Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s MLS clash between DC United and New England Revolution, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Fighting in the Eastern Conference for a place in the MLS Cup playoffs, New England Revolution will travel to take on DC United at Audi Field on Wednesday.
The Eagles will be hoping to overcome their offensive struggles this week, while the Revs will be looking to get back on track after a lengthy winless run.
Match preview
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Troy Lesesne‘s DC United have endured a tough season so far, and having lost six, drawn two and won just two of their last 10 league games, some are already counting them out of the running for the playoffs.
On Sunday, the Eagles’ strife was compounded by a 2-0 defeat on their own turf against New York Red Bulls, and failing to respond to goals from Cameron Harper and Mohammed Sofo means that they have now gone four consecutive MLS matches without scoring.
Dropping three more points at the weekend saw Lesesne’s side drop down to 13th in the Eastern Conference – seven points behind ninth-placed Red Bulls – after Atlanta United won their own clash against Cincinnati.
As they try to claw their way back into contention for the top nine, Wednesday’s hosts could draw confidence from the fact that they have lost only one of their last five at Audi Field across all competitions, though they have lost three of their most recent five and won just one of their last six home games in MLS.
A victory for DC United would be their third of the campaign and could move them back up to 12th, where they may find themselves four points from the playoffs in a best-case scenario.
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Meanwhile, Caleb Porter‘s New England produced an excellent five-game winning streak between April and May, but while they have lost only one of their last nine MLS matches, they have stumbled after failing to triumph in any of their last three.
The Revs followed up their disappointing elimination from the US Open Cup with a 3-3 draw against Sporting KC on Sunday, and though they commendably came from behind to take a point late on, the manager will be frustrated with the fact that his side surrendered their 2-0 first-half lead to begin with.
That stalemate has left Porter’s men 10th with 19 points, two behind ninth-placed Red Bulls, three behind eighth-placed Charlotte and four shy of seventh-placed Inter Miami.
Knowing that victory could push them into the playoff spots, fans of Wednesday’s visitors will be expecting a positive result at the very least, especially considering that New England are unbeaten across their last six games on the road.
That being said, the Revs have dropped four points in their two away matches ahead of this clash, and given that both of those ended 3-3, they will need to improve their defensive solidity if they are to get back to winning ways in midweek.
DC United MLS form:
DC United form (all competitions):
New England Revolution MLS form:
New England Revolution form (all competitions):
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DC United striker Christian Benteke is once again a doubt for this match as he works his way back into the squad following an ankle injury he picked up against New York City FC earlier this month.
If he is unavailable, then Jacob Murrell could start up top for the Eagles, and the frontman is likely to be supported by versatile attackers Hosei Kijima and Joao Peglow in Lesesne’s forward line.
As for New England, boss Porter should have a relatively healthy squad to choose from, so expect to see Ignatius Ganago and Tomas Chancalay start up top in a partnership, while Carles Gil operates in an attacking midfield role behind the duo.
In the centre of the park, Matt Polster and Alhassan Yusuf will be looking to provide some stability for their teammates, with wing-backs Ilay Feingold and Peyton Miller offering width either side of them.
Elsewhere, a back three of Brayan Ceballos, Mamadou Fofana and Tanner Beason will need to keep one of the league’s most out-of-form attacks at bay if they are to finally get back on track this week.
DC United possible starting lineup:
Barraza; Tubbs, Bartlett, Rowles; Herrera, Servania, Enow, Schnegg; Kijima, Peglow; Murrell
New England Revolution possible starting lineup:
Ivacic; Ceballos, Fofana, Beason; Feingold, Polster, Yusuf, Miller; Gil; Ganago, Chancalay
We say: DC United 1-2 New England Revolution
DC United have been struggling offensively in recent weeks, but considering that New England have conceded six goals in their last two away games, the hosts could break their duck this week.
However, the Revs’ resilience on the road has been commendable, and given that the Eagles have struggled on their own turf in MLS, the visitors could take maximum points for the first time in four league matches on Wednesday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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