Busy Atlanta United opens title defense at D.C. United

Atlanta United officially begins the defense of their 2018 MLS Cup title on Sunday when it visits a D.C. United squad that has aims on ascending into the realm of trophy contenders themselves.

For Atlanta, though, it may not be club’s first-choice starting lineup when it walks out of the tunnel at Audi Field.

After storming to a 4-0 victory Thursday in the second leg of Atlanta United’s Concacaf Champions League Round of 16 series, first-year coach Frank de Boer says he has no choice but to manage minutes for some of his squad. The 5-3 aggregate victory over Costa Rica’s CS Herediano earned a spot in the quarterfinals.

Following the match in Washington Sunday, Atlanta will move back to Concacaf Champions League play at Monterrey of Mexico on Tuesday night.

“We have to rotate,” de Boer said following the win on Thursday, in which Josef Martinez scored twice. “You’re going to have so many traveling hours and so many games in front of us, so we have to rotate.”

Including two players on loan to the team’s USL side, Atlanta has 31 players currently on their books, compared to just 24 for a D.C. squad that finished last season on an 11-match unbeaten run.

Following the summer moves to bring in star forward Wayne Rooney and bring back goalkeeper Bill Hamid, D.C.’s offseason additions have been more supplemental in nature. The last came Friday, when D.C. signed veteran Quincy Amarikwa as Rooney’s backup.

After exiting last year’s playoffs on penalties, after a 2-2 draw against Columbus Crew SC, there is an expectation that coach Ben Olsen’s group could legitimately contend for MLS Cup in 2019.

Olsen is quick to caution their red-hot fall form is no guarantee this spring.

“We might be a little bit further along than we were at this point last year,” he said.

Some of the guys that have returned know who we are. But again, I say, put one or two new guys in that, it changes the dynamic in a bunch of different ways.”

–Field Level Media