D.C. United will return home to Audi Field to face Toronto FC in their 12th match of the 2021 MLS Regular Season on Saturday, July 3 with kickoff set for 5:30 p.m. EST. United will look to bounce back from a tough last-minute defeat in their previous match and earn three points at home on Saturday night.
In their last match, United lost 2-1 on the road to New York City FC. The Black-and-Red had a 1-0 lead going into the later stages of the match but were unable to hold on, as New York City scored two late goals to steal the points from United. D.C. United’s goal came in the ninth minute when Moses Nyeman sent a 40-yard diagonal pass into the feet of Nigel Robertha, who took it in stride, shifted it onto his left foot, and fired a shot into the roof of the net. The goal was Robertha’s first for D.C. United and the assist from Nyeman was his second of the season. Bill Hamid made his best save of the night in the 26th minute when he denied a clear one-on-one opportunity from a New York City attacker. United led 1-0 going into halftime.
The back-and-forth, high paced match continued in the second half. In the 66th minute, Russell Canouse found space at the top of the box, but his side-footed effort was saved by the NYCFC goalkeeper. New York City found the equalizing goal in the 85th minute when Keaton Parks scored a glancing header off a corner kick. Paul Arriola nearly found the tie-breaking goal moments later when his left-footed curling effort glanced just wide of the post. The hosts found the match winner in the fifth minute of added time when they countered after a United corner kick and Thiago Andrade finished into the bottom left corner.
D.C. United have an all-time record of 14-10-10 against Toronto FC in their 34 previous meetings in the MLS Regular Season. Their last matchup came on September 19, 2020 when the two sides drew 2-2 at Audi Field. Ola Kamara scored the opening goal in the fifth minute of that match and Griffin Yow scored the late equalizer in the 88th minute to earn the Black-and-Red a point.
D.C. United against Toronto FC on June 3 at 5:30 p.m. EST will be broadcast on NBC Sports Washington and TeleXitos and can be streamed on www.dcunited.com.
