After another scoreless draw at Lower.com Field, the Crew heads to the nation’s capital for a scrap with their longtime Eastern Conference rival D.C. United. The Crew looks to remain unbeaten in MLS play, or better yet, capture its first win since March 1st in league play. On the other side, The Screaming Eagles come off of a 4-1 drubbing against Orlando City and are looking to return to friendly confines and gain their second win of the year. Here’s everything you need to know for Saturday’s showdown in the Nation’s Capital. 

D.C. United at a Glance:

Record: 1-3-1, 6 points

League Form: L-D-W-D-D

Leading Scorer: Christian Benteke (3)

Assist Leader: Aaron Herrera, Christian Benteke, Peglow, Jacob Murrell, Gabriel Pirani (1)

Player to Watch: Christian Benteke

Very few people would have guessed that Christian Benteke would win the 2024 MLS Golden Boot. However, the 34-year-old Belgian did exactly that last season with D.C. Benteke’s size, speed, and physical strength make him the ideal target forward for head coach Troy Lesesne.

Benteke excels in the game’s physical aspect as he can use his 6 ‘3 frame to shield the ball from defenders in build-up play. His height also makes him an elite aerial threat with the ability to win long direct balls, help his side retain possession, and be a threat inside the 18-yard box. Benteke thrives on service and gets plenty of it in this DC United system, allowing him to do what he does best, put the ball in the back of the net. 

How D.C. United play: 

United manager Troy Lesesne has hit the ground running in his first head coaching job. One of the lower-spending teams in the league, Lesesne has made D.C. a tough team to beat week in and week out. Lesesne has helped his squad find an identity that enables them to be competitive in most matches despite their financial restraints.

Lesesne and United prefer to use either a 4-4-2 or a 4-2-3-1 formation but have a significant number of rotations out of this shape based on the game, opponent and situation. 

Defensively, Lesesne has his squad set up as a high-intensity, high-pressing side. D.C. looks to press as high up the field as possible to win the ball back as quickly as possible and keep their opponents from getting into a passing rhythm. United’s main pressing cue is when their opponents play a backward or sideways pass.

When these passes are played on Saturday it will trigger the pressure from the hosts. In last year’s matchup against the Crew,  D.C. set up in a 4-1-4-1 formation against the Crew’s 3-4-3 when Columbus had the ball. I expect D.C. to do the same on Saturday, giving the Crew an extra player in midfield. 

When D.C. has the ball, they are generally as direct as possible and look to play to Christian Benteke as much as they can. Their midfielders and wingers will look to win second balls and drive at a disorganized opponent’s backline. When in possession, DC usually tries to move an outside back higher up the field to give them another player up the field to win these second balls. It also gives their central midfielders more space to drop deeper and gain possession of the ball. DC’s attack thrives on putting their opponents under constant pressure and I expect nothing less on Saturday. 

How the Crew can win:

Three points would sure feel good for the Black & Gold on Saturday. Whereas a fourth straight draw in MLS play or even worse, a loss, would cap off an underwhelming start to the MLS campaign. The Crew need three points to keep pace at the top of the East. Here’s how they can do it.

1. Defend Aerial Balls: The Crew don’t exactly have many aerial challenge monsters in their backline and with Rudy Camacho still out, the backline will definitely lack some bite in the air. Conversely, Christian Benteke is the absolute best aerial player in MLS. The Crew needs to defend these aerial balls well and prevent them from even happening if possible, on Saturday. 
2. Pressure High up the Field: Going hand in hand with my previous key to success, the Crew needs to prevent DC from playing long aerial passes to Benteke and others. The Crew showed a weakness in this department a few weeks ago in San Diego, allowing their midfielders and backline time to pick out direct passes. Look for the Crew frontline to do a better job pressing and making it harder for DC to play these passes. 
3. Play Through the Pressure: As with pretty much every Columbus game, the game will ultimately be won or lost with the Crew’s chance creation in possession. The Crew dominate possession in such a way that most other phases of the game are second to what the Crew do when they have the ball. In this match, the Crew need to draw out DC’s pressure and then play through it. Not around the pressure or over the pressure but through it. Look for the Crew to quickly connect passes from the backline to the forward line when they can entice DC to begin pressing on Saturday.