For Friday's match against D.C. United, I spoke to Washington Post writer Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) and MLSSoccer.com's Nick Cammarota (@NickCammMLS).
Steven Goff
How has D.C. United played in the first month of the season?
It's been a little bit of a disappointment. They've only scored a couple goals. It's not the start they envisioned and now going to Kansas City is a tough task. They're in a tough spot right now. Obviously very early in the season but they've got a lot to prove.
How will D.C. United approach Friday's match?
I think when D.C. plays on the road they always play a little more conservatively than they do at home. You're not going to see a team go all out attack but a little more conservative and smarter. That's just Ben Olsen's style as a coach on the road. Part of it is that he's realistic too. Nick DeLeon, one of their best attackers, is out for several weeks with an injury so that certainly changes their approach a little bit.
They'll pick their spots. That's what they've done since the middle of last season. They're not a team that's going to overwhelm you. They'll counter and look to play through De Rosario and Pontius. If they can get out with a tie in Kansas City, where they never seem to get a good result, yeah they'll take it.
What are the expectations for D.C. United this year?
I think the expectation is to take one more step. Last year the goal was to get to the playoffs and they did that. I think they went farther last season than anyone thought, getting to the conference final. This year, there are legitimate expectations to finish near the top of the Eastern Conference and make a bid to get to MLS Cup.
Nick Cammarota
How has D.C. played in the first month of the season?
They obviously came into the year with pretty big expectations rolling off how they finished last year. Making the playoffs for the first time in five seasons and then beyond that reaching the Eastern Conference final. They've been a little bit sporadic with their play early on. Offense and the attack in general has definitely been an issue. They've scored two goals in four matches.
For whatever reason, whether it be still trying to reintegrate Dwayne De Rosario into the attack or a few new faces up top with Rafael or some of the other guys in the mix there. The offense really hasn't been able to generate as many chances as Ben Olsen would like. That's probably been the biggest struggle for the team so far, is just generating quality scoring chances and then the flip side of that is they're not possessing the ball as much as they'd like. They're not generating those chances so they're defending for really long stretches.
How has Bill Hamid played this season and progressed as a leader for D.C. United?
He's come back from the January USMNT camp with a little bit different mindset and approach to the game. The raw skills have always been there for him and he's made the extraordinary saves before, especially towards the end of last season when they were really relying on him and the defense after Dwayne De Rosario went down (knee injury).
He's now playing at the top of his game both mentally and physically. You can really see it in rebounds in the box. I think that's really been a strength. He's made some saves where he's had to react quickly out of position and he manages just to get a hand up or a foot on it to deflect it wide. He's definitely been one of the bright spots for the club so far.
What are your thoughts on Sporting KC this season?
Sporting KC is a club that has been at the top or near the top of MLS for a few years. They're building an image for themselves and a way they like to play soccer that a lot of people are becoming aware of. It's obviously worked even though people might have said they are scuffling a bit in the first few weeks. They've turned it all around and erased all those images or memories with a big win against Montreal, who is a very good club early on this year. That momentum, I would imagine, would only elevate what they are going to be doing ahead of this match on Friday night.
