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D.C. United First-to-worst collapse prompts major shakeup
By Steve Almasy, CNNSI.com D.C. fans have to be happy that the players' names are on the backs of the jerseys. Otherwise, they might spend the first few months of the season trying to answer the question: Who are those guys? "It's almost like a brand new team, to tell you the truth," D.C. United defender Eddie Pope said. Oh, there are a few familiar faces in the Black-and-Red, but Pope might feel a little deserted in the defense. Gone are experienced international defenders Jeff Agoos and Carlos Llamosa, shipped off to San Jose and Miami, respectively. Pesky defensive midfielder Richie Williams is now with the MetroStars, traded for goalie Mike Ammann. The team also purged itself of goalie Tom Prethus, Canadian Geoff Aunger, midfielder Antonio Otero and forward A.J. Wood to shed salary and pick up some draft picks. Even the team operator is new. Philip Anschutz's group will run the franchise while leaving the front office intact. Its first two priorities will be to rebuild a proud franchise and to have a soccer-specific stadium constructed. "This year, as in years past, we were facing a difficult decision with regard to the cap," general manager Kevin Payne said in February. "The only way to get under the cap was to move a significant player. In this case, the choices were Jeff Agoos, Eddie Pope, Marco Etcheverry or Jaime Moreno. "We felt it made the most sense to move Jeff. We believe the other three players to be the best players in the league at their positions, and we consider them the nucleus around which we will build the new D.C. United."
That's a pretty good nucleus to have, even though Moreno is coming off an injury-shortened year. The Bolivian striker, who led the team with 12 goals in 2000, had surgery on his right knee Jan. 24 and will miss the first few matches of the regular season. Raul Diaz Arce is healthy again and figures to team with Chris Albright, who has struggled to find the net in MLS. Abdul Thompson Conteh, acquired in the Agoos trade, will compete for the second spot up top. The emotional Etcheverry will also be surrounded by mostly new faces. "Marco has been in this league for five years," head coach Thomas Rongen told The Washington Post, "and everyone knows Marco and how he plays. He's not hard to integrate back into our team. It might take the new guys some time, but we're not worried." Teen sensation Bobby Convey will be on Etcheverry's left flank, but middie Ben Olsen is out because of ankle surgery and might just stay in England permanently when he does heal. United has been granted "roster relief" because Olsen was on loan to Nottingham Forest. United will likely try Brian Kamler in the midfield. Kamler, who played on the 1996 championship team, can also play left defender. "We are happy to have Brian Kamler back with United," Payne said after trading to get Kamler from Miami. "He is a versatile player who will help us in a number of positions." Draft pick Ryan Nelsen will fill Williams' vacated spot. "He's a pro who just happened to play for an American college [Stanford]," United coach Thomas Rongen told the Post after the draft. "To me, he was the best player in college, no doubt about it. We were very happy to find a player with that type of background." Nelsen is a member of New Zealand's national team and will miss time for World Cup qualifiers. United will surely miss Llamosa and Agoos but Pope has former UNC teammate Carey Talley in the back to help out. United was reportedly in the hunt for another former Tar Heels defender, Gregg Berhalter, but he's in England with Crystal Palace for now. Payne said part of the reason Llamosa and Agoos were dealt was because the 18-man limit will strain the teams who lose players to World Cup qualifying, and United would have been greatly touched if it had lost three starting defenders. It appears that veteran Canadian back Mark Watson (over 60 caps)and Eric Denton (12 starts for United in 2000) will earn significant minutes at the beginning of the season. University of Richmond product Craig Ziadie has played well in the preseason and might start in the opener. Ammann was the emotional leader of the MetroStars, but was tradable because his backup was former U.S. youth international Tim Howard. Ammann was initially angered by his trade and the resulting lost income (from coaching and other soccer opportunities in New Jersey)."We've been trying to get Mike Ammann for some time now," Payne said at the time of the trade. "We think he is among the elite goalkeepers in the league." Ammann will be plenty busy trying to help organize a defense that finished dead last in goals allowed at home. He'll also be asked to spark a team that was at first complacent last year, then just appeared frustrated and snake-bitten. It'll be a challenge to become one of the elite MLS sides again. "Nothing has changed in terms of what we want to achieve," Rongen has said. "We still want to achieve all the trophies that are out there, and they're attainable -- even for this group."
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