Newly Acquired Monteiro Is Eager for Playing Time

D.C. United's already deep roster might have added yet another layer last week, when the club acquired forward Jerson Monteiro from the Chicago Fire. Monteiro, who began working out with United on Monday and is still living at a hotel, was one of the Fire's two first-round picks last spring, but after having trouble getting a work visa and then receiving scant playing time, he said he was happy to travel east.

"I just never got a chance to play," he said of his time with Chicago, which included just 154 minutes of action. "I was just real optimistic about [the trade], the opportunity to come to D.C."

Monteiro's path to MLS began with street games in the Angolan capital, Luanda, where he left his parents and six siblings at age 14 to join his older brother in Houston. He said he applied for and was granted political asylum because of Angola's civil war, and remained in Houston during high school, playing club soccer with United developmental player Brad North. The 22-year-old hasn't returned to Angola or seen his parents since arriving in the United States; he acquired his green card while in Chicago and thus does not count against the league's foreign player limit.

United Coach Tom Soehn said club officials were initially impressed by the 6-foot, 170-pound Monteiro at the draft combine, and that while the rookie needs to improve his passing and footwork, he has already displayed speed, strength and a scorer's nose for the ball.

"I'm not sure why he didn't get more opportunities in Chicago, but that doesn't really bother me because a lot of guys don't get opportunities, and when we bring them into our organization and in our environment, they seem to do well," said Soehn, who said Monteiro could have a chance to contribute before the end of the regular season. "It would have been nice to have him a little bit earlier, but we're going to bring him in and see what he does."

Having been raised in Portuguese-speaking Angola and gone to college in the United States -- working toward a minor in Spanish at Alabama-Birmingham -- Monteiro is perhaps best equipped to converse with United's Brazilian, Hispanic and American roster. "Except the Jamaican guys," he joked.

United's depth will again be tested during Sunday's meeting with the Fire. Three midfielders -- Christian Gomez, Ben Olsen and Fred -- will miss the game because of yellow card suspensions.

"Fortunately, we're as deep as we've ever been this year," Olsen said.

"I don't think it really changes that much; you just get some younger and more youthful players in there," goalkeeper Troy Perkins said. "As long as guys show up to play, we'll be fine."

No More Baseball

As the Washington Nationals happily count down their final homestand at RFK Stadium, United's players are doing the same. After the club's Sept. 29 meeting with Toronto FC, the entire RFK field will be re-sodded; team officials expect various other remnants of the stadium's baseball days to be removed in the following weeks.

"Thank God," Perkins said of the re-sodding plans. "It's just stressful. You get in here on your home field, you're out there looking at the field thinking, 'That might take a hop here, that might take a hop there,' instead of just being able to play on a flat service, an even surface. Hopefully, they'll do some things to make RFK like it used to be."

United has shared the stadium with the Nationals for three seasons, and the uneven field has caused its share of problems, especially around the pitcher's mound. United's lease at RFK expires after the season, but the team is expected to negotiate a new deal before next spring. "We just want a soccer field, that's all," captain Jaime Moreno said.