Middle Man: Simms Keeps D.C. United

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IT TAKES A LOT OF CONFIDENCE for a player with two career goals to ask the league's all-time leading scorer to pass up an uncontested shot from a free kick and lay the ball off.

But D.C. United's Clyde Simms' stature is not measured in the box score. He is a former minor leaguer who beat the odds to establish himself as an MLS regular, United's only holdover from 2007 in either central defense or midfield and its only member to play every minute this MLS season.

So, when Simms asked for the ball last Saturday, Jaime Moreno respected that and slid it to him. The midfielder hit a thunderous shot that broke New York's back, won the league's Goal of the Week award and helped rebounding D.C. (5-7-1) to a second straight win.

"It's my fourth year playing with Jaime, and I knew that he saw me. I didn't want to make too big a deal of it. If I attract attention to myself, the other team will notice," the unassuming North Carolina native said. "It's just another weapon our team has."

Simms, 25, is gaining attention as a different kind of weapon. He is the worker in midfield, the destroyer, the man who does the dirty work so the attackers can shoot for glory. His performances made veteran Brian Carroll expendable in the offseason, and the coaching staff has trusted him to play behind a brand new playmaker (Marcelo Gallardo) and in front of two brand new center backs.

With Gallardo suspended in last weekend's 4-1 triumph, Simms accepted more responsibility and scored the winning goal. On Sunday against visiting San Jose (3-7-2) he'll go back to linking the defense to the attack and helping to organize a team that still is getting to know each other.

He laughed when asked about his veteran role, and said the chemistry he is helping establish will continue to boost resurgent United.

"A lot of times, you'll see the better team on paper doesn't always win," he said. "You can't just put together a team of good players and expect to win soccer games; you need that time to get the chemistry."

Written by Express contributor Brian Straus
Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post