D.C. United will appear much like a team playing a reserve match Saturday against Real Salt Lake. United has four regular starters suspended — Bobby Boswell, Josh Gros, Christian Gomez and Alecko Eskandarian — and forward Jaime Moreno is listed as questionable with IT band tendonitis.
Defender Brandon Prideaux is expected to make his return to the starting lineup for the first time since May, and second-year forward Matt Nickell, who has four goals and four assists in the reserve league, could make his first start of the year.
Argentinean Matias Donnet, who played 45 minutes last weekend against Chivas USA, is almost certain tomake his first league match start.
United lost to Salt Lake, 2-1, in July after giving up two late penalty kicks. But the culprit on those penalties, John Wilson, is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery this week.
Salt Lake forward Jeff Cunningham, who converted both penalty kicks against D.C., leads the league with 15 goals and nine assists. An eight-year veteran, he’s has had a tumultuous but productive tenure in Utah — on Wednesday he denied reports that he had a tirade stormed out of Monday’s practice.
Real Salt Lake (9-12-5) at D.C. United (14-3-8)
» When: Tonight, 7:30
» Where: RFK Stadium
» TV: Comcast SportsNet, Fox Soccer Channel
» Radio: WMET-1160 AM, WACA-1540 AM
