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Saturday marks the last match of the regular season for Sporting Kansas City when they face DC United at 6:30PM CDT. I had a chance to do a Q & A with Martin Shatzer, who writes for the SB Nation DC United blog, Black and Red United. I asked him about Dwayne De Rosario's MVP chances, and the role former Kansas City man Josh Wolff has played for DC this season.
You can find my answers to a few of Martin's questions on the DC blog.
As always, a big thank you to Martin for taking the time to answer these questions.
The Daily Wiz- There's no doubt that Dwayne De Rosario has had a great season; 16 goals and 12 assists. The 2011 MLS MVP race is basically a toss up. It could go in a number of ways. There seem to be a number of people who feel that two things are hurting De Rosario's chances. 1. DC United missed the playoffs this year, and 2) He's been on three teams this season. Do you think De Rosario is worthy of the MVP award? And do you feel like those two concerns are legitimate?
Martin Shatzer- The first concern is legitimate. The second isn't. Just because two teams were dumb enough to let him go doesn't mean he doesn't deserve the award. He does. De Rosario has been the best player in MLS this season, and has this season cemented his place as one of the top MLS players of all time. United probably wouldn't have even been in the playoff hunt without him. Whenever United need a goal, you can bet the ball will be fed to De Rosario as often as possible. And boy does he know what to do with it.
The Daily Wiz- If you had to name three players that you feel have been crucial to D.C. this season, who would you name, and why?
Martin Shatzer- Well that's easy. Chris Pontius, Dejan Jakovic, and Branko Boskovic - three players that have missed significant time for United. The team hasn't been the same since Pontius went down with a season-ending injury, and the four consecutive losses prior to Wednesday's tie against Portland all came without Jakovic in the lineup anchoring our defense. The loss of our designated player Boskovic early in the season may have been the biggest disappointment though. It's disappointing because we may never know what kind of impact the talented Montenegran star midfielder could have had in MLS.
The Daily Wiz- Since he's a former Kansas City player, I'm sure a number of Sporting KC fans would be interested to hear a United fan's take on Josh Wolff. What kind of impact has Josh made for DC this season?
Martin Shatzer- On a team so full of youth, Wolff has provided the leadership that guys like Charlie Davies and Andy Najar needed. His work off the ball is inspiring, but he's also been vacant at times. As Wolff continues to age and as United hopefully adds some more forwards, his role with his club will diminish.