It’s a perfect night for soccer as D.C. United gets ready to kick off its 2012 campaign against Sporting Kansas City: a good chill is in the air, the kind that keeps spectators moving to keep warm and keeps players from overheating.
With Kansas City’s 4-3-3 formation and D.C.’s upgraded attack, there’s plenty of reason to think this could be a goal fest, but United did manage to lose only 1-0 when the two teams last met in last year’s regular season finale.
The only thing close to a question about D.C. United’s starting lineup tonight was whether Emiliano Dudar had a chance of replacing either Dejan Jakovic or Brandon McDonald. The latter two were the intended starters for the Charleston finale last weekend, as they are tonight. That game, which was cancelled, would’ve been the only time D.C.’s starters were on the field together under game conditions. Instead, the first time that will take place is tonight.
The full D.C. United starting lineup: Bill Hamid; Robbie Russell, Jakovic, McDonald, Daniel Woolard; Andy Najar, Branko Boskovic, Perry Kitchen, Chris Pontius; Dwayne De Rosario, Hamdi Salihi.
United’s subs: Danny Cruz, Maicon Santos, Dudar, Stephen King, Chris Korb, Joe Willis, and Josh Wolff, who was named as player/assistant coach on Friday as a salary cap move.
Rookies Nick DeLeon and Lance Rozeboom won’t make their MLS debuts just yet.
While Russell, Jakovic, Boskovic, Pontius and Salihi didn’t start when these teams last met, Kansas City’s lineup is exactly the same, aside from one change, with former D.C. United midfielder Bobby Convey, who was picked up in the offseason, instead the departed Omar Bravo.
The full Sporting lineup: Jimmy Nielsen (c); Chance Myers, Aurelien Collin, Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic; Julio Cesar, Roger Espinoza, Graham Zusi; Kei Kamara, Teal Bunbury, Convey.
Northern Virginia native and last season’s MLS rookie of the year C.J. Sapong is available on Kansas City’s bench.
