1. It’s got to be Moreno and Pontius right now. Moreno’s on fire, and Pontius has too many good qualities as a forward to keep off the field. Allsopp will have to fight his way into the lineup as of now.

However, I feel like we won’t see a situation like last year, where Moreno and Emilio were 100% automatic if at all fit. Onalfo juggled strikers in KC based on his perception of their form, and I’d be pretty shocked if that wasn’t the case this time around. There’s also the possibility of Party Boy being used in midfield (see below).

2. Castillo and Simms appear to be pretty sure bets to start (with Morsink stepping in for Simms while #19 recovers from his meniscus injury). Quaranta will be somewhere. All signs point to him playing centrally to start the season, but I am still convinced that everyone involved would be better off with him at right midfield.

This is where the “see below” on Pontius comes in. I firmly believe Pontius should be a forward, but I’m not going to be dogmatic about it. Barklage’s best position is debatable, and Khumalo is still quite inconsistent (and at 29, he’s not going to just grow out of it). There are other concerns as well: Barklage is still coming back from an ACL and has only managed to play over 45 minutes just once in preseason (full 90 against Florida Gulf Coast). Meanwhile, Khumalo’s defending leaves something to be desired.

Pontius is better at right midfield than either Barklage or Khumalo; I imagine this is not news to anyone. He also may or may not be better in an attacking midfield role than Quaranta (Party Boy had very limited time there last year, though he did do well). If Allsopp can provide a good foil to Moreno this early in his United career, then moving Pontius into the midfield should be seriously considered (as much as I’d rather not do it).

3. It seems highly likely that Najar will be signed. I believe Charles Boehm tweeted something about there being no one at DC willing to talk about Najar, which is a big sign that they’re actively trying to work something out. At 17, he’s stepping in and playing well, in multiple positions (RM, AM, RB), with the full team. Not only should we sign him, but he should end up in line for serious USOC minutes (along with any friendlies during the season).

4. At this point, my guess is that the developmental roster (if it exists after the CBA changes) will consist of Hamid, Adams, Graye, and either Rice or Shipalane. Before, I was pretty sure Rice would end up getting a spot here, but with Adams and Graye both having central experience, another center back seems like less of a need than before. Then again, James was tried at right back, so maybe Graye ends up losing out and Rice gets in?

As for Shipalane, it probably boils down to whether he is willing to take the demotion. I have said repeatedly that I don’t think he’s worth a senior roster spot, but on the developmental roster I’m interested. Maybe someone like Olsen, with significant high-end experience as a high-octane winger, can bring more consistency to Shipalane’s game?

5. I’m going with Pena, Barklage, and DiRaimondo for the senior spots. Pena seems like a no-brainer at this point. If he can provide 1.5-2 good seasons, we’ll have had enough time to either groom James or find a different, longer-term solution. Barklage is in contention for a starting role, so this should also be a tap-in.

DiRaimondo will basically have Burch’s recovery period to push ahead of at least one player in terms of importance. I can see a situation where the club decides that having 3 keepers is unnecessary, which would mean saying adios to Wicks.

If Shipalane ends up on the developmental roster, I’d also list Khumalo as a guy at risk in this scenario. Khumalo’s not going to improve much at this point in his career; if Shipalane gets more consistent and becomes a more competent defender, you have to wonder about keeping 2 very similar players around. This one’s something closer to a long shot (Shipalane’s improvement would have to be quite significant in a short period), but it’s not something I’d close the door on.

Kind of a pity that teams won’t have as many possible diamond in the rough players to take a chance on… its not always obvious who will turn out. (Boz and Perkins were both undrafted after all)
Also what would having fewer players around do to a possible reserve league?