D.C. United kickoff their 2021 MLS Regular Season against New York City FC at Audi Field on Saturday, April 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST at Audi Field. This will be the first match for D.C. United under new Head Coach Hernán Losada and the first match with fans in attendance since the 2-1 win against Inter Miami on March 7, 2020. Audi Field will have a 25% capacity for supporters; up to 5,000 spectators. The Black-and-Red will look to start the season on the right foot and earn three points against a strong New York City FC side.
D.C. United will look to build on the positive momentum at the end of the 2020 season when they earned 10 points from their final six matches. The Black-and-Red will enter the 2021 regular season with an exciting squad composed of a mixture of experienced, veteran players and talented, young players.
United played five friendlies during their 2021 Preseason presented by Leidos and had a 1-2-2 record. After training in North Carolina for a week, the Black-and-Red played their first friendly against United Soccer League (USL) League One team, Greenville Triumph, on March 20. Kimarni Smith scored the lone goal for United and they drew the friendly 1-1. A week later, they won 5-1 against their USL Championship affiliate team, Loudoun United, in a friendly back at Audi Field on March 26. They finished out their 2021 Preseason schedule with three friendlies against MLS clubs. In those three matches, they lost 2-0 against the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on March 31, lost 2-1 against New York City FC at Power Training Complex in Chester, PA on April 4, and then concluded their preseason friendly schedule with a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls at Red Bull Arena on April 10.
Since New York City FC played their inaugural season in the MLS in 2015, the two sides have played 12 times in the regular season. D.C. United have a 4-5-3 all-time record against New York City while boasting a record of 4-2-1 against them at home. The last time the two sides faced off at Audi Field was on September 6, 2020, when they played to a scoreless draw. Chris Seitz made five saves in the match to help the Black-and-Red keep a clean sheet.
D.C. United against New York City FC on Saturday night at 8p.m. EST will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington+ and TeleXitos and can be streamed on www.dcunited.com.
