Making sense of D.C. United’s 2015 campaign

When one looks back upon any event there almost seems to be a need to compare it to similar events. In dating it is previous mates. In school it is teachers. For movies or music it might be a film from the same genre or an earlier record by an artist (This one is simple: their old stuff is always better). In sports it is previous seasons and the work of other teams.

So if one is to measure D.C. United from this season from last is it an improvement, a step back, or is the club stuck in neutral? In 2014, the club finished with a 17-9-8 (wins-losses-draws) record, earned the top spot in the Eastern Conference, and made it past the opening stage in the CONCACAF Champions League. In 2015, the club finished with a 15-13-6 record, finished in fourth place in the East, and made it past the opening stage in the CONCACAF Champions League. In both seasons the club would narrowly lose to the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

On paper it looks like the club is just one or two pieces away from breaking through. Just looking at the scores of those two series against New York one could make the assumption that the club was just a goal or two away from making the Conference Finals in both campaigns. The club could also stake claim that they are building for the future with them signing goalkeeper Bill Hamid, midfielders Chris Rolfe and Nick De Leon to long-term extensions.

But beneath this cover is an ugly truth: that this team is treading water. While United management have certainly made great strides since having two of the three worst campaigns  in MLS history in 2010 and 2013 the question now is can they improve this squad without having to take pieces away?

By any stretch of the imagination 2015 should be viewed by United management as a success. The club led the Eastern Conference for a majority of the season, holding a fourteen point lead over the next best squad in early July. Hamid had another stellar campaign this season holding a 1.16 Goals Against Average and a save percentage of 75.9 percent. Although the additions of Alvaro Saborio and Markus Halsti (Saborio more-so than Halsti) did not provide as big of an impact as the club intended, the additions of Miguel Aguilar and Michael Farfan did work out.

2015 showed two examples of why United is stuck in neutral. First, while United may have one of the best starting eleven’s in MLS it also has one of the thinnest benches. In 2014 the club generally avoided major injuries and thus United coach Ben Olsen was able to ride his top eleven players to first place in the Eastern Conference. 2015 was a different story though with De Leon, defenders Sean Franklin, Chris Korb, and Steve Birnbaum, and forwards Fabian Espindola and Eddie Johnson all missing significant periods of the season.

Ok, so D.C. United had issues with squad depth and scoring this season so the answer seems simple: spend more money in the offseason and bring up some younger players from the vaunted Academy Program! But it is not quite that simple.

First, United has very limited funds. Operating on a shoestring budget (according to the MLS Players Union the team has a total base salary of $3.851 million, which is the third-lowest in MLS) Olsen and United management have put together a side that is full of seasoned MLS veterans (Rolfe, Franklin, Bobby Boswell) and players in their prime (Kitchen, Hamid). But while other clubs in the Eastern Conference will continue add Designated Players of the caliber of Didier Drogba, Sebastian Giovinco, or even Sacha Kjlestan United will likely stand pat. Beyond the club having to make a decision on Chris Pontius there are very few roster decisions entering into the 2015 offseason. The team that lined up last Sunday against New York will likely be the same side that lines up for in February against Queteraro in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Depth and chemistry were also problems up front. Although they did have a flair for the dramatic (14 of their 43 goals came in the final fifteen minutes of games in 2015) the D.C. attack was often forced to have to play from behind. Injuries up top forced Olsen to have to shuffle his roster coming up with multiple iterations of Rolfe, Espindola, Aguilar, Pontius, Saborio, Conor Doyle, and Jairo Arrieta in his 4-4-2.

Second, the club really is not developing many young players from their Academy structure. While the team will point to their success in the SuperDraft and academy players like Hamid and Andy Najar talent is not really being developed internally. Vaunted Homegrown Player Michael Seaton was loaned out Orebo SK in Sweden earlier this season and then traded to the Portland Timbers for Targeted Allocation Money in August. Fellow HGP Collin Martin has spent the past three years yo-yoing between being on loan with the Richmond Kickers in the USL and spot duty for United during the U.S. Open Cup and the CCL. The club appears to be high on defender Jalen Robinson, who started several matches during CCL group play. But the club was also high on Seaton at one point too.

Much like with the senior team, United’s success at the academy level depends upon the investment that management is willing to put in. In a report conducted by Potomac Soccer Wire’s Charles Boehm  it was revealed through an unnamed source within the team that, “Right now they are saying all discretionary funds are being funneled towards the stadium project.”  Currently D.C. is one of the few professional soccer teams in the United States that still uses a pay-to-play model, although the club is planning on removing fees for their U-15/U-16 and U-17/U-18 teams.

 

So if D.C. does not receive an infusion of cash or players from their academy system where they will they get the resources to improve this squad? It appears that selling some of their top players may be their only option.

Hamid has had interest from teams in England and Germany, while Lazio scouts were reportedly looking at Kitchen last week. Despite the fact that Hamid is a HGP and Kitchen has logged over 100 appearances with the squad, United could be tempted to move either player if it gives them cap flexibility. D.C. has proven with their usage of the transfer that they received from selling Andy Najar that they can use money effectively to improve the product on the field.

The question is whether they are willing to take a step back to help fill multiple holes ahead of 2016. It sounds good in theory to sell Hamid and Kitchen and then use the transfer fees that D.C. will pick up to improve the squad in multiple areas. But there is a trade-off with this approach and that is that United without those two players cannot maintain their current form. Hamid and Kitchen are at the center of how this club operates and while selling them might make financial sense there will be a cost to the club’s form on the pitch.

Despite it looking like United might be farther away from a title than it appears there are some positive movements off of the pitch that should help improve the club for the long run. The club has been heavily rumored to be adding a USL side in 2016 using their partnership with Evergreen FC to give them a foothold in Northern Virginia (their affiliation agreement with the Richmond Kickers expired at the end of this season). Of course it also appears that ground will finally be broken this summer at Buzzard’s Point the future home for D.C. United. With United continuing to rent out RFK Stadium for the couple of seasons most of their resources will be tied to operations.

After going through a rollercoaster campaign in 2015 the winter should provide some respite for United supporters. But given the club’s unique position in the Eastern Conference another wild journey likely awaits them in 2016.