Team

Injuries are a part of professional sports. Since most injuries are random, they tend to even out over time from team to team, no matter what league. This season, D.C. United has been bitten by the injury bug a little too often, and it has raised some red flags with the training staff. Some of D.C.'s injury problems were unavoidable, like Bryan Namoff's concussion or Dejan Jakovic's broken collar bone. The worrying part is the high number of players who have suffered hamstring injuries.

Last season, D.C. United’s roster consisted of two former MLS MVP’s in Christian Gomez and Luciano Emilio, as well as two former MLS Cup MVP’s in Jaime Moreno and Ben Olsen. Yet, the team’s Most Valuable Player in 2009 was Clyde Simms. That accomplishment represents how much Simms means to the team. Now, consider all of the player movement from the recent off season, especially in regards to key attacking players, and you will start to understand how essential Simms is to D.C. United’s on the field success.

D.C. United have cancelled a scheduled match that would have brought Rangers FC to RFK in July.

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Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty

D.C. United announced Monday that a summer international
friendly against Rangers FC has been canceled due to complications surrounding
the famed Scottish side’s upcoming American tour.

The match was scheduled for July 24 at RFK Stadium.

Rangers FC also recently announced they had canceled a
proposed Old Firm derby matchup against Celtic at Fenway Park in Boston for
July 21, reportedly opting to pursue a tournament in Australia with Boca
Juniors, Blackburn Rovers and Sydney FC.

Andy Najar has earned minutes in D.C. United's first team this season.

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Getty Images

At first glance, Andy Najar looks just about old enough be
on the D.C. United U-16 academy team for which he was starring until recently.

Quiet, slightly built and profoundly unassuming, the D.C.
United rookie bears the cautious demeanor most teenagers would need to adopt if
they were to leave home for a foreign land in the midst of adolescence, as
Najar did three years ago when his family emigrated from Choluteca, on
Honduras’ sultry Pacific coast, to the suburban world of Alexandria, Va.

Goalkeeper Bill Hamid deflects a shot wide of the post during D.C. United's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas on Saturday.

Photo Credit: 

Layne Murdoch/Getty

Four days after their first victory of the season gave them hope that they’d turned the page on their spring struggles, D.C. United experienced an unhappy return to old habits on Saturday night in a 1-0 road loss to FC Dallas.

Watch: FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

Before Saturday night, all three of Jeff Cunningham’s goals had come off penalty kicks.

The FC Dallas striker brought that streak to a close with a breakaway tally in the 68th minute, pushing FCD past visiting D.C. United 1-0 and giving the hosts their first win of the season at Pizza Hut Park.

His goal – his first from the run of play this season - came after a great buildup from teammates Heath Pearce and David Ferreira. Pearce started the sequence from the left flank, and spotted Ferreira in the middle of the park.