D.C. United (1-3-3, 6 pts.) heads back on the road to face the Philadelphia Union in their eighth game of the 2020 Regular Season on Saturday, August 29 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
While D.C. United are scheduled to play this weekend, the midweek MLS games were postponed as players stood in solidarity and protested against police brutality after Jacob Blake was shot seven times in the back by law enforcement on August 23. D.C. United goalkeeper and Black Players Coalition board member, Earl Edwards Jr. shared his thoughts in the Black-and-Red’s press conference on August 28.
“The initial reaction coming into Wednesday, things moved really fast that day. I was happy through the Black Players Coalition we were able to coordinate what we did with help from the entire player pool. In terms of an impact and a statement that can be made in sports, it’s one of the bigger ones that have taken place this century. I was glad to help with that and happy that our player pool were able to execute. It had a tremendous impact.”
The match on Saturday will be the first time D.C. United squares off against the Philadelphia Union in 2020. The two teams had two matchups in 2019, with D.C. United falling 5-1 at Audi Field on August 4 after a Marco Fabian brace. In the second fixture at Talen Energy Stadium, the Black-and-Red lost 3-1 on the back of three first half goals from the Union.
In their last match, D.C. United lost 2-1 in a lightning-delayed match against the New England Revolution, as the Black-and-Red played their first match back at Audi Field as Major League Soccer continues their return to local markets. On Tuesday night, D.C. United stuck with the 3-5-2 formation that earned them a clean sheet against FC Cincinnati in their previous match. There were a couple personnel changes this with Russell Canouse starting at center back alongside Steven Birnbaum and Donovan Pines. Kevin Paredes started in the midfield three with Felipe and Júnior Moreno. Joseph Mora and Julian Gressel started out as the wingbacks, and Ola Kamara and Edison Flores played together up front to lead the line for the Black-and-Red
Injuries were unfortunately one of the stories of the match for the Black-and-Red on Tuesday, as Russel Canouse, Edison Flores, and Frédéric Brillant - who came on as a sub for Canouse after his injury - all picked up injuries and had to be substituted.
New England scored the first goal of the night in the 26th minute, as Gustavo Bou picked up the ball off a turnover and hit a shot from just outside the box that snuck inside the right post. Moments after Bou opened the scoring, the match was temporarily suspended due to a 45-minute lightning delay, which was called in the 31st minute. New England came out of the delay and doubled their lead in the 37th minute when Teal Bunbury headed in a goal directly from a corner taken by Alexander Büttner. The two teams went into the half with New England leading 2-0.
D.C. United came out the stronger of the two sides and dominated most of the second half. They had a majority of the possession and were creating more chances in the early stages of the half. This was finally rewarded in the 72nd minute when Ola Kamara slotted home a penalty which was eventually awarded after a VAR review showed the ball striking a New England Revolution player’s hand inside the box. In the 83rd minute, Scott Caldwell of New England was given a straight red for a dangerous tackle on Felipe. The Black-and-Red nearly took advantage and equalized in the 91st minute when Julian Gressel swung in a cross which was met by the head of Ola Kamara and nearly found the back of the net. Despite a very well-fought second half, the Black-and-Red were unable to complete the comeback and the match finished 2-1 to New England.
The Philadelphia Union are coming off a 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls on August 25 in their first match at Subaru Park in 2020. Kacper Przybylko scored his second goal of the season in the 31st minute of the match while Andre Blake recorded his third shutout of the season.
D.C. United against Philadelphia Union on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. EST will be broadcast on WJLA 24/7 News and streamed on www.dcunited.com. Prior to kick-off, catch up with Dave Johnson, Devon McTavish, and Claudia Pagán as they preview the upcoming match on the Audi pre-game show starting at 7:00 p.m. EST on www.dcunited.com.
