Boswell captained the squad for three years but appears slated for a reduced role this season, his 13th. Based on preseason lineups, Birnbaum and Sean Franklin will form Olsen’s first-choice partnership in central defense. Boswell, who will turn 34 this month, worked primarily with Kofi Opare in the friendlies.

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Even without the captain’s armband, Boswell figures to remain an influential figure. On Monday, in discussing Boswell’s place in general, Olsen said, “He is always going to have a good pulse of this team. He’s going to be a positive influence in the locker room, whether he’s starting or on the bench.”

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The captaincy is more than an honor; it’s a responsibility. Players often come to the captain first when issues with the coaching staff arise. On-field leadership is also key in a sport that doesn’t have timeouts or extended stoppages, except for halftime.

Boswell and others will serve as captain when Birnbaum is away on national team assignments. Birnbaum, 26, was the only U.S. player to log 180 minutes in the two recent friendlies under new coach Bruce Arena. He is a prime candidate for roster selection ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Honduras on March 24 and Panama on March 28.

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Past United captains have included John Harkes, Marco Etcheverry, Ryan Nelsen, Jaime Moreno, Santino Quaranta, Dax McCarty and Dwayne De Rosario.

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A career midfielder, Nick DeLeon is still learning the nuances of playing right back. While he continues to work on the defensive aspects, his speed, finesse and attacking prowess will provide threats going forward.

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“Me and Nicky worked pretty well together last season” when DeLeon replaced the injured Sean Franklin late in the campaign, starting right winger Lloyd Sam said. “It’s about building relationships. We’re still working on it, about where he is going to expect I might run when he has the ball, so we have an edge on the opponent.

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“I said to him today, ‘Not a lot of people are going to keep up with you once you start going down the line.’ It’s definitely a good attacking weapon. I know a lot of left backs in the league. If one goes to me, there’s probably going to be space in behind for Nicky. I told him to think about that all the time. I know which ones like to go tight, so before the game I will tell him: ‘This guy is one of them. If that happens, get in behind because you’re going to have a lot of space.’ ”

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Club officials expect a crowd of about 17,000 for the opener, which will kick off at 7 p.m. The weather forecast, with a game-time temperature of 32 degrees, has not helped United’s ticketing efforts. NewsChannel 8 will provide coverage, starting with the pregame show at 6:30.

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NewsChannel 8 will carry 27 of United’s 34 regular season matches this season. Sister station ABC7 has the other four in the local broadcast package: March 12, July 19, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22. Three were chosen for national TV (two on UniMas and one on FS1), all early in the season.

Sinclair-owned stations in Baltimore, Richmond and Norfolk will show the locally produced matches as well, the club said. Dave Johnson and Devon McTavish will return to the announcers’ booth.

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