Suddenly the Shallow End

Readers of the DCenters not starring in a motion picture told backwards about a man with no short term memory will recall that, in the wake of the Benny Olsen call-up, The DCenters wished Shawn Kuykendall was still around. Now Steve Goff reports that Clyde Simms has strained his hamstring, and that the next depth option is Bryan Namoff.

The DCenters is a fan of Namoff (especially when he's healthy) but is troubled by this move. First, we like Namoff more on the back line, where he can play both the left and the right sides. Second, as someone coming back from a groin injury, playing a D-Mid role (where one is constantly extending a leg to try and disrupt passes and through ball, or to settle back-passes played too casually by forwards) doesn't seem the most conducive to his continued health. The DCenters has no problem with deciding that perhaps Jeff Carroll is not yet ready to start for United, but wonders if perhaps another solution isn't called for than converting a gimpy Namoff to a second D-Mid spot. Given Nowak's willingness to experiment with lineups this year, perhaps a game or two in a 4-4-2 Diamond Mid could be in order.

In the meantime, The DCenters still remembers Shawn...