Members of D.C. United took to the field for the first time this year on Monday morning, despite below-freezing temperatures throughout the day.
Twenty total players - made up of full roster players, draft picks and trialists - competed on the turf at the D.C. United Training Complex as head coach Tom Soehn and his staff work to determine the 2007 squad. United's first competitive match of the year will come against CD Olimpia (Honduras) on Feb. 21 in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup.
United were without five of their starters - Bobby Boswell, Brian Carroll, Josh Gros, Bryan Namoff and Troy Perkins - as they are currently with the U.S. men's national team, preparing for the Feb. 7 match with Mexico.
Draft picks Shawn Crowe, Jay Needham, Brad North, Guy Kpene and Ricky Schramm all participated, while Luis Robles (signed with FC Kaiserslautern) and Bryan Arguez (joining team in Florida) were absent. Jay Nolly was also missing from training, as he continues to train abroad.
The club also welcomed Matthew Andongcho into training, as the Cameroonian will spend the week on trial. David Stokes, who has been with United for the last four years, is also with the team trying to make the 18-man roster.
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup details
U.S. Soccer announced on Monday the structure for the 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, which includes 40 competing teams - 24 professional and 16 amateur.
For the first time since 2002, all eligible MLS teams will not participate in the tournament due to fixture congestion with international and club events this summer. Every team, however, will have the chance to qualify for the tournament. The top six MLS teams from the 2006 standings are being placed in the tournament, while the six remaining teams will play qualifying matches. The Black-and-Red will enter the competition in the third round on July 10 along with seven other MLS teams.
Youth tryouts
The first round of D.C. United youth team tryouts took place this past weekend as the boys competed to be part of the U-14 and U-16 squads and girls came out to try and make U-14 and U-15 teams. All tryouts are presented by Velocity Sports.
Last week, United announced three players have committed to the club's youth program: Michael Funes, Chris Jumalon and Henry Bain.
Alumni update
Former United center back Ryan Nelsen returned to the Blackburn Rover's starting lineup after missing the previous nine months due to a hamstring injury. The New Zealand native was handed the captain's armband and played the full 90 minutes, as Blackburn defeated Luton Town 4-0 in the FA Cup.
Another former member of the Black-and-Red, Bobby Convey, went the full 90 and dished out an assist as Reading FC topped Birmingham 3-2 in FA Cup play.
