D.C. United (9-6-9, 36 points) host rivals Philadelphia Union (11-7-6, 39 points) for an Eastern Conference matchup at Audi Field on August 4. The Black-and-Red have a record of 8-11-4 against the Union during MLS regular season. United defeated Philadelphia 2-1 earlier this after extra-time during a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup game.
The Black-and-Red are coming off a 0-0 draw with the Chicago Fire on July 27 at Toyota Park. D.C. United had the majority of possession throughout the match, but the Fire had the upper hand in terms of chances. In the 11th minute of the match, Chicago’s Przemyslaw Frankowski beat Bill Hamid and tried to square the ball to his teammate only for Frédéric Brillant to recover with a goal-saving tackle. In the 28th minute, Brillant kept the score even once more after he cleared a close-range effort off the goal line. Midfielder Russell Canouse was substituted off in the 65th minute after suffering a punctured lung as a result of a hard tackle with Chicago’s CJ Sapong. United’s best chance of the game came in the 67th minute off a long-range free-kick from Wayne Rooney, which was saved by the Fire’s Kenneth Kronholm.
Captain Wayne Rooney leads the Black-and-Red during his first full season in MLS with 11 goals and seven assists. The Englishman recently participated in his first MLS All-Star Game on July 31 against Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid. With his 63rd career shutout, Bill Hamid passed Tony Meola for 10th most clean sheets in MLS history. The goalkeeper has recorded 91 saves while helping D.C. United to nine shutouts this season. Midfielder Junior Moreno has showcased his composure on the ball this season as he leads United in terms of passes attempted (1,202), while also boasting the highest passing accuracy on the team (89.1%)
Philadelphia faced the Montreal Impact in their last MLS match on July 27 at Stade Saputo. The Impact opened the scoring in the fourth minute after Lassi Lappalainen dribbled past the goalkeeper to finish into an open net. Montreal doubled their lead before the halftime whistle with Orji Okwonkwo rocketing in a shot from just inside the 18-yard box. Just seconds into the second half, the Impact grabbed their third goal of the match after Philadelphia gave the ball away too easily and put Lassi Lappalainen through on goal for an easy finish. Montreal added to the Union’s woes in the 66th minute after Orji Okwonkwo finished a counter-attack for his second goal of the game to bring the final score to 4-0.
The Union currently sit in first place in the Eastern Conference, just three points ahead of D.C. United. Przemyslaw Frankowski leads Philadelphia during his debut season in MLS with nine goals. Jamiro Monteiro has provided the most assists on the team this season with seven. Philadelphia have used three different goalkeepers this season, with Jamaican national Andre Blake recording the most saves (33) and shutouts (3) on the team.
The match will be broadcast on FS1 at 7:30 PM ET. Join JP Dellacamera and Alexi Lalas for the pregame show at 7:00 PM ET.
