The Black-and-Red return to action this Sunday when they travel to Yankee Stadium to take on Eastern Conference foes New York City FC. While NYC will attempt to rebound from their opening-weekend loss at Orlando City, United will push to build off of last weekend’s hard-earned point and spoil NYC’s home opener with a Black-and-Red win.
D.C. have faced NYC five times since the expansion team’s inception, with New York holding a slight 3-2 advantage over United in those meetings. The sides each earned a home win during NYC’s inaugural 2015 season—New York with a 3-1 victory in August and United with a 2-1 win in October.
Last season, D.C. dropped their first two matches to NYC, but earned a huge 3-1 win over their conference rivals in their final home game of the regular season. Former NYC forward Patrick Mullins, defender Bobby Boswell, and midfielder Rob Vincent each netted a goal before halftime to put United securely on top. The victory over New York clinched the Black-and-Red a playoff berth for the fourth time in five years and bumped their unbeaten streak to six consecutive matches.
Almost all of United’s 2016 roster is back for the 2017 season, headlined by numerous standout offensive weapons. Former New Yorker Patrick Mullins scored one goal and dished one assist against his old club in October and will again be a key component in the Black-and-Red’s attack.
Should Luciano Acosta recover from a knock that kept him out of the home opener, the explosive Argentine will look to serve as the spark plug for United’s offense in his season debut. Acosta has found success against NYC in the past, completing two assists in the sides’ previous two meetings.
Patrick Vieira’s club is full of dangerous attackmen, most notably Spanish forward David Villa, Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo, and English midfielder Jack Harrison. Villa, the 2016 Major League Soccer MVP, scored New York’s lone goal in Sunday’s loss and has scored against United in four of their five meetings. While Pirlo doesn’t stuff the stat sheet quite like Villa, look for the Italian to play distributor—his 11 assists in 2016 led the team. Breakout midfielder Jack Harrison will anchor New York’s right wing with his ability to both create opportunity for others and score himself. Harrison earned a 2016 Rookie of the Year nomination thanks to his seven assists and four goals.
When the Black-and-Red take the pitch in New York on Sunday, they will be fighting for an especially-important road win: their first-ever victory in Yankee Stadium. D.C. will meet New York for a second time this season when United play host on Saturday, April 8.
