The pause expired last weekend with a starting assignment in the opener against Los Angeles. And less than five minutes into his introduction, Neagle scored against the Galaxy. United went on to a 4-1 defeat, but Neagle’s place in the lineup had been all but secured. Where on the field he will play over the course of the 34-match schedule is the only question.

After games in Mexico, Washington and Southern California, United will swing north to face the New England Revolution on Saturday afternoon in Foxborough, Mass.

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Neagle, 28, started as the lone forward last weekend, but when Patrick Nyarko’s head injury forced a halftime adjustment, he moved to the right flank — a position he seems likely to fill at Gillette Stadium. Acquired to play up front or on the left wing, Neagle is displaying the flexibility that should keep him in Coach Ben Olsen’s good graces for most, if not all, of the season.

“One of the great things about Lamar is that he is versatile,” Olsen said. “We can play him up top or on the wing. We can move him around during the game. We know what he is going to bring.”

Watching a forward-wing wearing No. 13 run at defenders has caused United supporters to do a double-take: That was both Chris Pontius’s role and number for seven seasons before he was traded to Philadelphia in December. Neagle wore No. 27 in Seattle, but chose 13 with United for several personal seasons: He had it in high school; he is the 13th grandchild on his mother’s side of the family; 13 was the age when he met his future wife, Natalie; and a “XIII” tattoo appears on his left arm.

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It was anything but unlucky at StubHub Center on Sunday. After disrupting Steven Gerrard’s touch, Neagle collected a deflection in space and placed a 23-yard shot into the low right corner for his 29th goal in six MLS regular seasons.

In the weeks leading to the opener, Neagle was not sure what part he would play. After all, he had not been eligible for the Champions League matches against Queretaro. When the team traveled to Mexico from training camp in Florida, he returned to Washington. For the return leg a week later at RFK Stadium, Neagle watched from high above.

United was eliminated from the international tournament on a 3-1 aggregate, cleaning the slate for league play. Focus then turned to the Galaxy, and Neagle entered the equation.

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Olsen’s decision was made easier by Fabian Espindola’s sore hamstring, which prevented him from attempting to play 90 minutes. (Espindola had started up front in both Champions League matches.)

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“Ben kept it open and I understood, depending on how CONCACAF went,” Neagle said. “If we ended up killing it, I couldn’t expect to come in and take somebody’s spot. I was open-minded and not even sure where I was going to play.”

Neagle’s early goal help up to halftime, but the Galaxy answered with a four-goal blitz.

“Dream start, not so much the finish,” Neagle said. “To miss those first two games and then score right away, it’s a rewarding feeling for the training you’ve been putting in when everyone else was preparing for Champions League.”

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With Nyarko out and Espindola in, Neagle played the second half on the right wing.

Positional uncertainty can be disconcerting, but Neagle is used to it. He filled multiple roles on a Seattle squad that included star attackers Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins.

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“Hopefully during the week I can get a better idea of where I am going to be playing,” he said, “so I can visualize how the game is going to go and what I want to do.”

Olsen’s preference, it appears, is using Argentine attacker Luciano Acosta in support of a lone forward: a slasher (Neagle), an improviser (Espindola) or a traditional target (Alvaro Saborio). Espindola is best when floating in a crescent-shaped path. Saborio is a physical presence but, approaching his 34th birthday this month, past his prime and best used as a substitute.

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Olsen must also take into account Chris Rolfe, a left wing and withdrawn forward who led the team in scoring last year, and the impulsive, unpredictable Acosta.

As he demonstrated in the league opener, Neagle is going to serve a integral part, regardless of where he plays.

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“It’s a long season and we’re a work in progress,” Olsen said. “We know we have good components; now it’s a matter of putting these things together and succeeding with them.”

Notes: D.C. and New England are meeting for the first time since last fall’s first-round playoff, a 2-1 United victory at RFK. … The Revolution opened the season with a 3-3 draw at Houston. Diego Fagundez had a goal and two assists, including a cross on Daigo Kobayashi’s last-minute equalizer. … Local organizers are working to finalize a Peru vs. El Salvador friendly May 28 at RFK — a week before the Peruvians begin play in the Copa America. Peru played in Washington last September, losing a friendly to the United States, 2-1. With a huge expatriate community, El Salvador visits D.C. regularly.

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D.C. United at New England Revolution

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Where: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

When: Saturday at 3 p.m. Eastern.

TV: NewsChannel 8.

Records: United 0-1-0, 0 points; Revolution 0-0-1, 1 point.

D.C. probable starters: GK Andrew Dykstra; Ds Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Steve Birnbaum, Taylor Kemp; MFs Lamar Neagle, Marcelo Sarvas, Nick DeLeon, Luciano Acosta, Chris Rolfe; F Fabian Espindola.