Black And Red United - D.C. United 2016 season review: Community voting on every player on the rosterThey can't hold us back. We are United.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47471/blackandred-fave.png2016-12-31T14:13:52-05:00http://www.blackandredunited.com/rss/stream/133062712016-12-31T14:13:52-05:002016-12-31T14:13:52-05:00D.C. United season review: Ben Olsen
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<p>After a slow start, United’s head coach made a major mid-season shift in style</p> <p id="whNDu1">After watching his <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blackandredunited.com/">D.C. United</a> side end the season with a playoff defeat - for the second year running, no less - against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.onceametro.com/">New York Red Bulls</a>, their arch-rival, <span>Ben Olsen</span> asked the key question of last year’s offseason: <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/opinion/2015/11/9/9693798/the-last-word-on-dc-united-0-1-new-york-red-bulls-0-2-on-unpleasant">"Are we peaked out?"</a> This question covered a lot of territory. Was United’s roster, even at their best, only capable of simply making the playoffs rather than going on a run? Was the club’s grind-it-out, long ball-heavy style of play too easy for playoff teams to shut down? Was there any other viable plan with this group?</p>
<p id="WTp7q2">The acquisition of <span>Luciano Acosta</span> pointed towards a new approach, but in the early days, what we saw was less of a true shift and more of a move back to something resembling the successful pairing of <span>Fabian Espindola</span> and <span>Chris Rolfe</span> in 2014. United was still playing with two banks of four, and the hope was that Espindola and his fellow Boca Juniors product Acosta would create some attacking magic up front by being unpredictable. Olsen had tweaked things from 2015, rather than make a wholesale, top-to-bottom change.</p>
<p id="50ZRAq">It would be harsh to get too upset about the CONCACAF Champions League defeat. Even in the best of times, defending MLS Cup champions and Supporters Shield winners struggle badly starting off with the CCL before the preseason is over. United was not coming into the CCL on the back of a major trophy win, and on top of that they were playing without <span>Bill Hamid</span> and started a midfield that went, right to left, <span>Patrick Nyarko</span>, <span>Marcelo Sarvas</span>, <span>Nick DeLeon</span>, and Chris Rolfe That’s two players who were making their competitive debuts for United, and DeLeon was playing his first game as a "full time" central midfielder. Acosta was floating between that group and Espindola. Olsen gave debuts to <span>Rob Vincent</span> and <span>Julian Buescher</span> on the night as well.</p>
<p id="kVcww6">United did well for about 65 minutes at Queretaro that night, frustrating their hosts and having arguably the best of the rare looks on goal, only for that lack of familiarity to play a major role in the home side’s first goal. A mistake followed, and that was basically all she wrote. A similar script played out in the MLS opener, with United taking a 1-0 lead into halftime and frankly dominating the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lagconfidential.com/">LA Galaxy</a> only to concede an avoidable goal and then crumble from there.</p>
<p id="NWWexr">This more or less summed up United in the early going: capable of frustrating opponents, but also regularly frustrating to watch going forward. Acosta’s place in the lineup was unclear, while Espindola’s unpredictable nature - so often a gift in the past - was instead leaving his teammates puzzled as to how to play off of him. By the tenth game of the season, United had posted three shutouts, but had been shut out themselves four times.</p>
<p id="oRMLPq">Olsen was trying to solve the problem. There was at least one change in the lineup in each of the first six games. When one group did the business (4-0 win over Vancouver), they got three straight games as a starting unit. Nonetheless, United’s basic approach was very similar to what we saw in 2015, and the results were not encouraging. The Black-and-Red finished their fifteenth game of the season (0-0 at Houston) with a shrug-worthy 4W-5D-6L record. If not for the whole Eastern Conference’s fumbling start to the year, United might have been in a deep hole.</p>
<p id="GOGNFy">Just before that trip to Space City came arguably the low point of the entire season. United, usually a dependable bet to advance at least a couple rounds into the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/us-open-tennis">US Open</a> Cup, faced a Ft. Lauderdale Strikers side at the Maryland Soccerplex. The Strikers had played on turf in Edmonton three days before. Their smaller roster left no room to rotate. It later came out that their players were not being paid in a timely manner.</p>
<p id="676us6">And yet, despite an accomplished performance by then-new homegrown midfielder <span>Chris Durkin</span>, the Black-and-Red could not break down a Strikers side that came to sit very deep and compact. It wasn’t a complicated game plan, or even an energetic performance from Ft. Lauderdale, and yet they could point to the best chance of the opening 90 minutes (a header sent wide by former DCU striker <span>Maicon Santos</span>).</p>
<p id="uQTKU5">Certainly it’s not entirely, or even mostly, Olsen’s fault that the game went as it did. United had most of the possession, and with a summertime trip to Houston looming in three days (not to mention an eventually rescheduled game against the Revolution at home originally slated for four days after that), his rotation policy was defensible. However, the fact is that United burned one sub to give <span>Andrea Mancini</span> his only appearance, and between the planned move to let <span>Sean Franklin</span> and <span>Taylor Kemp</span> split the game in half, the Black-and-Red only had one sub to try and snatch a win with. Credit the Strikers for their eventual triumph on penalties, but this felt like an opportunity wasted.</p>
<p id="sUVyHS">United put the extra days of training they gained due to that New England game being pushed back a few days to make some major changes, and this is where we have to start talking about Olsen’s next step as a manager. DC came out in a 4141 against the Revs, clearly building around Acosta first and foremost. Espindola was forced to play left midfield rather than be the focal point of the attack. United was still in a hurry to get forward, but the ball was kept on the ground, and the quick raids from midfield helped them to a 2-0 win that was a lot less close than that sounds.</p>
<p id="vvxmnK">The club’s problems weren’t entirely solved yet, of course. A four-game road trip followed, in which United alternated between two smash-and-grab 1-1 draws and probably their two worst performances of 2016. A 3-0 loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brotherlygame.com/">Philadelphia Union</a> saw Acosta argue with Olsen on the sideline - that apparently turned out to be more of a thing for us chattering classes to worry about than anyone in the DCU locker room - and <span>Kofi Opare</span> red carded. A 4-1 loss to TFC ended the trip, with <span>Sebastian Giovinco</span> in unplayable form and United having no real idea how to get a foothold.</p>
<p id="GnSlBT">However, Olsen crucially stuck with the new system, and the tide started to change. <span>Patrick Mullins</span> debuted for DC in that Toronto loss, and took over as a starter eight days later in a 1-1 home draw with Montreal. Lloyd Sam arrived in time to start the next game, a 2-2 draw with Philadelphia in which both teams were left arguing that they deserved a win. Arguably, the real turning point - the game that proved this more open, more attack-minded approach could actually get the job done - came on August 13th against the 2015 MLS Cup champion <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stumptownfooty.com/">Portland Timbers</a>. United raced out to a 2-0 lead just 29 minutes into the game, and never looked stressed from then on. Acosta was showboating, and the pieces were falling into place. Olsen had found a better gameplan for his squad, and had the willingness to play with an attacking mindset.</p>
<p id="5qTGBK">You probably remember how things went from there. United scored 34 goals in their final 14 games; when you’ve seen several consecutive years of low-scoring, defense-first soccer, you don’t forget a thing like that. There was also a new-found belief in the squad, perhaps best exemplified by the fact that United scored six of those goals in the 90th minute or later (plus two more in the 89th minute). Olsen also made a difference with his subs, getting 7 goals from players coming in off the bench during that late-season run.</p>
<p id="SK3QLi">The expectations for United were mixed going into the playoffs. No one was quite willing to call them a true contender, and it was probably down to the downside of this new, attacking mindset. United was lighting up the scoreboard, but they also gave up 22 goals in those final 14 regular season matches (managing just two shutouts). Sure, four of those came when United opted to rotate nearly the entire starting lineup for the regular season finale, but DCU also let the lowly <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.hottimeinoldtown.com/">Chicago Fire</a> get two goals in 90 minutes against them twice during this run. It’s certainly something that needs to be worked on.</p>
<p id="vMxil4">Even with that in mind, the playoffs came and went faster than anyone expected. Conceding an early header to <span>Laurent Ciman</span> allowed Montreal to execute a defend-and-counter gameplan to perfection, and United simply couldn’t solve the puzzle. That will be one of the tests for next year: United wants to get out and run, but what do you do when the opposition is disciplined and willing to sit deep? Can United show the patience and passing ability to pry that sort of team open?</p>
<p id="LLMRHU">All in all, though, Olsen’s move away from the 442 and towards a more positive style of play has to be seen as an encouraging development for United fans, especially since it also resulted in wins as well. United managed a four-game winning streak at the perfect time, sealing a playoff spot a week early rather than needing a result on the final day of the season.</p>
<p id="jk5BRL">In the 4141, United went 7W-8D-5L with a +6 goal difference, and crucially they got better and better as time went on. United went 1W-4D-2L in their first seven outings playing this new style, and finished their final 13 games (including that playoff loss) on a points-per-game pace that would give them 57 or 58 points over a full season. If United can sustain that form - and it seems harsh to reduce it to a hot streak, since 13 games is nearly 40% of an MLS season - they’ll be in the Supporters Shield race.</p>
<p id="u8CfRn">Personally I think this answer is pretty easy. Olsen is improving as a coach, and he did pretty well during the back half of 2016. He shifted gears to better suit talented attackers, and his in-game tactical changes (both subs and formation changes) changed several games into better results for United. There are still challenges, but the team is, for me, clearly moving in the right direction.</p>
<p id="2Fdld7">That brings us to the final, long-delayed vote of our series:</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/31/14116860/dc-united-ben-olsenJason Anderson2016-12-12T10:00:02-05:002016-12-12T10:00:02-05:00D.C. United 2016 season review: Dave Kasper
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<p>The longtime general manager orchestrated a mid-year makeover of the team, which is in its best offseason position in years</p> <p id="EyqnOW">I won’t even try to hide the ball: Dave Kasper had himself a good 2016. A very good 2016, in fact.</p>
<p id="xY8TPC">Before we go through the GM’s year, though, let’s take stock of where D.C. United are heading into 2017. They have a United States men’s national team centerback locked down for most of his prime years. Three starting-quality wide midfielders are vying for two spots. The starting forward spot looks set with a young American talent. And the centerpiece is a 23-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder who brings flair and cheek along with the goals and assists and who grew into the role over the course of his first MLS season.</p>
<p id="bpoIpp">I mention these specific positions not because they are where United is best placed this winter — though, arguably, they are — but because those are the major personnel changes the Black-and-Red have made over the last 12 months. And the man primarily responsible is Dave Kasper.</p>
<p id="HC56at">Now, let’s look over the tape.</p>
<p id="cfToPB">The offseason started, as it always does, with departures. Perry Kitchen refused a near-designated player contract to try his luck overseas, eventually signing with Scottish team Hearts. Philadelphia offered to take on Chris Pontius’ hefty salary and give him the fresh start everybody knew he needed (and deserved). Eddie Johnson and Davy Arnaud retired, the latter to join the coaching staff. Conor Doyle decamped for Colorado.</p>
<p id="SQS7XC">Cap space cleared, it was time for some moves. Trades for Lamar Neagle, Patrick Nyarko and Marcelo Sarvas were reminiscent of the M.O. Kasper and Olsen had used to turn the team around after essentially re-interviewing for their jobs following the disastrous 2013 season. (Aside: what a different time it was three years ago, <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/offseason-of-our-discontent/2013/12/13/5206820/dc-united-cake-or-death-general-manager-dave-kasper-front-office">for Kasper no less than anyone</a>.)</p>
<p id="Ew2pb7">Then things got... different. United were linked to a Boca Juniors and Estudiantes creative midfielder as well as an Italian national team midfielder. And both stories had legs. <em>Los Capitalinos</em> would ink a loan for Luciano Acosta, which has since been converted to a full transfer. And while some meddling from Adrian Heath and his erstwhile charge Kaka prevented United from signing Antonio Nocerino, the resources they squeezed out of Orlando City and Nocerino’s play for the Purple Lions give D.C. the better of that transaction.</p>
<p id="Qzm1yu">Rob Vincent joined the team from USL side Pittsburgh. Julian Buescher and the quickly departed Paul Clowes came via the SuperDraft. Charlie Horton arrived from Leeds. In May, Markus Halsti returned to Scandanavia, while Alhaji Kamara came the other direction, looking for a fresh start after a medical scare had kept him on the sidelines for most of a year. Tally Hall came on board for a few months to stem a goalkeeping injury crisis before retiring to pursue a career in law enforcement.</p>
<p id="jl3TLH">U.S. under-17 defensive midfielder and center back Chris Durkin signed a homegrown deal and shone brightly in his one performance for the Black-and-Red. He’ll continue his tutelage in the Bradenton national team residency program through next spring’s U-20 World Cup before joining United full time.</p>
<p id="fmIv4t">But it was July that defined United’s 2016 on the personnel side, and therefore for Kasper. Out went the team’s attacking centerpiece, Fabian Espindola traded to Vancouver before signing with Necaxa in Mexico. In came United-killer Lloyd Sam from Hudson River West, Patrick Mullins from Hudson River East and Kennedy Igboananike from the shores of Lake Michigan.</p>
<p id="0zHRh5">It was a risky move, and United probably gave up plenty for Sam and Mullins. But whatever the amount, it was worth it. United’s identity changed over the rest of the season from one of the league’s most defensive-minded teams to one of its best attacking sides, and they entered the playoffs scoring goals at the best rate in MLS.</p>
<p id="JTnw5F">Since the season ended, Kasper has accomplished the consensus top two priorities for the offseason, inking Acosta to a permanent transfer and signing Steve Birnbaum on a long-term deal to keep him from following Perry Kitchen across the pond on a free transfer after 2017.</p>
<p id="9wAobs">It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, of course. I’m sure Kasper would have preferred to keep Kitchen in the fold. While the Nocerino saga ended well for United, one wonders whether he could have succeeded at RFK given his showing at Camping World Stadium. Let us not forget that Andrea Mancini spent most of the year on the roster.</p>
<p id="gyaEZC">And United’s playoff exit in the play-in/knockout/wild card/whatever round was a step back from 2015 and 2014.</p>
<p id="OPcl2s">Nevertheless, to my eye, the roster is in the best shape it’s been in for a long time. Over the course of the year, United got younger, more stable, deeper and better. It’s because Dave Kasper had himself a good 2016.</p>
<p id="u35Xas">And now, we vote. Have your say on whether the GM should return next year for his tenth full season in the role (and his fifth out of the shadow of Kevin Payne). And then take to the comments.</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/12/13863228/dave-kasper-dc-united-gm-midseason-trades-younger-fitter-deeper-betterAdam M Taylor2016-12-09T10:58:32-05:002016-12-09T10:58:32-05:00D.C. United season review: Rob Vincent
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<figcaption>Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>From the end of the bench to a consistent starter, Rob Vincent’s first season in MLS ended on a high note</p> <p id="dqvSkB">Rob Vincent was this year’s player that D.C. United signed from USL, with the team paying a transfer fee to secure his services from the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. He served as an attacking midfielder in USL, scoring 18 goals primarily from the left wing. By the end of his first year in MLS, he had completed a full Ben Olsen and transitioned from the wing to a starter at defensive midfield.</p>
<p id="X1V8WJ">Throughout the beginning half of the season, Vincent filled the role that we all thought he would: an attacking substitute off the bench who would also start Open Cup and very short turnaround games. He started the second game of the season, a 0-0 draw with New England, and accumulated another 38 minutes on the field from then up until the Copa America break. After that break, he started the first game on the wing, subbed into the second game on the wing, and then sat for the the next four.</p>
<p id="XTnZ5Q">Then, on July 31st, he subbed into the central midfield for the first time when Jared Jeffrey got hurt. The next week, he got his first start in defensive midfield with Marcelo Sarvas out. Two games later, he started against Montreal again, and stayed in that central midfield spot for the last 10 games of the season as well as the playoff game.</p>
<p id="hjcMZn">And while not spectacular, Vincent was quietly efficient as a defensive midfielder, a terrier type that has long been a feature of D.C. United teams. He wasn’t the defensive midfielder that the team wanted, with its pursuit of Antonio Nocerino and the trade for Marcelo Sarvas, but he ended up being the best fit for this team in that position down the stretch. With Vincent locking down the 1 in the 4-1-4-1, it allowed Luciano Acosta and Marcelo Sarvas (or Jared Jeffrey) the freedom of the rest of the midfield and to link up with the attack. He’s not the only reason (by far), but Vincent was starting for both of United’s six game unbeaten streaks at the end of the season.</p>
<p id="zOuUL5">I think most of us would agree that an upgrade in that position is a need for United this offseason, but (and here I’m spoiling my vote) Vincent’s versatility all across the field has vaulted him from a USL signing to someone who has a decent shot of being selected in the expansion draft if not protected.</p>
<p id="8Jcnfs">So, to the question itself:</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/9/13898348/dc-united-season-review-rob-vincentBen Bromley2016-12-08T12:00:01-05:002016-12-08T12:00:01-05:00D.C. United season review: Travis Worra
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<figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The man who rose most on the depth chart gets a look.</p> <p id="yr2l37">Signed as an undrafted free agent at the beginning of 2015, Travis Worra appeared on the bench of D.C. United’s 2015 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal campaign, backing up Andrew Dykstra as Bill Hamid was out because of offseason surgery. He spent a chunk of 2015 on the bench but when Dykstra became injured <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/dc-united-2015-season/2015/4/29/8513971/travis-worra-dc-united-bill-hamid-andrew-dykstra-injuries">in a 2-1 win over</a> the Vancouver Whitecaps in April, Worra came in and performed adequately. The spot duty aside, he spent most of 2015 with D.C.’s USL affiliate the Richmond Kickers, appearing in 11 games and registering 5 shutouts.</p>
<p id="ZUFQBX">2016 started similarly, with Worra on the bench, backing up Dykstra, in CCL play vs. Queretaro, as Hamid was out to surgery. However, Dykstra <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjO3P_DntPQAhUIQI8KHaOECXQQFggiMAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blackandredunited.com%2Fdc-united-2016-season%2F2016%2F3%2F15%2F11242452%2Fdc-united-andrew-dykstra-travis-worra-charlie-horton&usg=AFQjCNEEl5Cy7rNCBWWUkxVAI70HNWqc0g&sig2=H7A4oaaZ1I3Inx2BTFQQgw">underwent back surgery</a> that forced him to miss a third of the season, which left Worra as the starter and Charlie Horton (then acquired by the team two weeks before) as the backup. Trepidation ensued.</p>
<p id="RATyMt">The funny thing is, with a season of professional tutelage at Richmond and a full offseason with D.C. under his belt, Worra’s performances were more composed and confidence, and seemed to improve as the minutes sunk in. With a 3-4-4 record and 4 shutouts in 11 games, Worra did what he could to keep the team in games, even while the offense was not up to par at that time.</p>
<p id="cZpKvx">Now obviously, Hamid’s return to the starting post was a foregone conclusion, but Worra never relinquishing his hold on the backup position may have been the most impressive. Horton’s year was derailed due to various injuries (when he wasn’t playing in Richmond). Tally Hall, who was signed as coverage in April, never saw the field and <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwj4tqznoNPQAhUlTY8KHQgLA5gQFgg2MAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.washingtonpost.com%2Fnews%2Fsoccer-insider%2Fwp%2F2016%2F07%2F29%2Fgoalkeeper-is-swapping-soccer-for-law-enforcement%2F&usg=AFQjCNF7GBV2AKbRvL6C1tjpBlfAC6Ilfg&sig2=Y9AilXmX1gy5vxUBO1jgsw">eventually retired</a> to a life of law enforcement in Florida. Dykstra, a presumed # 2 coming into the season, did not see another regular season start for D.C. after returning from surgery. Comparing boxcar numbers briefly, Worra’s goals against of 1.38 and save percentage of 65.4 (dragged down due to two starts which included a subpar performance against Toronto FC and a reserve-laden squad against Orlando City in the last game of the season) are roughly comparable to Dykstra’s 1.78 and 70.2 from 2015. At $53,472 base/guaranteed salary, Worra is roughly $20,000-30,000 cheaper than Dykstra’s salary and when the 2017 season starts would be 8 years younger.</p>
<p id="lE36l3">Worra would seem to be in a better position at the end of 2016 than he was at the beginning, but that’s why we goat the fox:</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/8/13805916/dc-united-travis-worra-mlsRyan Keefer2016-12-06T12:00:01-05:002016-12-06T12:00:01-05:00D.C. United season review: Marcelo Sarvas
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<figcaption>Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Marcelo was an understated but vital piece of the puzzle in 2016</p> <p id="0tQ87b">D.C. United was in need of some sort of two-way midfield help after Perry Kitchen said that he would not re-sign for the Black-and-Red at the end of 2015 (and eventually went to Scotland side Heart of Midlothian FC). They were unsuccessful in their quest to sign Antonio Nocerino from AC Milan after Orlando City <s>tampered with D.C.’s pursuit</s> acquired his rights and signed him to a contract, so D.C. looked inside the league.</p>
<p id="9XpMRV">Enter Marcelo Sarvas. Then 34, D.C. acquired his rights from the Colorado Rapids (the Rapids said that Jermaine Jones was on their radar at the time but that <a href="http://blogs.denverpost.com/rapids/2016/03/19/why-the-rapids-dealt-marcelo-sarvas-to-d-c/27502/">other factors were at play</a> in the decision). Additionally, Sarvas was one player whose potential acquisition was vetted by D.C.’s analytics man Stewart Mairs (Patrick Nyarko being another among those examinations). Sarvas’ time as a full-on defensive midfielder in MLS and overall was fairly scant, but the decision was made to put him in the position while Nick DeLeon was apprenticed as a two-way central midfielder underneath Luciano Acosta.</p>
<p id="FObyTS">As it turned out, Sarvas was surprisingly adept in the role. First, the (sort of) bad: he committed 67 fouls in 28 games. Were it not for absences to injury and suspension, he would most likely have broken D.C.’s single season record of 76 (held by Carey Talley). He was 4th in the league for that total and led the league in yellow cards, which led to a Sarvas suspension or two.</p>
<p id="9hD4ds">Now, the good: at 3.6 tackles per game, the only players who had the same or more, in more minutes than Sarvas’ 2,247, are the creme de la creme of defensive mids: Osvaldo Alonso (3.6), Diego Chara (3.7) and Matias Laba and his league-leading 4.1. His 2.4 fouls per game were second to Chara’s 2.9, and his 3 interceptions per game was only behind Micheal Azira (3.5) for midfielders in MLS who played more minutes. Simply put, Sarvas was fantastic in a new position, at his age.</p>
<p id="7EURLH">However, when Sarvas was out, while it did provide Jared Jeffrey (and to an extent, Rob Vincent) a chance to see how they did in the middle, it did go back to something that our own Jason Anderson said about Sarvas and the team <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/opinion/2016/3/16/11231892/dc-united-new-england-revolution-travis-worra-lamar-neagle">in the second game</a> of the season:</p>
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<p id="DhGt6W">Either Sarvas will run himself into the ground and simply not have the legs for the back half of the season, or he will pick up an injury (like he did last year) and miss weeks. Sarvas needs help from his teammates, and United needs someone to step up and emerge as a viable alternative so the Brazilian can rest at some point.</p>
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<p id="rHaj19">And we love Sarvas, but he’s not a long-term alternative at the position. Either the position needs some sort of viable CDM help, or homegrown signing Chris Durkin needs to be introduced to the first team sooner rather than later, provided Durkin is the 6 that Ben Olsen is looking for now that Kitchen’s gone.</p>
<p id="wtQ2VP">Another consideration, particularly when it comes to this year, is that Sarvas’ full salary should appear on the books, which means a salary in excess of the $425,000 he made last year will be on D.C.’s account (they offset his salary with allocation money when acquiring him).</p>
<p id="PNLacS">So, when it comes to his age, his salary, and his performance:</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/6/13836168/dc-united-marcelo-sarvas-mlsRyan Keefer2016-12-05T14:00:01-05:002016-12-05T14:00:01-05:00D.C. United player review: Lloyd Sam
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<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We review the midfielder whose midseason pickup sparked an offense.</p> <p id="xVgxC1">On July 7th, D.C. United announced the acquisition of Lloyd Sam from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for General Allocation Money (GAM) and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM). It was one of several midseason moves the Black-and-Red made to attempt to move up from the near-bottom of the Eastern Conference standings into playoff position. You can say that Sam, who appeared in 16 matches in 2016 for the Red Bulls with only 1 goal and 4 assists, took the new situation as an opportunity to help what was once a rival turn their season around.</p>
<p id="N4iymy">Sam’s acquisition was arguably the one that finalized the revitalized United offensive attack. He started 13 matches for the Black-and-Red and in that time he scored 3 goals and notched 6 assists, which was 3rd most on the season for the team. The Englishman was an offensive spark for United once he joined the starting lineup, helping the team move from 7th place all the way to 4th and the playoffs.</p>
<p id="Xum8uZ">Sam’s movement on the wings was where he thrived, making moves to create space to send the ball in to the feet of Patrick Mullins or Luciano Acosta. His ability to move without the ball created a lot of scoring opportunities and overall made our attack more potent than it had shown in the first part of the season before his arrival. Finally, his work rate led to results and points in the standings. His performance against Toronto FC on October 1st and New York City FC on October 16th were crucial in our 4-match winning streak and he was nominated for MLS Team of the Week both of those weeks. We only lost twice after trading for Sam, and the 23 points we accumulated with him in the lineup was half our final total.</p>
<p id="eGplMV">If there were a couple negatives to Lloyd Sam's game, the first is that he apparently spoke to Lionard Pajoy before he debuted for United. Sam was offside 11 times in his 13 matches for the team, which meant that almost every match he was good for being offside once. Now, this could be spun to the view that being offside meant he was being aggressive on the offensive end to create scoring chances, but how many of them were chances thwarted because he was past the last defender? The second area of improvement would be his possession of the ball. There were times he tried to do too much in attempting to score and gave up the ball with no cover behind him. Still, there was a lot to be proud of for Lloyd Sam this season in D.C. and he was an important asset down the stretch.</p>
<p id="UI3qcn">Lloyd Sam’s ability to find the open man inside the box and also knock some balls into the net himself is something that was welcome this season to right a stagnated attack. His movement and work rate was a spark to the team as they climbed their way into the playoffs and hosting a knockout round match. Still, Sam will likely command a heavy salary to keep him in United colors next season, and his age (32) means he’s on the tail end of his career, and natural decline should be expected. That said, we pose the question to you all:</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/5/13772868/dc-united-lloyd-sam-new-york-red-bulls-mlsDonald Wine II2016-12-03T14:37:27-05:002016-12-03T14:37:27-05:00D.C. United season review: Alvaro Saborio
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<figcaption>Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We already know the Costa Rican won’t be at RFK Stadium next season, but let’s look at his year and ask whether we’d want him back in 2017.</p> <p id="vpzjke">It was bound to happen. The thing with a weeks-long series that asks whether each player on the roster should return and the nature of any professional sport’s offseason means that we were inevitably going to have a post rendered moot before we even got to write it. This is that post, and its subject is departed D.C. United striker Alvaro Saborio.</p>
<p id="IKf3rY">The Costa Rican led United in goalscoring for a big chunk of the year, despite only rarely featuring in the starting XI. (Of course, most of that time involved <em>los Capitalinos</em> not scoring many goals.)</p>
<p id="397u5v">Nevertheless, his starting performances generally vindicated Ben Olsen’s decisions to keep him on the bench, both before and after the arrival of starting #9 Patrick Mullins.</p>
<p id="goStGS">In eight starts, Sabo had only one goal. But as unproductive he was as a starter, he was exactly the opposite as a sub.</p>
<p id="lGJyeg">Five of his six goals on the year came in relief duty. Over the course of the season — even including his unproductive starts — Sabo found the net six times and assisted on two more, in just 890 minutes. That’s good for 0.81 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Put otherwise, if Sabo had been able to keep that form up as a starter, he’d be expected to score or assist on a goal more than twice every three games.</p>
<p id="ykwsAB">Which ain’t bad. But that condition is the rub. The 34-year-old <em>wasn’t</em> able to make it work in his starting opportunities this year.</p>
<p id="FPeoug">Now, let’s circle back to the whole "this post is moot" thing from the top. The conceit of the whole "River or Life/Cake or Death/Season Review" series is a fan vote on whether a player should return next year. Which is a lot less compelling when the player has <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/11/13/13612952/alvaro-saborio-dc-united-deportivo-saprissa">already announced his departure</a> from the club.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="es">Quiero anunciar que no seguiré formando parte del <a href="https://twitter.com/dcunited">@dcunited</a>, gracias a todos los aficionados de este club, bonitos dos años pase aquí!!!</p>
— Álvaro Saborío (@al_saborio) <a href="https://twitter.com/al_saborio/status/797582225306947584">November 12, 2016</a>
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<p id="gh07sr">Nevertheless, the poll must go on. Last year, in the comments for this very question, <a href="http://www.blackandredunited.com/2015/12/17/10220250/dc-united-season-review-alvaro-saborio#347887885">I said</a> that scoring half a dozen goals, mostly as a sub, would be a reasonable 2016 expectation for Saborio. He managed to meet that bar, and while he won’t be back in Black-and-Red for 2017, we’re still asking whether you’d like him to be.</p>
<p id="Q3wJtE">Vote below, and share your thoughts further down.</p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/3/13829066/alvaro-saborio-dc-united-supersub-extraordinaireAdam M Taylor2016-12-01T12:00:02-05:002016-12-01T12:00:02-05:00D.C. United season review: Chris Rolfe
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<figcaption>Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We look at the attacker and hope he's progressing, above all else.</p> <p id="ftupMi">2015 was a good one for D.C. United's Chris Rolfe. Coming over from the Chicago Fire for allocation money, he led the team in goals scored with 10, a personal best for Rolfe, to go with similar bests in starts (30), minutes played (2455) and near bests in shots (64) and shots on goal (29). He <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2015/09/24/chris-rolfe-signs-contract-extension-with-d-c-united/">signed a contract extension</a> in September of 2015 to last through 2017, with a club option for 2018 (he was listed as making $257,500 base salary in 2016, with $272,500 in guaranteed compensation).</p>
<p id="YkOoTo">Like the team, Rolfe got off to a slow start offensively, registering one assist in 9 games, then an April game against his old Fire teammates, Rolfe said about this "...was a solid hit but nothing you would imagine would cause this kind of trouble...I thought it can’t be that bad."</p>
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<p id="JtSh1d">He would stay in the game, leaving in the 72th minute for tactical reasons, but it would also be the last minutes of his 2016 season, as he was diagnosed with a concussion after the game. As he would later say in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2016/07/29/lost-in-a-supermarket-a-soccer-players-daily-struggles-after-concussion/#comments">Steve Goff’s excellent piece</a> describing the difficulties he was experiencing with this health problem:</p>
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<p id="DNc4Ph">The first seven days, it continued to get worse and worse and worse...And then it hit its peak and hung there for a month to six weeks.</p>
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<p id="6mI47s">Rolfe served as a cog in offense in the early part of the season (or at least as much as one could with that offense), maintaining his 2 shots per game average from 2015 while boosting his key passes per game to 1.7 in 2016 doubling his ‘15 total. His work was done both before United’s formation change and the subsequent emergence of Luciano Acosta, Patrick Nyarko, Patrick Mullins and Lloyd Sam.</p>
<p>The latter two pieces were acquired midseason, so if Rolfe were to regain his health his place on the field remains uncertain. Would he be the first choice substitute off the bench, with guile overcoming his age (34 at the beginning of 2017)? Sam is 32, so perhaps if he does come back, he even starts in front of Sam at right midfield? He could also see time in the middle - though with Acosta and Mullins in place, minutes would be scarce - or on the left, though competition is stiff there too.</p>
<p id="SVv48Y">All this said, the first priority for Rolfe is to return to health before returning to the field, because having a second United player retire in as many years to concussion issues (Davy Arnaud <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/soccer-insider/wp/2015/10/16/d-c-uniteds-davy-arnaud-remains-out-with-concussion/">being the first</a>) would be disconcerting. More importantly, we're talking about an injury linked with serious, long-term repercussions. Just hearing that Rolfe can live his day-to-day life without trouble would be a big plus.</p>
<p id="G7oMe3">With things this unclear, let's remove a variable for the purposes of our poll. Working with the assumption that Rolfe is totally healthy and available for next season:</p>
<p id="NdU0Ws"> </p>
<p id="mHaNnb"> </p>
<p id="5gQffe"> </p>
https://www.blackandredunited.com/d-c-united-offseason-2016-2017/2016/12/1/13752296/dc-united-chris-rolfe-concussionRyan Keefer