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Anthem’s hunt for a first franchise victory continues on Saturday afternoon when they take on Old Glory in Maryland. The Carolina outfit came within a single agonizing point against Miami last week and are strengthened with the return of Namibian international Cliven Loubser. DC had a subpar performance against San Diego and have changed half of their starting lineup.
| CURRENT STANDINGS |
1-1-0 (L1) East 4th
0-3-0 (L3) East 6th
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Joe Wrafter | Jack Iscaro |
| 2 | KoiKoi Nelligan | Facundo Gattas |
| 4 | Ignacio Dotti | Tevita Naqali |
| 5 | Bill Whiteside | Rob Harley |
| 8 | Collin Grosse | Lautaro Bavaro |
| 12 | Nick Grigg | Jason Emery |
| 14 | Owen Sheehy | Perry Humphreys |
|
IN | OUT |
| 8 | Michael Ma’afu | Dylan Fortune |
| 9 | Karl Keane | Carlo de Nysschen |
| 10 | Cliven Loubser | Karl Keane |
| 13 | Watson Filikitonga | Erich Storti |
| CAPPED INTERNATIONALS |
(9) – Martinez (Canada), Dotti, Gattas (Uruguay), Fa’anana-Schultz, Daniel, McVeigh, Iscaro (USA), Grigg, Hoyland (Scotland)
(7) – Turnbull, Maughan, Grandy, Golla, Mooneyham (USA), Loubser (Namibia), Apikotoa (Tonga)
| CLUB DEBUTS |
(1) – Grigg, Weidner
(0) – none
| NOTABLE ABSENTEES |
– Rob Harley (LO), Lautaro Bavaro (N8), Perry Humphreys (WI)
– Declan Moore (HO), Erich Storti (CE)
| PREDICTION |
The temperature might be slightly warmer but similar windy conditions are expected at kickoff. Simon Cross has opted for several changes including most of the tight five. On paper Old Glory still has a significantly more experienced outfit, but Anthem are growing in confidence and the addition of Loubser at No10 is a big boost. Expect this to be very competitive. DC are favorites at home.
| LINEUPS |
OLD GLORY DC
1 Joe Wrafter, 2 KoiKoi Nelligan, 3 Cali Martinez, 4 Ignacio Dotti, 5 Bill Whiteside, 6 Jamason Fa’anana-Schultz, 7 Cory Daniel, 8 Collin Grosse, 9 Ethan McVeigh, 10 Jason Robertson, 11 Axel Müller, 12 Nick Grigg, 13 Steff Hughes (capt.), 14 Owen Sheehy, 15 Damien Hoyland
Replacements: 16 Facundo Gattas, 17 Jack Iscaro, 18 Sam Davies, 19 Tevita Naqali, 20 Logan Weidner, 21 John LeFevre, 22 Jason Emery, 23 John Powers
ANTHEM CAROLINA
1 Jake Turnbull (co-capt.), 2 Connor Robinson, 3 Alex Maughan, 4 Puna Vuli, 5 Mikey Grandy, 6 Sam Golla (capt.), 7 Makeen Alikhan, 8 Michael Ma’afu, 9 Karl Keane, 10 Cliven Loubser, 11 Jason Tidwell, 12 Junior Gafa, 13 Watson Filikitonga, 14 Conner Mooneyham, 15 Line Latu
Replacements: 16 Ethan Howard, 17 Dan Hanson, 18 Joe Apikotoa, 19 Shawn Clark, 20 Alby O’Shannessey, 21 Carlo de Nysschen, 22 Mateo Gadsden, 23 EJ Freeman
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, March 8
Venue: Maryland SoccerPlex, Germantown
Kickoff: 15:00 local (12:00 Pacific)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 45°F (7°C), wind NW 17-25mph (27-40km/h)
Broadcasts: ESPN+, Monumental Sports, Sky Sports NZ, The Rugby Network
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Ben Connor (Wales)
Assistants: Federico Anselmi (Argentina) & Allen Alongi (USA)
TMO: Amanda Cox (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (2) – DC 2, Carolina 0
2024-06-01 – Old Glory DC 47, Anthem Carolina 29 (Maryland SoccerPlex)
2024-03-30 – Anthem Carolina 32, Old Glory DC 46 (American Legion Stadium)
