Dejan Jakovic chat transcript.
Thursday, August 13 - 12:00 AM ET
On Thursday, August 13, at 1 p.m. ET for a live chat with United's central defender, Dejan Jakovic. The 6-foot, 2-inch player has played in 17 games (all starts) for the Black-and-Red this season, totaling 1,530 minutes. Dejan participated in this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup, helping Canada reach the knockout stage. On Saturday, he'll return to the country he grew up in when the team takes on Toronto FC. Ask your question now and join us on Thursday to read Dejan's answers.
© 2010 MacFarlane Chang DC Soccer, LLC dba D.C. United
Thanks for having me and for all the questions. We appreciate the support and are looking forward to getting back in front of our home fans at RFK. Vamos United!
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:51 pm
Dejan,
How do you feel about your keepers? Josh Wicks has been playing awesome lately and Milos is good as well, it is easy to alternate playing in front of different keepers?
From Diego - 1:41 pm
I think both have done really well. They both have different strengths to offer and I'm comfortable with either one of them behind me. Though I like Milos a little more after that last question from Krusty.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:49 pm
how come u dont practice..??? are u a soft player??? are u scared to get stuck in tackles??? n when r u gonna cut ur nasty hair????
From wicks - 1:30 pm
Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Josh Wicks, aka Krusty the Clown.
Who had nasty hair? http://www.flickr.com/photos/frescova/3357773223/
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:46 pm
How important is winning the US Open Cup final to you and the other players? The Seattle fans have been taking lots of trash about you guys and about us the fans. We'll be there in full voice cheering you on, and I hope you guys can do a victory lap with trophy #13 on September 2nd!
From Nathaniel - 1:17 pm
This game is as important to us as it is to our fans. We won it last year and I don't see why wouldn't be able to win it this year. I think we have the best fans in the League and this cup final is a great opportunity for them to come out in full force - which I know they will. We need all the support we can get. Even though I've only been here a short time, I know how important winning trophies is at D.C. United. At this club, it's what we do - we win trophies.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:42 pm
Do you think you guys are going to playoffs? I hope so.
From Jackson Boswinkle - 12:53 pm
Of course I think we'll make the playoffs. We've got a great team. It's important to get positive results at home in the upcoming games.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:36 pm
Dejan,
How are you holding up during this crowded stretch of games? What are you doing to stay fit?
From Richard - 11:51 am
I'm eating Wheaties.
Treatment, treatment, treatment. Doing all of the little things to keep my body healthy and fresh. A lot of the guys on the team, including myself, are always playing through little knocks and injuries and that's what tends to happen when you play a game every three or four days. But, playing through pain is part of it. I think we've got a deep team where we don't have to field the top dogs game in and game out.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:34 pm
do you expect Canada's chances for qualifying to increase in 2014? How is the youth development going in Canada? Looks like there are several Canadian players in Europe and in MLS; What do you think?
From Rocky Perry - 10:53 am
We were definitely disappointed with the World Cup qualifiers. The fact that more Canadian teams are joining MLS will only help in developing players. The youth system is pretty good in Canada, it's just when you get to a certain age, you have nowhere to go. It's either you go overseas to play or try to get a soccer scholarship to the states. Canada needs to put more money into the national team program.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:32 pm
Dejan,
First, I've loved watching you this season and I think you have the potential be our best center back since Ryan Nelsen!
It seems like United this year has played generally solid defense throughout games, but gets punished by a few moments of confusion, a breakdown, or a mistake. What are you guys doing to try and cut down on these breakdowns that lead to goals?
From Arlington - 10:37 am
Thank you for the kind words.
The entire team needs to stay focused for 90 minutes and play smart when we have the lead. We all need to stay organized, compact and follow our players. After every game, we go over the tape and see where our mistakes were made and what we could have done better.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:28 pm
My friends name is gabi gomez his dad is christian gomez midfielder for D.C have you seen his head shaved because he got it shaved just like fred.
From Jason Aguirre - 9:40 am
I like it, I hope it makes him even faster.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:22 pm
I was wondering if you had any family that would be coming out to the game this weekend.
From Ryan - 9:27 am
I'm trying to get as many tickets as I can. A lot of family and friends want to come. Hook me up with some extras, Ryan.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:21 pm
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
From Anthony - 8:32 pm
I have to have an Italian sandwhich from Taylor's on H St. If you haven't tried them, check it out.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:21 pm
what does a win at toronto mean to dc?
From Trey Smith - 7:44 pm
It's a really important game for us. The standings are real tight and a road win would be huge.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:20 pm
Hey man. Who is your favorite music group? (A.k.a. since you're Canadian, do you like Rush?) Good luck against Toronto and get a shut-out for me!
From Aaron McCollum - 6:46 pm
I like all kinds of music, especially rap and hip-hop, house and techno. I'm a fan of Akon.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:19 pm
Hey :) How did it feel to play Real Madrid and how do you think you did? Plus if you could have any super power what would it be? haha :)
From Geshan Pathirana - 5:17 pm
As I said before, I thought playing Real Madrid was a lot of fun and I thought I did pretty well.
As for a superpower, I wish I could teleport on the field. Imagine if you're all the way on the right side and the ball gets switched to the left - just teleport there!
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:16 pm
Pirates or Ninjas?
From Matt - 2:07 pm
Ninjas. Shooting stars, enough said.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:14 pm
Solid performance against Real Madrid. How do you think that experience will help your play in MLS and are there any particular teams or players that present similar challenges defensively?
From Marco Concha - 1:09 pm
It was amazing to go up against some of the best players in the world and to match-up pretty well with them. It's another experience and one that helps to build confidence for the future. Not everyone gets to play against Real Madrid. I don't think there are a lot of players in this League that you can compare to Kaka, Ronaldo and Robben.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:14 pm
how do you like the mls does it compare to europe
and how long do you want to stay with dc?
From Tim Vongkaysone - 1:07 pm
MLS compares pretty well to the Serbian league where I was last year - I actually think there are better players here. So far, things are going well and I think MLS is a great league and getting better every year. I'm really happy to be part of a great organization in DC. You never know what the future holds, but I like the team and the city.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:12 pm
How is life in Canada and the United States difrent
From Rommel - 1:07 pm
It's pretty similar, except that in the U.S. the states are much closer - a lot of them are within driving distances, when compared to Canada the provinces are so spread out. In terms of lifestyle, it's pretty much the same.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:09 pm
how tough was it to play a talented team like real madrid?
From javier - 1:03 pm
It was extermely tough, we were going up against some of the best attacking players in the world. I thought we did a great job, especially in the first half. When Robben came in that's when the game changed.
From Dejan Jakovic - 1:06 pm