With D.C. United’s first regular season match of 2013 just days away, fans are looking for answers. Answers to important, hard-hitting questions like, “Why would Nick DeLeon do that to his hair?” and “Has anyone every just physically turned Lionard Pajoy towards the opposing teams goal and suggested he put the ball in it?” Joining me to address these and other issues is Thomas Floyd, who covers D.C. United for The Washington Times

Can Carlos Ruiz still produce?

Thomas Floyd, The Washington Times, @ThomasFloyd10: It’s easy to look back on Carlos Ruiz’s most recent MLS stint—14 games with Philadelphia in 2011—as a short-lived experiment that didn’t pan out. But let’s not forget he bagged six goals during that stretch, putting himself well on the way to the double-digit goal threshold no United forward reached last year. And his form with Guatemala in World Cup qualifying showed he still has that nose for the net. A 10-goal campaign even while sharing minutes up top sure seems within the realm of possibility.

Pablo Maurer, DCist, @DCUist: Ruiz’s signing caused a mini-uproar (on Twitter, at least) among United fans who’ve spent nearly a decade watching “El Pescadito” flop all over the field. While his (often dishonest) style of play doesn’t seem likely to jive well with United’s supporters, Ruiz can almost let his 88 MLS goals—good for eighth all-time—speak for themselves. Even in his thirties, the Guatemalan showed flashes of brilliance last fall in World Cup qualifying – notching goals against Antigua and Barbuda and the US. Carlos Ruiz can most certainly still produce—we’ll just have to see where he ends up falling on United’s depth chart at forward.

Will Rafael live up to his designated-player billing?

Thomas: Despite Ben Olsen saying Rafael was United’s guy when it came to the search for a true goal-scorer, the club proceeded to give the young Brazilian scarce minutes during preseason while also adding Ruiz as competition up top. So what does that mean? It’s time to temper the expectations, at least in the season’s early stages. This is Lionard Pajoy’s job to lose — something that seems inevitable, but perhaps not until the summer.

Pablo: Rafael may not live up to the expectations that come with being a Designated Player, but I believe he’ll live up to the very modest expectations set by his head coach. Upon signing him, Ben Olsen mentioned repeatedly that he wasn’t about to rush him on to the field. Certainly United seem to have learned their lesson from previous DP flops—Hamdi Salihi’s underwhelming 2012 campaign is still fresh in our rear-view—and Rafael will likely have the luxury of a low bar. Realistically, we should all brace ourselves for several more months of Lionard Pajoy. Ugh.

Can Chris Korb and James Riley fill the void left by Andy Najar?

Thomas: Najar’s offense presence won’t be replicated, but Korb is increasingly confident going forward and is more reliable on the defensive end. I fully expect Korb to seize this starting opportunity in Year 3 and perhaps even emerge as one of the league’s better right backs, the way Tony Beltran did when given a similar shot with Real Salt Lake last year. If not, Riley isn’t flashy but has proven he can get the job done. This position shouldn’t be a major concern.

Pablo: Korb is beyond adequate at right back. The offensive side of his game developed nicely last year, and he’s better on the defensive side of things than Andy was. While United will miss Najar’s skill on the ball and sheer pace, they won’t miss getting burned on the counter—as they often did when the young Honduran ventured into no-man’s land and struggled to track back. Assuming Korb and Riley can remain injury free, United have this spot covered very well.

Will United erase their recent attendance woes and once again fill (sort of) RFK Stadium?

Thomas: With United playing just one midweek home game this year, the club can toss out most of those Wednesday night anomalies that dropped its average attendance last year. The team qualifying for the playoffs last season for the first time since 2007 should also breed some enthusiasm going into 2013. And having the Galaxy on the calendar will be a boost, presuming Los Angeles fills David Beckham’s DP spot with a marquee star by the time September rolls around. I’m not expecting a major surge until United find a new home (if that day does indeed come), but I’d count on a one- or two-thousand uptick in average attendance this year.

Pablo: Hopefully, but probably not. Though a modest bump in attendance seems realistic—the black and red made a deep playoff run in 2012 after being out of the post-season picture for nearly half a decade—I just don’t see this issue getting any better until the club relocates. With its peeling paint, broken seats and occasional raccoon sighting, RFK has its own particular brand of charm, but its time has long passed. With recent reports suggesting that a stadium announcement is expected in the next couple of months, let’s hope this is the last time we talk about this issue.

Will D.C. United win the Eastern Conference?

Thomas: No. Sporting Kansas City have won the East’s regular-season crown two years in a row, and I see no reason to stray from that pick. The EPL taking away Kei Kamara (through May, if not longer) and Roger Espinoza is a tough blow, but adding Benny Feilhaber, Claudio Bieler and a healthy Bobby Convey should make up for their absences. And most importantly, that superb back line remains intact.

Pablo: Maybe, but probably not. I have to agree that Sporting KC remains the odds-on favorite to win a third straight conference title, but—regrettably—New York also looks poised to make some noise this year. They’ve addressed several of their problem areas on the field—by signing Juninho, jettisoning Kenny Cooper and Sébastien Le Toux and signing Fabian Espindola—but have also gotten a major injection of character, as well. Tim Cahill seems poised to take the reins from Thierry Henry as the clubs leader in the locker room, and first-year head coach Mike Petke should command a little more respect from his players than Uncle Hans did in 2012.

D.C. United’s first match of 2012 is this Saturday night, at 8PM. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Network. The home opener is next Saturday against Real Salt Lake, 7PM start. Tickets are still available. And also, a shameless plug: follow me on Instagram at DCUist for behind the scenes and field-level photographs on gameday and during the week as well.