One is an ambitious rookie who learned his craft in the land where the game was born, the other a steady starter who earned his current status by unseating a highly-rated veteran a year ago. They are two defensive midfielders on a D.C. United squad with only one such spot, who thus find themselves in a zero-sum game as competitors for playing time.
But somehow, despite all that, Dan Stratford and Clyde Simms have become friends.
The two work closely on the training ground and meet up for guitar sessions off it, and recently became neighbors when Stratford and teammates Quavas Kirk and Jose Carvallo moved into an Alexandria, Va. apartment near Simms'.
"He's great. I love his accent," cracked Sims on Tuesday, before comparing his musical tastes to Stratford's. "It's funny. We listen to a lot of the same styles. ... What I like to play is more folk: Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne, stuff like that. And he enjoys playing the same type of stuff."
It's an unusual dynamic, but one that so far seems to be working for all parties.
"I'm not often used to forming good relationships with the players I'm competing against, and he is direct competition for that position," said Stratford. "But me and him are really good friends -- we obviously have a good friendship off the field, but it's also nice that I can talk to him about the position itself and I've certainly learned a lot from him."
Simms' career path can certainly offer inspiration to the well-traveled Englishman, who began his career as a teenage trainee with Premier League side Fulham FC before "hopping the pond" to log four years as a standout performer at West Virginia University.
While toiling with USL-2 side Richmond Kickers, Simms got his big break when then-U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena had to compile a replacement squad in preparation for a possible players' union strike in 2005, and the North Carolinian used the invitation as a platform to catch on with United. His prodigious work rate and sound decision-making eventually helped him dislodge three-year starter Brian Carroll last summer, and Stratford's arrival has now led to a bit of a role reversal for the onetime upstart.
"I've said it before, I'm not too, too worried about my playing time as long as we're winning. I really want the team to do well and I think he feels the same way," said Simms of Stratford. "We know that we're going to be there and work hard for one another. We're pretty good friends off the field. Of course you're going to be competitive -- it's our job. But at the same time we're excited to be on the field together."
Stratford made a strong impression in preseason and has earned three substitute appearances for United, but has yet to make the leap into the starting lineup. Head coach Tom Soehn clearly rates the 22-year-old Londoner but is keen to build his MLS experience gradually.
"They're very different," said Soehn this week. "There's parts of Dan's game that Clyde doesn't have. Dan loves to spray the ball around. I think it's part of his mentality, growing up where he did. So I think the complement of the two sometimes works, but he's young and he's going to have to pay his dues to make sure he understands what his role is when he does come in."
Stratford has yet to see time in other positions, but he says he was used as a utility player at Fulham and would be comfortable in a number of roles. He can certainly put his deft right foot to good use at the attacking end, as displayed by the long-range screamer that opened the scoring for United's reserve squad in Friday's 3-2 win against Columbus -- and on the training ground, he can often be seen whipping free kicks on goal with power and accuracy to match his older teammates.
He readily acknowledges that adaptation to a new league requires a learning process, but doesn't hide his desire to break into the first XI sooner rather than later.
"Clyde's a good player and experience does count for a lot in this league," he said. "So I think it's one of those things where, if I was thrown straight into the fire, I might come up short. So I think the fact that we've had probably seven or eight games now with the first team where I've experienced the atmosphere, and the feel for the game and getting some minutes here and there, that's something to build on. And I think I'm ready. I think I'm ready for that start, or the chance to go on and play a great deal of minutes for the team."
Will those aspirations require sending a newfound friend to the bench? Only time will tell.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
