MLS is back and it doesn’t get much better than D.C. United’s home opener against reigning champions Atlanta United. Audi Field plays host to a clash between two sides with high aspirations and every right to believe they can finish at the top of the Eastern Conference. The Sunday evening matchup kicks off at 6 PM ET and will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Luciano Acosta and Wayne Rooney partnership looks like it hasn’t lost a beat through preseason, after the duo that accounted for 21 goals and 17 assists last year following Rooney's July arrival. The pair will be looking to carry their side to a deeper playoff run in 2019, and that starts with the Black-and-Red looking for their first opening day victory since 2015.
The makeup of D.C.'s squad remained largely consistent over the offseason, with a couple of high-profile Argentines, Lucas Rodriguez and Leonardo Jara, added to the mix. Former Atlanta player Chris McCann recently joined the side, bringing with him valuable experience and versatility.
A 3-0 loss to Montreal in the final preseason friendly was a smack in the face according to coach Ben Olsen and could be the wake-up call needed just before taking on the class of the league. Given the fact that Lucho may depart for Europe at the season’s end, Rooney turns 34, and several key pieces are at the club on loan, this year looks to be the Black-and-Red’s best chance to capture a trophy since their U.S. Open Cup triumph in 2013.
Despite Atlanta’s overall dominance in their first two seasons in the league, D.C. boast a winning record against the champs – four wins and two losses – and they’ve never come up short in the nation’s capital. A three-match sweep in 2017 surprised most, but Atlanta collected a pair of 3-1 victories in the series last year to narrow the score. Soaking up the pressure and being lethal on the counter has worked to perfection in D.C.’s four victories.
Fresh off a round of 16 victory in the Concacaf Champions League, Atlanta’s early success in the competition could very well be D.C.’s gain. Faced with the colossal task of an away match against Mexican power Monterrey in just three days, Atlanta could elect to field a somewhat unfamiliar starting XI in the District. I see the Five Stripes making at least four to five changes from the first-choice lineup they used against Herediano on Thursday.
Atlanta’s former star Miguel Almirón may have traded his red and black stripes for the black and white of Newcastle United, but D.C. are fully aware that their opposition’s newest South American asset, Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez, will pose an equally stiff challenge. Midfielder Russell Canouse told FloFc that he and his teammates are on high alert to the South American Player of the Year.
“Atlanta is always a dangerous team. They are a little bit different team, as they don’t have Miguel Almiron, who is speedy and can break you down with runs in behind,” Canouse said following Thursday’s training session. “But Pity is a quality player, he can jump in there and brings the same amount of potential and quality that Almiron did.”
Here is our expected D.C. United lineup for the first game of the season.
4-2-3-1: Bill Hamid, Joseph Mora, Steven Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, Leonardo Jara, Junior Moreno, Russell Canouse, Zoltán Stieber, Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, Wayne Rooney