Ahead of Saturday's season opener at RFK Stadium, SportingKC.com caught up with The Washington Post's Steven Goff to preview #DCvSKC. Live coverage of Saturday's match is available on FOX Sports KC, FOX Sports GO, Sports Radio 810 WHB, and La Grande 1340 AM. Check out MatchDay Central for complete online coverage.
Heading into the Major League Soccer's 22nd season, what are your thoughts on the League and the growth over the last decade?
The League continues to mature and the addition of two new teams certainly adds to that narrative. You're going to have a new stadium in Orlando that looks gorgeous. It is a place of their own and is grass instead of turf. It looks like it's going to create a fantastic setting for the club and help deepen its roots in the community and state.
All of these efforts seem to be paying off for the League. LA is coming next year. The League is growing where we're seeing a new breed of players come in that's helped from Targeted Allocation Money. That second wave of talent falls into that category. It's not the multi-million dollar superstars that were as much or more potentially for marketing and media reasons but guys on that next level that promise to contribute and improve the quality of their teams and the quality of the League. It's exciting and promises to be another wide open season.
What were the major off-season acquisitions for D.C. United?
They didn't do much. They said right from the start that their mission was to keep this group together and they've accomplished that. Partly it's because they have limited resources now for acquiring players until the new stadium opens and revenue starts to flow. But part of it is they really like the team they had last year. It was a team that picked up a lot of quality results down the stretch before fizzling out in the playoffs.
They signed free agent Sebastien Le Toux who is a well-proven influential player in the attack. He'll start occasionally but I don't think he's in the first team right now. They picked up Jose Guillermo Ortiz, who is a forward from Costa Rica. Like Le Toux, he's a player who can play up top or play out wide and can score goals. He's not necessarily a starter right away but someone who they wouldn't hesitate to put into the lineup. And they signed Ian Harkes (Homegrown), John Harkes son, who was the best player in college soccer this year. He was in United's Academy so they had the rights to him and they worked out a deal. He's on the fringe of starting as well. I don't think he'll start Saturday against Sporting KC but he's definitely in the mix. That's where this team stands. There weren't a lot of moves during the offseason but they feel like they've filled some slots and added to their depth. They think the familiarity with each other and continuity of the roster will pay dividends over the course of a long season.
What are the expectations for D.C. United this season?
I think the expectations are to be very competitive and make the playoffs. Perhaps if things go well they can challenge for one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference. Are they capable of winning MLS Cup? Sure, it's a pretty balanced league that we've seen over the years. It's not like England where only a few teams realistically are going to compete for the title. The potential is there for a great season but at a very minimum they're in line for a good season.
What are a few things D.C. United is looking to improve on for the upcoming season?
There will be some changes. It looks like Sean Franklin will move from right back to center back to give them a little more athletic ability and speed in the middle of the field. That means Nick DeLeon will move to right back which means you'll have a player who will get forward and get into the attack but isn't as experienced defensively. They've tried to address those two positions by making those changes.
They like the idea of this team growing together. A lot of their success didn't begin until the arrival of Patrick Mullins and Lloyd Sam. This will be a full season with the complete unit together and they want to continue to work on the chemistry and understanding and rhythm that began to come together last year and they hope will continue this year.
Do you think Patrick Mullins will continue to have a big impact and what's his potential for this season?
Yeah, he showed really well last season with eight goals in 12 starts. He's a target player but he can also finish with his feet from 16-18 yards. He reads the game very well and has a good soccer brain. With him as an effective guy up front, defenses have to drop off a little bit and that creates more space for playmaker Luciano Acosta and for the flank players Nyarko and Sam. Mullins is pivotal but if the team is in a bit of slump, they feel they can turn to Sebastien Le Toux or Jose Ortiz or Lamar Neagle. Ben Olsen feels like he's got the depth where they can solve problems if problems arise in the way they are playing.
Are there any injury concerns for D.C. ahead of Saturday's match?
Acosta has a knock that he's trying to put aside, that he picked up in the last preseason game. He didn't practice on Tuesday. He's the only potential starter that has an injury issue and they're optimistic he'll play Saturday but they'll monitor throughout the week.
What's the potential of Homegrown signing Ian Harkes and how could he fit into the squad?
The club likes him a lot. They made a real hard push to sign him and they were able to accomplish it. He's a central midfielder who can be a number six and play deep or a number eight and be more involved in the attack. He's more natural as a number eight and that's why they gave him some good runs in preseason in that box to box role. Harkes is coming off a fantastic college season in which Wake Forest went to the final and he won the Hermann Trophy. He's a different player than his dad. His dad was a flank player and he's more of a central player. He's just a real intelligent player with a good touch on the ball and can finish a bit. I don't think they're going to rush him in so that's why I'd be surprised if he gets the nod ahead of Jared Jeffrey on Saturday. Harkes has a big future and with the new stadium coming, they love the idea of spotlighting a young, local player with some name recognition as part of that brand unveiling and the future of the team. He's certainly an integral part of their future plans.
