D.C. United (3-0-1) are back home at Audi Field this weekend to the best in the west, LAFC (4-0-1). The Black-and-Red enter Saturday’s match coming off their first road victory since May 2018 against Orlando City SC, where Steven Birnbaum scored an early header for his first of the season. Wayne Rooney also got on the board in the first half after his miraculous free kick gave DCU a 0-2 advantage, earning him a nomination for MLS’ Goal of the Week.
D.C.’s Joseph Mora suffered a broken jaw 15 minutes into the match after taking a knee to the face from Ruan while trying to execute a slide tackle. The Costa Rican underwent successful surgery and is expected to back to training in four weeks. Newly acquired defender/midfielder Chris McCann replaced Mora for the rest of the match for his first on-field action since departing 2018 MLS Champion, Atlanta United. McCann is expected to replace the injured Costa Rican.
D.C. United was able to ward off the Lions throughout the remainder of the match, only conceding their first goal of the season to Orlando’s Dom Dwyer, which ended homegrown goalkeeper Bill Hamid’s 435-minute shutout streak, the longest in D.C. United history. United’s triumph over Orlando also earned both Birnbaum and Rooney a bench spot on this week’s Audi MLS Team of the Week.
LAFC look to ride the momentum they built from last week in their 5-0 dismantling of San Jose as they face the Black-and-Red Saturday, setting up a competitive match between conference leaders with D.C. United. LAFC’s Carlos Vela was named MLS Player of the Week for his outstanding performance against the Earthquakes in which he capped his first MLS hat trick. His third goal against San Jose, a long curler from outside the box into the top left corner of the net, also earned Vela a nomination for the MLS Goal of the Week.
Since LAFC joined MLS last year, United have faced the Black-and-Gold once before in a 1-1 draw on May 26, 2018. This season’s goal leaders from each club are Wayne Rooney with four, and Carlos Vela with six. With LA having conceded five goals so far this season, D.C. looks to lead with a strong attack on Saturday.
The game will be broadcast nationally on FOX. Kickoff is slated for 3 PM ET as The Black-and-Red take on the best the west has to offer in Vela and LAFC. If you would like to purchase tickets for the match, standing room seats are still available for purchase, CLICK HERE.
