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Chicago can jump to the top of the Eastern Conference standings if they defeat Old Glory on Saturday. The Hounds are three points behind the Free Jacks, who are on a bye week, and are currently enjoying a four-game win streak. DC are seeking improvement on their narrow victory over Miami.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
5-3-1 (W4) East 2nd
3-4-2 (W1) East 4th
| LINEUP CHANGES |
4 George Merrick rotates with 19 Ben Landry
8 Luke White rotates with 20 Conall Boomer
12 Cassh Maluia replaces Billy Meakes
14 Mark O’Keeffe replaces Noah Brown
15 Dave Kearney replaces Luke Carty
16 Guillermo Pujadas replaces Janus Venter
22 Julián Domínguez replaces Cassh Maluia
23 Willis Goodwin replaces Mark O’Keeffe
2 Facundo Gattas replaces Martín Vaca
13 John Powers replaces William Talataina
20 Dacoda Worth replaces Brady Daniel
23 John Rizzo replaces John Powers
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(11) – Fawsitt, Ryan, White, Augspurger, Campbell, Landry, McCarthy (USA), Flesch, Higgins (Canada), Pujadas, Péculo (Uruguay)
(8) – Iscaro, Fa’anana-Schultz, Daniel, Boni (USA), Gattas (Uruguay), Harley, Hoyland (Scotland), Bowd (Canada)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(1) – Willis Goodwin*
* – MLR debut
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Zura Zhvania (LH), Lucas Rumball (FL), Billy Meakes (CE)
– Ignacio Dotti (LO), Niko Jones (FL/N8), William Talataina (CE)
| NOTES |
- Billy Meakes sits out for the first time this season… Luke White will assume the on-field leadership for the match… it’s the first time White has captained Chicago, though he has plenty of previous experience in the role with LA and Colorado… Cassh Maluia fills in for Meakes in the midfield, the second start of his MLR career
- the Hounds welcome back Dave Kearney and Julián Domínguez from injury… Kearney starts at fullback, replacing the concussed Luke Carty, while Domínguez settles for a bench role
- new Chicago signing Willis Goodwin is set to make his MLR debut… the 24-year-old outside back was on the books for New England last season but did not make a regular season appearance… he traveled to Uruguay with the USA Falcons in 2022
- John Powers gets his first start for DC since Week 5, replacing William Talataina in the midfield… the only other change to the starting lineup is at hooker
- Dacoda Worth makes his first appearance of the season on the DC bench… the loose forward was part of the very first Old Glory squad during their exhibition campaign in 2019 and stayed with the club until 2022… he notably played for Chicago last season, playing 8 games with 2 starts
| PREDICTION |
It was a draw when these two sides met in March, but since then the Hounds have clearly been the better side. The absence of Meakes is significant though Maluia presents a different challenge for DC’s defense. Old Glory looked shaky against Miami and struggled to score points despite numerous opportunities. Chicago are clear favorites at home.
| LINEUPS |
CHICAGO HOUNDS
1 Charlie Abel, 2 Dylan Fawsitt, 3 Paddy Ryan, 4 George Merrick, 5 James Scott, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Maclean Jones, 8 Luke White (capt.), 9 Jason Higgins, 10 Adriaan Carelse, 11 Nate Augspurger, 12 Cassh Maluia, 13 Bryce Campbell, 14 Mark O’Keeffe, 15 Dave Kearney
Replacements: 16 Guillermo Pujadas, 17 Fred Apulu, 18 Ignacio Péculo, 19 Ben Landry, 20 Conall Boomer, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Julián Domínguez, 23 Willis Goodwin
OLD GLORY DC
1 Jack Iscaro, 2 Facundo Gattas, 3 Steven Longwell, 4 Rob Harley, 5 Tevita Naqali, 6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz (capt.), 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Lautaro Bavaro, 9 Ethan McVeigh, 10 Gradyn Bowd, 11 Axel Müller, 12 Tommaso Boni, 13 John Powers, 14 Perry Humphreys, 15 Damien Hoyland
Replacements: 16 KoiKoi Nelligan, 17 Quentin Newcomer, 18 Cali Martinez, 19 Bill Whiteside, 20 Dacoda Worth, 21 Connor Buckley, 22 Jason Robertson, 23 John Rizzo
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, May 11
Venue: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview
Kickoff: 17:00 local (15:00 Pacific, 18:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 66°F (19°C), wind NW 14-19mph (22-30km/h)
Broadcasts: Marquee Sports Plus, Monumental Sports, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Andrew Cole (Ireland)
Assistants: Moe Chaudhry (Canada) & Ian Seaton (USA)
TMO: Saro Turner (Canada)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (2) – DC 1, Chicago 0, Draw 1
2024-03-16 – Old Glory DC 22, Chicago Hounds 22 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2023-02-18 – Old Glory DC 42, Chicago Hounds 27 (Segra Field)
