DC United look to continue their winning ways against the Philadelphia Union on Thursday, September 20th at 8pm in PPL Park. The game will be televised on ESPN2. United look to keep in playoff contention with another victory following their recent 2-1 victory on against New England. DC enters Thursday nights game on 44 points, with a record of 13-10-5 good for 5th place in the Eastern Conference. The Philadelphia Union (with two games in hand) stand at 27 points, placing them 9th in the East well out of playoff contention.
The Union however will not back down and will likely try to play spoilers to DC’s hopeful playoff run. Chris Pontius is likely to try to control the midfield while also captaining the team after a solid performance against the Revolution with a goal and an assist. Due to De Rosario’s absence for the season, a collective effort is desired as every member of the DC United squad has a role to play, and must play their specific roles to the best of their ability. This means less shots on Bill Hamid in goal, having DC’s backs put lots of pressure on any oncoming traffic. A huge concern for coach Ben Olsen’s squad were the counter attacks which resulted in many corner kicks and forcing goalkeeper, Hamid, to make many spectacular saves.
Coach Ben Olsen, having dealt with mid-week comments from Branko Boskovic concerning his discontent after being subbed off early in the second half of Saturday’s match, continues to remind his players of the objective-the playoffs. This little spat by Boskovic would initially be deemed as a topic that could have been avoidable, however Ben Olsen responded quite insightfully. Ben Olsen wants to ignite a fire under his DC players who need to collectively defend and attack as a unit. DC United are not only trying to put together a late playoff surge, but DC is also trying to get back into the MLS Playoffs for the first time in four years. With six games left, Olsen is sure to maximize the potential of his players. DC United need to realize there is no use trying to replace De Rosario during his absence, instead the team must work around that adversity and pick up where he left off.
Salihi, Santos and Pajoy should all continue to work tirelessly up top and make the most of their chances against the Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath. United’s defense must be ready for the task of containing the Union’s playmaker Michael Farfan who leads the Union in assists, shots and shots on goal. DC defenders McDonald, Jakovic, Korb and Woolard must also keep a keen eye on Freddy Adu who looks to link up with Jack McInerney while on the other side of the ball, Boskovic will be counted on to hold the ball for DC and create scoring chances for the forwards. Another win on Thursday night would be monumental for DC’s chances of completing their most important mission of the season: getting back to the MLS playoffs.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
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