D.C. United (7-3-2, 23 points) travel to BMO Field tonight to take on Toronto FC (5-4-1, 16 points) in an Eastern Conference showdown for match 13 of the 2019 MLS season. United holds the advantage in the all-time, head-to-head series against Toronto FC with a record of 14-10-6.
The Black-and-Red are coming off a 1-0 victory on a Mother’s Day matchup against Sporting Kansas City at Audi Field on May 12, 2019. D.C. United had plenty of offensive opportunities during the first half, particularly on set pieces. Defender Steven Birnbaum connected with multiple headers on two separate corner kicks but SKC goalkeeper, Tim Melia was up to the task and stopped both attempts on the goal line to keep the game tied at 0-0.
The Black-and-Red broke the deadlock in the 78th minute of the match with a scintillating strike from United midfielder, Paul Arriola. The California native, found room on the left wing and cut to his right just outside the 18-yard line and fired a well placed shot to Melia’s left post. The goal was enough to earn all three points and give United back-to-back wins at Audi Field.
The shutout also gave Bill Hamid his sixth shutout of the season, tying him for the league lead with NYCFC’s Sean Johnson. Hamid now sits at 60 career shutouts, two more and he will be tied for 10th place on the all-time MLS shutouts list.
The last time D.C. United faced Toronto FC at BMO, the game was a wild one that came down to second-half stoppage time when Nick Hagglund scored the games final goal in the 92nd minute to tie the game at 4-4. A few months after that matchup, United welcomed Toronto to Audi Field on Oct. 17, 2018, and the Black-and-Red won off a sensational Wayne Rooney freekick from 30 yards out that found the top right corner.
Toronto FC has lost three of their last four regular-season matchups - two of them have been at BMO Field. They will be desperate for a complete performance in front of their home fans this time around. They have scored 22 goals in 10 games this year, with 10 of those goals coming from the likes of Alejandro Pozuelo (5) and Jozy Altidore (5). Jonathan Osorio rounds out the team’s top producers, with three goals and four assists thus far in 2019.
D.C. United look to make it back-to-back wins over Toronto FC with a win tonight. The match will kick off at 8:08 PM ET and will be broadcast on FLOFC.
