Preview of Game 23 - DC United at Chivas USA

DC United, 13-3-6 (W-D-L), go west for a matchup of the two hottest teams in MLS. DC United is on a six match MLS winning streak, outscoring their opponents 14-1 in that span. This is the last of three straight on the road for DC. United took the full six points at Dallas and Toronto. DC United improved their road record to 6-1-5 with a +7 goal differential. United leads the league in points per game (1.91 PPG) and is in 1st place in the Eastern Conference, tied with New England (1.83 PPG) with one game in hand. United is also in 1st place in the Supporter's Shield race.

Chivas USA, 11-3-6 (W-D-L), have been on a tear recently, winning five of their last six games. Even more impressively, they have won the last three by shutout. Chivas is excellent at home and really should be considered the leader in the West due to the fact that they have four games in hand on Houston. Chivas is undefeated at home this season with a 7-1-0 record and a +11 goal differential. They are in 2nd place in the Western Conference (1.80 PPG), three points behind Houston and in 4th place in the Supporter's Shield race.

United will be without Josh Gros again, but otherwise should have the full compliment of players. Coach Soehn appears to be rotating players on defense, so the back four is a bit up in the air. I expect the starting eleven for United to be Emilio, Moreno, Gomez, Fred, Olsen, Simms, Namoff, Burch, McTavish, Boswell, and Perkins in a 4-4-2 formation. Kpene, Carroll, and Moose all should get in during the second half.

With eight games remaining, United needs about twelve points to have a good shot at retaining the Supporter's Shield. If DC wins this game, then they only need nine points from the seven remaining games, five of which are at home. It's a great time to be a United fan.

Prediction:

DC United 2:2 Chivas USA