Good evening from an oppressively hot RFK Stadium, where D.C. United is set to take on English Premier League side Everton in the Black-And-Red's second international club friendly of the season (they previously hosted Dutch champions Ajax on May 22).
A quick word about the format for this match, which kicks off at 7:30 and can be seen on Fox Soccer Channel: Each team will be permitted 11 substitutions, a provision which both managers are likely to take full advantage of, given the conditions. Also, if the game is tied after 90 minutes, the match will be decided with a penalty shootout, for reasons which are unclear at the moment.
This is D.C. United's third match in seven days, so it's not surprising that Ben Olsen has made wholesale changes to his starting lineup. Dejan Jakovic and Marc Burch, who have both been recovering from hamstring injuries, have been inserted into the back line. Kurt Morsink starts in midfield, while Austin da Luz makes his first start in a D.C. United uniform. Per Steven Goff of The Washington Post, Charlie Davies is not available tonight due to knee inflammation
Full D.C. United Starting Lineup: Bill Hamid (GK), Chris Korb, Dejan Jakovic, Brandon McDonald, Marc Burch, Andy Najar, Kurt Morsink, Stephen King, Austin da Luz, Josh Wolff (Captain), Joseph Ngwenya.
Available D.C. United Substitutes: Steve Cronin (GK), Joe Willis (GK), Dwayne De Rosario, Chris Pontius, Clyde Simms, Ethan White, Perry Kitchen, Conor Shanosky, Daniel Woolard.
Everton Starting Lineup: Jan Mucha (GK), Seamus Coleman, Leighton Baines, Jack Rodwell, Sylvain Distin, Phil Jagielka (Captain), Dimitar Bilyaletdinov, Victor Anichebe, Apostolos Vellios, Tim Cahill, Ross Barkley.
Available Everton Substitutes: Adam Davies (GK), John Heitinga, Jermaine Beckford, Phil Neville, Magaye Gueye, Leon Osman, Conor McAleny