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Roster-itis

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Steve Goff has been going over the roster possibilities for DC United:

GoalkeepersIn camp: Steve Cronin, Bill Hamid, Chase Harrison, Pat Onstad, Joe Willis....

If the season began today, the starter would be: Onstad. He's fit and carries decades of experience. He didn't have a great 2010 in Houston, but until Hamid is cleared and regains match rhythm, Onstad is the most realistic option.


My take: This is worrying. Onstad should be a steadying influence, but you cannot like to see DC's Plan A discarded so early. Cronin's injury could be a killer in the early season, particularly if Hamid isn't 100%.

Defenders
In camp: Rodrigo Brasesco, Marc Burch, Dejan Jakovic, Perry Kitchen, Chris Korb, Devon McTavish, Ethan White, Daniel Woolard, Jed Zayner....

If the season began today, the starters would be: Zayner on the right, Jakovic and the Kitchen -- whom the club has fallen head over heels in love with -- and Burch on the left.

My take: It's good to hear they like Kitchen so much. Hopefully there is good reason to be besotted. I'm not sure about our depth here. If we pick up an injury or two will we be wanting Julius James back?

Midfielders
In camp: Branko Boskovic, Fred, Junior Carreiro, Stephen King, Dax McCarty, Kurt Morsink, Andy Najar, Santino Quaranta, Conor Shanosky, Clyde Simms, Brandon Barklage....

If the season started today, the starters would be: In a four-man midfield with two deep central midfielders, it would be Simms and McCarty, with Najar and Boskovic on the flanks, or McCarty and Boskovic centrally, with Najar and Quaranta wide. With five in midfield, you could see Simms and McCarty supporting Boskovic or Najar, and then Boskovic or Najar and Quaranta on the wings. Morsink is the first option off the bench in a holding role, and Fred, in his second stint with DCU, promises an element of flair in attack.

A good solid group which should represent the strength of the tem going forward. I'm hoping that Barklage gets to stick. He looked pretty good last year before he got banged up, but the influx of talent will make it an uphill battle for him.
Forwards
In camp: Blake Brettschneider, Charlie Davies, Joseph Ngwenya, Chris Pontius, Josh Wolff, Sergio Villarreal....

If the season started today, the starters would be: Davies is on his way to a starting job. Today? Perhaps not. Three weeks from now, yes, probably. If Olsen goes with five in midfield, Davies would serve as the front-runner. In a four-man alignment, a Davies-Pontius partnership carries promise. Quaranta and Najar are also options up front.
My take: Could be better, but, since Davies signed, could be a hell of a lot worse.

It's weird to have 30 man rosters in MLS. I'm used to bare bones skeleton crews. Real depth will be novel!
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