Keeping some of its starters out of its latest game could pay off for D.C. United in its bid to defend its slim Supporters' Shield lead.
D.C. will try to accomplish that task by earning a fourth consecutive home victory Saturday night and denying the San Jose Earthquakes a third straight overall win.
D.C. United (13-8-5) sent mainly its reserves to Panama for a 1-0 win in its CONCACAF Champions League opener Wednesday against Arabe Unido. Even coach Ben Olsen skipped the trip but that was because of a CCL suspension incurred from last season's competition.
Likely playing a significant role in Olsen's decision to rest his starters is United's current stretch of six games in 23 days that ends Aug. 30. The good news for the club plays its next two at home, including a CONCACAF match against Jamaican side Montego Bay United on Tuesday.
First, D.C. will try to at least maintain its one-point lead over Los Angeles for the Supporters' Shield. United holds a five-point advantage in the Eastern Conference over the New York Red Bulls.
D.C. had its three-match winning streak end with a 3-1 loss to New York City FC on Aug. 13 as goalkeeper Bill Hamid's shutout streak ended at 400 minutes in his second game back from a hand injury.
"Hopefully, this is a lesson for all of us to get back that chip that we need to win in this league," Olsen said.
Hamid could get tested again when he faces a San Jose team that routed Sporting Kansas City 5-0 on Wednesday, and United won't have defender Chris Korb for the rest of the season after he tore his right ACL in the loss to NYFC.
Chris Wondolowski and Cordell Cato each had a pair of goals as the Earthquakes (9-10-5) ended a four-game road losing streak. Wondolowski became the first MLS player to score at least 10 goals in six consecutive seasons, and his 104 have him tied with Dwayne De Rosario for sixth all-time.
"It is a nice thing," Wondolowski said. "The most important thing was getting a win, and I am hoping we can make the playoffs and reflect on individual things in the offseason. I owe it all to my teammates because a lot of my goals come inside the six, so they do a great job of setting me up."
San Jose trails Seattle by three points for the final playoff position in the West and will try to do its part to close that gap by avoiding a third consecutive defeat to D.C.
The teams are meeting for the first time since United scored twice in the first 25 minutes in a 2-1 victory July 11, 2014. Wondolowski tallied San Jose's lone score.
The Earthquakes had a three-game win streak in the nation's capital snapped with a 1-0 loss June 22, 2013.
