A new era begins for the Black-and-Red
An MLS sleeping giant is awakening, slowly. The four-time MLS Cup champions, one-time Concacaf Champions League champs and winners of three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups haven’t touched silverware since 2013 and finished in the cellar of the Eastern Conference standings twice in the last five years. But the eagle is rising from its ashes: the Washingtonian club inaugurated its new stadium, Audi Field, less than a month ago, and recently added a world-class player, Wayne Rooney, to its ranks. The Englishman actually scored his first MLS goal last weekend, beating his former Manchester United teammate Tim Howard between the legs in a 2-1 victory.
Ben Olsen’s team finds itself in a strange but favourable situation at the moment: with 16 games left to play, North America’s original United only has four away games left to manage, including Saturday’s in Montreal. It falls perfectly, because with only one win on the road this year, the Black-and-Red isn’t necessarily a force to be reckoned with on the road, especially defensively: goalkeeper David Ousted has allowed 30 goals in 13 away games, along the same lines as Orlando City SC and Minnesota United FC, and has conceded three or more goals in seven games. Here are the three keys to the game at Stade Saputo, this Saturday as of 7:30pm (TICKETS – TVA Sports, 98,5fm, TSN Radio 690).
- Avoid turnovers
Despite D.C. United’s obvious defensive issues, its offensive prowess shouldn’t be taken lightly. The club’s offensive quartet, even quintet, composed of Yamil Asad, Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola and Wayne Rooney, and sometimes even Zoltán Stieber, can cause damage in transition. Montreal will need to finish its movements and limit unnecessary turnovers in order to stay balanced throughout the game.
- Test the last line of defense
Defense is a rather fragile issue for the representatives of the American capital. Lots of space is available between the lines and on the wings, while generally, D.C. has a hard time blocking passing lanes in the final third. With Piatti, Silva, and Taïder in form at the moment, the likes of Birnbaum, Brillant, Fisher and Mora will certainly have their hands full.
- Cross, cross, and cross some more
D.C. United concedes many, many, many goals on crosses, whether aerial or low ones. Man-marking in the 18-yard box is often sloppy and gives forwards opportunities to take their shot without much hindrance. The Bleu-blanc-noir will have to provide a quality delivery into the box, a domain mastered by the players evolving in Montreal’s corridors, to cause problems in its opponent’s final third.
