The Daily Nexus - the official magazine of the University of California, Santa Barbara - posted a great article on United rookie Chris Pontius today.
An excerpt:
One person who has been instrumental in facilitating Pontius’ transition is teammate Bryan Namoff. The defender, who came to D.C. United under similar circumstances as Pontius with the 15th overall pick in 2001, has taken the rookie under his wing.
“I’ve just tried to help out as much as I can, giving him advice here and there,” Namoff said. “I remember before the first game of the season, Chris looked at me and said ‘Namoff, I am so nervous for this game.’
“I just told him, ‘Make sure you complete your first pass. Once you start making passes, that translates into momentum and momentum becomes confidence.’”
Pontius took that advice and turned it into a stellar first performance, scoring a goal in front of friends and family at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
