Behind Enemy Lines: Scouting DC United 🔎
Behind Enemy Lines: Scouting DC United 🔎
This won't be the same Black-and-Red that FC Dallas saw in the preseason.
The restart to the 2024 MLS season is finally here for FC Dallas. On Saturday, the club will head back on the road to face fellow MLS original D.C. United.
Like FC Dallas, United saw their Leagues Cup run end fairly quickly as they were able to win their group but failed to get past Mazaltan in the Round of 32.
Key Player: Christian Benteke
The former Premier League striker leads the Black-and-Red this season with 16 goals.
Key Matchup: Benteke vs Nkosi Tafari
We have seen Tafari play some of his best soccer against top players in this league already this season but Benteke is a guy with a lot of size and skill that could make this matchup very tricky. I expect a cagey battle between these two.
Availability Report1:
Suspended: none
Out: Conner Antley (knee), Jacob Murrell (head)
Questionable: none
On Loan: none
International duty: none
Quick Notes:
Last time against FC Dallas: The two clubs squared off last year in the annual July 4th game at Toyota Stadium. United came away with a surprising 1-0 win in that meeting. The two sides did meet in preseason play back in February, when FC Dallas downed United 2-0.
Last time hosting FC Dallas: It has been nearly six years since United last hosted FC Dallas in a league game. You have to go back to an October 2018 meeting that saw the Black-and-Red come out on top 1-0. This was FC Dallas’ only trip to Audi Field since it opened.
Physical play: DC is currently third in MLS with 11.3 successful tackles per match this season. (For context, FCD is ranked 19th with 9.6 per match.)
Recent League form: Before the start of Leagues Cup, DC won back-to-back games against Nashville and Minnesota. That was their first two-game winning streak of the 2024 season and it also ended an 11 game winless rut.
Leagues Cup results: United managed to win their group as they beat Atlanta United on penalties in a wild 3-3 draw to open the group stage. They then beat Liga MX side Santos Laguna 3-0 to help seal the group. United then faced Mazatlan in the Knockout Round but was outdone by the Liga MX side, losing 2-1.
Potential Lineup:
United tend to run a 4-1-3-2 kind of look this season.
Bono, Schengg, Barlett, Akinmboni, Herrera; Petola, Dajome, Klich, Stoud; Badji, Benteke
Keys To Victory over DC United
Shake off the rust: Dallas looked like they ran out of gas toward the end of their games in the Leagues Cup. That means they should be fresh after three and a half weeks off but rust should still be a factor as the team hasn’t been able to have a competitive game during this break. They’ll need a way to shake off that rust as quickly as possible.
DP3: We don’t know as of this writing if Jesus Ferreira and Alan Velasco will be available for selection2 on Saturday but if they are, it could be our first look at the two duo with Petar Musa in the attack. They little bit we’ve seen of Ferreira with Musa has been fun to watch but adding someone creative like Velasco to the mix could only make it better.
Find that spark: Dallas needs something positive here away from Frisco if they want to secure a playoff spot. They haven’t won away from home this season, so something has to give in this game. Either they can build on their defensive performance or their attack comes alive again with healthy players.
Note: While the regular season has an official injury list for the MLS clubs, this tournament doesn’t appear to have one as of this writing. We’re going to go off the clubs’ game notes for now.
After talking with several folks at the club on Wednesday, it sure sounds like they could be. More on that coming before Saturday though.