After a rough outing in New England, DC United is (hopefully) ready to put that behind them and concentrate on a tough game against the defending champions. Traditionally, Colorado is not a place where United succeeds; they were able to buck that trend last season, pulling off a shocking victory. I think that Omar Cummings and Conor Casey will both have returned, and that will put United’s makeshift back line under a world of pressure. If Clyde Simms, is out again, I do not know if they can weather that pressure. However, I am hoping that their luck can continue, perhaps snatching a point away.
Even more so than last week, United misses Devon McTavish. The versatile defender can fill in almost anywhere along the back four, and his concussion plus Dejan Jakovic’s suspension will put either Ethan White or Daniel Woolard into central defense. Based on comments by Ben Olsen and Steven Goff, I expect to see Daniel Woolard. He got a good amount of time in the preseason, so I hope that he can step in without too much trouble. I cannot wait for Perry Kitchen to come back. Also, with Ben Olsen not sure if Jed Zayner is even going to fly with the team, I think Chris Korb is getting the start again, especially since he played quite well being thrown to the lions.
If this game had been at RFK, I would have guessed that Charlie Davies would make his first start. Since this game is at altitude, I think that Joseph Ngwenya will get one more start, with Davies coming in later in the game. Apprently Josh Wolff picked up a slight knock, so that could throw Davies into the mix, regardless. He is expected to travel, and I expect Wolff to start. If Ngwenya performs poorly again, I would expect Davies to start next week.
Onstad
Korb Brasesco Woolard Burch
Najar Simms McCarty Pontius
Ngwenya Wolff
I am eternally optimistic, so I am going to hope that United can pull off the 1-1 draw. If Simms is out, that likely shrinks somewhat, although Morsink acquitted himself decently last week. A win, a draw, and a loss is what fans were hoping for out of the first three games, just not quite in this order. If United can play well at the Rapids, especially after an emotional loss to New England, it bodes well for the rest of the season.
Before Extra Time 