D.C. United enjoys a commanding 4-1 aggregate lead entering the second leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup quarterfinal clash with CD Olimpia at RFK Stadium on Thursday night, an advantage that can largely be credited to the razor-sharp finishing of South American imports Christian Gomez, Luciano Emilio and Facundo Erpen.
A quieter, but equally important, contribution can be chalked up to the underrated base of domestic talent that has anchored D.C.'s defensive corps and earned the ongoing attention of the U.S. national team coaching staff. Five of United's starters were called into interim U.S. coach Bob Bradley's winter training camp, and their experience gave the Black-and-Red an immediate boost upon rejoining the club.
"Yeah, we had the advantage of playing a whole month earlier than everyone else," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "You have that bit of confidence about you when you go [to national team camp] and come back, just because there everything had to be spot-on, and you come back and you're able to do that full time. You just see things so much quicker out there - everyone's that much better, because obviously, it's the best guys in the country."
Perkins was the only United player not to see the field during the USA's friendly matches against Denmark and Mexico, but he, like Bobby Boswell, Bryan Namoff, Josh Gros and Brian Carroll, will likely be subjected to further evaluation as the Nats prepare for a busy summer ahead.
"I learned to play a lot faster than I was accustomed to, and it took me out of my comfort zone as far as intensity," said Namoff of his first stint with the U.S. team. "There, you have to be on guard every single second, because if at one point you take off, in the training session or in the games that we played, you're going to get hurt. That type of intensity, I wasn't used to. It was definitely a learning process for me there, and something that I appreciated."
Gros agreed.
"Everybody at that level is quicker, their touch is better," said the Mechanicsburg, Pa. native, "and I know I definitely want to keep playing at that level so I know I've got a lot of work to do."
Gros is known for his end-to-end wing play at the club level, but was primarily considered as an outside back in Bradley's four-man defensive line, culminating in a high-pressure second-half appearance at right back for his international debut against Mexico in Phoenix.
"I'll go wherever they put me," he said. "I was definitely more nervous than normal, I'm not going to lie about that. But it was a great experience, something that I'll never forget."
All five offered high praise for Bradley.
"He's probably the most intense guy I've ever met," said Namoff. "He was very, very competitive. He came in with the mentality that this is the way it's going to be, this is how we're going to train, and he outlined exactly the approach we were going to take. It was tough, and I think each and every player there worked really hard to try to get into his type of thinking. He was also very open in his approach to the game. He demanded a lot of us, but we could also ask a lot of questions."
The United contingent undoubtedly benefited from their knowledge of Bradley's top assistant, former D.C. boss Peter Nowak.
"Coming from Peter for the past few years at D.C. United, I think it prepared us pretty well for what Bob had in store for us," said Carroll. "The hard work did not come as a surprise. It was just getting used to a new personality and a new outlook on things."
Bradley also drew plaudits for successfully building strong team spirit amidst a cutthroat competition for playing time.
"With that group of guys, everyone wants to succeed and everyone fights and scraps for everything," said Boswell. "At the same time though, they're all guys who are a lot of fun and are glad to be there. I think Kyle Beckerman said it best - he said you never root against your own team, but you always want to be playing and you want to be one of the guys on the field."
United could suffer if their lineup is depleted by national team call-ups during Gold Cup and Copa America competition, but with last week's success in Honduras, the club is already reaping the benefits of a roster with added international experience. While clearly aware of the USA's upcoming participation in two high-profile international tournaments, all five players share Gros' attitude on the future.
"Yeah, I would love to do that," he said of a future U.S. return. "But right now the job that's paying my bills is playing for D.C. So I've got to make sure that that's my main focus, and if the national team calls me, that's great."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
