D.C. United are set to play against Chicago Fire FC for their 24th match of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season on Wednesday, September 15 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. D.C. United will look to continue their strong play at home when they return to Audi Field to face the Fire on Wednesday night.
In their last match, D.C. United drew 1-1 with the New York Red Bulls. United conceded in the opening moments of the match but were able to leave Red Bull Arena with a well-earned point thanks to Ola Kamara’s goal from the spot in the 44th minute. New York scored their goal in the 5th minute when Dru Yearwood converted a shot from just outside the top of the box. Steven Birnbaum nearly scored the equalizer just moments later when his well-hit volley was saved acrobatically by the goalkeeper. Jon Kempin made a big save in the 32nd minute when he dove to his right to save a free kick attempt that took an unexpected deflection through a crowd of players. Ola Kamara tied the match in the 44th minute when he converted from the penalty spot. The penalty was earned when a Paul Arriola shot struck the hand of a Chicago Fire defender. The goal was Kamara’s 13th of the season, the second most in the MLS.
Kempin made another strong save in the 52nd to keep the match tied when he reacted quickly to save a headed effort by a New York attacker. United had their best chance to win the match in the 80th minute when Julian Gressel’s cross found its way to the back post where Yordy Reyna was ready to run onto it, but his diving header flew narrowly over the crossbar. Neither team was able to separate in a tightly contested second half, and as a result the match finished in a 1-1 draw.
The last time these two teams played was on July 21 when they played to a 2-2 draw at Soldier Field. United were down 2-0 in the 82nd minute before late goals by Kevin Paredes and Ola Kamara earned them a draw. D.C. United have an all-time record of 24-21-19 against Chicago Fire FC and also boast a record of 17-9-6 against them at home. The Black-and-Red will look to continue their winning trend against Chicago and earn three points at home Wednesday night.
D.C. United against Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m. ET will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington and TeleXitos and can be streamed on www.dcunited.com.
