WASHINGTON ā While Saturdayās clash with the LA Galaxy brings one of the highest-profile teams to town, itās just like any other league matchup for D.C. United.
āAs professionals, you want to approach every game the same,ā midfielder Dax McCarty said. āNo team, no opponent is any bigger than another opponent. Weāre going to treat it just like any other game.ā
With the Galaxyās arrival, of course, comes a team packing two of the biggest names in MLS ā Landon Donovan and David Beckham. The presence of big players like that can spur on the opposition, but also are two dangerous weapons on the field who will need to be dealt with defensively.
āThey provide a little bit extra with the star power they have, and I think it brings out the best in a lot of teams,ā midfielder Santino Quaranta said. āI think itāll be a good challenge for us to see where we are as a team, coming off two league losses.ā
For a young team like DC, keeping things grounded and not being over-awed will be crucial. Rookies like Blake Brettschneider, Chris Korb or Perry Kitchen could be playing their first game against the Galaxy, and Quaranta said that it will be address to put any of those distractions out of the mind and approach it like any other game.
[inline_node:332959]āItāll be brought up that itās just another game just like itās any other one,ā Quaranta said. āYou have to settle into the game just like itās any other one. If you come out to try to do something different than youāre used to, the outcome might be turn out a little different for you.ā
Saturdayās game at RFK Stadium (7:30 pm ET, MatchDay Live) is DCās first since the home opener, a triumphant 3-1 win against Columbus. Since then, United have endured two losses on the road.
They won just three times in 15 matches last season at RFK.
āDefending your home turf is absolutely vital in picking up points in MLS,ā McCarty said. āYou have to be good on your home field. I know the past couple of years havenāt been too kind for DC at RFK, but I think thatās all about having the right mentality. I think this year weāve tried to change the mentality for it to be itās not good enough to get a tie at home.ā