Caught in Possession

From Merriam-Webster:
tal•is•man
Pronunciation: \ˈta-ləs-mən, -ləz-\
Function: noun
Etymology: French talisman or Spanish talismán or Italian talismano; all from Arabic ṭilsam, from Middle Greek telesma, from Greek, consecration, from telein to initiate into the mysteries, complete, from telos end
Definition:
1 an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
2 something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects


Last Saturday was a busy day of work for me in terms of both my writing and my retail occupations, but I was able to snag some space on my girlfriend's Tivo in order to record the Spain vs Turkey UEFA World Cup qualifier at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, a 1-0 victory for the home side which was every bit as awkward for España as this recap suggests.

Phil Ball is one of my all-time favorite soccer scribes and Morbo, his landmark book on the history and culture interwoven in Spanish footy, is a major reason behind my enduring love of La Liga. I was aggrieved to see Ball step away from his weekly Soccernet columns on the league at the end of last year, but ESPN seems to have done quite well in their search for his replacement, as I have thoroughly enjoyed the work of Eduardo Alvarez -- who offers up another good piece this week, specifically focusing on the national team's boss, Vincente Del Bosque, who seems to have international soccer's in-form team plotting a steady course to South Africa 2010.

Alvarez refers to "El Profesor" Del Bosque's strength as a field general in the center of the park during his playing career, comparable to current stars Xavi (of Spain and FC Barcelona) and Andrea Pirlo (Italy and AC Milan). This type of midfielder is a fascinating concept, and most great teams are paced by at least one such personality.

DC United played their home opener at RFK Stadium on Saturday night and while there are many talking points to consider -- and The DCenters' beautifully exhaustive post-match debriefing does a better job of rounding them all up than I could ever hope to equal -- I find myself most intrigued by the role of Ben Olsen, who I see as the closest thing to "El Profesor" for this year's United squad.

As far as midfield talismans go, DC fans may think of playmakers like Christian Gomez and, going further back in history, Marco Etcheverry. But after two games -- which, admittedly, tell us only so much about his left ankle's long-term durability -- I am convinced that Olsen is head coach Tom Soehn's key to holding his squad together, at least in terms of match performances in the short term.

Steve Goff has examined this angle already, and in the days ahead I will be doing a piece on other aspects of #14's role this season. But it's clear to see how few teammates can match his blend of intelligence, intensity and guidance. For now, I don't see how The Black-and-Red can contend for positive results in league play on a weekly basis without him playing regularly. He's too smart not to be in the first XI when fit.

This also has tactical implications. Whatever Soehn says about his plans to tweak DC's formation, he will have to use 3-5-2 more often than not when Olsen is available. Olsen's reduced mobility means he needs a greyhound like Clyde Simms alongside him to cover ground and make life easier for Gomez at the top of the midfield. Given that a timely intervention of talented youth (ie Pontius and Wallace) means United seem to be surprisingly well-endowed on the flanks this year, how else does Soehn get his most important performers on the field at the same time?

Coaches, parents and fans out there: does your team have a midfield "profesor"? What about a talisman? If so, who -- and is it a good thing? What does it mean for the squad as a whole?