Real Salt Lake will be hoping for another good performance on the road when they head to the capital to take on DC United at Audi Field on Saturday in an MLS inter-conference showdown.
The visitors are outside the playoffs spots in the MLS Western Conference, currently 11th, while the visitors are eighth in the East, though they have played a game more than most of the sides around them.
Match preview
© Reuters
Real Salt Lake's 0-0 draw against New York City last week extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to three matches, but Pablo Mastroeni would have seen that stalemate as two points dropped rather than one gained, having dominated their opponents for large parts in that game.
Fatigue arguably played its part on Mastroeni's men, who put a lot of effort into their midweek match, where they managed to hold off a fast-finishing LA Galaxy side 3-2 to qualify for the semi-final of the US Open Cup for just the second time in their history.
They have now had a full week's rest and will want to pick up from where they left off at the start of the month when they beat Austin 2-1 on the road to record their fourth win in their last five away games, along with a 1-1 draw against Minnesota United.
While their away record does look promising, the undeniable issue that Real Salt Lake face is in defence, where they have conceded the joint-most goals in the Western Conference this season (27), averaging just short of two per match and keeping only one clean sheet in their last seven league games on the road.
Not just this season, though, RSL have conceded in 21 of their last 23 competitive away matches in all competitions, and in 13 of those matches, they shipped two or more.
The visitors did manage to hold this opponent to a 0-0 draw last season in Utah but will need to address their defensive issues as they come up against a DC side that has been scoring fairly freely on their home patch of late.
© Reuters
In contrast to their opponents, DC United have failed to win four of their last five away games in all competitions, with the most recent ending in a 3-1 defeat to Atlanta United last week.
However, with their next two fixtures scheduled to be played at Audi Field, Wayne Rooney's side will be hoping to continue their solid home form in this match as they prepare to take on high flyers Cincinnati next week.
At home, DC United have taken a total of 12 points from a possible 24 with a record of three wins, three draws and two losses, though they are unbeaten in their last four, overcoming Charlotte and LA Galaxy by three goals each while drawing against Nashville and most recently to Montreal at the start of the month.
The hosts managed just seven wins across the whole of last season, leaving them bottom of the Eastern Conference, but they have already recorded six wins this term and are just five points behind Atlanta in fifth place.
Despite the wooden spoon finish last season, the DC United board's decision to maintain faith in Rooney and allow him to bring in winter reinforcements has paid off so far as there seems to be a solidity returning to the squad and their performances, especially at home.
Team News
© Reuters
Mastroeni will have a few absentees to deal with, though none are new, with Zack Farnsworth, Axel Kei, Erik Holt and Bryan Oviedo all still at least a few weeks away from returning.
Anderson Julio and Jefferson Savarino were both called up to represent their respective countries on international duty and are only expected to return next week at the earliest, ruling them out of this match.
Rubio Rubin was withdrawn just after the hour mark against New York City last week and will lead the line once again, while Damir Kreilach will be pushing for a starting 11 place in the absence of Savarino.
Rooney may have to settle for a similar side to the one that lost to Atlanta last week, with as many as seven of his players currently sidelined through injury.
Luis Zamudio, Ruan and Mohanad Jeahze are back training with the squad but will not be ready in time for this match, while Andy Najar, Theodore Ku-Dipietro, Nigel Robertha and Martin Rodriguez are still out for the foreseeable future.
Christian Benteke has been the talisman for DC this season, netting eight times to date, and should continue up front for the Black and Reds, with Mateusz Klich supporting him in the number 10 role.
DC United possible starting lineup:
Miller; Greene, Palsson, Birnbaum, Pines, Santos; Fountas, O'Brien, Durkin, Klich; Benteke
Real Salt Lake possible starting lineup:
MacMath; Hidalgo, Glad, Silva, Brody; Luna, Ruiz, Ojeda, Kreilach; Rubin, Musovski
We say: DC United 2-1 Real Salt Lake
DC United have been very good on their home soil over the last month, and with Benteke up front, they have a much-needed focal point to their attack, which has been working well for them.
This fixture ended 0-0 last season, but DC have come a long way since then, and while this will likely be another close encounter, we fancy the hosts to come out on top.
How to watch
You can watch DC United vs. Real Salt Lake and every MLS match this season live on Apple TV. Click here for more details on how to subscribe.For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Devesh Jaganath
