-2016 tournament. The club does still have one more match next week in Jamaica where they will take on Montego Bay United F.C. It will be interesting to see what players Olsen (or in all likelihood assistant coach Chad Ashton) chooses to bring for that match. With the game being sandwiched between two critical matches against Columbus Crew SC and Montreal Impact and only positioning to play for an experimental side will likely be used. Sadly as of this morning applications are not being accepted for goalkeeper.
On the plus side if D.C. does qualify for the MLS Playoffs this weekend perhaps Olsen will allow his players the chance to get some beach-time in.
Bill Hamid was selected to the United States Men’s National Team provisional roster for the CONCACAF Cup
On Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced that Bill Hamid was one of thirty-five players selected to the the provisional roster for the 2015 CONCACAF Cup. The CONCACAF Cup is a special one match final between the 2013 Gold Cup Champions (U.S.A.) and the 2015 Gold Cup Champions (Mexico) on October the 6th at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The winner will go on to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
The 25-year old Homegrown Player will be joined by Brad Guzan (Aston Villa,) Tim Howard (Everton,) and Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake). U.S. Men’s National Team coach Jurgen Klinsmann will need to cut his roster from 35 to 23 on October the 1st. It is likely that Klinsmann will bring three goalkeepers for the Mexico match and a friendly against Costa Rica on Tuesday October the 13th.
Hamid leads the league in saves, Goals Against Average, and shutouts. With United being plagued with injuries, suspensions, and a sudden drop in form for the back four the club has leaned more on Hamid than in recent seasons. He nearly made the final cut for the 2015 Gold Cup roster but was sidelined due to hand and knee surgery.
With United off that weekend (hooray MLS) Hamid may actually get past Rimando and take the third spot on the team.
D.C. United defender Kofi Opare took the field on Tuesday night after signing a multi-year contract extension with the club. Photo Credit: Jennifer Jordan-Harrell)
Kofi Opare signs multi -year contract extension
United’s super-sub on defense looks like he will be staying a little bit longer. On Tuesday the club announced that they had come to an agreement with the 24 year old defender on a three year deal. Exact figures were not released to the public, which is league policy.
Opare has made 15 appearances for D.C. during the 2015 MLS regular season, 14 of which have been starts. He has two goals during league play and has proven to be an excellent spot starter at both center-back and right-back. He came to the club in 2014 in a trade with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
After struggling to find his pace with the club as Steve Birnbaum’s injury replacement at center-back, Opare found his groove as a spot starter and as a defensive substitute late in matches. He possesses a good vertical leap which is helpful on clearing out crosses in the air and is usually asked to directly engage the center forward, a task he can complete with little problem.
With Opare signed long-term the question now is what the club will do now with their back four. Boswell is 33 but is still playing at high-caliber level while Birnbaum has had a bit of a rocky campaign in 2015. With utility back Chris Korb turning into a free agent at the end of the season Opare may be asked to play more than just center-back in 2016.
