D6 EZ M2 THE WASHINGTON POST.THURSDAY, AUGUST 22 , 2019
void in central midfield, becom-
ing a much-needed option at the
position while Russell Canouse
(collapsed lung) and Chris Dur-
kin (ankle) recover from inju-
ries.
But the group Olsen called
upon Wednesday couldn’t push
ahead of New York, extending a
familiar trend. Since the begin-
ning of the 2015 season, United
has beaten the Red Bulls only
once in 14 tries — a 2-0 result at
home in May 2016. New York has
defeated United in six regular
season matches during that peri-
od in addition to winning both
legs of the 2015 MLS Cup confer-
ence semifinals, while the teams
have tied five times.
Kamara provided a spark
Wednesday that suggested the
result might change — or that
United perhaps would at least
scrounge a needed point as it
tries to climb up the congested
conference standings. Instead,
the late opportunities never
landed in the net, and what
turned into a 10-on-10 matchup
remained tilted in favor of the
team that started the game with
poise.
[email protected]during the transfer window. Af-
ter Kamara and Boateng both
subbed into United’s previous
game against Vancouver, Ka-
mara played about 70 minutes
against New York.
Upon his arrival at the begin-
ning of August, Martins filled asaid after the loss that he hasn’t
noticed any change in Rooney’s
mentality in recent weeks.
United bolstered its roster re-
cently with several additions,
including Kamara. United also
added midfielder Felipe Martins
and winger Emmanuel Boatengsion, Rodríguez’s giveaway led to
a sixth-minute goal by New
York’s Alejandro Romero Gamar-
ra, an Argentine midfielder
known as Kaku. Later, Rooney
received his red card after a
video review of a play on which
his arm rammed into Cristian
Cásseres Jr.’s neck on a corner,
leaving the home club down a
man with more than 65 minutes
to play.
“Anyone who knows the game
of football can see what the
intent was,” Rooney said of the
play. “It was to try to ease the
player out. And referee saw it as
a red card, and so I’m very
disappointed.”
Since Rooney’s announce-
ment this month that he will
leave United after the season
rather than stay until the end of
his contract, his on-field per-
formances have lacked his usual
fanfare. With his days numbered
in MLS, Rooney missed a recent
match against the Los Angeles
Galaxy because of illness and
then played 74 minutes against
Vancouver before yelling at the
fourth official on his way off the
field. Next came Rooney’s red
card against the Red Bulls. OlsenThe loss sent United (10-9-9,
39 points) back to fifth place in
the Eastern Conference, with
New York (12-10-5, 41) jumping
into fourth.
“They were very tired in the
end,” Kamara said. “We were a
little unlucky with the result and
the way that we made Red Bulls
tired. They were just holding on
in the end. We actually [played] a
good game, but it doesn’t matter
when we don’t win.”
Once Rooney leaves the Dis-
trict after the season, Kamara
will take on some of the burden
of replacing his production, just
as he did when the English star
left the field Wednesday. Both
Olsen and United winger Paul
Arriola called Kamara the best
player on the field against New
York. Kamara’s goal sparked an
eruption inside the stadium,
similar to the one before half-
time when New York’s Amro
Tarek picked up his second yel-
low card of the night, creating a
10-on-10 scenario for the final
45 minutes of play.
After United started the game
struggling to maintain posses-UNITED FROM D1the first offseason he could get
back to that.
“I just didn’t have any set-
backs,” he said. “The last couple
years I had surgeries and toe
injuries that stopped me from
training in the most important
months to train. This offseason I
had a chance to really train.”
This offseason he went to
Houston, where he worked with
James Cooper, the trainer of run-
ning back Adrian Peterson and
left tackle Trent Williams, who
co-own Cooper’s gym with him.
He returned to Virginia to visit his
physical therapist, then trained
outside Miami with workout spe-
cialist Pete Bommarito, who has
worked with many NFL players.
By the time he got to Rich-
mond, he felt as good as he had in
years.
Still, as camp started, he wasn’t
sure whether the offseason work
would translate to practices.
There had been so many injuries
the past few seasons it was hard to
be positive he would be the player
he was before. This is what hap-
pens when the list of your injuries
grows longer than that of accom-
plishments.
“It was kind of hard to tell if it
was going to be like the past or if I
was going to improve or not,” he
said. “I got here and started run-
ning routes versus guys. That’s
when I knew I can still play at a
high level.”
He smiled. Cautiously.
So many of the Redskins’ hopes
for this season rely upon a long
list of ifs, none of which might be
bigger than the ifs attached to
Reed. If he is healthy, the offense
could be very efficient, featuring
Reed as a chains-moving pass-
catcher in an attack that figures to
run the ball often. When every-REDSKINS FROM D1thing is right with him, he is
difficult to stop, and he can open
opportunities for the team’s wide
receivers.
Rarely has that happened in
his professional career. He has
never played more than the 14
games he played in 2015. He had
12 in 2016 when slowed by a
concussion and an AC joint inju-ry. The next year a toe fracture
and hamstring injury limited him
to six games. Last season, his
recovery from offseason toe sur-
gery and a toe sprain cut his
season to 13 games.
None of those years came close
to his 2015 — which is also the last
season the team went to the play-
offs.The injuries have piled up so
much that he knows to expect the
question. That’s what happens
when you miss a third of your
team’s games in your career. This
time feels different. Each week
brings a little more confidence
that everything feels better. The
practices started well, and they
have continued to be that way.The steady days have given him
hope that maybe the pain is in the
past.
“It’s just being consistent,” he
said. “That’s what I base it off of.
You can’t have one good practice
and then the next couple not.
Consistency is what builds confi-
dence for me.”
[email protected]Reed says he feels healthy for first time since 2015
ASSOCIATED PRESSNew York Jets linebacker
Brandon Copeland was suspend-
ed by the NFL on Wednesday for
the first four games of the regu-
lar season for violating the
league’s policy on performance-
enhancing substances.
Copeland can participate in
the team’s preseason practices
and games. He is eligible to
return to the active roster Oct. 7.
In a post on Instagram, Cope-
land explained that he used a
supplement that he believed ad-
hered to NFL rules.
“This offseason, I began taking
a supplement AFTER multiple
verifications that it was safe for
me to use,” Copeland wrote. “Un-
fortunately, this supplement was
contaminated with a banned
substance — NOT on its label.
Regardless of the reason, League
policy says I am responsible for
what is in my body.”
The 28-year-old Copeland was
a key contributor on defense and
special teams last year, his first
with the Jets. He had a career-
high five sacks while starting
10 games. He wasn’t necessarily a
lock to make the roster this
season, particularly after playing
deep into New York’s preseason
game at Atlanta last week. But he
has also been used in some
starting packages by defensive
coordinator Gregg Williams —
and is listed as one of the starters
at outside linebacker on the
team’s depth chart, opposite Jor-
dan Jenkins.
The suspension is the latest hit
to New York’s linebacker corps
after Avery Williamson, who led
the team in tackles in 2018, was
lost for the season with a torn
knee ligament.
DOLPHINS: Wide receiver
Jakeem Grant signed a four-year
contract extension worth up to
$24 million through the 2023
season.
Grant’s three career touch-
downs on returns are tied for the
most in team history. He has only
34 career receptions for
471 yards and four touchdowns,
but he is expected to play a
significant role in first-year
coach Brian Flores’s offense this
season.
LIONS: A person familiar
with the situation told the AP
that defensive tackle Damon
Harrison and Detroit agreed to a
one-year, $11 million extension,
giving him three years left under
contract with the franchise.
Harrison has started 16 games
in six straight seasons while
playing for the Jets, New York
Giants and Lions.
BRONCOS: Coach Vic Fan-
gio said Denver won’t bring in
another quarterback after rookie
Drew Lock sprained the thumb
on his throwing hand in Mon-
day’s 24-15 preseason loss to San
Francisco.
The injury is expected to side-
line Lock into the regular season.
That leaves incumbent Kevin
Hogan as Joe Flacco’s backup.
SEAHAWKS: None of Seat-
tle’s top three draft picks were on
the practice field.
Wide receiver DK Metcalf had
minor knee surgery, and safety
Marquise Blair was dealing with
back spasms. The two second-
rounders joined first-round se-
lection L.J. Collier on the medi-
cal report. Collier suffered a
significant ankle sprain in the
early days of camp.
Coach Pete Carroll said Met-
calf will have a short recovery,
though his status for the start of
the season is in question.
SAINTS: Linebacker Will
Compton and offensive lineman
Fisayo Awolaja were added to the
training camp roster.
The additions, announced by
Coach Sean Payton, come after
the club waived reserve long
snapper Nick Moore and placed
offensive tackle Chris Clark on
injured reserve after he suffered
an undisclosed leg injury during
Saturday’s preseason game
against the host Los Angeles
Chargers.
Clark was taken off the field on
a cart.
MISC.: Former Texans de-
fensive end Mario Williams was
arrested on a misdemeanor
charge accusing him of trespass-
ing at a woman’s Houston-area
home.
Harris County court records
show Williams, the No. 1 draft
pick in 2006 who last played in
the NFL in 2016, was arrested
Tuesday and freed on $100 bond.
Court records show Williams has
been ordered to undergo a men-
tal health evaluation. A motion
for an emergency protective or-
der also was filed Tuesday.
NFL NOTES
Copeland
suspended
four games
for PEDs
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST
Tight end Jordan Reed has missed a third of the Redskins’ games since he was drafted in 2013, though he played in 13 games in 2018.After Rooney is sent o≠, disputed penalty kick, D.C. left seeing red
Wayne Rooney disputed the red card he received. “Anyone who
knows the game of football can see what the intent was,” he said.PHOTOS BY KATHERINE FREY/THE WASHINGTON POST
United forward Quincy Amarikwa just misses heading a corner kick in heavy traffic as Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles plays the ball away during Wednesday’s match.