D.C. United are set to play their second match of the 2021 Major League Soccer Regular Season against the New England Revolution on Saturday, April 24 at Gillette Field in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Kickoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. The Black-and-Red will look to build on their strong win against New York City FC in their first match of the season on April 17 and earn points against a difficult Revolution side on Saturday night.
In their previous match against New York City FC, D.C. United scored two goals late in the first half to help them earn a 2-1 victory in front of fans at Audi Field for the first time since March 7, 2020. NYCFC started the match on the front foot and scored the opening goal in the 15th minute through Valentin Castellanos, who forced the ball across the line despite a last ditch effort from Brendan Hines-Ike. D.C. United responded well and poured on the pressure towards the end of the half. The Black-and-Red found their breakthrough when Hines-Ike, in his debut match for the club, scored the first goal of the season for United when he fired a first-time shot into the top right corner from well outside the box in the 39th minute. Júnior Moreno won the ball back just outside New York City’s penalty box and played a well-weighted pass into Hines-Ike’s path for him to score his first MLS goal.
D.C. United’s second goal came just minutes later when they converted from a corner kick in the 44th minute. Julian Gressel looped a ball into Russell Canouse whose first-time volley from just outside the penalty area rolled inside the left post and past the outstretched hands of the New York City goalkeeper. The goal gave United a 2-1 lead heading into halftime.
D.C. United were defensively disciplined in the second half to limit New York City’s chances in the second half. The back three of Brendan Hines-Ike, Tony Alfaro, and Frédéric Brillant kept a strong defensive shape and did not allow any dangerous scoring opportunities. New York City FC put pressure on late in the match, but goalkeeper Chris Seitz made two important saves to help United hang on for the 2-1 win at home. United’s two goal scorers, Brendan Hines-Ike and Russell Canouse, each earned spots on the MLS Team of the Week for Match Week 1.
The match on Saturday will be the 80th regular season matchup between long-time rivals D.C. United and the New England Revolution. The Black-and-Red have a 34-30-15 record against New England all-time, but only boast a 10-19-9 record against the Revolution on the road. United will look to improve on that road record and earn three points on Saturday night.
D.C. United against the New England Revolution on Saturday night at 8 p.m. EST will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington+ and TeleXitos and can be streamed on www.dcunited.com.
