Predictions, predictions, predictions.
It almost seems like a right of passage for sports fans to spend the days and weeks leading up to the season to make bold assertions or claims about their side. Perhaps it is the lack of sports in their lives for the prior months or perhaps it is our inner gamblor trying to get out with his neon claws. No matter the reason or the Simpsons reference the lead up to the regular season seems to always bring out the hopeful parts of us. After all, if everyone thought that their team was shit what fun would it be to go to a match.
D.C. United is no different. With a new stadium and a renewed sense of optimism after last season’s second half the club enters 2017 with a feeling of hope and a little bit of swagger. For a club that always has high expectations (such is the case when you win four MLS Cups) there seems to be a belief that 2017 will be a coming out party for the Red and the Black.
While there are certainly many bold predictions that can be made about this club (Javier Hernandez signing with the club, winning the treble, Talon finding true love) it would seem more apt to come up with a few reasonable expectations for the club. Considering their recent history with slow, incremental progress it fits with the club’s philosophy and style.
So here are three reasonable expectations for D.C. United in 2017.
#1 That they will win at least one title.
And let’s throw out all reasonable expectations. In all seriousness in terms of success over the past three seasons there are few clubs who have been as consistent as United. Although their style hasn’t always been appealing, their dogged defensive efforts and work on the counter-attack and set pieces have made them a very difficult club to play against. Oh, and Bill Hamid helped from time to time as well.
The difference last year for United at the end of the season was that they finally had some balance. Luciano Acosta and Patrick Mullins alleviated some of the pressure off of Hamid and their back four which in turn allowed them to pull off some fairly difficult results.
So if United truly have found a balance that should put them in the running for at least one trophy. On the surface it would seem that the Supporters Shield is the most likely. With D.C. playing in the Eastern Conference, which is still weaker than the Western Conference, that should give them a puncher’s chance at the Shield.
Much like with their 2013 U.S. Open Cup crown winning a trophy would go a long way towards putting this club back towards relevancy within American soccer circles.
DC United goalkeeper Bill Hamid has been with the club for over ten seasons and risen to be one of the top goalkeepers in Major League Soccer (photo credit: Jennifer Jordan-Harrell)
#2 That Bill Hamid will be with the club at season’s end.
United fans for the most part were spared the annual transfer window gossip this season over Hamid partially due to a knee injury. But as opposed to previous years when Hamid’s name was being bandied about by pretty much every European side it appears that interest has cooled on the United goalkeeper. Barring D.C. receiving a tremendous offer from another club the likelihood is that Hamid will be with the side for the full season.
While it would still be nice to Hamid manning the pipes for a reputable side abroad the move to Europe doesn’t seem as much of a necessity as it once did. Given his amazing speech on Monday at the groundbreaking of Audi Field, it has become abundantly clear that he is happy at United. Keep in mind this is the same club that signed him as a Homegrown Player, gave him a chance at the age of 18 to start, and where he built his career. Outside of maybe strikers there is no position on the pitch that requires a player to be comfortable more than a goalkeeper.
Of course that is not to say that things could change 5-6 months down the road. It is very rare in football these days for a player to stay with just one club for their entire career. But for the time being it appears that Hamid will continue to ply his craft in the nation’s capital.
Nick De Leon, hair cut enthusiast and starting right-back for D.C. United (photo credit: Kari Heistad)
#3 That Nick De Leon will change his hairstyle.
It is an annual rite of passage: Nick De Leon gets moved to a new position and gets a new haircut. Last season the 26 year old went from playing as a winger to a center midfielder to a right-back. While making this transition he also made a few style adjustments going from the David Luiz style afro to the more easily maintained shaved head. It is an interesting combination and certainly De Leon is not the first athlete to change his style to match an adjustment on the pitch. But his transition to right-back will be one of the major sub-plots for the club this season. If he switches to a mohawk then he might finally get the nod as Hamid’s backup.
