D.C. United hit the road on Sunday to take on Orlando City in their first outing following the international break. United may be the favorites in this one, but there’s plenty of work to be done as they’ve managed to win just once in five previous visits to Orlando, but never in the Orlando City Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 6:30 OM ET and the match will air nationally on FS1.
The Black-and-Red will be looking to return to the top of the Eastern Conference with a third win in four attempts. The Columbus Crew now hold the top spot with their 2-0 win over Atlanta United with two games in hand and Toronto made it three consecutive victories with their 4-0 drubbing of NYCFC on Friday.
Sunday’s opponent has showed some struggles through the early stages of 2019, but turned it around in their latest performance - a surprise 1-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls. Orlando’s first win of the season will have D.C. on high alert as they look to return from the Sunshine State with a positive result.
Former Manchester United teammates Wayne Rooney and Luis Nani steal the headlines as they square off for the first time in Major League Soccer. The pair helped propel the Red Devils to a host of trophies during their time together in England, including four league titles and a Champions League triumph in the 2007-08 season.
Nani signed with the Lions from Portuguese outfit Sporting CP in February and has appeared in all four matches, coming on as a substitute in week one before starting the last three. Two assists so far is a decent output that could quickly increase given his quality, and it appears Nani has taken on a pivotal leadership role within the team, which bodes well for their fortunes moving forward.
Fortunately for Ben Olsen, the Black-and-Red avoided the injury bug over the international break and a full strength lineup should be available for Sunday’s matchup with the Lions. A defense yet to concede a goal this season will need to be on its toes to keep that streak alive. However, this could be one of the best chances all season to get on the front foot as the away side as Orlando have produced both the league’s fewest shots per game (7.5) and shots on target per game (2.5),
Meanwhile, the men in purple have been dealing with a number of injury concerns of late. Defender Alex De John (hamstring) is out and it remains to be seen if Will Johnson (concussion) and Tesho Akindele (hamstring) will be able to feature after returning to training late this week. They have recently lined up in 5-2-2-1 under head coach James O’Conner, electing to provide plenty of cover at the back with Nani featuring primarily just behind the striker, alongside Sacha Kljestan.
The United back line will have their hands full in marking Dom Dwyer, a player more than capable of producing a moment of brilliance to grab a result for his side. His two goals lead the squad this year and he has also added to assists, meaning Steven Birnbaum and Frederic Brillant will need to limit his holdup play and ability to lay off effectively for teammates.
Expect Olsen to field the same lineup that has started 2019 with a bang (4-2-3-1): Bill Hamid, Joseph Mora, Steven Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, Leonardo Jara, Junior Moreno, Russell Canouse, Lucas Rodriguez, Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, Wayne Rooney