D.C. United versus FC Dallas lineup: Getting the groove back

D.C. United takes on FC Dallas tomorrow on the Fourth of July. United have one win since the middle of May, and they are about to embark on another grueling stretch of play. Getting it off on the right foot is important, as will be managing minutes and integrating players back into the team. So what will Ben Olsen decide to do on this holiday?

Olsen seems to have given us a pretty good indicator of what he wants to do, saying in the post-game interview that “we don’t need to change formations every time...someone’s got to fill that void.” That someone would seem to be Marquinhos Pedroso, who came in at half time and had his best game in a D.C. United uniform. When he came over from FC Dallas, Dallas fans told us that he was a solid defensive player, and so perhaps now that he is more integrated with the team means that he will perform up to that standard. Having Chris McCann at that position just doesn’t seem to be the answer at this point.

If Ben Olsen wants to swap in a left back, that means that the rest of the team is going to be fairly similar. The rest of the back line will be Steven Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, and Leonardo Jara. I said this on Twitter, but I will say it again here: Brillant has been really good this year and deserves to keep his starting spot. Donovan Pines will get his time, but for right now Brillant has performed very well.

Ben Olsen threw us for a loop in central midfield, with Lucas Rodriguez partnering with Russell Canouse instead of Chris Durkin. Junior Moreno is now back with the team and there is a possibility that he could start this game, but I think that he will get a game of rest coming off of the Copa America before starting a number of games down the stretch to spell Canouse and Durkin, who I think get the start together in this game.

In the attack, I think that Rodriguez, Luciano Acosta, and Ulises Segura all get the start behind Wayne Rooney. I have been beating this drum for awhile, but Griffin Yow needs to get a start sometime in this busy as heck July, even before United likely signs a winger. I want to see that day soon, but I don’t know if it is tomorrow, though if Segura becomes a father sometime this week, maybe that changes.

What do you want to seen Ben Olsen do tomorrow?