Honduras Wants Andy Najar Before Olympic Qualifying
by benuski on Jan 24, 2012 5:10 PM EST
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If you followed my old site, you may have read my recent post about Honduras planning to call Andy Najar up to their U-23 team for Olympic qualifying, pending D.C. United's approval. This comes as a surprise to no one. However, Honduran national team coach Luis Fernando Suarez has announced more details about his plans for the run up to the qualification tournament, which begins Mar. 22. They include a friendly against Ecuador on Feb. 29 in Honduras, followed by the team traveling to the United States and training there until qualifying starts on Mar. 22. While in the United States, Suarez hopes to schedule friendlies against El Salvador, Canada, and possibly Cuba.
After the team arrives in the United States, Suarez wants to add three more players to his roster: Eddie Hernandez, on loan in Sweden; Anthony Lozano, who plays in the second division in Spain; and Andy Najar. His goal is to have these three players join his announced squad of 20 two weeks prior to the start of qualification. What does this mean for Ben Olsen and D.C. United? Follow me after the jump.
Two weeks prior to the start of Olympic qualifying means that Suarez would like to have Najar in camp on Mar. 8, two days before United’s opening game. My guess would be that United and Honduras would work out a deal where Najar would play in the March 10 opener against Sporting Kansas City, after which he would be released to join his national team. United’s second game is against the LA Galaxy, in Los Angeles; it just so happens that Honduras’ group for Olympic qualifying, Group B, will play all of their games in the Home Depot Center. Is it possible that Najar could train with Honduras all week and then rejoin United for that game? I don't know if that has ever happened before, but it seems unlikely. Or would Olsen take a harder line, keeping Andy until after the Galaxy match? Should Honduras fail to place first or second in their group, Najar would be back in time for United's second home game, Mar. 30 against FC Dallas; making the finals would cause him to miss that game, but no others.
Regardless, United have to give the same considerations to Najar that they will give to Perry Kitchen and Bill Hamid; all three are likely to be called up for Olympic qualifying and all three should be given the chance to go. As has already been discussed on this site, United have options when it comes to their wingers (and defensive midfielders, and goalkeepers). Olsen and the front office have known that this would happen for months now and have planned their drafts accordingly. But enough from me, what do you all think?
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Play the opener, then release him
It really sucks to have to let him go for our early games, but such is life when you have good players.
I believe that Olympic qualifying doesn’t fall under the same regulations as senior national team games on official FIFA dates, which means that United is not obliged to release Najar. However, what you risk in that case is losing flexibility from Honduras when Najar gets called in for real national team games, as well as potentially upsetting one of our most important players.
DC and Honduras should be able to work out a deal where Najar plays against Sporting and then flies out to meet los Catrachos. He’d only miss 3 days of camp doing that.
United usually does things in a player-positive manner when it comes to national teams or offers from abroad, so I would expect them to see what Najar wants to do and try to balance that with our need for him to play in the opener (after last year’s crap home record, “3 points at RFK” has to be a mantra for the club).
Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC
by ChestRockwell on Jan 24, 2012 6:40 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Najar's new role as an International
probably was a big reason the team went out and got Cruz and Delon
Yes
And it’s a point we have somewhat collectively overlooked, though we have been attentive to the Hamid and Kitchen issues. Anybody have a view on the future of a (fully healthy) Pontius with the national team?
I'm not sure anybody does
The timing of his injuries has been just horrible from a USMNT career standpoint. He got hurt in his first January camp, regained his form too late for last year’s, and then was injured for this one. I gotta think if he stays healthy through this year that he’ll produce and impress enough to get called into next year’s January camp, but I doubt that Klinsi will call him up before then, just given the stakes of the games. At his best, I think Pontius can compete with Brek Shea at the not-Donovan wide forward/midfield position (assuming that Dempsey is playing up top or underneath a lone center forward), but it’s going to take at least the next year for him even to get his shot at cracking the roster.
That is, unless Pontius absolutely blows the doors off the league this year and forces his way into the picture. That’s not outside the realm of possibility by any means, but it’s not particularly likely, either.
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If not for Shea, he'd be a shoe-in
Pontius is more or less built for the Klinsmann’s approach, which requires wingers to score goals regularly, be fast, and preferably have some size.
The only issue is that Brek Shea is also all of those things. However, we could still see Pontius become Shea’s back-up in the near term if Party Boy continues to score regularly in MLS and avoids the horribly-timed injuries that have plagued him.
Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC
by ChestRockwell on Jan 25, 2012 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
There's a difference
Maybe I’ll regret saying this, but I would expect the USA to qualify for the Olympics. I would not expect Honduras to do the same. There will be 2 teams from CONCACAF. Mexico will almost surely grab one spot. I hope we’re able to best Honduras for the other. (I suppose Panama might edge Honduras for a spot in the semis) (I’m assuming US tops Goup A and Honduras comes second in Group B).
If the USA makes it in over Honduras, then Najar won’t miss anything like the time that Kitchen and Hamid would.
Replacement for Emilio, you say?
According to the DC United Twitter feed, we’ve signed Emiliano Dudar. He’s very similar to Emilio in that his name is similar to Emilio.
Technically neither were Los Hermanos Gonzalo
But that didn’t stop us. Nothing could stop us.
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(except Los Hermanos Gonzalo, natch)
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Also, a guy coming off a serious head injury joining DC United, Club of Concussions
What could go wrong?
by Brendanukkah on Jan 25, 2012 5:01 PM EST up reply actions
Well
It’s not like we’re lacking depth in central defense. If he starts that’s great, but if not I’ll take him as an upgrade over White as the third CB.
by Karlito Vargas on Jan 25, 2012 5:18 PM EST up reply actions
More likely to start over McDonald
First off, Jakovic was great down the stretch last year. McDonald struggled much more. Moreover, if it’s a question of sides in positioning, Dudar is listed as a left central back by this site: http://es.dreamfoot.net/player/Emiliano_Dudar
So, I expect we’ll see Russell Jakovic Dudar and…..Woolard (or, dare I hope we find a legit left wingback)?
Touched on this in what I just posted
I think it’ll depend on form and who we face. Against teams like Houston (Kinnear loves playing 2 big target men), for example, McDonald and Dudar would be a good pair on paper. However, unless Dudar is extremely fast for a 6’4" 198 lbs center back, we’re going to need Jakovic’s speed in there pretty often.
I don’t think it’s accurate to say that Jakovic was great down the stretch, since he was injured that whole time. I do, however, agree that McDonald didn’t do as well as the season went on. That’s probably as much down to the lack of stability alongside him – remember Daniel Woolard at center back? I do sad face – but certainly it left enough room for us to want to push him via more competition to be at his best.
Writer on SBN's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14 | KEEP UNITED IN DC
by ChestRockwell on Jan 25, 2012 7:00 PM EST up reply actions
Fair correction
I should have been clear in saying that Jakovic was very good in what amounted to his stretch run…In the stretch after he returned from one injury and before he got hurt during his call-up to Canada, Jakovic played his best soccer in a DCU kit.
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