WASHINGTON – When referee Robert Sibiga whistledSporting Kansas City goalkeeper Tim Melia for tripping D.C. United midfielder Julian Buescher inside the box, Marcelo Sarvas stepped up to take the penalty kick.
Melia dove to his right to block the Brazilian’s effort, however – just one of many scoring chances United failed to convert Saturday night as they labored to a 0-0 draw in their first match of 2017.
“On the day, offensively, we were maybe not as sharp as we wanted,” D.C. coach Ben Olsen said. “On days like that – you are going to have them – you have to try to get something out of it.”
The missing piece for the home side: Luciano Acosta. With United’s influential playmaker absent due to an unspecified lower-body injury suffered in preseason, Buescher started in his spot at the heart of D.C.’s 4-1-4-1 formation, a shape built specifically to accommodate Acosta’s style of play.
The injury and lineup change was revealed only an hour prior to Saturday’s match. United remain uncertain about Acosta’s return.
“He is going to continue to be listed day-to-day. We will see if he can get out there early next week and go from there,” Olsen said. “We will have a better feel on Tuesday.”
When asked if Acosta would have been the one to take the penalty kick had he been in the game, Olsen said definitively, “no.”
Although Acosta did not take a single penalty in the 2016 season, his creativity would have been useful against KC. The Argentinean recorded three goals and 11 assists in 31 games last season, as his fancy footwork quickly made him a fan favorite after his arrival, initially on loan, from Boca Juniors.
Acosta contributed significantly to United’s hot streak down the stretch run last year, where the Black-and-Red scored multiple goals in 10 straight games – 26 strikes in all – going 5-2-2. That run ended with Saturday’s scoreless draw; in fact, the last time United was shut out was back on July 9, in a 3-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
“[Acosta] always relieves pressure for us,” Olsen said. “It is no secret we are different with him than without.”
United made it loud and clear how much they value Acosta over the winter, sealing a permanent move that reportedly involved the highest transfer fee in D.C. history.
Buescher did his best to fill Acosta’s shoes, but Olsen said it could take some time for the German to find his footing.
“[Buescher] is a guy that, with time, can be a guy that relieves pressure,” said the coach, emphasizing that the responsibility falls on more than one player.
“It is not a single person. This isn’t, ‘OK, you put one guy out there and all of a sudden it changes everything,’” Olsen said. “It is everybody’s responsibility.
“Lucho would have certainly helped, but he wasn’t out there.”
