Bobby Boswell has played more minutes than all but two non-goalkeepers in MLS history. He is tied for fourth in regular season starts and eighth in matches played. So when D.C. United Coach Ben Olsen informed him last week that he would not start against the Philadelphia Union, the captain was taken aback.
“It was a pretty short conversation,” Boswell said Thursday. “I wasn’t really happy with it. I didn’t agree with it. But it’s a coach’s decision.”
Olsen told Boswell, and reiterated in media interviews, that he wanted to try Steve Birnbaum and Kofi Opare in central defense.