D.C. United (2-5-4, 10 pts.) will face Toronto FC in their 12th match of the 2020 MLS Regular Season on Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. EST at Audi Field.
This will be the second time the two teams meet in 2020. Their previous matchup came in the Group Stage of the MLS is Back Tournament where they drew 2-2. D.C. United went into the halftime break losing 2-0 and down a man, as Júnior Moreno was sent-off after receiving a second yellow card. The Black-and-Red fought back and scored two goals late in the second half to share the points. Federico HiguaÃn scored his first goal for the club as he smartly lifted the ball over the on-rushing Toronto FC keeper after being played through by Felipe Martins. Frédéric Brillant leveled the score late in the match as he headed home off a set-piece redirected to him from center back partner, Steven Birnbaum. D.C. United have an overall record of 14-11-10 in the 35 times the two clubs have faced each other dating back to their first ever matchup in 2007.
In their last match, D.C. United fell 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls. The Black-and-Red had a dominant start to the match, keeping a majority of the possession and looking dangerous in the final third. Despite the positive start, D.C. United found themselves down 1-0 as Aaron Long scored a header from a Kaku set-piece in the 29th minute. The Red Bulls added to their score early in the second half, again against the run of play, and the match finished 2-0 in favor of the visitors.
Gelmin Rivas, made his first start for the Black-and-Red last Saturday and was directly involved in the two biggest opportunities for D.C. United. In the 37th minute, he slid a pass into Julian Gressel’s path as he pushed into the box, but his goal-bound shot was blocked by a last ditch tackle from a Red Bulls defender. Rivas then almost scored on an acrobatic scissor kick that forced a great save from Red Bulls goalkeeper, Ryan Meara.
In Toronto FC’s last match, they defeated the Montreal Impact 2-1 on September 9. Pablo Piatti opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, converting a cross played in by Richie Laryea to give them the lead. With the match tied 1-1 in the 89th minute, Jozy Altidore scored on a breakaway opportunity to give Toronto FC the 2-1 advantage and secure them all three points.
D.C. United against Toronto FC at Audi Field 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.
