WASHINGTON — It’s an exciting time for the D.C. United franchise off the field, both with Audi Field’s construction underway and the recent flurry of acquisitions at the deadline of the international transfer window.
But while team brass insisted Thursday upon introducing their newly acquired collection of talent that they intended to continue to compete this year, it all may be a bit too little, a bit too late.
“We’ve accomplished our goals, which is to bring talent to the club, bring players that are in their prime, and bring players with big upside,” said general manager Dave Kasper upon introducing the new foursome.
That group consisted of 19 year-old Bruno Miranda, who brings hopes that he might revive some of the glory of fellow Bolivian nationals Jaime Moreno and Marco Etcheverry, the first- and sixth-leading scorers in team history.
It also included Zoltan Stieber, a regular on the Hungarian National Team who most recently played in Germany. It was rounded out by two Americans, Russell Canouse and Paul Arriola, both young players with international competition experience.
Kasper and head coach Ben Olsen both stressed their desire to compete this year, but made it clear that no matter the time frame, the message was clear.
“Does it heighten expectations?” asked Olsen. “Yeah, hopefully. And it’s time for that.”
The 22-year-old Arriola is coming off a strong performance with the U.S. Men’s National Team at the Gold Cup, where he appeared in four games en route to the American victory.
“It was what I was looking for,” he said of the opportunity in D.C. “The only thing you can ask for as a human is to search for happiness. And I think in the end, this was a spot that I felt comfortable with, and that coming here I’d be happy.”
Canouse, also 22, already has strong ties to the club. He went to high school with United goalkeeper Travis Worra and has been playing on national teams with Arriola since they were adolescents.
“We kind of went through the whole cycle together, have stayed friends, stayed in contact the whole way through,” Cannouse said. “As soon as I heard (Arriola) was coming, it was pretty special, I got pretty excited.”
While Cannouse grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, he was a D.C. United fan as a kid, traveling to games with his father at RFK Stadium. That made this decision easy.
“The new stadium coming in, the development of the club, I wanted to be a part of it,” he said.
Saturday night’s game against Real Salt Lake featured the debut of Arriola and he immediately established himself as one of the very best players on the field. But the torrential rains put a hold on the game in the 28th minute, forcing it to be resumed Sunday evening.
By the time D.C. United players woke up Sunday morning, a playoff spot was a full 16 points away, with Columbus earning a 3-1 home win over Chicago the previous night.
With just 11 games remaining, a win seemed necessary not only for morale, but for the simple playoff math.
Already playing without Ian Harkes (ankle) and Taylor Kemp (hip), United saw striker Deshorn Brown take a shot to the head in the opening minutes after resuming play, leaving to be evaluated for a concussion. The club put forth a good effort to end the first 45 minutes, but couldn’t capitalize on any of the few chances created.
Then, more of the same. Rather than try to clear a threat from the middle of the box, Marcelo Sarvas gave up an awful goal trying to pass out of the back, handing the ball to Luis Silva at the top of the box. He powered it past a helpless Bill Hamid, and that was that.
Miranda made his debut as a sub in the 72nd minute, but neither Canouse nor Stieber played. United didn’t generate many chances late and fell 1-0, the 14th time they’ve been held without a goal this season.
As much as the club may want to try to continue to push forward this year, the hole they’ve dug simply appears too deep to climb, the obstacles too many to hurdle. But there’s reason to be hopeful moving forward, and that the stretch run will give the new team a chance to grow together heading into next year.
“We’re very excited about what we have in the locker room — we’ve got some great pieces here,” said Kasper. “And we’re very excited about what this injection of talent and energy will do for our organization moving forward.”
It was an infusion of talent, yes, but of young talent.
Other than Stieber, 28, everyone else is 22 or younger. They come from three different countries of professional soccer, each of which differs from MLS in various ways. That will undoubtedly mean growing pains — but better to get as much of that out of the way in the final 10 games of this season than in the brutal opening stretch of a dozen straight road contests before Audi Field opens next year.
