How will D.C. United manage a month without Ian Harkes?

Lost in all the hullabaloo of D.C. United and their various big-name transfer targets (it’s weird to even type that without scare quotes) is the fact that their best offseason addition, Ian Harkes, is out for up to a month due to an ankle injury. For a Black-and-Red side struggling as badly as they have in years, it’s yet another piece of bad news in a year that’s been full of them.

If Harkes needs the full four weeks, he’ll probably miss five games starting with this Saturday’s home match against Toronto FC. It will also leave Ben Olsen with a tricky problem to solve. While he has numerous central midfield options, no one really plays the game like Harkes, who has also turned into one of…