D.C. United (8-5-7, 31 points) look to continue their six game unbeaten streak at Audi Field as they host the New England Revolution (6-8-5, 23 points) for an Eastern Conference matchup on July 12 at 7 PM ET on ESPN. The Black-and-Red are 34-27-13 against New England in club history and are 5-1-5 against Eastern Conference opponents this year.
D.C. United suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last match against FC Dallas on July 4 at Toyota Stadium. Dallas got off to a quick start as Bill Hamid made a fine save in the sixth minute only for it to land right at the feet of Ryan Hollingshead who crossed the ball to Santiago Mosquera for a close-range finish. The Black-and-Red had their best chance of the game in the 41st minute as Leonardo Jara crossed the ball to Wayne Rooney for a strong-headed shot which Dallas goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez saved. FC Dallas scored their second goal of the game in the 65th minute after Hamid made another great save parried it right into the path of an unmarked Dominique Badji for a tap in. In the 71st minute, Luciano Acosta was sent off after the referee went to VAR and deemed the tackle to be a straight red card.
The Black-and-Red are 5-2-4 at Audi Field this season and are unbeaten in their last six MLS matches at home. Captain Wayne Rooney has been in outstanding form during his first full season with D.C. United, as he leads the Black-and-Red with 10 goals and five assists. Defender Steven Birnbaum could make his 150th appearance for United, along with his 55th consecutive start in the match against New England. Paul Arriola will be available for action following a string of impressive performances with the USMNT at the Gold Cup which saw the Americans defeated 1-0 in the final against Mexico on July 7. Hamid continues to have a strong season for the Black-and-Red as he leads all goalkeepers in MLS with 82 saves and eight clean sheets.
The New England Revolution were also in action on Independence Day as they faced last-placed Colorado Rapids. New England opened the scoring in the ninth minute with Teal Bunbury collecting a cross in the box and finishing past Rapids goalkeeper Tim Howard. Juan Fernando Caicedo would add a second for the Revolution in the 52nd minute as he headed in a cross off a free-kick. Colorado pulled one back in the 71st minute after Diego Rubio headed in a corner kick from Nicolas Mezquida. After a tense match which saw the referee handout 10 yellow cards and one red, the Revolution held on for the 2-1 victory.
The Revolution have struggled away from Gillette Stadium this season as they have registered a record of 2-4-3. Juan Fernando Caicedo and Carles Gil lead the Revolution this season with four goals apiece. New England has struggled to figure out which goalkeeper suits their team-best as they have three goalies with at least six games played. Cody Cropper and Matt Turner have recorded one clean sheet each, though Cropper has the edge in saves with 30. Carles Gil leads the team in assists with six and in games played with 19. The game will be broadcast on ESPN on Friday, kickoff is at 7 PM at Audi Field.
