It may be a friendly, but DC United will not be taking tonight's clash with Bermuda lightly.

The Washington club's Dutch coach Thomas Rongen sees the game as a chance to build on their winning start to the Major League Soccer season and will be fielding a strong line-up.

And Rongen, who took over the DC hotseat from the current US national team coach Bruce Arena last December, expects a tough test for his star-studded team at the National Stadium.

"We had a bye weekend in the MLS and we wanted to give our players a test against international competition,'' said Rongen.

"We wanted a continuation of competitive football to help prepare us for New York on Saturday. We will field a strong team, but it will contain some younger players who we want to give a sniff of the international game.'' United's weekend visit to the MetroStars comes two weeks after their opening MLS fixture, which they won 5-2 at Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Rongen said tonight's fixture had come about through his contact with Bermuda's director of coaching Clyde Best. The pair played together in the Los Angeles Aztecs team which toured Europe in 1980.

Rongen, 42, started his career in 1975 as a defensive midfielder with Amsterdam giants Ajax and played 25 times for the Dutch Olympic team. He moved to North American Soccer League team Los Angeles Aztecs in 1979.

There, he teamed up with his boyhood idol Johann Cruyff and the pair moved together to Washington Diplomats the following season.

Playing with Cruyff and under coach Rinus Michels at Ajax has schooled Rongen in the ways of Dutch `total football' -- so his team should be entertaining if they reflect his football philosophy.

"I believe in players who are technically sound, who can play in many positions, but who are still able to play the game aggressively,'' added Rongen.

The United squad spent yesterday golfing at Port Royal or relaxing at their hotel, before a training session at the National Stadium in the late afternoon.

Among their ranks was a player who has scored against Bermuda, Canadian midfielder Geoff Aunger who netted for his country in their 4-2 World Cup qualifying victory over the Island in Vancouver in 1992.

"That win put us through so the trip for the return match in Bermuda was a bit of a holiday for us, and I think it ended 0-0,'' recalled Aunger, 31.

"Players in Bermuda and the Caribbean are known for their individual skill and that is tough to play against. But they still seem to be lacking in organisational skills.

"I think Jamaica showed in the World Cup that with good coaching, players in this region can make an impact in world football.'' US international defender Eddie Pope, who played against Germany and Iran in the 1998 World Cup and also scored the goal which won the CONCACAF Champions Cup for United in a 1-0 victory over CD Toluca last year, was expecting a testing time tonight.

"I have not seen Bermuda play before, but I would expect them to be very quick, individualistic players who are good on the ball,'' said Pope.

"We are taking this game very seriously because we are already into our season and our aim is to be MSL champions again.'' The danger men in the United line-up are Jaime Moreno and Roy Lassiter, both former MLS Golden Boot winners.

Moreno became the first Bolivian to play in the English Premier League when he signed for Middlesbrough in 1994 and has been United's most consistent scorer since his move to Washington three years ago.

US international striker Lassiter was reunited with Rongen at United last year. The pair had previously teamed up at Tampa Bay Mutiny, where Lassiter netted 26 goals and Rongen won MLS coach of the year in 1996.

Playmaker, midfield schemer and United captain Marco Etcheverry could also be a thorn in Bermuda's side tonight. Last season the 28-year-old Bolivian international was named the MLS's Most Valuable Player.