Young Players Give DC United Some Hope

In the absence of his big impact player, Christian Benteke, Coach Troy Lesesne has developed and deployed a variety of young players whose potential may be showing signs of paying off. Their names are Gabriel Pirani, Joao Peglow, Jackson Hopkins, Jacob Murrell, Hosei Kijima, Kristian Fletcher, and Matti Peltola.

Most obvious, from his wearing the number 10, is Pirani who came with great expectations. His career has thus far been mixed, too often broken up by injury as his recent exposures have been limited from his latest. The resulting goals in successive games bode well for his eventual return to a full 90.

Coach Lesesne expanded on Pirani’s coming in later against New England, “Gabby does make special plays, and I was really happy to see him make one in that situation to get his goal campaign off and running in 2025. Of note is his further comment on the strength of his players, especially applicable to the still young Brazilian, “You could see how strong we were physically, and I think you’ve seen that in a number of matches, we’ve been able to keep trying to push and sustain the attack.

“A lot of credit goes to our sports performance and medical department. I mean, they’ve really worked these guys extremely hard and set a high standard for us. And I think we’ve taken a step this year in that regard. So I think this is a really important observation, and a lot of credit goes to Dave Rhodes and his entire staff.”

Pirani weighs nearly as much at 5’ 7” as Jackson Hopkins at 6’ 2” but seems to be knocked off the ball more often. He rides tackles reasonably well but might benefit from time in the weight room.

The experienced Aaron Herrera commented on Pirani’s return with a banger against New England, “He definitely took advantage of his opportunity. He wears the number 10 for us. These are plays we need from him, and so I think we’re glad to have him back healthy – – -Gabby, Joao, they all connect really well with each other, and they can create a lot for us. So we started getting in the ball more, playing more aggressive balls, playing forward,”

For his part, fellow Brazilian Joao Peglow has shown similar creativity leading to hope that their chemistry will provide a much-needed spark. A major weakness this season has been a failure to finish a good number of chances created by solid midfield advances. The coach describes some of the process that he hopes will develop.

A major provider of pressure on opponents has been Hosei Kijima. Lesesne commented on his work against the Revolution, “He’s very effective. He wears the other team down – – – we bring someone else in for him – – – I think Jose and Peglow, and Jacob (Str) made their back line uncomfortable and gave us clear direction tonight.” Kijima wins an above average number of duels in midfield but needs to develop similar chemistry.

Also coming off a recent bone bruise to the hip just after coming back from ankle problems, Jackson Hopkins is expected to suit up against Chicago. He has already shown good chemistry and versatility. Lesesne observed, “He’s someone that is very capable of bringing our attacks into more complete actions.”

Two other youngsters have played significant roles in the past year, Matti Peltola and Jacob Murrell. Both are frequent starters and have shown maturity and versatility in Peltola’s case and attacking savvy by Murrell. Finally, Kristian Fletcher, still very young, appears confident and skilled with good size.

Many players come into the profession with similar hopes for greatness. Most become journeymen, some make a real impact. While genetics and effort play the biggest role, the best coaches develop the talents of their charges. Lesesne’s success depends on how he refines the capabilities of the youngsters above.

Let’s watch that process against the Chicago Fire this Saturday at Audi Field as United seeks to create some sort of impact without their primary weapon, Christian Benteke.