D.C. United have the chance to put behind their most recent setback and test themselves against quality opposition when they take on Spanish outfit Real Betis in a Wednesday night friendly at Audi Field. The visitors completed their domestic campaign on Sunday, while the Black-and-Red are coming off a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Houston Dynamo on Saturday. First kick is set for 8 PM ET and the match will be broadcast on FloFC for DMV viewers.

The marquee exhibition is the first of two against European competition for D.C. this year. They will face French club Olympique Marseille at Audi Field on July 24 following a mini preseason tournament involving three other Ligue 1 sides: FCG Bordeaux, AS St Etienne, and Montpellier HSC. This marks Real Betis’ first trip to the United States, and they will head south after their visit to the District to meet NPSL side Chattanooga FC on Saturday.

Real Betis are coming off a 2-0 win over Real Madrid to cap off a 14-8-16 record in league play, finishing 10th in the top league in Spain. Notable players on roster include Argentine midfielder Giovano Lo Celso, who led the team with 16 goals in all competitions; Spanish defender Marc Bartra; Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho; and Mexican internationals Andres Guardado and Diego Lainez.

They will be missing some of their biggest names, however. Lainez has departed to represent Mexico at the Under-20 World Cup in Poland. Lo Celso has been called up to the Argentina squad ahead of their quest to take home the Copa America title. Carvalho has joined up with the Portuguese side for their UEFA Nations League semifinal against Switzerland at the beginning of June.

Betis produced several bright moments this year and managed to beat Barcelona, Madrid, and Milan on the road. They won their group in the Europa League and made it to the semifinals of the Copa Del Rey, where they bowed out at the hands of Valencia. However, they lost numerous games to less talented teams and made their discontent with finishing 10th in La Liga clear by dismissing manager Quique Setien shortly after their win over Madrid. 

Assistant Marcos Alvarez is taking the lead for Betis during this trip, and spoke to media in Washington on Tuesday afternoon.

"We are very happy to be here. It was a good chance for us to show how we play, to show the way of the club," Alvarez said. "It's a good chance to play against a MLS team. We know they don't only have Rooney, but they have Rodriguez, Arriola, Acosta — they are good players."

Although their season just ended, Betis is looking to use these two games as way to set the course for the new season. After failing to qualify for Europe this year, the Seville-based side is hoping that fewer games in the 2019-20 season will help the side qualify for Europe in 2020-21.

"Last year we qualified for Europe, and it was a great success, and this year we had the same objective," midfielder Cristian Tello, who came up with Barcelona, said after practice on Tuesday. "It wasn't possible due to different factors — the league was really tight. We are looking forward to next season, where we are going to have the same targets."

For United, it’s yet another busy spell for Ben Olsen’s men with three league fixtures in eight days starting this weekend. With a trip to the New England Revolution on Saturday looming — their third consecutive away match — Olsen will likely limit the minutes of the vast majority of starters and give time to players who are in need of minutes and may be needed down the stretch.

Paul Arriola is suspended this weekend due to his red card in Houston, so he could be one of the only regulars to earn significant playing time. Look for players like Quincy Amarikwa, Akeem Ward, Zoltan Stieber, and Griffin Yow to gain minutes, and several from Loudoun United could be called into action.