D.C. United return to RFK after a two-match road stretch as they welcome Western Conference rival Seattle Sounders. After a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Philadelphia Union on May 20, United left Kansas City with three points after a dramatic win. New signing Alhaji Kamara debuted in historic fashion, scoring just 33 seconds after entering the field, breaking the record for fastest goal in an MLS debut.
The Black-and-Red will be without defender Steve Birnbaum and forward Álvaro Saborío for the second match in a row, as the two players continue preparations with their national teams (USA and Costa Rica, respectively) for the upcoming Copa America Centenario. However, United should be encouraged by the performances of Kofi Opare, who was named to MLS Team of the Week and Kamara, who is gaining confidence and fitness with every day. Meanwhile, the much-anticipated return of Bill Hamid had fans excited, and the 25-year-old did not disappoint in his first game back, recording three saves and recording his 39th career shutout.
Seattle are also contending with the absence of Clint Dempsey (USA) and Nelson Valdez (Paraguay)--but will be able to count on the services of Jordan Morris, who was somewhat surprisingly left off Jurgen Klinsmann’s roster. The rookie out of Stanford, who has nine caps with the USMNT, leads the team with four goals this season.
United, who are 2-6-2 against the Sounders all-time, will come into the match with something to prove, having not beaten the visitors since 2011. With Seattle possessing well but struggling to create chances in the final third, D.C.’s defensive organization will be key to keeping the visitors from getting opportunities in the box. With Birnbaum away on international duty, the central defensive pairing of Bobby Boswell and Opare, solid in their second game together, will be crucial in shutting down Morris and co. "Wednesday is a very important game," head coach Ben Olsen said. "We have a break afterwards, so mind and body has to be here tomorrow night and get a very important three points."
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The Sounders, who come into the match ninth place in the Western Conference, are winless thus far away from home. Despite having an advantage in possession in the majority of their games, Sigi Schmid’s side have struggled to score, having managed only goals this season. Following consecutive scoreless losses to FC Dallas (in which they managed an 86% passing accuracy but were unable to find the back of the net) and the Colorado Rapids, Seattle lost a third straight game against the New England Revolution this past Saturday 2-1.
The match kicks off at 8:00 PM on NewsChannel 8.
