Sports Talk: Defense Not United

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (0)

ALTHOUGH LAST MONTH'S TRADE came as a bit of a surprise, the thinking behind sending Facundo Erpen to Colorado for Greg Vanney seemed pretty clear. D.C. United had exchanged a talented but young and unpredictable central defender for an 11-year pro and U.S. national team veteran who would bring stability to an inexperienced and inconsistent back line.

The plan seemed to work at first, as D.C. yielded just one goal in Vanney's first two games. Then, with a 3-0 lead against visiting FC Dallas last weekend, the wheels came off.

Twice goalkeeper Troy Perkins failed to retrieve a cross after coming off his line. In between, midfielder Brian Carroll was left alone to deal with powerful Dallas counterpart Juan Toja, who tore unimpeded through the heart of the D.C. defense. Perkins and his backs appeared slow and confused.

"We played like young kids," United coach Tom Soehn said.

With the Eastern Conference race tightening — five clubs are within four points of each other — and United (7-5-3) heading north for Sunday's game at New York (7-6-3), now would be an opportune time for Vanney, 33, to prove his worth.

Raised in Arizona, Vanney is with his fourth MLS club. He played for three seasons in France and likely would have figured into the 2002 World Cup had he not suffered a knee injury that spring. He said, "From a professional standpoint, I couldn't be in a better place."

But he acknowledged United has work to do in back, where Perkins and Bobby Boswell are midway through their third season and Josh Gros and Devon McTavish are playing defense for the first time.

"We don't quite trust each other yet. ... It's a matter of leadership, communication, some of those things," he said. "Playing in the back isn't just about talking to each other. It's about understanding and moving together, and covering and trusting each other. We'll get better."

Written by Express contributor Brian Straus
Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images