D.C. United will be facing Jamaican newcomers, Montego Bay United F.C. on Tuesday night at RFK Stadium in the CONCACAF Champions League (CCL).
The Red and Black will be playing their second group stage match of group H. If D.C. wins the game they will be in complete control of their fate of advancing to the next round.
Yes, the Red and Black are coming off a bad weekend in Major League Soccer (MLS). D.C. lost 2-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at home. However, the game against Seba will give the former 1998 CONCACAF Champions Cup winners the perfect chance to rebound.
This is how the group currently stands:
| Clubs | PTS | GP | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD |
| 1. DC United | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2.Club Deportivo Árabe Unido | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 3.Montego Bay United FC | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -3 |
Road to victory for DC:
D.C. United will be home for this match, which means Head Coach Ben Olsen will be able to bring a strong squad. With Olsen being able to have a near A squad at his disposal, the offense for D.C. will be at full strength.
However, where the Red and Black will benefit the most is the strength at the midfield. Perry Kitchen will need to make sure that he frustrates Montego Bay’s attack. Kitchen’s job will not only be to recover the ball but also start the offense for the Red and Black.
United’s goalie Andrew Dykstra will need to make sure that the Jamaicans fail to convert any chances.
Road to victory for Montego Bay:
The Jamaicans are entering RFK Stadium with nothing to lose. American Head Coach Timothy Hankinson will have his hands full attempting to draw up a plan to break down United’s defense on the road.
Montego Bay has only played one game in the CCL and it was a road game that ended bad for them. The one thing Hankinson must make sure his players take full advantage of every counter they manage to create.
Starting XI on DC’s:
GK: Andrew Dykstra
He will get another game to start in the CCL. The 29-year-old performed well in his first night as he kept Panamanian side, Club Deportivo Árabe Unido scoreless on the road. The Red and Black left Central American with a narrow 1-0 victory and Dysktra had a lot to do with that result. Now Olsen will be expecting him to give the same performance at home.
DEF: Bobby Boswell, Kofi Opare, Sean Franklin and Steve Birnbaum
The regular starters for the Red and Black will be expected to handle the rare counters in the CCL match. Montego Bay’s attack will not be consistent, but it is guaranteed that they will come down fast. The veterans will be able to handle the pressure.
MID: Nick DeLeon, Markus Halsti, Kitchen and Michael Farfan
The creative minded midfielders will be able to run wild on the Jamaican defense. The Seba’s fell apart against Árabe Unido in their first game on the road 3-0. All four of the players will bring something different to the game on Tuesday. They will create multiple chances for themselves or for the forwards ahead of them.
FWD: Jairo Arrieta and Chris Pontius
Just like in the midfield DC’s forwards creativity and pace will be prove to be a headache for the entire 90 minutes.
Prediction: DC United 4-0 Montego Bay United F.C.
The Red and Black will be able to handle the Jamaican newcomers with ease at RFK Stadium.