A positional breakdown of D.C. United's 28-man roster reveals three goalkeepers, seven strikers and a whopping 14 midfielders - but only four out-and-out defenders. That imbalance has made defensive depth a concern, prompting the coaching staff to adapt the personnel at their disposal in much the same experimental spirit in which they tweaked the team's formation a month ago.
The shift to a 4-4-2 formation was enabled by shifting Josh Gros from a wing midfield role to that of a more traditional left back, and Devon McTavish's development has been adjusted to make him an option along the back line. Both players have earned head coach Tom Soehn's trust, but there's been a learning curve for Gros, and injury has kept McTavish out of the past four games.
"Josh still has to adjust to playing in the back spot," said Soehn. "He still gets caught positionally. Can he adjust? We'll see. We'll keep pushing."
Gros has made versatility his stock and trade in his four seasons with United, having appeared in defense and on both sides of midfield. But the switch to left back has been a new sort of challenge, forcing him to restrain his attacking instincts and keep in tight sync with the rest of the back four.
"I'm still working on it," said Gros. "It's not my favorite position, but I'm learning as I'm going, and I'm trying to get better every game. ... When I grew up, I was always attacking, and as I got older I seemed to move back more. As long as I'm playing, I'm happy."
Soehn and company have tested out other looks, too. Bryan Namoff has seen time on both sides of defense and in this week's practices, defensive midfielder Clyde Simms spent time at right back while Namoff shifted to the left. Using such a setup in Saturday's match against the Galaxy would be all the more surprising given that Brian Carroll is injured and seems unlikely to play in the holding role that he and Simms typically compete for.
United's depth issues, combined with their early-season defensive woes, would likely have led to significant playing time for veteran left-sided defender John Wilson by now - but his ongoing injury troubles have helped contribute to Gros' baptism by fire. It's been a frustrating time for Wilson, whose long road back from knee surgery hit another setback this month when he picked up an ankle knock in training.
"It would've been a chance for me to get in there to play and see where I'm at. That's been tough," he said. "I know I can help the team out, whether it's in the back or in the midfield. With the games we have, you see when we have injuries, it's tough because when one guys goes down you have to switch up your lineup."
McTavish showed promise in his first defensive start, on April 28 in Columbus, but a hip injury sidelined him just as he seemed primed to pin down a steady spot in the starting lineup. His history as a slow healer has forced Soehn to turn elsewhere in the near term.
"He's a guy that's going to take a little time to get back. He always has," said the D.C. head coach. "Whenever he gets hurt, it's about two weeks of rest he has to get through again. So he's got to earn his way back."
Now Marc Burch is the latest conversion project. The former Columbus Crew striker has been tasked with learning the ins and outs of United's defensive system as the Black-and-Red braintrust look to put his size and soccer acumen to good use.
"It's going well," said Burch, a onetime University of Maryland standout. "I'm learning from some of the best defenders in the league - they proved it last year. [I'm] watching them and just learning from those guys and from the coaches. ... I think read the game pretty well, I'm pretty composed on the ball, so I know where to play and when to play it."
Burch has appeared at center back - probably D.C.'s most shorthanded position - in reserve matches, though his work rate and accurate left foot may also be useful in a wider role. He traveled to Los Angeles with the first team for this weekend's match with the Galaxy - likely indicating his third consecutive week on the 18-man gameday roster - but his coaches are demanding better tactical awareness and organizational skills before he can step in at the senior level.
"He's got to have a better awareness of runners behind him," said Soehn. "He's probably one of the better distributors out of the back. He can open it up and pinpoint it anywhere across the field he wants. But on the other side, you have to be aware of runners and that part he has to learn a little bit."
He wouldn't be the first - and probably won't be the last - United defender to learn on the job.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
