Slump or speed bump?

In a relatively short amount of time, Bobby Boswell has become a constant presence for D.C. United.

He is an oft-photographed, filmed and quoted face of the franchise, the reigning MLS Defender and Humanitarian of the Year, not to mention a blogger, magazine hunk, social planner and convivial man about town.

But Boswell was rendered nearly invisible in late August, benched by first-year coach Tom Soehn for three games. He apparently was not playing up to last year’s level, and Soehn, low-keyed but highly demanding, thought it was time to send a message.

“Whether it’s Bobby or anybody else, we have a deep team and we have a lot of quality guys,” Soehn said. “Bobby had a chance to sit and watch, and I think it motivated him. You go through stretches where sometimes a little of that’s needed. He’s a professional guy and I think he handled it well.”

In other words, message received.

Boswell returned to the lineup and played well in United’s 4-0 win against FC Dallas last Saturday. He also played in the 2-2 tie with Chivas USA on Thursday in Carson, Calif., a game in which United’s defense did not exactly distinguish itself. And it could have been worse; Boswell’s clearance in the first half struck the post, almost resulting in another goal.

His status for today’s match against New England at RFK Stadium? Well, such decisions usually are revealed just before the game.

Still, Boswell did not think the benching was especially called for — “I’m a believer in, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said — but he quickly accepted it.

“It’s the nature of the business and you can’t go acting crazy,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been working pretty hard and I feel like now I have to work even harder to make sure I’m still out there. It’s good for the team and I think it will make me a better player.”

How Boswell handled the benching impressed some of his veteran teammates, which is not to be underestimated considering his relative inexperience (this is his third year in MLS) and his somewhat outsized personality.

“He’s a bright kid,” said midfielder Ben Olsen, who is in his ninth MLS season and having a big year for first-place United. “He gets the game. I think when he’s not playing well, he knows the reason why.”

Olsen had a “few talks” with Boswell during his inactivity, “just to stay with it, not tank it,” he said. “He was surprised I even said that, which is a good sign. He knows he needed to get it back and he knows how to do it, and he did it.”

Boswell “dug a little bit deeper and became a little bit harder and closed people down even a little bit more in training and showed he wanted to get back in there,” said defender Greg Vanney, a ninth-year MLS player who joined the team earlier in the year.

“He wasn’t a disruption, he wasn’t angry. He wasn’t any of the things you don’t want to see guys be when they get dropped from the lineup.”

Boswell wouldn’t acknowledge that the experience was humbling, but it was an eye-opener. Things had been going too well. As a second-year player last season, he was named the league’s best defender, made the All-Star team and the MLS Best 11. He also played for the U.S. national team.

Several theories surfaced about what was happening this year. Olsen said Boswell might have been caught up in a “sophomore slump,” even though it’s his third season. What he meant was, “The next year after having a great year is always tough,” Olsen said. “I’ve seen it time after time. I think Bobby’s gone through it.”

Vanney’s reasons were more technical. He surmised that Boswell was having some trouble adjusting to a new defensive system. The team last year usually played with three defenders along the back line, with Boswell in the middle. This year, under Soehn, United has gone more to a four-back alignment with Boswell as one of two inside defenders.

“There’s a little bit of a curve that goes with learning that and understanding your role with that,” Vanney said.

Boswell acknowledged the change but said it hasn’t been a problem.

“I try to get better but I’m not really focused on the system or anything like that.” he said.

However, he did not entirely discount the notion of a slump.

“I think the third year for me has always been the toughest, at any level,” said the 24-year old Boswell, who played at Florida International but was not drafted. “You know what you can expect and there’s a lot more expected of you.”

Being named the top defender means that “any kind of title they add to your name, it’s definitely hard to keep that going,” he said. “It’s not just that I got beaten, it’s ’The Defender of the Year got beaten.’ People expect more out of me and I like that. It makes me play better.”

But there’s another explanation lurking out there, an undercurrent that occasionally surfaces among fans and other observers. On a fan blog in June someone wrote, “The growing ’What is happening to Bobby Boswell?’ chorus does deserve some answers. There is an uncomfortable element of complacency in Bobby’s game this year.”

The writer went on to discuss Boswell’s blunted “edge,” the lack of an “unproven young guy hunger,” and the overall suggestion that being a “minor celebrity” and “the urge to run your mouth” might be taking some kind of toll.

Boswell is personable, outgoing and good-looking. When he was 11 he appeared on the Nickelodeon program, “GUTS,” losing to a girl in a competition that combined soccer with bungee cords. He appeared in Cosmopolitan magazine’s Bachelor of the Year competition in 2006, even producing a YouTube video to promote his candidacy. He still didn’t win.

As befits anyone honored as Humanitarian of the Year, he is active in a lot of charity work. He frequently blogs on the Web site, “Bobbyboswell.com,” where, in addition to soccer talk, he sometimes ribs his teammates or discusses his penchant for practical jokes.

Boswell, who lives on Capitol Hill, also enjoys the District’s social scene as much as would be expected of any young, handsome professional athlete. In June, he hosted a party at a nightclub attended by more than 400 people that coincided with United’s game against David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy. He knows what people think about his life and how it might contribute to any perceived decline in his play, and he pointedly dismisses the argument.

“People are always looking for reasons when things don’t go well,” he said. “Any time where I’m in a magazine or I do a commercial or the Web site, any time you’re visible, people use that as a distraction.

“Any time you’re in the public spotlight people will question whether you’re focused or not,” he said. “But for me, it’s always about the game. I put the game first, and that’s how I’ve been, that’s how I’ll continue to be.”

Rarely reticent with his opinions, Boswell caused a flap over the subject of Beckham, and the attention he got from ESPN. Boswell vented to a reporter about how the highlights — all Beckham, all the time — made him “mad,” and how commentators such as Eric Wynalda “are just riding this thing like they don’t give a damn.”

The comments irked many in the soccer community, although Boswell said he heard nothing official from the league. Still, some media types have speculated that it might have had something to do with why he got benched.

But Boswell did not back off. “My whole point was, if you’re gonna capitalize on Beckham, you ought to show the game,” he said.

Through it all, Boswell continues to have fun, all on the $30,000 a year he earns from United. Well, not quite. He also has an endorsement deal with Adidas, and Boswell said he is getting some help from family and friends. He opted for less money from United, which has an option on him for next season, so he might be able to eventually play in Europe (some aren’t happy about that, either). That, he said, would facilitate his larger goal of making the U.S. World Cup team in 2010.

“I feel like everyone says, ’Man, he’s content,’ ” he said. “I hate the word, content. I always want to do better. Soccer is everything. So because I didn’t sign the [big] contract, it’s almost my statement to people that I’m not content with where I’m at. I want to do as much as I can in this league and play at a higher level, the World Cup. … I don’t want people to misunderstand. I’m happy here. But I might need to make some steps to move.”