Preview of Game 11 - DC United at Real Salt Lake

United now has a seven game unbeaten streak, 5-2-0 (W-D-L), including last week's 3-1 win over Chicago. United has scored 7 goals in their last two games, their two highest outbursts of the year. DC is 1-1-2 at home this season with a -1 goal differential. They are in 4th place in the Eastern Conference (1.70 PPG), 4 points behind NYRB (1.75 PPG) with 2 games in hand. They are in 6th place in the Supporter's Shield race, 5 points behind FC Dallas (1.57 PPG) with an amazing four games in hand.

Real Salt Lake welcomes DC to Utah looking record their first win of the MLS season. Salt Lake has only scored 2 goals in their last 4 league matches and a pathetic nine all season. Their record (0-6-5) is the worst in MLS. RSL is 0-3-2 at home with a -3 goal differential. They are in 6th place in the Western Conference (0.55 PPG), 16 behind FC Dallas, and in 13th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

These are the games when you "harvest your nuts" as Wizards coach Eddie Jordan so poetically put it. What he means is win the games you should win so that when winter comes (@KC, @HOU, FCD, and @NYRB) you are in the best shape possible. United will not be satisfied without the full 3 points this weekend and 3 more next Thursday against Colorado. RSL is quite simply a mess, and they are pissed off because they were promised Adu would be available for this game. Instead, he is with the U-20 team preparing for next month's tournament in Canada. Moreno is still with Bolivia for a few more games and Casal is away with his national team. Boswell (red card) and Kpene (injury) should both be available. I expect the starting eleven to be Emilio, Kpene, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Carroll the Elder, Erpen, McTavish, Gros, Namoff, and Perkins a 4-4-2 formation. Dyachenko, Simms, and Moose should get in during the second half. Maybe this is the week Kpene gets his first goal? And this is the first game in the Ben Cup for 2007. Let's all get behind this great idea.

Prediction:

DC United 2:0 Real Salt Lake