After finishing the regular season on a 10-game unbeaten streak, D.C. United will look to continue their hot streak in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Sunday's draw against the Chicago Fire solidified home-field advantage for the Black-and-Red in the Knockout Round against fifth seed Columbus Crew SC on Thursday, Nov. 1.
In their 2018 regular season meetings, each team grabbed a victory on their respective home turfs. In their first matchup, the Crew were 3-1 winners at MAPFRE Stadium in March. Yamil Asad scored in the 30th minute to tie the game up before halftime, but back-to-back goals by Ricardo Clark and Pedro Santos saw Columbus seal a 3-1 win. Less than a month later, United triumphed 1-0 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the site of their second "home away from home" match prior to the opening of Audi Field. Ulises Segura scored in the first minute of the match, his first goal for the club, to give the Black-and-Red the quick lead. United then went a man down with 40 minutes left to play, but rode a strong defensive performance to clinch the three points.
Leading the line for Columbus will be Gyasi Zardes, a player who found new life after joining the Crew this offseason. The American has had his most productive MLS season yet and is fresh off a hat-trick performance against Minnesota United in the team's regular-season finale. Zardes leads Columbus with 19 goals this season, tied for fourth-best in the league, and is responsible for 44 percent of goals scored by the Crew this season.
Coming up against Zardes and the Columbus attack will be a formidable United defense. Midfield duo Russell Canouse and Júnior Moreno have created a solid partnership in the center of the park, cutting off opponents' attacks before reaching their own defensive third of the field. Along the backline, central defender Steven Birnbaum has emerged as one of the best backs in the league. Birnbaum finished the regular season leading the league in three categories—total clearances, headed clearances, and aerials won—and tied for first in the league in regular season minutes played with 3,060.
Frédéric Brillant and Nick DeLeon are both coming off of strong shifts against the Chicago Fire as well. Brillant earned Man of the Match honors with a stellar performance, tallying four duals and three aerials won during his 90 minutes. DeLeon earned a spot on the MLS Team of the Week with his performance against the Fire as the outside back logged five clearances, four tackles, two interceptions, and 34 passes during his shift in the Windy City.
On the offensive end, United’s attacking prowess has been capturing the national spotlight. Midfielder Luciano Acosta has been dynamic for the Black-and-Red, scoring 10 goals and 17 assists, while the addition of forward Wayne Rooney has created even more problems for opposing defenses. United went 5-0-0 in regular season games in which Acosta and Rooney combined for a goal. The offensive load has been shared throughout the roster, however. The trio of Yamil Asad, Darren Mattocks, and Paul Arriola have all been major contributors for United throughout the season, with the three adding 123 shots, 26 goals, and 11 assists. Now, United will hope their "goals by committee" mentality can push them past the Crew and into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Tune in to the Knockout Round matchup this Thursday, Nov. 1 at 8 PM ET on FS1 and UniMás.
