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As is our wont here in the wonderful world of SB Nation, when Bobby Boswell was reacquired from the Houston Dynamo, our first instinct here at B&RU was to pontificate on the meaning of our Re-Entry Mechanism/Process/Draft thing selection. But our second instinct was to turn to our SBN colleagues down in Houston to get their take on the once-and-future United man. So I emailed Richard Willis of Dynamo Theory, our Orange-flavored sister site, and here's what he had to say:
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While you guys may have had Bobby Boswell on your roster six years ago, a lot has changed since then. Some of it was for the better, yes, but some of it also got worse.
He's still the same fun-loving, joking defender he always has been, but he's added a bit of wisdom and wiles to that on the pitch. He's not the fastest guy, and he's not the biggest, but he's always been willing to step in and make a challenge.
Houston's grateful for the six years he brought us, and sorry that even with back to back trips to the finals, we couldn't get him a Cup. He was a valuable piece in our puzzle during his time here, and we wish him luck in the future - in fact, I've seen many people already calling for tickets to see him return to BBVA Compass, so I'm sure his welcome here will be a good one.
Now, I did say there were some bad parts, unfortunately. The Dynamo defense as a whole made more than their fair share of mistakes that led to goals by opponents, and Boswell often seemed to be at the center of them. The tradeoff for veteran presence is age, I think, and that seemed to be catching up with him last season. I don't necessarily share this position, but while many Dynamo fans will miss him, they're not particularly sad to see him go: in their eyes, he was overpriced and losing value and skill as he aged.
As for my views: I'll miss him, for sure. Was he a bit off last season? Yeah. Do I think his best years are behind him? Probably. Do I think he could still play for a few years in the league? Definitely. The wear and tear of a full season may be too much for him at this point in his career, but I can't see him shirking from that challenge. He'll make some plays for you, both good and bad, you just have to hope that the former outweighs the latter.
Hopefully y'all end up appreciating him this time around. If nothing else, he's deserving of that.
So, it sounds pretty much like the mixed bag that Boswell was at the end of his last stint in the District. Now that you've had time to sleep on it, what's your take on yesterday's acquisitions? Let us know down in the comments.
