D.C. United versus Philadelphia Union preview: Behind Enemy Lines w/ Philly blog The Brotherly Game

D.C. United takes on the Philadelphia Union this Sunday, so we talked to Eugene Rupinski of The Brotherly Game to get the lowdown on all things DOOP.

Questions for The Brotherly Game

B&RU: Should Jim Curtin just start with 10 men in all of the Union's games now?

tBG: That's always been the Union way - they've historically done better down a man than at even strength or up a man. Perhaps it could be like hockey where they play with ten and have guys rotate in and out on the fly?

B&RU: Given their midweek game, will Curtin run out his regulars or is he going to have to try and rotate his lineup to get some guys some rest?

tBG: It's possible you'll see some lineup juggling. One person you'll definitely see is CJ Sapong, who didn't play due to a US Open Cup suspension for a red card against D.C. United. He'll be fresh and should be ready to go. Beyond that though it's uncertain. The Union will be without Andrew Wenger (concussion) and Richie Marquez (sprained ankle), so the options on the wing and at center back are limited.

B&RU: What does the Sheanon Williams trade mean and do you think it is a prelude to another move?

tBG: As a fan, it sucks seeing guys who have been here forever and are a part of the community be traded away. But it's a part of the business. There are no lifers in sports anymore.

I certainly would imagine the Union will be adding someone to the roster with this move. The club is woefully thin on defense as is, and giving up a player of Sheanon's caliber is a tough pill to swallow unless you are confident of getting something in return.

Questions for Black and Red United

tBG: The Luis Silva for Alvaro Saborio trade caught a lot of us by surprise. How do DC fans feel about it?

B&RU: We are currently cautious about it, but most of us have faith in the intra-league talent identification abilities of Ben Olsen and Dave Kasper. Also, it looks like both players are out of contract at the end of the season, and the rumor is that Silva wants to try and go to Mexico after this MLS season is over. Because of his injuries, I don't think he was going to be able to help United all that much this year, and if he leaves in the off-season at least United got something for him.

Saborio fills a need that United has had ever since Eddie Johnson got injured: a big target striker who can occupy defenses up top; having one that can actually score, unlike Lionard Pajoy, for example (thanks for that), is a bonus as well. United fans understand the trade, but it does hurt to lose a young, talented player.

tBG: How is Michael Farfan doing?

B&RU: Marfan has been hurt for the past two months, and United have really missed his presence. He was able to sit on the right wing, allowing Nick DeLeon to either rest or flip to the left side; he allowed Ben Olsen a lot of positional flexibility that he doesn't really have right now. He was also an intriguing option as a central player, but that experiment was cut short due to his injury. He is back to training now, so hopefully we will be seeing him in the next few weeks.

tBG: DC has been one of the strongest teams in MLS this season, leading the Supporter's Shield race against some good Western Conference teams. Is this sustainable?

B&RU: United have actually faded a bit recently, and are winless in their last three games (though those were against Toronto, Seattle, and FC Dallas). The fact that they had to play for over a month on the road because of a Foo Fighters concert at RFK Stadium certainly didn't help, so returning home will certainly help. I don't think they'll get back to their 2+ PPG streak that they were riding in April, but if they can push it back to around 1.75, I think they should be able to take the East.