DC United is happy to return to the road tonight, where they are undefeated in their last five matches, including two wins and three draws, and haven't lost since April. The vulnerable San Jose Earthquakes are waiting for them out west, know that the last match between the two teams didn't end so nicely for United. D.C. lost 4-2 while giving up a hat trick to Steven Lenhart. United's revamped backline hopes to do a bit better marking him tonight.
Game time: 10:30 PM
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Projected starting lineup: Charlie Davies is listed as questionable and is therefore probably most likely to begin the match on the bench in order to emerge as a second half substitute, a role in which some of us think he's at his most dangerous. But if Davies doesn't start, its hard to find another forward healthy and qualified to enter the starting 11 in his place. Some would like to see Chris Pontius moved to forward, where he showed well against Everton FC last Saturday, while leaving Dwayne De Rosario in central midfield. I would take the opposite approach of inserting Stephen King as an additional midfielder to help slow San Jose's attack and move De Rosario higher up next to Blake Brettschneider. In this case, Chris Pontius and Andy Najar will remain on the wings. Clyde Simms will be the central defensive midfielder in front of Perry Kitchen, Ethan White, Brandon McDonald, and Daniel Woolard, with Bill Hamid in goal as usual.
With a late match on a Saturday night, I'm tempted to give "What Should I Drink?" another try, but since it was such a colossal failure last time, I'll just ask "What Are You Drinking?" instead. Oh yeah, and you can also share pre-game, in-game, and post-game thoughts in the comments as well.