WASHINGTON -- Just when things seemed to be clicking into place for D.C. United, a midsummer injury bug has stricken the playing roster and threatened the club's SuperLiga prospects. Three everyday starters and several reserves have been lost in recent weeks, limiting head coach Tom Soehn's options and increasing the workload on the tired legs of those left standing.
That situation was an unmistakable undercurrent of Saturday's 2-1 loss to Chivas de Guadalajara, in which Soehn looked down his bench in search of a spark for his trailing team and saw mostly rookies -- and most of them defenders, at that.
"We pretty much have 18 guys. Not many guys to choose from," admitted Soehn afterwards.
But one United mainstay isn't about to gripe over fatigue or fixture congestion, even though he's gone the distance in all the team's domestic and international cup matches, plus every league game save one.
"I'm pretty happy ... I'll never complain about playing games," said goalkeeper Zach Wells. "I didn't get a lot of chances to play in the last four years."
Despite undeniable potential, Wells made only 23 first-team appearances during that time, having spent most of his Major League Soccer career backing up veteran 'keepers: first Tony Meola in New York and, later, Pat Onstad in Houston.
Eager for a meaningful shot at a No. 1 role, he embraced an offseason trade to D.C., but soon found himself under the microscope when the team's brutal early-season form led to goals and losses galore. The goalkeeping battle club officials had envisioned between Wells and his Peruvian understudy, Jose Carvallo, failed to materialize and in recent weeks United have been perusing the international transfer market for a netminder capable of challenging for the starting spot.
Yet Wells, who approaches the game with a cerebral outlook that belies his mellow southern California upbringing, hardly seems unsettled by all that. In fact, he's produced his best performances of the season over that same period, with quality saves in United's recent league and U.S. Open Cup matches, including several big plays on one-on-one opportunities to help D.C. vanquish their unloved rivals from Chicago in last week's Open Cup quarterfinal.
On Saturday, a litany of clutch stops ensured that his team stayed in contention against Chivas until the very end, and he'll need to maintain that excellence if his undermanned squad is to haul itself back into the SuperLiga reckoning against Atlante on Wednesday night.
"You can't get caught up in it," said Wells of the speculation surrounding United's hunt for another goalkeeper. "You can enjoy it when you're playing, but you can't be worried about all the other stuff that's going around. Because I've been in situations before where they bring guys in and they don't pan out, they don't think they're as good as they thought they were going to be."
Virtually the entire United squad was guilty of underachievement at some point or another during the spring struggles that plunged the Black-and-Red into the Eastern Conference basement, but the unforgiving nature of his position meant that Wells' shortcomings were laid bare, both on the scoreboard and the stat sheet.
Even when D.C. reeled off a perfect 4-0 record in June, he was excoriated for a glaring fumble that gifted San Jose an easy goal on June 22 -- the Earthquakes' only goal of the month, actually -- prompting his teammates to vocalize their backing.
"As a defender, as a teammate, I think we all support Zach," said defender Gonzalo Martinez. "Everyone makes mistakes. ... But we believe in him, because he's a good goalkeeper."
While foreign signings like Martinez were expected to require some adjustment time, Wells' experience with the league probably raised hopes of a seamless adaptation despite the challenges of a new city, a new club and a new-look defense in front of him.
"I think it was just a matter of everyone finding their feet and figuring out where they fit in the system and understanding the system of playing," Wells said earlier this month. "And then as players, being able to see everyone's strengths and weaknesses. Now we're starting to complement each other a little bit."
Wells is all too familiar with the frustration and inactivity that is a backup goalkeeper's lot, and his recent displays suggest he's in no hurry to return to the bench. Whether or not United finds another competitor for his minutes, he's already begun to defend his turf.
"In the end you can only control what you can control, and I think as a defense and as a team we're playing better," he said. "I think I'm improving every game, so you can only leave it in the management's hands at that point."
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