Montego Bay United are expected to make changes to their starting team when they travel to Robert F Kennedy Stadium in Washington, DC, today to face US Major League Soccer team DC United in an important Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League Zone H game starting at 7:00 pm.

After losing 3-0 in their opening game on August 5 to Panamanian team Arabe Unido in Panama, Montego Bay United must get at least a point in this game if they are to stay alive in Zone H with just the winners advancing to the quarter-finals.

DC United and Arabe Unido are tied on three points at the top and an upset win for the lone Jamaican team today could make things interesting with two home games to come.

American Timothy Hankerson will be in charge of the team that will include three players who were not in the squad that travelled to Panama earlier this month.

Canada-based defender Quante Abbott-Hill-Smith, a new comer to the Montego Bay United team, as well as midfielders Donavan Carey and Keneil Kirlew could feature in tonight’s game.

One player who will not play any part in the team is Owayne Gordon, who was left out of the travelling party.

Hankerson, who knows his way around the MLS, has been with Montego Bay United for about three weeks, and had told the Jamaica Observer in his first week that he was happy with the progress he saw.

With the Red Stripe Premier League still a few weeks away from getting started, Montego Bay United are still in preseason mode, however, and Hankerson said this could be their one main drawback.

“This is a team in preseason,” he said. “You go against a team in Panama that had many preparation games and this team had none. When we go to DC United that’s a team in mid-season in the MLS, they been training since January and maybe had 20 preseason and 30 games with cup competitions… we have had one, the Panama game.”

DC United have lost just twice at home since January and are coming off a 1-0 away win over Arabe Unido last week, but have been giving up goals, at least one in their last four games in the MLS.

Montego Bay United created several scoring chances against Arabe Unido and with some more patience and precision infront of goal could surprise the MLS team.

Allan Ottey and Dino Williams are expected to lead the offence, but it’s the defence that could be a worry as two of the goals they conceded against Arabe Unido were caused by poor defending.

Abbott-Hill-Smith could line up with Dwayne Holmes, Orlando McBayne, Ladale Richie and Cordel Simpson infront of Jacomeno Barrett.

The full Montego Bay United squad —

Quante Abbott-Hill-Smith, Dwayne Ambusley (Captain), Jacomeno Barrett, John Barrett, Kashief Brown, Donavan Carey, Garen Downie, Dwayne Holmes, Keneil Kirlew, Orlando McBayne, Allan Ottey, Ladale Richie, Ronaldo Rodney, Ramone Sibley, Cordell Simpson, Winston Wilkinson, Dino Williams, Jermaine Woozencroft.