DC United Off to Houston After USOC Exit

This year’s US Open Cup will be a rarity in the MLS. For the first time since 2002, DC United will not be taking part in one of the oldest soccer tournaments in the world after their 3-2 loss to New England on Tuesday night.

After New England built a 3-0 lead, United’s Branko Boskovic scored two quick goals to put DC back into contention only to see New England hold on until the end. The end result was surely disappointing for Ben Olsen and his team, but a road trip to Houston could turn around their fortune.

This Friday, DC will travel to Houston, Texas to face a new Eastern Conference foe: The Houston Dynamo. With 9 points, Houston is tied for third in the Eastern Conference, while DC’s latest league loss has them tied for sixth. However, only two points separate them from Houston, so a win this weekend could prove to be important.

Ever since their move from San Jose, Houston has been one of the dominant forces in MLS. While some would have thought that Dominic Kinnear’s team would be rebuilding this year, they have in fact reloaded instead. Along with only allowing five goals this year, the Dynamo have also signed some young future stars like Will Bruin, who scored his first league goal not too long ago. Former DC United defender Bobby Boswell has kept up the great play with Houston and leads the team in scoring.

Unfortunately, since Boswell’s trade at the end of the 2007 season, DC’s backline has been sketchy at best. This year’s players however hope to end that. While still young, the talent on the backline has a lot of potential. DC has been known to struggle on the road as of late, but they have the chance to try turning the fortune around at Robertson Stadium.  With Charlie Davies leading the team and the league in goals, and Chris Pontius coming back to his 2009 form, this DC attack could give Houston some problems. Boskovic sustained a leg injury in Tuesday night’s USOC match with New England and his status remains unknown with some news articles suggesting that he may not play against Houston. Lately, Boskovic has enjoyed a run of great form, so this could prove to be a small blow for DC. (editor’s note: Boskovic will not play tonight)

Lastly, this game will be featured on Fox Soccer Channel so be sure to sit down and watch it if you have the chance. I expect Olsen to have his players fired up after dropping two games in a row.

Vamos United!

(image courtesy of Getty Images)