D.C. United decided to shake up their forward rotation on Wednesday, acquiring third-year striker Patrick Mullins from New York City FC and trading away their top attacking threat over the past three years, Fabian Espindola.
Espindola has been the most productive player in an inconsistent attack for Ben Olsen’s team since 2014. His 37 goals and assists are by far the most of any United player since he joined the team.
Player |
Goals |
Assists |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
Fabian Espindola |
20 |
17 |
37 |
Chris Rolfe |
16 |
11 |
27 |
Luis Silva |
12 |
4 |
16 |
Nick DeLeon |
4 |
10 |
14 |
Perry Kitchen |
8 |
5 |
13 |
That production will most certainly be missed, along with his chance-creation ability. Of players to play at least 2,000 minutes for D.C. since 2014, he is the only one that has averaged more than 1.1 chances created per 90 minutes.
With Espindola on the field, United have scored 1.4 goals per 90 minutes since 2014. With him off it, they have managed just 0.9. But taking a deeper look at the numbers this season shows why they may not be so sad to see him go. His production has taken a dip, along with his chance-creation stats.
The player filling that void has been the diminutive Argentine playmaker Luciano Acosta. Acosta’s production has been similar to that of Espindola’s, and he has been a better chance creator than the 31-year-old.
Espindola has been deployed more on the wing this season, which has contributed to his drop-off in production, and luckily for United, they have plenty of players who can fill in. Chris Rolfe has been out with a concussion since the end of April, but has been productive in his time with the Black-and-Red. Lamar Neagle may have just seen his starting spot on the right go to Lloyd Sam and could look for a move back to the left, where he excelled with the Seattle Sounders.
It should also be noted that Espindola’s availability has been a problem over the past two seasons. Out of a possible 4,770 minutes, he has played just 2,272. That is not what you want to see with your star player.
Replacing Espindola’s offensive output will not be easy, but they have a promising option to turn to in Mullins. The two-time Hermann Trophy (awarded to NCAA soccer's best player) winner has seen his playing time dwindle under Patrick Vieira this season, which is a surprise to some considering how productive he was in his limited time on the field over his first two years in MLS.
During his rookie year, Mullins made 14 starts for a New England Revolution side that made it all the way to the MLS Cup. He lost that job after a run of poor form during the season, but did come on in MLS Cup to assist Chris Tierney on his equalizer in the 79th minute.
He managed six goals and four assist in just 1,040 minutes for a struggling NYCFC side last season. His 0.78 no-penalty goals plus assists per 90 minutes was good for ninth in the league.
Unfortunately for the former Maryland Terrapin, he has not been given a chance to continue that form in 2016, playing just 230 minutes and scoring no goals. He should get more of a shot for a D.C. United team that is sporting 34-year-old Alvaro Saborio and the unproven Alhaji Kamara up top.
We haven’t addressed the other pieces in this trade, which includes allocation money and an international roster spot. These assets could help United bolster their squad even more in the coming days and weeks.
Taking a wider look, it seems D.C. excised themselves of a player who they might have seen as superfluous, while acquiring one who could help in a position of pressing need.
