Three things you should know before the Revs face D.C. United

The New England Revolution face D.C. United for the third time this season on Saturday. Here are three things you should know before the 7 pm kickoff:

1. D.C. United are depleted. With Chris Korb, Chris Rolfe, Patrick Nyarko, Bobby Boswell, Steve Birnbaum all unavailable this Saturday, you have to wonder who will be in the starting XI for United. Head coach Ben Olsen will need big performances from his depth players if he’s going to grab a result against the Revs, who won’t be missing any contributors from last weekend’s 2-1 road win over the Vancouver Whitecaps. Luck doesn’t appear to be on D.C.’s side, as they have gone two consecutive games without a win. Perhaps more troubling is the fact that they haven’t scored a goal during this stretch.

2. The Revs could spoil Olsen’s 100th regular season game in charge at RFK Stadium. With an overall record of 45-30-24, Olsen has done all right while playing in front of his local supporters. The club legend has always felt at home at RFK, as he made 117 appearances for the Black-and-Red before trading in his boots for fine suits. Revs head coach Jay Heaps isn’t likely to care about any of this since he’ll be focused on keeping his winning streak intact at snatching three points. The Revolution are no strangers to spoiling historic events as they ruined Thierry Henry’s last game with the Red Bulls and Dom Kinnear’s final home match with the Houston Dynamo.

3. Keep an eye on the keepers. Bill Hamid of D.C. United is known as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS. Since returning from a knee injury, Hamid has made three appearances, amassing two shutouts and a goal against average of .67. Hamid’s counterpart is currently unknown as Bobby Shuttleworth and Brad Knighton are competing over the gloves. Knighton started the Revs’ last match, helping his team secure three points. That said, Shuttleworth has been the regular starter since Matt Reis retired. Who Heaps puts in net could be a huge factor this Saturday.