As Sporting Kansas City prepares to face Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United on Saturday, I caught up with Steven Goff of the Washington Post to preview the game. KMCI 38 The Spot, SKCTV, Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM will broadcast the match live from RFK Stadium with pregame television coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. and kickoff at 6 p.m. CT.
JF: Talk about D.C. United’s season so far and their form heading into Saturday.
SG: They’re doing great. They’ve exceeded expectations this season mainly because of all the absences. They were a good team last year and the core of the roster is back, but Espindola was serving a six-game suspension, Luis Silva was hurt, and this new guy from the Finland national team Markus Halsti was hurt. Plus Bill Hamid missed a couple games and Steve Birnbaum got hurt. So you’d figure they would have to get through the first couple months, but the team has come together really well. They looked pretty sharp last week in beating Columbus, and they haven’t lost at home in almost a year, so that’s going to boost their confidence anytime they’re at RFK.
JF: It looks like this D.C. United team will be near full strength by the time Saturday comes around.
SG: Yeah, so the question now becomes who does Ben Olsen play? You probably go with the same group as last week, but there are certainly more players in the mix now because Halsti is healthy. Birnbaum is probably still another week or so from returning to the 18, and they do have another game next Wednesday. So that plays into the lineup decisions for this weekend as well. Some of these guys aren’t going to be able to go 90 minutes twice over five days. So you might see some changes this weekend and small moves next week. But right now, they’re in pretty good shape.
JF: D.C. is off to their best start in club history through eight games. What can you attribute that to and how have they built on their success over the last few years?
SG: I think continuity has been a big part of it. Almost the entire team is back, and they know each other and they know their roles. They have chemistry. So even with a few guys out, you can make some changes and not lose any of that rhythm. I think that’s helped them a lot. Bill Hamid was superb in the first few games—he rescued them, especially the game in Orlando. It’s just a good, balanced team. There are no superstars on this squad, but they just work hard for each other. There’s a good vibe with this group, and they’ve had to grind out some results, but they’ve picked up points.
JF: What are your general thoughts on Sporting KC heading into the match?
SG: I think it’s a difficult matchup for D.C. because Kansas City has experience and players who have been through a lot and won championships and played in World Cups. It’s a new challenge. D.C. has been undefeated at home for almost a year, but they haven’t been dominant by any means. They’ve relinquished a couple of second half leads against New York and Houston and settled for draws, so they’re going to have to be very sharp against Kansas City. They’d much rather play Kansas City [at RFK Stadium] than on the road, but they understand the challenge that Sporting KC presents.
JF: With Fabian Espindola back, what does a player like that provide for D.C. when he’s in the starting lineup?
SG: He’s just so influential on the game. You saw that when he was serving his suspension. D.C. got by, but they just weren’t as good. You put him on the field and he can create and finish. He’s very unpredictable and works well with several different players, especially Chris Rolfe up top. Eventually he’ll partner with Luis Silva. That was United’s best tandem last year. He has that capability of game-changing play, whether it’s through a killer pass or similar. And he plays with a lot of intensity. I think that rallies the team when they’re down a bit. His intensity level is very high throughout the match, and that’s a valuable trait to have.
JF: What are you most looking forward to see from Saturday’s match?
SG: You have two teams who won last week who are looking for more points. Benny Feilhaber is obviously having a terrific spring and has been one of the best players in the league. So that’s going to be tough for D.C. It’s going to be a really good matchup between Perry Kitchen and Feilhaber in the center of the park. Kitchen is really the anchor of this lineup, and Feilhaber has been tremendous in the early part of the season.
JF: With two months already played, what have you taken away from MLS this season?
SG: I think Obafemi Martins has been tremendous and Seattle is going to be a championship contender. Although LA’s record isn’t great right now, you know they’ll be there in the end. The adaptation of expansion teams is always interesting to watch. Both teams have had their troubles, but it’s still early to make any real judgments on the league overall.
JF: With two ambitious expansion teams entering the league this season, what are the expectations of this D.C. United team?
SG: I think D.C. sees itself as a contender to finish atop the East again. They did it last year; why can’t they do it again? They have the reigning goalkeeper of the year in Bill Hamid and they have Espindola and Silva who were their top scorers. They will be a formidable opponent in the postseason and now they’d like to take the next step. Last year they fizzled out in the playoffs, and this year I think they believe they can go further. Are they a championship team? It’s hard to say. It’s early and things are going well, but they may have to make some adjustments this summer. But they legitimately believe they’re in for a trophy this season.
