RFK Stadium is ready.
A few inches of snow isn’t nearly enough to keep D.C. United from beginning its defense of finishing in first place in the Eastern Conference in 2014! The Black-and-Red’s 20th season promises to be a season not to miss!
Here are the basics for today's kickoff:
- It’s a long regular season, but the time for points is now. With two intense CONCACAF games under its belt, D.C. United got tested in preseason like no other team in Major League Soccer – except for Montreal, which is coming off its own tough series against Pachuca. With both teams playing during midweek, the short turnaround will be a challenge for each side, but the focus will be there as both sides will be amped to get the regular season started.
- United without Espíndola. The Black-and-Red attack will turn to returning players and new faces as Fabián Espíndola is relegated to the sideline for the first of six games. Chris Rolfe had a strong preseason – delivering the armadillo trophy-winning goal at the ATX Pro Challenge in Austin, and recent acquisition Jairo Arrieta also found the net. Chris Pontius is hungry after an injury-shortened 2014, Nick DeLeon is always dangerous on the ball and Miguel Aguilar and Michael Farfan will both be anxious to make their impression right away.
- Montreal impressed in CONCACAF, but it could still take time to gel. The Impact, who finished 2014 in the Eastern Conference cellar, have never won at RFK (0-2-2), and the Black-and-Red aim to keep it that way. Rookie forward Cameron Porter is already a folk hero in Quebec thanks to his stunning finish to send Pachuca home, while prized new defender Laurent Ciman has already impressed early. In his second season, how long can Impact Head Coach Frank Klopas sustain this early momentum?
- Referee:
- Mark Geiger. AR1 (bench): Greg Barkey; AR2 (opposite): Matthew Nelson; 4th: Mark Kadlecik MLS Career: 129 games; FC/gm: 26.7; Y/gm: 3.5; R: 31; pens: 42
- ​Suspended:
- DC: Fabián Espíndola (through March 15)
- Disabled List:
- ​None
- International Absences:
- ​None
- ​Head-to-Head
- ALL-TIME (8 meetings): United 3 wins, 14 goals … Impact 2 wins, 11 goals … Ties 3
- AT RFK STADIUM (4 meetings): United 2 wins, 8 goal … Impact 0 wins, 3 goals … Ties 2
- RETURN MATCHES: 8/8: Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United, 8 p.m. ET; 9/26: Montreal Impact vs. D.C. United, 5 p.m. ET
- ​Last Year (MLS)
- ​5/17: DC 1, MTL 1 (Johnson 85 – McInerney 56)
- 6/11: MTL 2, DC 4 (McInerney 11; Romero 20 – Silva 5, 38, 49; DeLeon 22)
- 10/25: MTL 1, DC 1 (Di Vaio 26 – Espindola 86)
- United were undefeated in their three meetings with the Impact a year ago. The teams played to a pair of 1-1 draws, while United claimed a 4-2 victory on June 11 at Stade Saputo, the only victory by a road team in the series history.
- United have won two of the four meetings lifetime at RFK Stadium, with two draws.
- Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. MTL: P8 W3 L2 D3 … Frank Klopas vs. DC: P10 W4 L2 D4
