{"id":1269,"date":"2018-10-30T10:29:07","date_gmt":"2018-10-30T10:29:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mlsfootball.com\/?p=1269"},"modified":"2018-10-30T10:30:06","modified_gmt":"2018-10-30T10:30:06","slug":"from-mlss-worst-club-to-clinching-a-playoff-spot-dc-uniteds-tactical-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mlsfootball.com\/features\/from-mlss-worst-club-to-clinching-a-playoff-spot-dc-uniteds-tactical-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"From MLS\u2019s worst club to clinching a playoff spot: DC UNITED\u2019s tactical profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

DC UNITED was labeled by The Guardian as MLS\u2019s worst club when Wayne Rooney joined the Blacks and Reds last summer, which, in fact, was partially true considering their position last season (11th in the Eastern Conference). However, a major turn of events took place ever since the arrival of the former England\u2019s skipper, Ben Olson\u2019s men are the 4th in the Eastern Conference and will be playing their first playoff game in two years next Friday.<\/p>\n

What really caught the eye of many was Rooney and Acosta\u2019s partnership so let\u2019s see how this duo and the rest of this team might just make this season a memorable one.<\/p>\n

Overall style<\/strong><\/p>\n

DC United is a a fairly flexible and solid side. Their shape on the pitch is usually a 4-4-1-1, however, this one could roam into a 4-1-4-1 or a 4-2-3-1 shape depending on the personnel in midfield. Ben Olson\u2019s team relies on the gifted and rapid Fullbacks and attacking midfielders to threaten their opponents. Moreover, their pace will be very crucial in order to exploit the space created by the likes of Rooney and Acosta, and be lethal in the counter attacks and quick transitioning.<\/p>\n

When it comes to their defensive approach, United don\u2019t mind sitting in their own half forming a tight and compact 4-5-1 with the wingers and defensive midfielders supporting the defender to close down spaces. Central defenders like Birnbaum are vital at times (2nd player with most aerial duels won in the league). Their defensive side is a field where their flexibility is well performed with defensive midfielders like Canouse and Moreno filling and covering the space for the flying Fullbacks: Fisher and Mora are the regular starters in the mentioned position.<\/p>\n

However, an exceptional case is when they lineup in a 4-1-4-1 shape, this would be chosen to support a high pressure on the opposition and not letting them build from the back with the 4 midfielders line staying relatively high to close down passing options from the opposition\u2019s defense to their midfield which results into imprecise long balls or passes to the wide areas where the touch line is helpful to ease the press for the DC midfielders.<\/p>\n

Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Football is a sport played with 11 men on the pitch, however, this side wouldn\u2019t have gotten any close to the playoffs if it wasn\u2019t for this duo.<\/p>\n

The chemistry between these two is unreal: 4 of Rooney\u2019s 12 goals were served by the Argentinian and 4 of Rooney\u2019s 6 assists were presented to Acosta. In other terms these two are crucial for each other and for their club.<\/p>\n

The Englishman\u2019s roaming and flexibility is very effective, he attracts pressure, creates space, provides assists and scores goals. Wazza drops to receive the ball between the lines which results into the two following scenarios:<\/p>\n

When the defensive line is forced to be dragged then becomes higher for attacking midfielders and pacey wingers like Asad and Steiner to get in behind and step in the space created. In fact his 4 assists given to Acosta were manifested in this fashion.<\/p>\n

Or Rooney wouldn\u2019t be man marked and would receive the ball in a dangerous area with no marking and this creates a decision crisis for the opposition\u2019s midfielders and defenders. The golden boy could then be a target man that receives the ball in dangerous areas and create space while under pressure and his movement alone could often be enough. Moreover he can play the role of the lethal finisher he\u2019s always been and scoring goals (12 goals so far this season).<\/p>\n

The former Boca Juniors attacking midfielder is indispensable as well for the offensive side of this team. In fact, Acosta is gifted with great dribbling skills, awareness, pace and most importantly superb vision, offering 15 assists this season more than any other player in the MLS. This side\u2019s extreme versatility is also thanks to the roaming of this duo, in fact, Acosta\u2019s movement can create as much danger as Rooney\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Finally, Acosta\u2019s dribbling and pace could cause a lot of damage to any defense in the league, these two special traits help him to step in to spaces created by his experienced partner or any other teammate and is essential for the team\u2019s counter attacks.<\/p>\n

Paul Arriola: An unsung hero<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul Arriola is most probably the unsung hero of this team, the American midfielder scored 7 goals and provided 6 assists joint with Rooney after Acosta. But his devotion and determination have been shadowed by the rise of the Argentinian and English partnership. The 23 year old proved that he could be a great help to his team, playing in a number of positions and having remarkable performances when unexpected, Arriola played at right back, right wing back, both wings and finally as a central midfielder, yet another example of this team\u2019s particular versatility.<\/p>\n

Despite one negative habit: losing the lead which has happened on 4 occasions this seasons, with a great deal of freedom, quality, experience and creativity DC United could be on their way to a historical season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DC UNITED was labeled by The Guardian as MLS\u2019s worst club when Wayne Rooney joined the Blacks and Reds last summer, which, in fact, was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":32,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"apple_news_api_created_at":"2018-10-30T10:30:08Z","apple_news_api_id":"578f8adf-4549-4c83-a412-b428298a249d","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2018-10-30T10:30:13Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AV4-K30VJTIOkErQoKYoknQ","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"middle","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"[\"https:\\\/\\\/news-api.apple.com\\\/sections\\\/8ac9b347-2ceb-4f38-8a3f-ac2a5fa9ce06\"]","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nFrom MLS\u2019s worst club to clinching a playoff spot: DC UNITED\u2019s tactical profile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mlsfootball.com\/features\/from-mlss-worst-club-to-clinching-a-playoff-spot-dc-uniteds-tactical-profile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From MLS\u2019s worst club to clinching a playoff spot: DC UNITED\u2019s tactical profile\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DC UNITED was labeled by The Guardian as MLS\u2019s worst club when Wayne Rooney joined the Blacks and Reds last summer, which, in fact, was...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mlsfootball.com\/features\/from-mlss-worst-club-to-clinching-a-playoff-spot-dc-uniteds-tactical-profile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" 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