D.C. United are set to play against Toronto FC in their final match of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) Regular Season on Sunday, November 7, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET. The Black-and-Red enter Decision Day needing a win and a number of results to go their way in order to qualify for the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
In their previous match, D.C. United lost 3-1 against Columbus Crew SC at Audi Field on Saturday, Oct. 30. The Black-and-Red took an early lead after Paul Arriola latched onto a volley from a Felipe pass in the third minute. In the 45th minute, a Tony Alfaro challenge was deemed to be a penalty by the referee and Columbus playmaker Lucas Zelarayan stepped up to convert from the spot sending the Black-and-Red into halftime tied 1-1. The 2020 MLS Cup Champions made the breakthrough in the 66th minute when Pedro Santos broke free at midfield and finished past Bill Hamid. Columbus then added a third 10 minutes later in the 76th minute when Zelarayan's effort from distance found the top corner to make it a 3-1 final score in favor of The Black & Gold.
Toronto FC are coming into Sunday’s match off a 1-1 tie against Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, October 30. After being down a goal since the 15th minute, Toronto were able to earn a point from the match with a late equalizer in the 88th minute from Jordan Perruza.
D.C. United have an all-time record of 15-11-10 against Toronto FC. The last time these two teams met was on July 3 when the Black-and-Red defeated Toronto 7-1 at Audi Field for the team’s highest-scoring game in club history. After Saturday’s matches, D.C. United sit in eighth place with 44 points, while Toronto FC are in 13th place with 28.
D.C. United's path to clinching a playoff spot relies on the following:
Head Coach Hernán Losada on the Upcoming Match:
“We are playing to win. We need to win, we need to do our job, and take care of our business. I'm not planning to do anything crazy or to start playing all or nothing too soon. The result matters at the end of the game, and we need to go to Canada and win. We have our solutions and methods that we’ve been using the whole season. I don’t think now is the time to do anything that we haven’t done before.”
D.C. United’s match is at BMO Field against Toronto FC on Sunday, November 7, with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m. ET. Tune into NBCSWA+, TeleXitos, and www.dcunited.com to watch the match.
