INTERVIEWS: Nelsen | De Rosario | Caldwell | Defoe | Bradley
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“The hype is real.”
D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen believes Toronto FC’s win in Seattle isn’t an outlier.
"It’s because of their players. I think [Michael Bradley] is a guy any coach in this league would love to have,” Olsen told MLSSoccer.com this week. “The on-field stuff, and what he brings from a leadership standpoint – he’s a guy that I would think anybody would want."
Jermain Defoe? He isn’t too bad either.
"Defoe is a world-class forward," Olsen said. "Obviously we don’t want to give him the opportunities that Seattle did. And they’ve got some other pieces around them that are very good as well – this is indeed a different team.”
Olsen and D.C. United will look to replicate what Columbus did at RFK Stadium on opening day: ruin a home opener.
DCU struggled against the Crew, fielding seven new starters in their starting XI. The lack of chemistry was apparent, especially on the backline.
Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Jeff Parke and Christian formed Olsen’s new look, vanguard of defense, but it took Columbus just 18 minutes to score. It got worse from there.
A 3-0 final scoreline reminded Black and Red supporters of last year’s woeful campaign. Understandably, Olsen is looking forward to Saturday’s game.
“The guys are champing at the bit to get back out there and show that we’ve moved forward as a group in the past two weeks."
Home is where the hype is
But let’s get back to Olsen’s assessment of Toronto FC. ‘The hype is real.’ It’s a heavy statement that implies TFC can live up to the grand expectations that were created by an offseason for the scrapbooks. Now it’s time for fans to get a look at the team’s new stars up-close.
The home opener is always a special occasion. Saturday’s game will be no exception, with BMO field opening up early to provide success-thirsty supporters with low priced suds and a chance to build an atmosphere that has made this ground the place to be for footy-mad Torontonians.
“The start is going to be very important,” said captain Steven Caldwell. “The field is going to be a little bit bumpy with the winter we’ve had, but it’s up to us to be aggressive.”
“If you’re very strong at home then you’ve got a a great chance at making the playoffs.”
Caldwell is right. Home teams in MLS have a 69.1% win rate. Simply put, consistently dropping points at home is a recipe for disaster.
This won’t be a typical opener, however. As Caldwell stated, a savage winter still has Toronto in its grips. Snow is in the forecast for Saturday, though temperatures are expected to climb above zero. Bring your coats.
Hello, old friends
D.C. United’s trip to Toronto will be a special one for two men well versed in life on The Beltway.
Ryan Nelsen was selected by DCU with the fourth overall pick in the 2001 SuperDraft. He played with the club for four years, winning the MLS Cup in 2004 and earning a spot in the league’s best XI twice.
“You generally have an emotional attachment to any team that you’ve played for, but it kind of motivates you to tell you the truth,” said the TFC head coach.
He won’t be alone. Dwayne De Rosario scored 23 goals in 68 appearances during a two-year stint with D.C. United.
As TFC supporters know all too well, the Scarborough native has a penchant for haunting his former clubs.
“Historically I’ve had a lot of success playing against my old teams,” said the 35-year-old with a smile on his face. “Hopefully I can carry that same success into this Saturday.”
The season started off with a bang in Seattle. Toronto FC went into one of the toughest places to play in MLS and did what few expected. Now, it’s time to take care of business at home.
