Trade For Vanney Key To Supporters Shield Run

Trade For Vanney Key To Supporters Shield Run

Chris Webb

September 17, 2007

D.C. United has awakened from a nightmare start to the 2007 MLS Season and now sits poised to take their second consecutive Supporters Shield. And it all started arguably in late June.

Washington, D.C. June 29, 2007

That was the day. D.C. United moved into the upper echelon of MLS just hours after defeating the Colorado Rapids 4-1 at RFK in front of a national team audience on ESPN2. Nobody really knew it at the time, but that was indeed the day that United traded young defender Facundo Erpen to the Rapids for long time MLS veteran Greg Vanney.

And boy did that move not sit well with the rabid United fanbase. The message boards exploded with rage over the next 24 hours in trading a promising defender for someone who was regarded as "over the hill".

While it's true that Vanney has seen better days, head coach Tom Soehn was rightfully banking on his experience and organizing ability to help solidify a young but promising core of defenders that included Bobby Boswell, Devon McTavish and Marc Burch. Vanney doesn't posess the physical skills and speed of Erpen, but on the flipside he doesn't make the critical errors that seemed to haunt Erpen from the day he arrived at East Capitol St. 

Let's also not look past the what this move has done to this team both on and off the field. For one thing we still only have to pay for Erpen's salary for this season while Colorado is paying Vanney's. And believe me United comes out way in front on that deal because Vanney is approximately twice what Erpen is making a season. Additionally Facundo Erpen was in his last season as a youth international and next season he would have had to use a Senior International roster spot to stay on the team.

With each MLS team given only four SI spots, that means that United would have had to cut one of Erpen, Luciano Emilio, Christian Gomez or Fred if United were to go after a Designated Player in the offseason. The rumor du jour still has United very much in running for Juan Veron for next season. Guess who would have drawn the short straw on that one.

Another benefactor of trading Erpen was the opportunity for both McTavish and Burch to get extended minutes. McTavish just started getting solid minutes when the trade for Vanney was announced but unexpectedly got additional minutes when it was discoverd that Vanney was still carrying a bit of a knock on his ankle and Soehn decided to shut Vanney down for a few games to get fully healthy.

Well that move seemed to have worked because while Vanney
did okay in first few games with United, he really has stepped up in a leadership role since his return to the lineup for the 2-0 victory in Columbus on Aug 18th. Since that time United has gone 6 wins and 1 draw and all the while forming a nice three man rotation in central defense with McTavish and Boswell.

However, probably the biggest benefactor of the trade has been Marc Burch who has more than exceeded expectations on the left side of defense. A converted forward from his college days down the road in College Park, Burch has not only defended well but his already prolific offensive moves has added a new dimension to a United attack that now can attack from every position on the field. United has undergone a tactical and philisophical change since Burch has come into the lineup. They actually use his fantastic left foot to their advantage.

Watching United games now, one sees a concerted effort from players like Emilio, Moreno, Ben Olsen and Fred to get into position on the back post when Burch gets the ball at his feet. They know a dangerous cross is about to hit the box and they need to be in position to take advantage of the service. This is an element we haven't seen from United since the days of Jeff Agoos running the left back spot in the late 90's. Since Burch hit the starting lineup United has gone 8-1-1 with that lone loss coming in his first start for United.

The emergence of Burch also allowed Soehn to deploy Josh Gros back into the midfield where he is obviously a much more effective player. Gros did well and was a good soldier (no pun intended) in his time at left back, but he simply wasn't the answer. Although Gros suffered another concussion against Columbus on Aug 18th and was forced to miss 4 straight league games, he has come back seemingly stronger and more effective than ever. The rich get richer it would seem.

So what does this all mean? Well, it means that United has gone from fifth in the East in mid-August to a four point lead in the Supportes Shield with five matches left in the season. United's destiny is in their own hands and the move to acquire Vanney in midseason has turned out to be the key manuever that hopefully will garner United their second consecutive Supporters Shield and will give them the class they need at the back that was missing during international competitions the past few seasons. Let's not also forget that winning the SS will get United back into the CONCACAF Champions Cup for next season as well as another probably appearance in the successful SuperLiga competition for 2008.

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