Depth Re-Charge

So United started the year with some question marks on depth.  After the first half of the season, it’s fair to say that the team does indeed, have depth.  Every player on the current active roster has seen significant playing time in either MLS or US Open Cup play.  But that depth has taken hits in recent weeks, first was the decision to not renew Louis Crayton’s contract, second was waiving Anthony Peters, and maybe most unfortunately, the season ending knee injury to Brandon Barklage.

That leaves three two open roster spots.  Today DC United claimed former Columbus Crew midfielder Danny Szetela.  Danny first went kicking and screaming to the Crew several years ago, was sold to Racing Santander in Spain, and then loaned out to some Italian lower division club.  It’s probably a srewd move by United to use the allocation spot to claim Danny, as he’s a versitile midfielder and he’s got some edge to his game.   It’ll be nice to have a player not named Ben Olsen bring some grit on the field.  With Champions League play approaching along with the Dog Days of Summer, expect to see Danny get some first team minutes soon, well as soon as the FIFA bureacracy can get the proper paperwork to South Capitol Street.

As for the other two spots, Steve Goff is reporting that these two guys are in on trial.  Two guys who have definately taken roads less traveled to DC.  Jean-Francios Bell is a 28 year old defender from Cameroon, who’s been in the various Swiss Leagues (including playing for FC Vaduz … which is in Lichtenstein), and apparently more recently, UGS….or Urania Geneve Sport….it’s a club in a regional Geneva league and plays in the stadium pictured…that’s not just a track ringing the field, it’s actually like a mini-velodrome, complete with banked curves.  The other trialist is David Habarugira a 20 year old midfielder from the Barundi National Team, and came up through the Anderlecht system.

There may be more trialists coming in the next couple of weeks as the summer transfer window closes and players and teams will stop playing around and figure out just what the heck they’re going to do.

Acutal games!

Hey!  DC United will actually be at RFK this weekend.  Go figure.  They’ll be trying to exact revenge on MLS’s most rebranded team: The Colorado Rapids.  Game time is the standard 7:30.

Something not to miss on Tuesday, though, is the US Open Cup Semi-Final against the Rochester Raging Rhinos.  They’ll be looking to exact some revenge of their own as United ousted them from the tournament last year.  This game is up at the Maryland Soccerplex, forget gas prices, forget that I-270 can be a hassle….it’s a semi-final.  The winner takes on the Seattle/Houston winner.  Support the team in keeping the trophy case overflowing.