WASHINGTON – After D.C. United's training session on the pitch at RFK Stadium wrapped up, Dwayne De Rosario and a few of his teammates practiced their accuracy.
Only they weren't shooting on goal. Instead, the group took aim at a large equipment dolly that stood about three feet tall and contained a large open space in the center. De Rosario stepped to a ball and blasted it directly through the middle in the air, sending it skipping along the rocky warning track as he celebrated.
He certainly appears healthy enough.
D.C.'s captain confirmed as much verbally, too, following his first full training with the team since he was announced out for last Friday's 1-0 loss against Kansas City.
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"I feel good," he said. "Obviously it's my first full day training with the team, so it's nice to be out here. My body feels good."
De Rosario has played in two of the club's first five matches after missing the first two while serving a suspension in what has been a fairly frustrating start to the season for him. The soon-to-be-35-year-old's absence in a majority of D.C.'s matches could certainly be seen as a contributing factor as to why the group has managed only two goals thus far and is off to a rocky start.
"I was definitely bummed about being out for that game," De Rosario said. "I was definitely looking forward to getting back and getting a rhythm with the team and working with the new guys we have to get that understanding. But it's still a long season and we've still got a long way to go."
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De Rosario's presence on Saturday vs. New York (7 pm ET, watch LIVE online) will no doubt be welcome on a club that is still without midfielders Nick DeLeon, John Thorrington and Lewis Neal.
"He's looked good," midfielder Chris Pontius said of De Rosario. "I haven't seen him hold back or anything. He's hitting the ball well."
