or in this case, the dinosaur's den -- to face a Marathon side riding high after their 2-0 win at Cruz Azul last Wednesday.
Nicknamed "The Green Monster" and sporting a Tyrannosaurus Rex as its mascot, Marathon will be keen to offer a hostile reception to a beleaguered United side which remains undermanned and short on confidence.
D.C. captain Jaime Moreno will not be able to offer much-needed reinforcement, a swollen knee forcing him to remain in Washington in the hopes of recovering in time for Sunday's league match against FC Dallas, and he'll soon be joined by defender Devon McTavish, who did not make the trip to San Pedro Sula due to suspension for his red card received in United's opening loss to Deportivo Saprissa.
The reigning Honduran Apertura champs put on a classic smash-and-grab display to stun their Mexican hosts last week and United are wary of the abundant attacking pace that made it possible.
"They have some speed," said Soehn. "I think they countered very well against Cruz Azul."
Wednesday night's match at Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano will likely offer the D.C. defense an opportunity to prove that they learned from their Saturday setback. While Marc Burch's controversial second-half sending-off surely did not help matters, by that time United had already allowed three goals in 15 minutes and were struggling to come to terms with the pace and movement of Landon Donovan and the rest of the Galaxy front line.
"I feel like we played into their hands sometimes," noted Simms. "Our line was a little too high, [giving] Landon a little too much space to run into."
McTavish's absence means that Soehn will once again have to improvise in his selection process, and tactically, it could further encourage a conservative defensive posture.
"Probably," said the D.C. boss, when asked if his team will sit in against Marathon. "We'll have to evaluate how many minutes we can get out of some guys."
Center back Gonzalo Peralta is finally nearing match fitness and could see time against Marathon, though it's unclear whether he's ready to slot into the first XI. The alternatives include starting a rookie like Pat Carroll or Mike Zaher, or even moving Simms or left winger Ivan Guerrero -- who called the return to his home country "a special game" -- back into defense.
Moreno might represent the biggest loss. The veteran's poise and skill would be extremely valuable in a hostile setting where D.C. will need to string together possession to take pressure off the defense. The Black-and-Red are hoping that Luciano Emilio and Boyzzz Khumalo -- who scored his first United goal against L.A. -- will step up to fill the gap.
"You definitely see a change in our attack without Jaime," said Simms. "But Boyzzz Khumalo played well the other night and he's got a lot of confidence right now."
The challenge facing them is a substantial one, but if United can earn a decent result in Honduras it would offer a huge psychological boost. A long, draining campaign now looks likely to go down to the wire as United try to maintain their grip on the last MLS playoff spot, and international success could help generate priceless momentum.
"You have your ups and downs through a season, and we've played more games than anyone except Houston," said Burch, still smarting from his harsh dismissal by referee Terry Vaughn on Saturday. "Everyone's got their heads up -- we've got a lot of games to go."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
