Ben Olsen, Chris Rolfe, Chris Pontius

DC United confirmed on Thursday that midfielder Chris Rolfe will miss six weeks following surgery to repair his injured arm. It is a huge loss for Ben Olsen’s side as Rolfe became a key part of DC United since he joined the team last April 2 following a trade the Chicago Fire. Rolfe produced six goals and six assists in 21 regular-season games for the resurgent team. Olsen uses a fairly straight forward 4-4-2 formation in which Rolfe was lined up in a left wide slot where he meet a kind of comfort zone. In fact, as starting left flange, Rolfe completely exploited his ability to cut inside and play with the forwards. To obviate Rolfe’s forced absence, DC United recently brought on Ghanaian midfielder/defender Samuel Inkoom. The 25-year old International is suited  to play outside both on defence and on midfield so he will provide depth at the wider spots. Obviously, the chance he will fill the void left by Rolfe is a long shot. The very likely options to replace Rolfe are Lewis Neal and Chris Pontius. Although when Pontius will make his comeback remains to be seen, rumors are that the midfielder could be cleared fit very soon. Barring any setbacks, a healthy Pontius will boost team’s offensive flair and also provide the needed depth at the wings. Whoever Olsen will pick, should he be able enough to ride out, DC United’s manager would have showed once again to deserve the rumored contract extension. DC United’s wild ride has a lot to do with Olsen’s ability to make his side growing despite the adversities. DCU have continued to progress despite they lost a lot of key players. This team seemed to evolve as the season went on. They are strong mentally and played with character and energy. Olsen is grown in the coaching role since he took the job in 2010. Olsen’s growth was the team’s growth.  Combine that with the probable return of Chris Korb and Pontius and United will be even more dangerous.