and Cheika has no doubts the rugged performer will step up at the

D.C. United might be playing its best soccer of the season as it fights for a spot in the playoffs, with the latest challenge coming Thursday when it travels to Yankee Stadium for a crucial match with New York City FC.D.C United comes into the match on a six-game undefeated streak that was punctuated with a 6-2 victory on Aug. 27 at home over Chicago behind a Patrick Mullins first professional hat trick and three-assist performance from Luciano Acosta.D.C. United (7-8-11, 32 points in 26 matches) is a point ahead of Orlando City SC for the sixth and final postseason spot in the Eastern Conference.Were a tough team to beat, D.C. United coach Ben Olsen said. But now weve got to be a team that can go on the road and get three points.New York City FC (11-8-8, 41 points in 27 games) returns to Yankee Stadium, where it has won its last four games and is 4-1-1 in its last six in the Bronx. NYCFC had its four-game undefeated streak end Aug. 28, losing for the first time in more than a month at Orlando City SC.New York City is second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Toronto FC but just one point ahead of the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. David Villa leads New York City FC with 16 goals, which is tied for the league lead.Thanks to the hat trick, Mullins paces D.C. United with just five goals, but Fabian Espndola, Alvaro Saborio, Patrick Nyarko and Lamar Neagle have four each.The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Villa and Khiry Shelton scored goals four minutes apart early in the second half as NYCFC claimed a 2-0 victory on May 8 at RFK Stadium.Both teams are at break-even in goal differential, with New York City scoring 45 and allowing the same and D.C. 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The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger.Michael Cheika denies compromising the Wallabies lineout with the surprise selection of Ben McCalman for Saturday nights Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks.McCalmans inclusion as blindside flanker - not his specialist position - comes at the expense of the ever dependable Scott Fardy and leaves Australias back-row short of genuine jumpers.Fardy secured an equal-best 12 lineout throws for the Wallabies during last years tournament and, at 198cm, gave the back-row important height to complement shorter ball-pilfering dynamos Michael Hooper and David Pocock.At 192cm, McCalman brings a different skill set, chiefly strength and mongrel, and Cheika has no doubts the rugged performer will step up at the set piece too.Bens performed really well in the lineout, the coach said.Weve been working on a few things there and hes shown his quality there and we know that New Zealand are the best lineout defenders in the game.So were going to have to be on our money tactically in what we do there and then each one in his role, Ben included, when the games on in the heat of batttle, really clear on what their job is inside of our lineout.ddddddddddddheika admits McCalman will likely pack down at the back of the scrum sometimes to allow Pocock, picked again at No.8 to accommodate fellow openside specialist Hooper, to serve as a second flanker.Theyre pretty interchangeable now, the three lads. They can all play in the different spots and well probably have a few variations of where everyone stands, Cheika said.All Blacks coach Steve Hansen acknowledged the importance of the set piece as attacking platforms, but said he understood the Wallabies reasoning for selecting McCalman over Fardy.Theyve substituted their height for breakdown tenacity, I guess, and thats not the first time theyve done it, he said.Its a trick theyve played numerous times now since probably a year ago, and its worked for them.So its risk versus reward, isnt it. Obviously in their minds they believe the risk is worth the rewards theyll get for it. ' ' '