With the opener against reigning champion Atlanta about six weeks away, here is a closer look at Coach Ben Olsen’s current personnel and what voids remain unaddressed:

GOALKEEPERS

United does not need to acquire anyone; it needs to get rid of someone.

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While Bill Hamid, one of MLS’s best, is the clear-cut starter, newcomers Chris Seitz (Houston Dynamo) and Earl Edwards Jr. (Orlando City) will vie for the second slot. With 12 years of experience, Seitz has the edge over Edwards (six career starts in four years), who might end up playing regularly for Loudoun United, D.C.'s new second-division team.

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David Ousted, the primary starter the first half of the 2018 season, has become expendable, but he has a guaranteed contract of almost $400,000 and United has yet to find a trade partner. (Chicago is among a small number of teams interested.) If a deal is consummated, D.C. would probably have to agree to keep half his salary on its books.

Other options: The sides mutually agree to terminate his contract, allowing the Dane to sign overseas, or D.C. investors agree to buy out his contract and free up the entire corresponding salary cap space. (Teams are allowed to swallow one guaranteed deal, at their investors' expense, each offseason.)

DEFENDERS

The back line is United’s greatest area of need, and it’s not even close. The only certainties are center back Steve Birnbaum (127 starts in five years) and left back Joseph Mora, a Costa Rican entering his second season in Washington after a solid debut campaign.

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The other experienced center back, France’s Frederic Brillant, regained his starting job late last season after a rocky spring and an extended benching. But United officials have said they are actively pursuing a potential starter at that position, a move that would relegate Brillant to spot duty as a reliable third center back. The other central option is Jalen Robinson, a homegrown defender entering his sixth season with 14 career starts.

United declined to exercise the contract option on Kofi Opare, a center back who made 62 starts over four years but underwent two operations, including one on his foot, since October. He is expected to join the Colorado Rapids.

The team is in negotiations with Donovan Pines, a 6-foot-5 academy graduate who anchored Maryland’s NCAA championship last month. If he agrees to a homegrown contract, he would gain consistent playing time at Loudoun United and put himself in position for first-team opportunities.

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There is a gaping void at right back. Nick DeLeon signed with Toronto FC, midseason revelation Oniel Fisher (ACL surgery) won’t be available until the summer, and inexperienced Chris Odoi-Atsem is completing treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Club officials say they are in the domestic and international market for a starter on the right corner. If they are unable to land one, midfielder Paul Arriola would become the top option. He provided cover there late last season, but his instincts are to attack, not defend.

Akeem Ward, a first-round draft pick from Creighton, adds depth at right back and left back, but he will probably need seasoning with Loudoun United.

MIDFIELDERS

It’s a good thing Olsen employs five midfielders instead of four, because he has a lot of candidates eager for playing time.

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Argentine playmaker Luciano Acosta, who rocketed to stardom during the second half of the 2018 season, is the centerpiece. He enjoys the most freedom when he has two defensive midfielders supporting him. The top choices are Russell Canouse and Junior Moreno, though teenager Chris Durkin is getting better and better.

The question is on the flanks. If Arriola is not reassigned to the back line, he will continue raiding the right wing. Yamil Asad was the primary option on the left last year, but his loan from Argentine club Velez Sarsfield has expired and the sides have failed to strike a deal for a permanent move. At the moment, his return to Washington appears doubtful.

Late last season, Costa Rica’s Ulises Segura did admirable, two-way work on the left, but for greater attacking power, Olsen will consider newcomer Lucas Rodriguez (on loan from Argentina’s Estudiantes) or perhaps Zoltan Stieber. The latter is technically gifted but doesn’t have enough bite in his game to satisfy United’s demands for a full-time starter. If he is not starting regularly, Stieber earns too much ($1 million guaranteed) to serve as a part-time contributor — which is why the team has entertained trade offers.

FORWARDS

Wayne Rooney enters his first full season with United after making spectacular contributions over three months last year. Olsen typically plays with one forward on the field, so the Englishman will remain by himself at the apex of the formation.

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He can’t play every minute of every match, however. And at times, especially when facing a deficit, United will need a second forward.

Before Rooney arrived last year, Darren Mattocks carried the front-line scoring load. The Jamaican was not happy about losing his starting job, and after the season, he and the team agreed a separation was in order. (With Mattocks left unprotected, FC Cincinnati claimed him in the expansion draft.)

United signed William & Mary’s Antonio Bustamante to a homegrown contract and drafted Vermont’s Leandro “Geo” Alves and California’s Shinya Kadono. All were impressive college attackers, but the jump to first-division pro soccer is a large one and, if they all stick around, Loudoun United is their likely destination.