Ah, those halcyon days of August 2013, when the season was already lost and D.C. United turned to a youth movement. D.C. United had just acquired Conor Doyle, Luis Silva, and Jared Jeffrey and looked to be doubling down on a youth movement. All three played in the match, and they scored the three D.C. United goals to produce one of the team's three regular season wins from last season. Going into this preseason, they were expected to be players around which the team was built.
This season, however, all three are on the bench; only Luis Silva has gotten an extended look as a starter, before injury and now the play of Davy Arnaud have forced him to the bench. And, for now, the team is better off with them as bench players. But we are reaching the point of the season where Ben Olsen will need to rotate his squad, giving these players (and others) a role to play. This summer is key for them: if they can reach back to this Montreal Impact game and provide that level of production, next season might actually become the year we build around them.
Until then, and until this weekend, let one of the only fond memories of 2013 warm your heart.