Up until now, D.C. United has had the luxury of having played a game once every week, with an open date during the international break. That has allowed the Black-and-Red to field the same lineup each game, which has played a big part in the unbeaten start. But all that is about to change — starting on Saturday against Los Angeles FC. Beginning with that game, United face a stretch of 13 games in 57 days, culminating in a June 1 date against the San Jose Earthquakes.

Thirteen games in 57 days equates to almost one game every four days. There are four midweek games to be played, starting with the home game on April 9 against the Montreal Impact. Immediately following this stretch, United will have a 25-day break in their MLS schedule, though they will play at least one U.S. Open Cup game during that time.

United will have to rotate players more to keep everyone fresh. Some players might be able to play in all of the games, but Ben Olsen will also need to swap players in and out of the starting lineup so as to not overuse individuals and wear there down before the summer months begin.

With Joseph Mora out with a broken jaw, Chris McCann will likely get most of the minutes at left back. Quincy Amarikwa will probably make his team debut during this time, and the rest of the players — who haven’t seen as much game time yet will get more minutes — and maybe a couple of starts. 

So here’s our question for the week: Which player who wasn’t a starter for the first four weeks will be most important to United’s cause over the next eight weeks? 

Hunter: There are answers aplenty here, but given the team’s stellar defensive play and the mojo going on in the back between Steve Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, and Bill Hamid, I’m going to say Jalen Robinson plays a huge role in the next couple months. 

The dude is still only 24 years old, and he can slot in the lineup at either right back or center back, both of which will require some serious depth, a fact made truer by the fact Joseph Mora will miss significant time because of a broken jaw. Akeem Ward, who has played for Loudoun United thus far, can fill either fullback role, which leaves two potential positions for Robinson. 

Robinson logged 271 minutes in 2016, 543 in 2017, and then 348 a year ago. He’s a guy who honestly needs a solid run of play to show Olsen exactly what he’s capable of doing, and the homegrown player from Catonsville, MD, will probably get his shot sooner rather than later. After all, he’s the guy Olsen brought in for four nail-biting minutes against Orlando as DCU tried to maintain their 2-1 advantage. 

Wesley: As I’ve stated before, we’re really going to learn what Olsen is made of this season with the kind of talent D.C. has on roster. This two-month stretch will give us the first glimpse of who he trusts most to make an impact as the minutes add up, and he’s already given nods to Ulises Segura in each of the first four matches. If there’s one thing that Olsen asks for it’s work rate, and Segura has shown he has plenty of battery life his time in the District.

The Costa Rican was a jack-of-all-trades for the Black-and-Red last year, and his versatility could be huge once again in 2019. He wasted no time in settling into life in D.C. and MLS in his first year, recording 14 starts and 23 total appearances despite missing time in May, June, and July due to a knee injury. His ability to play virtually anywhere in midfield gives Olsen the freedom to give several different players a rest or adapt to injuries if needed.

Segura’s dribbling ability and physicality must be a nightmare for opposing players as they deal with heavy legs at the end of a match or as the season wears on. With one eye on making the Costa Rica Gold Cup roster, he’ll have plenty of motivation to make his minutes count when Olsen calls his number.

Steven: Since becoming the full-time starter against the Colorado Rapids last July, Wayne Rooney has been loathe to concede any minutes at the forward position for United. The English striker has started 21 consecutive games in a row, having only been subbed out of games on three occasions. The last time that Rooney left a game early was back in September, when D.C. beat Atlanta United 3-1 at Audi Field.

Over those 21 games, Rooney has played 1870 of the possible 1890 minutes. For good reason of course, as United seems to do well when Rooney is on the field. Ben Olsen has been asked before if he thought about taking Rooney out in certain games when United has had leads at home. The answer is always the same from Olsen — Rooney just doesn’t want to come out of games.

So as the only other striker on the team, maybe Quincy Amarikwa doesn’t take many minutes away from Rooney himself. Sure, the veteran MLS striker could spell Rooney from time to time, giving the 33-year-old some rest during the short and sweet MLS season. But Amarikwa could also see some time on the field playing with Rooney, something that happened on several occasions last year with Darren Mattocks.

Amarikwa has never been a prolific scorer during his MLS career, but that he’s still in the league shows that he brings certain traits to the field. Amarikwa himself probably won’t go out and win games on his own, like Rooney is capable of, but if Amarikwa can eat up some minutes, and maybe chip in a goal or two over the next two months, he’ll provide an invaluable service to his new club.