Match Preview: D.C. United vs. New York City FC

D.C. United look to knock the Pigeons off their perch on Wednesday night.  

New York City FC visit Audi Field for the first of two clashes with the Black-and-Red this season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBC Sports Washington, dcunited.com, TeleXitos, and EPSN+. 

The Black-and-Red have taken four of seven available points in the month of May and currently sit four points behind Wednesday’s opponent. A victory could see them climb the table into 7th place in the Eastern Conference standings with a game in hand over Atlanta.

Scouting Report

NYCFC (5-3-2, W-L-D) have shown just why they are the reigning champions in recent weeks. They’re unbeaten in league play since April 17 with only one draw in their last five matches. 

They boast a young but lethal attack, with last year’s Golden Boot winner, Taty Castellanos leading the way with six on the season.  

However, the most lethal attacker in this matchup isn’t Castellanos. Here’s a hint: you can find a lot of them in New York City, but this one is Black-and-Red.

The Last Time Out

Taxi Fountas continued to put the league on notice on Saturday. On a rainy Florida night, the Greek forward bagged his 5th goal and 2nd assist in a 2-2 draw against Inter Miami CF. 

Fountas has played a role in the last 7 D.C. United goals, an impact that no one could’ve predicted when the club inked him from Rapid Vienna in March.

He has found his stride and a number of accolades already, including three nominations to the MLS Team of the Week—weeks 8, 10, and most recently, 11. With Taxi emerging as a wildcard ace for D.C. United, people may be overlooking another potent option in Chad Ashton’s attack.

Ola Kamara also scored his fifth of the season to equalize against Inter Miami and secure D.C.’s first road points since Week 2.

After the match, Ashton expressed satisfaction with the result, especially given that the team had to claw back from a 2-0 deficit after the first half.

“I loved how we continued to push. I loved our mentality. I loved the guys’ positivity with each other,” he said during his post-match press conference.

With Kamara and Fountas both threatening goal, it seemed as though D.C.’s resilient performance could have yielded the full three points. But in the end, a red card issued to Chris Durkin just before stoppage time was one hurdle too many.

“I felt like we were going to be able to push to get the game winner, as well,” Ashton said. “But obviously, any point on the road is a good point.”

But three points is always the goal, especially when playing in front of your home crowd. Taking those three points from the reigning champions should only add fuel to the Black-and-Red fire.

Theme Nights

Wednesday is Teacher Appreciation Night at Audi Field. For all the latest promotions, giveaways, and activations head to dcunited.com/themenights.