D.C. United: Three hopes, one fear
By Sean Maslin
Hope #2: That Lamar Neagle can continue to produce in the super-sub role.
Mullins’ workload will be lightened if he can get by with a little help from his friends. Although Mullins has received a large amount of the praise for turning around United’s stodgy attack Lamar Neagle also deserves some credit as well. Although he has not played that many minutes this season Neagle leads the team in goals with nine. His late match heroics has given the club a spark late in games and earned them points in some difficult matches.
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What makes Neagle such an exceptional super-sub is his speed. Coming in late in matches the former Seattle Sounder has found his niche in the United attack by taking on tired defenders and exploiting their weary legs. This was the case in their 2-2 draw against the New York Red Bulls back in September.
When Neagle came on in the 59th minute United opened up more using his speed on the outside to get the Red Bulls out of their shell. He exploited a gap in their tired defense in the 86th minute and earned United a point.
What will be interesting to see is how he lines up against the Impact on Thursday night. Montreal isn’t exactly known for their defending but they are pretty good against sides attempting to hit them on the counter-attack. If Neagle cannot break free it may hinder D.C. in scoring goals late.