2019 New England Revolution vs DC United

D.C. United Looking To Get Back On Track Against New England Revolution

D.C. United Looking To Get Back On Track Against New England Revolution

After last weekend's loss to the Houston Dynamo, D.C. United are hoping for a better result on the road against the New England Revolution.

May 25, 2019 by Wesley Davidson
D.C. United Looking To Get Back On Track Against New England Revolution

D.C. United are back in action on Saturday against the New England Revolution for their final stop of a three-game league road trip. Two of Major League Soccer’s original franchises meet for the 84th time in a matchup of one of the league’s best against one looking to recover from a rough start to 2019. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET and the action will be broadcast on FloFC for DMV viewers.

The Black-and-Red are aiming to return to winning ways after coming up short in their last outing against the Houston Dynamo. Wayne Rooney opened the scoring a minute into the second half, but the hosts scored two goals in as many minutes to flip the script and record a 2-1 win. It was the first time Ben Olsen’s men dropped points from a winning position in 2019, handing United just their second loss on the road.

On Wednesday, Audi Field hosted a marquee friendly between D.C. and Spanish club Real Betis, and the visitors came away with the victory in a 5-2 goal fest. Olsen used the opportunity to feature a healthy dose of reserve players and Loudoun United call-ups, and both Griffin Yow and Quincy Amarikwa notched their first goals for the club.

The Revolution are currently next to last in the Eastern Conference with 12 points in 14 games played. The goals have been hard to come by in 2019, and no defense has conceded more in the league (31). Spanish playmaker Carles Gil leads the team with four goals to his name and is tops in nearly every other offensive category.

Despite their struggles, Revs fans have plenty of reason to believe the club’s fortunes can improve after they signed Bruce Arena as both head coach and sporting director. Arena replaced Brad Friedel, but is not expected to make his coaching debut until the team’s June 2 match against his former club, the LA Galaxy. Meanwhile, interim coach Mike Lapper has guided the side to four points in their last two outings, including an impressive 3-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. The Revs' most recent point, a gritty 0-0 draw at the Montreal Impact last Saturday, was their first road shutout of the campaign.

Last year’s two meetings resulted in a home victory for each side. The Revs took the first encounter at Gillette Stadium by a score of 3-2 at the end of June, while goals from Luciano Acosta and Zoltan Stieber propelled D.C. to a 2-0 win in the return leg in August.

Paul Arriola will be missing from the lineup after he received a red card for stomping on a Houston Dynamo defender last weekend. On Friday, the MLS Disciplinary Committee added a second game to Arriola's suspension, meaning the winger will also miss next Wednesday's tilt against the Chicago Fire. 

Chris Durkin is away with the U.S. Under-20 team at the World Cup in Poland and went the full 90 minutes in their 2-1 loss to Ukraine on Friday. Joseph Mora (broken jaw) and Donovan Pines (knee sprain) remain sidelined.

Predicted D.C. United XI (4-2-3-1): Bill Hamid; Marquinhos Pedroso, Steve Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant; Leonardo Jara; Junior Moreno, Russell Canouse; Lucas Rodriguez, Luciano Acosta, Ulises Segura; Wayne Rooney