WASHINGTON — The first word out of D.C. United midfielder Branko Boskovic’s mouth when asked about his time spent playing for Paris Saint-Germain was “old.”
Not to say that the 32-year-old Montenegrin feels old, but rather that his experiences playing with the increasingly-popular Ligue 1 club now are a distant memory.
“Ten years ago, that’s long time," Boskovic said Thursday at the training fields near RFK Stadium. "Everything is new there now.”
Indeed, Boskovic only could recall two players on PSG’s current roster (Clément Chantôme and Sylvain Armand) with whom he played on a regular basis when he sided with PSG from 2003-05. Now Boskovic will have an opportunity to relive the past, albeit on the opposite sideline, when PSG visit RFK Stadium Saturday (7:30 pm ET, tape delay on Fox Soccer at 10 ET) to take on United as part of the Herbalife World Football Challenge.
The prestigious French club will look markedly different Saturday from the years when Boskovic scored three times in 24 matches for them.
“It’s unbelievable," Boskovic said of the new additions, which include Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. "I’m not big fan of making a team like this [through buying players], but it’s bringing PSG to where it was long time ago. It’s a really big club. I hope this season they win the championship. They have waited a long, long time to do that. I wish all the best for them.”
With United coming off back-to-back losses in the MLS season, the WFC match will take on a different feel for D.C. in preparation for their next league match against Columbus on August 4.
“I think even if it’s a friendly game, today in soccer we don’t have friendly games [anymore]," Boskovic said. "Everybody wants to win. We need to prove ourselves."
Boskovic started United's game against Houston on July 15, but was subbed out for goalkeeper Joe Willis after starting 'keeper Bill Hamid was handed a red card in the 17th minute.
Since re-signing with D.C. in late June, Boskovic –no longer a Designated Player – has started two of United's three games, logging 78 minutes and recording an assist.
