Personally, I think it's brilliant. Build depth, keep everyone fresh for the playoffs. With Open Cup and Superliga in addition to league matches, I don't see how this can hurt, so long as Boswell's confidence isn't hurt.

Well, for starters, the Erpen trade was definitely a good move...

Boswell will continue to be the main man in the middle, and these few games do well to remind him the importance of bringing his A game each & everytime. And in the meantime, developing McTavish by giving him the necessary minutes also strengthens our backline looking toward the future. (big fan of Burch now on the left, but suppose that's another topic)

This also relates to "Will Bobby go to Europe?" If he's going and won't sign a contract with United end of year, there's no use giving him time if the guys who will stay can do the same job or better and get development.

On the other hand, benching him makes him less likely to want to stay with the Club. So we will see.

Bobby Boswell - $30,000 salary
Greg Vanney - $236,000 salary (United pays $115,000 of that)

Based on just those numbers and their performance on the field I don't think Boswell has to worry about his spot on the team. Vanney is old and I unless he is STELLAR for the rest of the season I don't think United would want to pay his $200k+ salary next year. It's good that Boswell is on the bench tho, because it reminds him that even though his roster spot is cemented in, his playing time isnt.

As the guys that go to Euroe know, you must bring your A game not only to every game but, to every practice and meeting. There is a great benefit to intense competition - everyone plays harder, tries harder and learns more.
With the number of games played this year, I think coach has done a pretty good job, especially considering this is his own first go round.
In the future, I see Boswell returning and playing alongside Vanney. McTavish is getting valuable experience. But, in the end the two seasoned vets will get the important minutes down the stretch.

This is a good problem to have. Rotating them is going to help us in the end stay fresh and sharp in the back. I'm pleased to say the least.

Is there still interest in Bobby in Europe?

did anyone notice in the NY telecast that JP made a comment about how Boswell has been benched since he made the ESPN/Beckham comments? haha.....anyway, Boz hasn't been playing up to his standards lately so I think its good to give guys a reality check every once in a while to keep em on their toes.

so where does this leave Bobby Boswell dot com ?? change it to Devon McTavish dot com?

Just throwing this out there - Could Burch move up to Gros' position in midfield and then Vanney, Boswell, and McTavish could all play at the same time ?

Speaking of Europe, Keller has just signed with Team America in England.

Goff - This may be a little off-topic, but could you comment on the completely dismal display of the US U-17 team so far, with consecutive losses to Tajikistan (seriously?) and Tunisia? I thought this team was supposed to be a contender for the U-17 World Cup? I may just be disgruntled by the glaring lack of any offense from the US MNT against Sweden, but I had high hopes that a great US goal-scorer would emerge... sigh... Thoughts?

PS - United's defense looks great to me, and Boswell being benched is a sign that there is healthy competition for the starting lineup - something too many MLS teams don't have.

The important question for me was why was the reserve league game played last night in a empty stadium compared to playing the game during the daytime?

So, when does Eddie Johnson go to Fulham?

It is a good situation to have and send the right message not just to Boswell, but to the entire team. I bet Boswell will be back in the lineup Saturday, with Vanney moving to the bench.

I don't want Vanney at left back unless there are no other options, he's just too slow.

I love Bobby Boswell (the guy), but as a center back this season, he's been pretty poor. Like any good football club, if you're not cutting it... down to the reserves. It's a harsh business. I hope he regains some form and competes for his place.

Hate to say this in a way (cause I like Gros and Boswell), but the team last night could be United's best XI - especially at home. Fred, Gomez, Moreno, Emilio and Olsen looked nasty going forward - too many good attacking players for MLS defenses to mark.

I thought the back 4 was fine, maybe not terrific, but fine. And I don't know if Boswell would have made it any better.

My only concern is that whichever pairing Soehn plans to use come playoff time, he needs to give them enough action to form an understanding. Because none of the three combinations have had many games under their belt thus far.

Ultimately, I don't think it matters. As long as Simms keeps starting at DM and avoiding bad giveaways, the back line will take care of the rest.

I was critical of Vanney, but I have to say he looked pretty solid last night and his through ball set up the 3rd goal. With Burch's penchant for picking up yellow cards we will need defensive depth. I thought McTavaish was OK at outside back early in the season and he's pretty good going forward so putting him out there might not be bad when necessary.

The problem with putting him at left back and Burch in the midfield means some one else in the midlfield has to sit. And who would that be? Maybe you rest Olsen more often so he is fresh for the playoffs?

I know this is OT for here, but how serious is Emilio's injury? Is it ANOTHER hammy?

I worry about us overlooking or playing down to the level of the competition on Saturday. We seem to have more trouble with the bottom dwellers than the good teams.

It looked like Bobby was being very positive about it, out at midfield congratulating guys at the half and at the end of the game.

That said, I still want him out there. He's pretty darn good in the air in the back, and we had one scary moment last night where a McTavish header almost went over Perkins because we couldn't win it down the middle.

I agree that Boswell has been off his form, so here's hoping that he gets even more motivated to get back to his true self, when he really is Bozilla.

I love the depth though, but I think that Vanney is the odd one out here.

As long as they're keeping the ball out of the net, I don't care who lines up for our defense, be it Bobby Boswell, Greg Vanney, Devin McTavish or OTC.

agreed, so long as we have csimms roaming the middle of the park covering ground, the pressure on the d-line is less and we have a number of capable guys, rest is good for the guys, it keeps em hungry and while they want to play every game sometime they dont know whats best for their self, rest will pay off rather than riding bos for 30 straight 90 minute games. things are lookin up for DC, we are returning to glory this season baby. see you at RFK for mls cup gents

Ya know I was totally against the Vanny move - I was completely wrong. He is rock solid back there. I am sorry to say the bobby has to step it up - which he always does.

Two thumbs up for Tommy Sohen - He created that defense and now they have bobby as a back up! sweet. They dominated jozey and The lazy angel last night. when jozey got the ball did you see that TWO defenders where always on top of him!
Angel is simply one of the laziest players in the world. He was non existent yesterday just the the crap he pulled with Villa last year...

"So, when does Eddie Johnson go to Fulham?"

Could be soon - did ya see Mcbride's knee - eeewwww

You can't tell me that Vanney or McTavish are better center backs than Boswell. And he had adapted to the four-man backline better in the matches leading up to his benching. He was playing well and the team defense was playing well. I am curious as to the message being sent to Boswell, because it wasn't from his play on the field, IMO. Even you, Mr. Goff, had consistently rated him as one of the top defenders. Therefore, the benching must have either had something to do with off-field issues or with issues in practice. I am amazed when he told you that the benching caught him off guard and that the coaching staff hadn't discussed it with him. If you're trying to send a message, shouldn't you at least let the player know what the message is?

Watching that match last night, it was obvious that our game in the air was non-existent without Boswell, and when Altidore came in and started muscling through our defense, no one could stand him up. We need Boswell on the field, not on the bench, and if the way this was handled has shaken his confidence, then it was completely mishandled. Facundo got benched a few times and then, out of the blue, was traded. Do you think Boswell is expecting this to happen to him, too?

Boswell has shown his class by continuing to support his teammates. Time for the coaching staff to show some class, too.

If you're trying to send a message, shouldn't you at least let the player know what the message is?

Posted by: | August 23, 2007 02:17 PM

Maybe it's because he missed some opportunities to finish offensive chances, but then again, why would a defender be benched for this reason? Or perhaps, as someone said above, it was from his comments about ESPN highlights. Again, why would someone be benched for saying what we were all thinking? Alexi Lalas has said he would love to have a player with some personality. I guess if the coaches won't state their reasons, it leaves us all, and perhaps Boz, too, to speculate.

You can't tell me that Vanney or McTavish are better center backs than Boswell...

...Time for the coaching staff to show some class, too.

Posted by: | August 23, 2007 02:17 PM

Bobby,

Please focus on your job and stop posting messages on the interweb.

What are the odds this is more Vanny's call? He's a seasoned vet who KP has coveted for a long time. If Vanny prefers McTavish's style of play, then I bet that has a lot to do with it. The two guys back there need to be on the same page more than any two positions on the whole field.

In general, I LOVE this situation. The best teams in the world have competition for every spot every week. We've now got this defensive thing, and CS and BC competing, with RD pushing the forwards. Lovin it. I though TS was making some mistakes a few games ago, disagreed with his subs/line ups, but he's shown these last two games that he can change things up, and it's working. Well done. (now don't mess it up)

Facundo got benched a few times and then, out of the blue, was traded. Do you think Boswell is expecting this to happen to him, too?

Posted by: | August 23, 2007 02:17 PM

Watching RBNY's defensive woes over the last two matches made me wonder if Bruce approached Boz after last night's match and invited him to move from the bench to a spot a little further north.

Boswell hasn't had a great season. And going back to the Nowak days when he said that they were all competing for starting playing time in practice, Soehn is actually making good on that message.

What are the odds this is more Vanny's call?

Posted by: PSW | August 23, 2007 02:29 PM

I doubt it's Vanney's call, but I think it may have something to do with Soehn feeling pressure to get Vanney on the pitch. He traded away Facundo, a player that his predecessor worked to get for nearly two years. Greg makes nearly double what the other four defenders make combined (well, Burch got a raise yesterday, so maybe not double). What kind of coaching decision does that appear to be if this new, highly paid player is riding the pine? Erpen could have done that at less than half the salary. Soehn had to find a way to get Greg on the pitch and hope that he played well enough to justify him staying there.

i want to refer back to a post i made a couple of months ago:
boswell is to a large degree overrated. he is publicized as the 'face' of the organization with his new website, his personality etc...
this is not to say he cant be dcunited's starting center back, but the fact is he is not sooo good that he is guaranteed his spot. he is an average american center back. he will start again and probably be in dc for a while, lord knows he cant play in europe

Always with the transfer speculation. I have to admit, though-- that Boswell to New York idea sounds mighty plausible.

Boswell to NY for Juan Pablo Angel. I could live with that. Or Altidore. Dreaming, know. I'd also take Dema for him...

It's an interesting situation, for sure. I believe Soehn rested Bobby last week. It's important to mix things up once in a while--it's been a long season for us. Also, Soehn wanted to give Vanney a run, as he was justing getting back from injury.

So, Vanney and McT start, and our defense was very solid. What would I do? I'd probably go with the same 4 again, which is what Soehn did. And, our back 4 did well again. Go with what's working.

For the record, I still think our defense is shaky, with or without Bobby. We have no speed in the back. Maybe, Vanney adds some needed leadership there. If so, I bet Boswell and Vanney are paired in the center come playoff time.

In my opinion, the defense has gotten better because of Simms, though. I can't believe that he's been sitting on the bench for so long. Also, I really can't believe that we left him unprotected in the expansion draft--and Toronto didn't take him!

"it was obvious that our game in the air was non-existent without Boswell, and when Altidore came in and started muscling through our defense, no one could stand him up."

Really? Namoff totally owned Altidore. He had to switch sides of the field to try and get free.

I see all these references to "Bobby hasn't done so well this season," or "Bobby is off his form this season," but I am trying to remember what the particular instances are that support these characterizations. Up through the LA game at RFK, DC had (as it still has) a pretty darn good goals against figure, one of the lawst in the league. Doesn't Bos get some credit for that?

For McTavish, I can recall the specific instance in which he went in with his arms way up in the air and yielded a free kick just outside the box, which Beckham converted for what proved to be the GWG. What are the specifics that are the reason why Bos is on the bench and has to hope that McT or V screw up to have a chance to get back on?

As for V, I agree with those who mentioned being initially less than impressed, but having turned around on him. He is good on D and particularly good on the transition into attack.

A point no one has raised:

Perhaps Boswell has been benched not because he was doing poorly, but because Soehn knows that Boswell has another level within himself that he isn't working hard enough to reach. His play this year has been lower than last year, and a player his age should be improving, not regressing. It's not that he's been particularly bad; it's that he should be doing better as an individual.

The back four looked less good last night than it did against Columbus. It really helped that NY essentially gave up and stopped playing at the hour mark. I thought it was an OK showing, but against a better attack we were found out a little bit. I also thought the defending in Columbus was about as good as it was with Boswell in against LA (the MLS game, not the Superliga disaster) and New England. I would have to second the idea that the real key recently has been the play of Simms, rather than any of our 3 center backs. We have cut down on the turnovers in our own end, and Simms is also covering a lot of ground and winning a lot of tackles.

Ultimately, this team will be carried by its attack, which on its day is the best in MLS. The defense, at its best, is pretty good, but on most days is very average. That's fine. Honestly, when in United history has our defense been our strong point?

I really don't see Vanney as being any sort of discernable upgrade. And all things being equal, I'd rather see the young guys playing together. Vanney isn't the future of this team, in other words. And if Sohen keeps benching him, Boswell won't be part of DC's future either. I understand "competition" and "motivation" but if you're benching a guy for a replacement who isn't any better, you're just going to send him looking for a new team that he can get on the same page with. Maybe DC is fine with that because they'd rather not pay the premium price that the "former defender of the year" is going to be looking for. I'm not so sure about that. I'd rather have Boswell long term than Vanney until his leg falls off (probably happening soon).

I didn't like the Erpen for Vanney trade at the time and said so. Some things about Vanney can't be changed -- his age and relative immobility. Apparently he was slightly lame when he first came here and that is fixed. So we have old, slow, healthy and experienced. Boswell is young, slow, healthy and inexperienced.

I think Soehn wants Vanney on the field to "coach" McTavish and Burch. Namoff really can't do that from the right flank. Last night I noticed Vanney constantly calling defensive signals and directing the backline. Remember, Boswell is a converted forward so all of his defensive "education" is OJT. Maybe Soehn decided Boswell couldn't really coach two newbies and didn't want Burch and McTavish to learn good and bad habits from OJT. Since Vanney and Boswell are a wash on footspeed, go for the "football" smarter guy.

Remember that Boswell essentially was benched in favor of Erpen in late 2005 when he hit the wall and was leading the league in own goals. This isn't the first time Boswell's drop in form put him on the pine.

Also, it doesn't hurt to have Simms playing in front of these guys. Brian Carroll scares me.

As a bunch of people have said, it's a good thing to have competition for playing time. McT has taken advantage of his opportunities and I think has made it very hard for Soehn to replace him. He's played relatively well with Vanney and Boswell. I have a feeling down the stretch that we will see a pairing of Boswell and McTavish. Boswell has not played as well as he did last season and I think he has let his success make him a little complacent this season.

Why do people keep comparing Boswell to McTavish and Vanney to Erpen? They aren't and shouldn't be competing with each other for minutes on the field. Boswell and Vanney are competing, and the Erpen trade worked out because McTavish took over Erpen's roll. You want to see a disaster? Try a long term paring of Boswell and Vanney in the middle. It would be like putting Gomez and Moreno in the middle of the midfield without a holding player. At what point is this going to be recognized? You can't have two guys playing next to each other that both allow the offense to build up in front of them. Correction - you can, but you won't like the result.

I'd also like to remind everyone of some comments from the past. Early in the season, at 0-3-1, people were screaming for depth on defense. We now have it, and it means somebody sits. Is Boswell bad? No, but he hasn't been markedly better than Vanney either.

So, why not put Vanney in? The defense needs to play in all sorts of combinations so that a pulled hammy or sprained ankle to one of them, which is bound to happen at some point, doesn't totally throw everything off.

This is a good move by Coach Soehn all the way around. The backline gets tougher from having to adapt, Boswell gets a rocket up his ass, and the Young Ones (Burch, McTadger & Simms) get some tutoring from an experienced pro. Nice work, Coach.