D.C. United Vs New England Revolution: 3 things to watch for – A huge three points
By Harvey Cruz
D.C. United face off against the New England Revolution in the MLS is Back Tournament with three huge points at stake. Here are three things to watch for.
On Friday night, two old-school rivals, the New England Revolution and D.C. United, will do battle in Group C action. New England’s 1-0 victory over the Montreal Impact has them atop the group. They looked dangerous throughout and will secure qualification to the knockout stages with a victory.
They sit two points above United, who overcame a 2-0 deficit while playing with 10 men to grab a 2-2 draw against Toronto FC. D.C. were poor early on but fought hard in the final stages to claw back from two goals down.
After two very different opening games, here are three things to watch for when the Revolution face D.C. United.
3. Who leads the charge for D.C United attack?
The biggest storyline surrounding D.C. United has been the losses in the attacking department. Wayne Rooney went to Derby County, Paul Arriola is out for the season with a torn ACL, while creative midfielder Luciano Acosta is plying his trade in Mexico with Atlas. With so much firepower gone, other players will have to step up to keep United’s chances of progression alive.
So far, the attack hasn’t clicked into gear. In the opening game against Toronto, they had just eight shots and rarely looked threatening. Some of that will be down to midfielder Junior Moreno’s sending off, but the lack of creativity in the final third was alarming. Moreover, the entire front attacking four — Ola Kamara, Ulises Segura, Edison Flores and Julian Gressel — were all subbed off.
Federico Higuain came on as a substitute and led the comeback charge with a sublime finish, while Frederic Brillant scored a header to equalize. It could be a troublesome trend if a defender and a midfielder who doesn’t have the legs for a full 90 minutes become the spark plug. United’s forwards will have to find their shooting boots and fast.