On Wednesday, D.C United host the only team they have beaten twice this year.The Black-and-Red have had Atlanta United’s number all season, winning both matches by an aggregate score of 5-2. Those five goals are the most any single team has scored against Atlanta all season.
Back in April, Ben Olsen and co. traveled to Bobby Dodd Stadium and left with all three points. After Atlanta forward Kenwyne Jones opened the scoring for Atlanta in the ninth minute, the Black-and-Red stood strong and took advantage of their opportunities. D.C. forced an own goal from Atlanta defender Michael Parkhurst to tie it up before Luciano Acosta and Sebastién Le Toux finished the job with goals of their own.
United followed that impressive performance with a 2-1 win at RFK on June 21. Ben Olsen’s team went down early on a goal from Atlanta’s Julian Gressel and, once again, responded with goals from Luciano Acosta and Patrick Nyarko. The winning goal from Nyarko may go down as the goal of the season for United, as he chested down a Chris Korb cross and coolly slotted home past Alec Kann from just inside the penalty area.
Atlanta, meanwhile, haven’t played since August 6, when they drew 1-1 against Kansas City. After going two weekends without a match, however, Atlanta will have to weather a brutal September in which they will play seven matches in 20 days.
In many ways, United are a different team than the group Atlanta played in April and June. Olsen and Dave Kasper, United’s general manager and VP of soccer operations, added a plethora of new talent at the MLS transfer deadline, including U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Paul Arriola, Bolivian teenager Bruno Miranda on loan from Club Universidad de Chile, American midfielder Russell Canouse from TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Hungarian international Zoltán Stieber from 1. FC Kaiserlautern.
This will also be Bobby Boswell’s first time traveling back to D.C. since his transfer to Atlanta United. The veteran defender suited up against the Black-and-Red 12 times during his tenure with the Houston Dynamo, including five games at RFK. During his two spells in Black-and-Red, Boswell played 188 games for the club and had his best years here, as he was a finalist for MLS Defender of the Year twice during his United tenure (2006, 2014), winning once in 2006.
United are in the middle of a busy week to end August, having just played in Colorado on Saturday. After Wednesday, Olsen’s side will have two days to recover and prepare for a home match against the New England Revolution this Saturday at 7 PM on NewsChannel 8.
