There will likely be one new starter in midfield for D.C. United in 2019 in a group that otherwise carries over from a successful ending to the 2018 season. Who will start as the wide midfielder on the left side against Atlanta United is still to be determined, but the other four spots in Ben Olsen’s 4-2-3-1 formation are locked in. In their current look, Russell Canouse and Junior Moreno sit the furthest back, protecting the back line, getting the ball forward, and alternating who moves up to support the attack. 

Paul Arriola will start on the right, one of Lucas Rodriguez, Zoltan Stieber, and Ulises Segura on the left, and Luciano Acosta remains the star of the show in the center of the park. The three players on the field will be swapping spots throughout a game, looking to exploit weaknesses that an opposing team might reveal. 

Here’s a breakdown of all the depth United has at the various midfield positions:

Attacking midfielder: The Luciano Acosta show

The move to PSG didn’t pan out for United’s No. 10, and so Luciano Acosta is back with the Black-and-Red, hoping to build upon his stellar 2018 campaign. Acosta was having a good season before Wayne Rooney’s arrival in the summer, but he exploded when the former Manchester United striker entered the starting lineup. Acosta ended the season with 10 goals and 17 assists, more than doubling his career MLS numbers from his first two seasons in the league. 

His style and creativity are mostly unmatched in a league that continues to allow more and more attackers to shine. Acosta’s contributions over the course of the 2019 season will be crucial to the team’s success, as they look to build upon last year’s playoff appearance. This is the last year of his contract, which puts his status up in the air to an extent. However, whenever he’s on the field, he should continue to be one of the more exciting players in the league.

Behind him, United have a couple of options, but mostly players that might start elsewhere. Stieber and Arriola could theoretically fill in this spot, and do so sometimes during the course of a game. There’s also a chance that Rooney could drop into this role if Acosta is unavailable, but that necessitates the Black-and-Red signing another forward.

Rodriguez is thought highly of by the coaching staff, and Titi can fit anywhere along the line as an attacking midfielder. He might be the most logical choice to make up the minutes at the position, but that also depends on how well the Argentine can fit in with his new team and league. Recent homegrown signing Antonio Bustamante could also play here or on the wings, but he’s likely to spend most of his time with Loudoun United this season. 

Wingers: Questions about who plays on the left

D.C. United couldn’t work out a deal to bring Yamil Asad back for 2019, so the Black-and-Red will have to find a way to replace his nine goals and eight assists from the left wing. On the right, Arriola will retain his spot as a starter for Olsen. With Leonardo Jara being brought in from Boca Juniors at right back, there won’t be much need for Arriola at that position unless there’s an emergency. Arriola played in both USMNT games this winter and scored against Costa Rica. He came back to United and scored against the Tampa Bay Rowdies, showing he’s ready to continue to chip in goals for the Black-and-Red.

United brought in Rodriguez before it was known whether or not Asad would return, but it seems like D.C. was already preparing for life after Asad with Titi. Over the course of the year, Titi seems to be the favorite for this role. However, the 21-year-old missed two weeks of preseason training in February, and he was limited to just 30 minutes of game time over the last four friendly games. That robbed the Estudiantes loanee valuable time on the field with his new team, which means there’s a decent chance he won’t start against Atlanta.

That leaves Stieber and Segura to battle over the position, while also providing depth at a couple of spots on the field. Stieber started 2018 well, chipping in five goals and seven assists. As the season wore on though, and Asad missed some time due to injury, Olsen preferred Segura over Stieber for the starting spot in midfield. Segura won’t put up similar numbers as Stieber, and doesn’t have Stieber’s technical ability on the ball. But the Costa Rican is better defensively and has a higher work rate than Stieber.

Best guess is that Segura starts against Atlanta, but expect this position to be the most in flux early in the season for D.C.

Defensive midfielders: Can Chris Durkin unseat Canouse or Moreno?

Chris Durkin, in his first real season with United, ate up a lot of the minutes as a defensive midfielder in 2018. With Moreno and Canouse injured, the homegrown player started 16 games, appeared in 23 overall, earning just over 1500 minutes. The defensive midfield role was entirely his burden during games though, and Olsen only switched to the current 4-2-3-1 set up after both Canouse and Moreno returned.

Those two will remain the starters for 2019 after quickly becoming a formidable pairing in the second half of the 2018 season. Moreno will likely miss some time in the summer when Venezuela plays in the Copa America. It looked like Canouse might also be absent for this summer’s Gold Cup, but his chances were diminished when he didn’t see the field during the USMNT’s January camp.

Durkin might also be gone at some point, as the U.S. will play in the U-20 World Cup, which starts in May. In 2017, Durkin played a pivotal role in the U-17 World Cup for the U.S. in which they lost to the eventual champions, England. With 12 games on less than a week's rest during this season, Durkin might also get more than the odd start to keep legs fresh.

Segura and Chris McCann should also be considered as options for these spots in the lineup, but neither would be picked here when everyone is available.