Normally when one is stuck in a snow and ice storm, it is best to think about warm thoughts. Hot chocolate, irish coffee, a roaring fire, beaches. A certain level of escapism is needed every winter to avoid cabin fever and to keep one’s self sane. Soccer can also fill that role and in particular seeing one’s favorite team in a warm locale.
D.C. United supporters will get that warm, fuzzy feeling on Thursday when they kick off their 2015 campaign with the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals. Those poor souls will travel down to Alajuelense, Costa Rica to take on LD Alajuelense. The match will be on Fox Sports 2 and Univision, which may be in Spanish but at least will be available in the 100’s on your TV Guide and not the 1000’s.
While there has certainly been A LOT of criticism about the timing of this event, there are some positives for the extended break for D.C. United. The team was able to add a few pieces that will help them in Thursday’s match, including Jairo Arrieta who played nine years in Costa Rican Primera Division. Arrieta has extensive experience against The Big-Handed Ones and should help United who will certainly be without Eddie Johnson and likely without Luis Silva (hamstring).
There seems to be an awful lot of pressure on D.C. United going into Thursday’s match. No MLS team has won the CONCACAF Champions League in its current form (United won the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1998 and the Los Angeles Galaxy won it in 2000. But that was a fundamentally different tournament) and United is seen as MLS’ best hope in 2014-2015. The other MLS club in the knockout round, the Montreal Impact, face Pachuca who are one of the giants in Liga MX and are the heavy underdogs.
While the CONCACAF Champions League is often made fun of by soccer supporters in the United States, it is a very important tournament in terms of regional and global recognition. MLS has a stigma of being an inferior league to Liga MX and in some aspects to certain Central American clubs and leagues. Perception in soccer is critical for things like advertising, player scouting, and pulling in casual sports fans. D.C. United and the Montreal Impact (whose position is interesting because they carry MLS, Canadian, and American expectations) have an opportunity to start changing that narrative this week.
But we will have more about the CCL later this week. Now on to the News and Notes!
David Estrada Has Been Cut
On Friday, the club announced that forward David Estrada had been cut from the squad. Estrada made 9 appearances with the club last season and had 2 assists. He came to D.C. in a mid-season trade with the Seattle Sounders and helped the club cope with injuries to Fabian Espindola, Luis Silva, and Conor Doyle.
Estrada had previously had his option declined by the club earlier in the off-season but was brought back on as a trialist. Although he did feature for the club in the preseason, Arrieta’s addition coupled with Doyle’s return to form made him expendable.
General Manager Dave Kasper is reportedly in negotiations for a contract extension.
This piece of news kind of came out of left field last week when it was reported by Steve Goff of the Washington Post that Kasper and the club have been engaged in contract negotiations. According to Goff, Kasper’s contract expires at the end of this year. We have to use the According to part because as with any contract in MLS it should be noted that the league and its owners do not discuss length or terms of contract publicly.
Kasper is a bit of a touchy subject for D.C. United supporters. He has worked with the club in one capacity or another since 2002. While he was the club’s Technical Director during their 2004 MLS Cup victory, that win from a player personnel standpoint is largely attributed to Kevin Payne.
While the club has two US Open Cups and two Supporters Shield titles under his tenure, he is perceived by many to be the reason for the club’s recent decline. The club’s first place showings in the Eastern Conference regular season in 2012 and 2014 are surrounded by years where the club finished in 6th (2008,) 4th (2009,) 8th(2010,) 6th (2011,) and 10th (2013).
That is not to say that his tenure has been unsuccessful. Far from it. Financial constraints from their current lease with RFK Stadium have hampered their ability to sign top players from abroad. But credit should go to Kasper and United management for picking up top talent via the college system (Chris Pontius, Perry Kitchen). The club is also the first MLS team to have a Homegrown Player feature in the World Cup and to score a goal in the UEFA Champions League (Andy Najar) and to have 100 caps in MLS (Bill Hamid).
United’s greatest achievement, winning 4 MLS Cups in 8 year span, set the bar really high for management for years to come. While the other achievements that the club has had in recent years are cause for celebration, the MLS Cup is still is considered to be the measuring stick for success in this league. That United have not featured in the MLS Cup in over 10 years, let alone won it, erases many of their other achievements during that span.
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