Ahead of the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Red Bulls, D.C. United knows what it has to do. A 2-0 loss at Red Bull Arena created a difficult situation heading into Saturday, but the Black-and-Red remains confident.
“We’ve been facing adversity all year,” said D.C. United midfielder Perry Kitchen.
Needing at least a 2-0 win to send the game into extra time (read the Playoff Format & Rules), United has worked on several situations that could come up against the New York Red Bulls this weekend. All agree last Sunday was not the Black-and-Red’s best performance on the year, but each player knows what needs to be done to get a result Saturday.
“We need to press the game,” Kitchen said. “We know we need to play better.”
As the No. 1 seed in the East, United gets the chance to advance to the Conference Finals at home. With a packed-house of Black-and-Red clad fans, D.C. United midfielder Davy Arnaud believes this group can accomplish its goal.
“We have to approach it as a normal home game,” Arnaud said. “We’ve been very good at home this year and shouldn’t change too much.”
With a home record of 11-2-4 and only 12 goals against, D.C. United simply has to continue taking care of business at home.
After the loss in New York, Arnaud said it best: “it’s only halftime, and the second half is in D.C.”
That’s the mentality United will approach the second leg with; it’s the second half and the home team needs to keep a clean sheet and score at least two goals, which has been accomplished five times this season, four of which were at home. (This does not include a 4-1 win over FC Dallas, which is also a score line that would advance the Black-and-Red).
Join us here at RFK on Saturday for a 2:30 pm kickoff. Buy your tickets here.
