It’s that time of the season again. DC United will be putting their first place position to the test against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday June 24th. New York “hate week” has been going pretty well for United so far. From taking a stroll down memory lane, to hearing about Ben Olsen’s “call-up” to coach the MLS All-Stars, this week has been pretty great. Also, did I mention Andy Najar is going to the Olympics with Honduras? Yeah, pretty good stuff.
Last week, Brandon McDonald said the win over Philadelphia was the biggest three points of the season. I don’t disagree, but this week’s match has the possibility to overtake last week as the biggest game of the season. Big rivals, the whole 1-vs-2 thing, not to mention an almost sold out Red Bull Arena on national TV (NBC Sports Network). So yeah, its safe to say this match will be one of the talking points of this weekend.
My biggest curiosity is how will DC United play? Earlier this year, the two met up at RFK Stadium where Chris Pontius registered his first hat trick and United crushed the Red Bulls 4-1. But can they replicate that? They certainly have the team to do so and the Red Bulls are struggling with injuries.
The supporting cast for New York had to come up big earlier this week since many big players like Thierry Henry, Mehdi Ballouchy, and Rafa Marquez (for what its worth) were sitting out with injury. But their supporting cast is good. In fact, I’d say it’s pretty close to where DC United is. Heath Pearce, Dax McCarty, and Dane Richards are not players to take lightly. Pearce is an experienced veteran, McCarty is a solid defensive midfielder, and Richards can outrun most of the other players in the league. Fortunately, Richards will be suspended due to card accumulation. This group of guys just tied with a solid Vancouver club on the road. They might be tired due to three matches in an eight day span, but they won’t be cupcakes.
The two biggest things United must do in this match are as follows:
- Mark Henry: One of the centerbacks will need to keep a close tab on the famed striker. Emiliano Dudar did this earlier this season, but there is no guarantee he’ll start right now. Henry is NY’s biggest threat, so obviously taking him out of his game is essential.
- Win the midfield: Both clubs have a great midfield. DC United needs to control the midfield, and De Rosario needs to beat Dax McCarty. McCarty is a good player and has the ability to keep the midfield at bay. De Rosario or Branko Boskovic needs to take control early and enforce their presence. I would like to see Boskovic in the attacking midfield role with De Rosario up top. We’ll see what Olsen decides.
If United can do those two things, the rest will take care of itself. The Black and Red’s attack is definitely good enough to grab a few goals against the Red Bulls again. It’s a big stage for both clubs and could be a match which sets the tone for the rest of the season. If DC United win this and go a full six points ahead of their rivals, the only team on their tail will be Sporting KC.
(image courtesy of dcunited.com)
