Photo by Brad Smith/ISIphotos.com
By THOMAS FLOYD
WASHINGTON - Moments after D.C. United's dismal 2010 campaign came to an end with a 3-2 loss to Toronto FC in late October, then-interim coach Ben Olsen suggested that the club needed to inject some new blood into its locker room, a sentiment made all the more pertinent by the departure of captain Jaime Moreno, who played his final game in a D.C. uniform that night.
"We need a different pulse, in a lot of ways, on this team," Olsen said at the time. "With a guy like Jaime leaving now, it's even more crucial to get some leaders who are going to put their stamp on this team."
It came as no surprise, then, that two of United's first offseason transactions were to acquire strong personalities in firey midfield general Dax McCarty and veteran forward Josh Wolff.
During United's 3-1 win over the Columbus Crew on Saturday, Olsen, now devoid of the interim tag, got promising early returns from the team's two new leaders.
Despite his status as a 23-year-old playing his first game with a new squad, McCarty wore the armband for D.C. on Saturday, following in the distinguished footsteps of John Harkes, Marco Etcheverry, Ryan Nelsen and Jaime Moreno to become the club's fifth designated captain.
He responded with a well-rounded performance that saw him win balls and fill gaps in the middle of the park while dictating United's midfield tempo with uncanny poise.
"He's a box-to-box guy for us," Olsen said. "We need him to continue what he did tonight. Be scrappy, playmake, keep possession -- the guy is going to do it all for us in there."
Although McCarty took United's corner kicks and close-range set pieces, he made an executive decision to take the pressure off his own shoulders when Chris Pontius won a second-half penalty kick.
Instead of walking to the spot himself, he picked the ball up and handed it to striker Charlie Davies, who minutes earlier had taken the field for the first time since suffering major injuries in a fatal car accident 17 months earlier.
"I kind of took it upon myself before the game that I would be the penalty kick taker for this team," McCarty said. "I'm comfortable taking them. I want to take them, I want that responsibility. But I had a little chat with Charlie, and he looked at me and said, 'Listen, I need this. I want it.' When a goal scorer tells you that ... there's no other way to describe it than I was always going to defer to him."
United's first goal of the campaign came 12 minutes earlier when Wolff ran onto Jed Zayner's long ball and placed a low shot inside the near post. It was a fair reward for the 34-year-old, who throughout the contest showed the pace and touch many thought had escaped him during his recent seasons in Kansas City.
"For me, he was the player of the game," Olsen said. "The way he held the ball for us, composed -- he was just a handful. I haven't seen Wolffy play that well in a while. ... Last year in Kansas City, he was in and out and played a little out of position. I think he wants to show he's still got it."
Added McCarty: "I thought Josh was brilliant for us tonight. The guy, he works his socks off, he's a tremendous player, and I think he's been one of our sharpest players throughout preseason."
Upon scoring, Wolff pulled off his shirt (Olsen: "He looks good for a man his age -- he's entitled."), sprinted toward the supporters' groups at midfield, and leaped into the stands to share the moment with his new club's fans.
"Basically, getting the result is always the most important thing," Wolff said. "It was good to get that first goal. Those are critical in any game."
By adding McCarty and Wolff, United will hope to reap the benefits of their on-the-field talents while also enjoying a boost in team camaraderie that often seemed lacking during the club's beleaguering 6-20-4 campaign last year.
"That's the one thing we're really going to preach: If we're not playing the best soccer, we better be fighting and competing every game," McCarty said. "These have to be your brothers out here. Because at the end of the day, you're fighting for one another. And if you don't like the guy you're fighting for, it's not going to work."
