DC United face off against Chicago Fire on Thursday in the first 2 game week of the 2021 season. We sat down with Guillermo Rivera (@FireConf) to preview the game and talk about the rough start the Fire’s season. Check that out here.
Three Things to Watch:
DC United might have close to a full bench!
Hernan Losada is exhausted about questions on the health of his team and with a number of players returning to training this week, he may not have to do so for much longer. Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes were back in practice on Tuesday, with Arriola likely to make the bench against Chicago. The team also gave Drew Skundrich, a Loudoun United signing who trained with DC throughout the preseason, an MLS contract and a likely spot on the bench on Thursday. Brendan Hines-Ike has been taken off the injury report and looks set to return to his starting role in defense. If Russell Canouse returns from his vaccine related absence and Joseph Mora didn’t need additional time on the sidelines, United may have close to a full complement of players to make up a game day 18. (Note: the Skundrich signing means we need a corresponding roster move to be compliant with league rules.)
Is Ola Kamara ready to start a match?
Early this season, the forward position has been a black hole for DC United. With newcomer Nigel Robertha making two cameo appearances before going down with an injury, Erik Sorga has had the lions share of the minutes in the forward position with no goals to show for it, before he also succumbed to the evil injury curse surrounding Audi Field. Kimarni Smith was pressed into action against Columbus, and while Losada praised his effort, he was unable to influence the game during his time on the field. The man who came on for Smith, Ola Kamara, made the most of his first appearance of the year and scored against his former team, briefly giving United hope before it was dashed literally 60 seconds later.
Kamara has had an exceedingly rough tenure in DC, mixing general ineffectiveness with an inability to stay healthy and on the field. Over the off-season, we repeatedly said the forward position was the largest glaring question mark on the roster, and if Kamara didn’t regain his long lost goal scoring form and confidence, United would be going nowhere in 2021. While we haven’t gotten to see what Robertha is capable of, Sorga and Smith do not appear to be ready to be the full time answer and we continue to rely on the reemergence of Kamara as a viable threat. Here’s hoping this is the start of a turnaround.
Who will break form?
DC United, despite the numbers on the scoreboard, are creating more chances than their opponents and are limiting xG in a very promising sign of a future turnaround. Chicago Fire cannot score goals, having been out scored 9-1 since the first game of the season against New England. Unless this game is a depressing scoreless draw, something’s gotta give and based on the statistics, DC looks the more likely to impress.
Prediction: DCU 2- Chicago 0. Kamara and Arriola as goal scorers.