D.C. United 2016 Preseason Minutes Tracker v2.0

Welcome, all, to the second phase of D.C. United's 2016 preseason - and the second installment of our minutes tracker. I had meant to get this out to you over the long weekend, but [stock quote about the Nature of Things]. So, here it is on a Tuesday morning.

Thoughts?

• I see you, Lucho. New #10 Luciano Acosta wasted no time getting onto the field this preseason and making an impression with a bit of savvy play slash playing to the whistle to assist on a goal. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'm looking forward to seeing the chemistry he's already built with Fabian Espindola develop with Patrick Nyarko and Chris Rolfe.
• Speaking of the Once Headbanded One, wither Rolfe? Hopefully whatever has kept him in that "Not Appearing" column clears up, pronto. Queretaro is there for the taking, struggling through the Liga MX Clausura, and having our full compliment of attackers would be nice as far as taking advantage of that situation.
• While we wait for Rolfe, be sure to note which other versatile attacker is leading in minutes played at left midfield. It would appear the staff is taking a close look at trialist Rob Vincent, currently under contract with the USL's Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
• Nick DeLeon, center midfielder. With new-found depth on the outside, this may be a situation where the braintrust could force the issue and play Nicky in the middle before he's quite ready. It's too early to say what DeLeon's ceiling at the position is, but if the coaches are optimistic, the first part of the season might be used as a loss-leading investment to get him settled in that spot and paying dividends later in the year.
• Jalen Robinson, center back. The coaching staff seemed to think before the calendar rolled over to 2016 that the homegrown was better used at right back, a position where I thought he showed some promise in his limited first team minutes last year. But, he's logged zero minutes on the outside and has a wide lead in minutes played in central defense. With Kofi Opare still listed as "Not Appearing" through three preseason games, we may be seeing Robinson in the 18-man roster early in the year, or even on the field should something happen to starters Bobby Boswell or Steve Birnbaum.
• Jumping back to the front, in the last game when Acosta and several other starters were pulled at halftime, Ben Olsen opted to keep the five-man midfield, putting Collin Martin, and later Julian Buescher, in the attacking midfield spot in the second half. Indication of things to come, or just Benny seeing what clubs he's got in the bag?  These are the questions that keep me up at night.
• And jumping back to the very back, I have to say that as solid as Caveman Chris Konopka has been this preseason, Benjamin Kirsten had himself a standout performance against Tampa Bay. His quickness off his line and ability to cut down the angle and force a saveable shot from (even lower tier) attackers was reminiscent of nothing if not Bill Hamid. That alone may give him some edge in the race for the final goalkeeper spot.