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D.C. United preview Posted: Tuesday April 08, 2003 4:21 PMUpdated: Tuesday April 08, 2003 7:45 PM
By Will Kuhns, Soccer America What qualifies as an overhaul? How about shipping out 11 players who played at least five games last season: Richie Williams, Ivan McKinley, Petter Villegas, Eddie Pope, Lazo Alavanja, Jaime Moreno, Roy Lassiter, Orlando Perez, Mark Lisi, Henry Zambrano and Abdul Thompson Conteh. It is actually becoming routine. United ditched 10 players with at least five games from its 2001 team and 11 from its 2000 team. Unlike previous years however, United has ushered in a host of established players this year: Earnie Stewart, Hristo Stoitchkov, Galin Ivanov, Dema Kovalenko and Mike Petke. Only one member of United's original 1996 championship team remains: Marco Etcheverry. El Diablo, 32, again came into camp out of shape, yet that did not deter Coach Ray Hudson from granting him sovereignty. "It's still Etcheverry's team. This team will go as far as Marco takes it," Hudson said. "We build the team around Marco. The team is both his support mechanism, and he dictates what happens with this team. We have to get legs around him, we have to get people around him." To that end, Hudson is considering several different formations, including a 4-5-1 with Stewart as the lone forward. Hudson's biggest concern is at the back, where Ivanov, a Bulgarian international, was signed to man the rudder. But Ivanov needs a few weeks to recover from hernia surgery, so the onus is on Petke to stabilize a mix including Brandon Prideaux and Ryan Nelsen. That would have also included Milton Reyes, if he hadn't suffered a torn left ACL and medial meniscus tear five days before the season opener. The Honduran international was expected to be out of the lineup for five to six months. While United lacks depth in defense, it has a surplus of attackers. Kovalenko is known for his biting tackles but has averaged 16 points a season. Bobby Convey appears poised for a breakout year after scoring a career-high five goals last season. Ben Olsen is finally healthy. Santino Quaranta enters his third pro season at age 18. And Stewart's adaptation to MLS after 14 seasons in the Netherlands will be fascinating.
United will fall or rise on Marco Etcheverry, the team's architect. All five of those players look like starters and have the versatility to play several positions, which should keep Hudson, who likes tinkering with formations, plenty busy. Furthermore, United has offensive reserves like Ali Curtis, Alecko Eskandarian and Devin Barclay itching for playing time. Then there is Stoitchkov. A player-assistant coach, Stoitchkov shocked his teammates by breaking American University freshman Freddy Llerena's leg in a preseason scrimmage. The incident likely damaged the Bulgarian legend's clout and highlighted his volatility. Whether Stoitchkov is ultimately a disruptive or inspirational force remains to be seen. Despite Stoitchkov's imposing persona, Hudson maintains that Etcheverry is the field general. "We still have faith in Marco," Hudson said. "You know how he is. He nurses his season along and come the bright lights when we've got 20,000 at RFK, you'll see a different Marco. Make no mistake. It's not Dema Kovalenko, or [Galin] Ivanov or even Earnie Stewart that's going to be the architect of this team. It's Marco. We will either fall or rise on him."
AT A GLANCEPivotal: Galin Ivanov. His fellow backs need an assertive leader. Can he bridge the language barrier?Worth Your Money: Ben Olsen. Pray he stays healthy, because nobody's tenacity is more fun to watch. Best Youngster: Santino Quaranta. Starting a family might focus him on gritting his teeth and scoring goals. Underrated: Ali Curtis. Scouts try to write him off but he averaged more than one point per 90 minutes played. Overrated: Bobby Convey. The skills and speed look nice, but where's been the yield?
RosterAvg. Age: 24.1 (3rd youngest in MLS). Capped players: 10 (2nd in MLS).Goalkeepers - 22 Michael Behonick, 18 Nick Rimando (USA), 1 Doug Warren. Defenders - 3 Galin Ivanov (Bulgaria/SI), 12 Mike Petke (USA), 4 Brandon Prideaux, 5 Milton Reyes (Honduras/GC), 2 David Stokes (P40), 24 John Swann. Midfielders - 13 Jose Alegria (TI), 16 Brian Carroll (P40), 10 Marco Etcheverry (Bolivia/GC), 6 Dema Kovalenko (GC), 26 Bryan Namoff, 7 Ryan Nelsen (New Zealand/SI), 14 Ben Olsen (USA), 8 Hristo Stoitchkov (Bulgaria/SI). Forwards - 19 Devin Barclay (P40), 11 Alecko Eskandarian (P40), 25 Santino Quaranta, 20 Eliseo Quintanilla (El Salvador/TI), 9 Earnie Stewart (USA), 21 Hayden Woodworth. Head coach: Ray Hudson (MLS record: 36-31-11, 3 seasons). * Countries for which players have been capped (through March 25) are in parentheses.
Will Kuhns is a senior editor at Soccer America magazine.
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