D.C. United (2-3-4, 9 pts.) return to Audi Field to face New York City FC in their 10th match of the 2020 MLS Regular Season on Sunday, September 6 at 7:00 p.m. EST.
The match on Sunday will be the first time these two teams meet in 2020. They played three times in 2019. The first match ended in a 0-0 draw on March 10 at Yankee Stadium then the following two games were won by New York City FC at Audi Field with scores of 2-0 on April 21 and 2-1 on June 19.
In their last match, D.C. United defeated the New York Red Bulls 1-0 in dramatic fashion with Erik Sorga netting the late stoppage-time winner at Red Bull Arena. Despite a number of injuries to key players, the Black-and-Red were well organized defensively throughout the match on the way to earning their second clean sheet of the season.
The first half for the Black-and-Red was led by Ola Kamara up front and Chris Seitz in net. Kamara got behind the Red Bulls defense on multiple occasions and created chances including a goal bound strike in the 32nd minute that forced a good save from Ryan Meara at his near post. The match went into halftime scoreless after a couple of critical saves from Seitz. On two separate occasions he denied the Red Bulls of the opening goal as he stopped a Tom Barlow strike after he broke free of United’s defense in the 26th minute and followed that up with a tremendous kick save, denying the Red Bulls from point-blank range in the 35th minute.
The second half was more of the same for D.C. United. They continued their impressive defensive play and broke forward to create chances on the counter attack. In the 52nd minute, Ola Kamara nearly broke the deadlock, receiving a beautifully lofted ball played over the top by Yamil Asad only to be denied by a last-ditch tackle by a Red Bulls defender.
The two teams were scoreless heading into stoppage time and the match looked destined to finish 0-0. D.C. United maintained the attacking pressure and after a corner kick was initially cleared in the 98th minute, Erik Sorga picked up the ball outside the box, got the ball onto his right foot, and fired the game-winner past Ryan Meara. It was Sorga’s first goal for the Black-and-Red and they were his first touches of the ball after coming on as a substitute in the 90th minute.
It was another impressive match for D.C. United’s Homegrown players. The Black-and-Red had four academy products featured in the match with Donovan Pines, Kevin Paredes, Moses Nyeman, and Griffin Yow all getting minutes. Donovan Pines and Kevin Paredes both played well from the start with Donovan earning his first MLS Team of the Week selection for his performance defensively. Paredes, in his fourth consecutive start, looked composed as a left wingback and was dangerous in possession. Moses Nyeman and Griffin Yow were both substituted on in the second half and helped the Black-and-Red earn the win in the final minutes of the match.
In New York City FC’s last match, they won 2-0 against the New England Revolution. The scoring came from an own goal by Michael Mancienne in the 59th minute and on a set piece goal by Héber in the 72nd minute. They will head into Audi Field on Sunday with a three-match winning streak that includes their previous wins last week over Columbus Crew SC and the Chicago Fire.
D.C. United against New York City FC at Audi Field on Sunday night at 7:00 p.m. EST will be broadcast on WJLA 24/7 News and streamed on www.dcunited.com. Prior to kick-off, catch up with Dave Johnson, Devon McTavish, and Claudia Pagán as they preview the upcoming match on the Audi pre-game show starting at 6:30 p.m. EST on www.dcunited.com.
