WASHINGTON – Coming off the emotional high of last week’s 3-1 win over Columbus, D.C. United have a chance to make it two wins from two in their first road game of the 2011 campaign as they head to New England.
But players know it’s not going to be easy to get three points against the Revolution on Saturday (4:30 pm ET, Direct Kick, MatchDay Live).
“It’s a tough road game,” midfielder Chris Pontius said. “It’s on turf up there in New England, so not an easy team to beat there. In my two years here, we haven’t beaten them there.”
Santino Quaranta agreed, stating the need to get off to a strong start.
“It’s their home opener, so this week we’ve really emphasized that we need to match their intensity early on,” he said. “They’re coming off a good result as well.”
That result, a 1-1 draw on the road against the LA Galaxy, is sure to have the Revs in a confident mood entering Saturday’s game. Gillette Stadium hasn’t been too kind to DC in recent history as the team hasn’t won there since Aug. 5, 2007.
United have two big questions to answer in terms of the starting lineup – with Perry Kitchen down in Dallas preparing for the CONCACAF U-20 qualifying tournament with the US U-20 team, Rodrigo Brasesco will likely earn his first start in the middle.
The health of Jed Zayner – who came off last week’s win with a hamstring injury – could make way for United rookie Chris Korb to debut at right back with Brasesco playing centrally. Zayner is listed as questionable for this Saturday’s game.
“I know I’m ready to go, and if they need me on Saturday, I’m excited to play,” said Korb, an Akron product and a second-round SuperDraft pick.
The other question is whether Charlie Davies starts up top. Head coach Ben Olsen used the Joseph Ngwenya-Josh Wolff (above) partnership to mixed results against the Crew. Davies of course, made an impact as a second-half substitute, scoring twice after coming off the bench.
But Olsen liked some of Ngwenya’s hard work off the ball, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Davies reprise his substitute role as his speed would be an asset after Ngwenya and Wolff tire out the New England defense.
No matter who gets the start, Quaranta emphasized just how important it is to get points at this early stage of the season.
“Whenever you can get points early on, anywhere, on the road, at home, you take it,” he said. “It’s important to get off to a good start.”
