Prized jewel Luciano Acosta completes D.C. United's midfield transformation
D.C. United completed the loan acquisition of Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta out of Boca Juniors on Monday, and the club will hope the 21-year-old known as La Joya ("the jewel") lives up to his nickname as the team's prized gem.
Having lost its midfield rock in Perry Kitchen, D.C. United has to adapt and rid itself of a few club constants in order to thrive in 2016. If Acosta is the figure around which the club builds its new-look midfield, old conventions like a flat 4-4-2 system won't work.
"He's unpredictable, he's electric, and he's a lot of fun to watch," club head coach Ben Olsen said of Acosta, as quoted by the Washington Post. "He comes with a bag of tricks and, when the ball hits his feet, good things happen."
Acosta's main concern is getting D.C. United's goal tally a bit higher; with only 43 goals scored last season - good for third worst in the Eastern Conference - Olsen needs more out of his offense.
While D.C. United has historically been a hard-working and physically-imposing side, the team has also lacked a bit of technicality. The introduction of Fabian Espindola certainly helped in this regard, and five key moves - including Acosta's loan - have further changed the face of the club.
And so, as it stands, D.C. United might look a little something like this for the 2016 season:
There are a few changes to this team compared with that of last season: Namely, in ridding itself of pseudo-winger Chris Pontius and acquiring Patrick Nyarko out of the Chicago Fire, D.C. United has now opted for pace rather than purpose out wide on one flank, with Chris Rolfe providing dynamism - and a goal-scoring threat - on the other.
The acquisition of Marcelo Sarvas from the Colorado Rapids helps fill the defensive midfield hole left from Kitchen's departure, too.
"What we are about isn't going to change," Olsen explained. "Stylistically, maybe. It's a change in personnel and, sometimes through personnel, the style changes."
Until the signing of Acosta, D.C. United looked set to continue in its traditional 4-4-2, but as it stands, that simply won't do here. An attacking midfielder needs a bit of space behind a pair of forwards.
Olsen won't want Espindola further away from the box, certainly less so now that he and Alvaro Saborio have nurtured a bit of chemistry between them up top, so he'll need to be a bit creative to get all the pieces to fit.
The club's one luxury is its back line and that doesn't need one single change: In Bill Hamid, D.C. United has a long-term goalkeeper with an international future - though, he is out injured, for now. Sean Franklin and Taylor Kemp are two serviceable full-backs, while Bobby Boswell and Steve Birnbaum form a formidable defensive pairing.
It's up to Olsen to use depth pieces like Lamar Neagle, Markus Halsti, and Nick DeLeon as best he can and hope his offense can finally click.