DC United begins what might be the most important week of its season so far tonight against the Chicago Fire. Usually our rivals, the Fire have fallen on hard times and have just two wins all year. This could be the opportunity D.C. needs to leapfrog its way into third place in the Eastern Conference ahead of a critical match on Sunday against Sporting Kansas City.
Game time: 9:00 PM
TV: ESPN2
Projected starting lineup: Other than in goal, where Bill Hamid will return from suspension and USMNT duty to replace Joe Willis, I expect United to use the same starting lineup as was used in last week's 4-0 throttling of the Vancouver Whitecaps. That will mean the consistent backline of Perry Kitchen, Dejan Jakovic, Brandon McDonald, and Daniel Woolard will remain intact, as will the midfield of Andy Najar, Santino Quaranta, Clyde Simms, and MLS Player of the Week Chris Pontius. Dwayne De Rosario and Charlie Davies will start together up top, unless Ben Olsen decides that he has to manage minutes of his star forwards with two matches in four days.
This is your place for pre-game, in-game, and post-game discussion. And as is becoming a B&RU tradition with late-night games, we of course must ask the question - What are you drinking tonight?