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Where Does DC United Go From Here?

Photo: DC United

A team eliminated from post-season with a new coach has a certain freedom to experiment in search of its future. Coach Rene Weiler comes in with a background which bodes well for the redevelopment which DC United sorely needs. His credentials feature experience described by United as in, “long-term roster planning and youth development.”

His predecessor was similarly focused, but never quite found the best combinations of mostly solid journeymen to form a cohesive unit. He had many young prospects, but the juggling needed to find cohesion led to what appeared to be strong possession and attack development with failures to finish.

We saw some of this against a strong Miami squad even without its iconic Messi. United can hold its own, sometimes. As Weiler has come on board, a few signs of a better future have appeared.

To survive in the current MLS, a team must have more than one “impact” player. DC needs at least two impact strikers and two impact midfielders. Christian Benteke is number one, but Gabriel Pirani has fallen short of expectations. However, coming off injury, he may be hitting his stride.

Also coming off injury, Jackson Hopkins seems to be blossoming as expected for a heralded homegrown player. The movement of Aaron Herrera to midfield may foreshadow a sufficiently impactful midfield, especially if Finnish international Matti Peltola, removed from occasional defender duty, joins the unfinished but aggressive Hosei Kijima.

It is notable that Weiler also moved Hopkins briefly into a striker role, but his performance against Club America saw him active end to end in defense and attack. In turn, Pirani has alternated as striker on occasion. The coach continues to experiment as did Troy Lesesne, but without the same urgency in this time of acknowledged experimentation.

If every possible development were to bear fruit, one might conclude that Weiler could organize a decent contender next season but perfect never happens. Thus, the coach, after observing and testing, will need to identify needed players and seek them over the winter.

I left the defense out of this examination because I believe that there are enough reasonable talents there to hold steady as the mids and strikers keep play more advanced. Worst case scenario has Herrera or Peltola moving back at some detriment to needed offense. Alternatively, Weiler may bring in impact defender.

Orlando City comes into Audi on Saturday in position to advance to the top four or drop close to falling off the playoff radar. They will be motivated to perform and generally do well away. That game and the few remaining should hold our attention with the hope that a new stride can be found.

Most likely United will need to find an additional impact player, especially since Benteke will probably be in his last season next year and the team will need a smooth transition to the future as befits the long-term roster planning of the new coach.