D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew: Preview, time, and how to watch
D.C. United are looking to add another win to the season record tonight as they face the Columbus Crew at Audi Field.
The Black-and-Red aren’t short on belief and trust in the process and vision of Wayne Rooney. Sitting at 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, D.C. United will need to lean into this belief to start clawing their way up the table.
Wilfried Nancy’s Columbus Crew have performed well this season and are on a two-game winning streak – their longest since 2021. The Black-and-Red will need to be cautious as the Crew has taken both Real Salt Lake and Atlanta to task, winning 4-0 and 6-1, respectively.
Tonight we’ll be looking for a balanced performance from D.C. United. With a goal-happy Crew on the pitch, the Black-and-Red can’t afford defensive errors. We’re also looking to see Taxi Fountas dial in his performance and become a bit more clinical up top. His creativity is there. Anyone watching the 28-yard rocket he fired against Chicago knows it. If you missed it, here you go!
We’re going to remain cautiously optimistic that the Black-and-Red will turn the tide on this season. We’ve seen elements of Rooney’s system start to click into place. He said to the media that before the match with Chicago he “stressed to the players before the game about going back to basics and being hard to beat and keep clean sheets.”
As for tonight? Rooney said, “We have to be solid. We have to be hard to beat.”
Alright, boss. We’re ready. Vamos United!
Key Players: Christian Benteke and Taxi Fountas
We all know by now that Benteke has been D.C.’s danger man so far this season. Last week’s matchup against the Fire showed us that Taxi Fountas is truly back in action. A 28-yard stinger would have singed the net – if the shot hadn’t nearly broken the post. As Fountas dials back in, we can prepare to see some serious excitement up top for D.C. United.
Watch Out For: Aidan Morris
The 21-year-old homegrown midfielder is absolutely treacherous. Morris has scored three goals in the past two games. His ability to link up easily with Darlington Nagbe adds to the threat he poses.
Challenges: D.C. United’s injury list is still too long for our liking, but the true challenge will be
Previously: The Crew bested the Black-and-Red at Lower.com Field on March 4th, winning 2-0. Since meeting with D.C. in March, Columbus has gone on to notch wins against Atlanta and Real Salt Lake.
Columbus Crew Availability:
Out: Luis Diaz (back), Cucho Hernandez (knee), Kevin Molino (knee), Josh Williams (ankle)
Questionable: Eloy Room (knee)
D.C. United Availability:
Out: Brendan Hines-Ike (foot), Martin Rodriguez (knee), Andy Najar (thigh), Nigel Robertha (ankle), Derrick Williams (thigh)
Questionable: Chris Durkin (foot)
Location: Audi Field, Washington, D.C.
Kickoff time: 7:30 pm ET
Referee: Rosendo Mendoza
Available streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Featured image courtesy of D.C. United, Hannah Wagner
Multiple players have come out and said that the super direct play and long balls was a deliberate choice by the team given their opponent. I’m hoping that DC goes back to playing how they started the season (at least when they had the ball). I thought DC played well the first game again at Columbus, but the Crew had 2 chances and were just incredibly clinical. Also hoping Lewis O’Brien’s quality shows early.
Obrien as a back and canouse at right mid according to MLS site? Seems really odd?
Guessing that’s wrong, we’ll see how wrong once the kickoff happens
When I watched last Saturday’s DCU MATCH via Apple MLS from suburban Tigre in Argentina, it froze every several minutes, especially in the second half. Was that just a function of distance (6,000 miles) and maybe weak WiFi or were others having problems too?
My stream was fine on my Apple TV. Very jealous of your travels!
I’m not a fan of the smoothness of the broadcasts relative to Paramount+ or Peacock, their frames per second action is crap
Mallory Swanson looks very badly injured in the USWNT game against Ireland. I know you have to play games against opponents pre World Cup, they definitely would rather have Swanson at the World Cup than this friendly. Dammit.
The only silver lining is for Rodman to get a chance to show her stuff, but she wouldn’t have wanted it this way, I’m sure
Definitely a scary injury! I wish she’d been pulled after her initial head injury. Ireland were not pulling any punches
Agreed all around. I also just don’t want to face these tackles again Tuesday.
OGDC gives up an early try to Rugby ATL with a box kick that ATL broke through and got to first and took it in. Its a wet game down in Atlanta tonight. And its converted its 7-0 Rugby ATL over OGDC in the 5′.
Illegal entry to the rugby right in front of the posts inside the OGDC 22 and ATL converts the penalty kick goal and its now 10-0 to Atlanta in the 11′. OGDC is now ruing a missed attempt at a try about 3 minutes ago.
And Rugby ATL converts another penalty its now 13-0 in the 14′. OGDC intercepted a pass but then committed a penalty in the breakdown, which led to the pk goal attempt. Rugby ATL dominating possession and keeping OGDC on defense and very much on the back foot. Its not looking good.
1st half hydration break at 20:08 played. Rugby ATL dominating OGDC. OGDC has now turned over all 4 of their attempted lineouts and were very fortunate on the last one that ATL intercepted and then ended up with a ball withheld penalty turning it over. Then on a tap and go the wide pass was intercepted but the ATL player was deemed offside as he had not retreated the full 10 meters before getting involved in the play. OGDC then kicked it to touch to gain territory on the ATL side of the midfield line coming out of the hydration break.
Try to Rugby ATL, and its converted. 20-0. OGDC just can’t stop ATL’s offense. They’ve spent most of the game inside their own 22.
Yellow Card against Atlanta for Head to Head contact. OGDC now on the rugby “powerplay” for the next 10 mins.
2nd Yellow against Rugby ATL for intentionally knocking the ball out preventing OGDC from scoring a try. Its not a penalty try though as TMO determined OGDC wasn’t going to recover it before it went out without the ball being knocked out.
OGDC makes ATL play and dots it down under the posts for an automatic conversion. Its 20-7 ATL in the 39′. First yellow lasts through the half and into the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half. The second yellow will go about 5 mins into the 2nd half.
One thing I love about MLR’s TMO system is that on the broadcast you get to see the TMO looking the screens and what he’s looking at.
At half its Rugby ATL 20 Old Glory DC 7. OGDC will be up 2 men for the first minute and then up 1 for another 4 mins after that to start the 2nd half.
Rugby ATL gets a great bounce and its another try…and it wasn’t converted its 25-7 ATL up.
OGDC on a quick restart catches ATL off guard and scores under the posts for an automatic conversion. It’s 25-14 ATL.
OGDC turns ATL over on a high box kick and punches it in. Its a try and no conversion. So its now 25-19 ATL up, but now its a one try + conversion game.
OGDC converts a penalty kick goal. Its now 25-22 ATL up.
Don’t like the lineup against this speedy Crew side. No matter where everyone plays, there’s not enough speed going forward or backward on the wings. Why the hell aren’t we playing some young players?
Rugby ATL with a rolling maul on the lineout and puts it in. And the try is converted its now 32-22 ATL.
Klich and Santos on the wings. Old and slow
7 minutes in and DCU in full bunker mode. Can’t wait for the other 83 minutes of this
Taxi clearly not in form yet, that’s a layup shot for him.
23% possession so far. Congrats on finding it, stats team.
Nagbe affecting the game infinitely more than Klich, but part of that is playing Klich on the wing in what is now a constant low block
Checking in fam. How are we feeling?
Think I’ve been uttering variations on “oof” since the first minute.
I’m hoping we don’t go the way of Atlanta or RSL 😤 The pieces are in place, we just need to see those GOALS!
This is not a good product.
Well this is certainly going better than the first half for OGDC did as I noted above. OGDC did lose 35-27. They got a bonus standing point for scoring 4 tries, if they’d converted the 4th try and brought it to 6 then they’d have gotten another bonus standing point for losing by 7 or less.
Columbus is thus far not taking advantage of Palsson’s narrowness in defense.
So true! (and I’m hoping they don’t read this and start 😉 )
Definitely. Palsson dropped basically to the box on that run, left Santos to tackle
Wow this ref is having a rough game.
One would figure after decades in existence that MLS would have capable refs.
Taxi cannot quite redirect a looping Benteke cross across the line with enough power
I would have given a lot for Fountas playing Benteke, but we got it the other way around.
And if this is a penalty when Settlers of Matan took an whole week to actually fall down, it will be a travesty.
Welp.
Well crap that looks like a PK….
Wow. What absolute bullshit
Canouse got the ankle with his cleat. I don’t like the call, but its a foul.
You’re dreaming.
That’s a dive made two seconds after some arm contact, a conscious decision
In no universe is that a foul anywhere, much less grounds for a penalty. Well, Rooney, how about subbing in someone who can run offensively, besides Taxi.
Amen. Santos’ lack of pace is absolutely killing us going forward.
Certainly the most egregious example, but literally the one players who could go forward with pace are Greene and Taxi. That’s really bad lineup selection
By the book it’s a foul, but VAR has given the opportunity for a referee who has been letting a lot go to revisit his own decision.
If he had gone down under the arm hold, but he got his way out of that an regretted the decision, decided to forget his legs. No significant contact made otherwise
Is it a “clear and obvious” error though, if it takes, what, 4 minutes of extensive review to determine if it’s actually a foul though?
Exactly
Yellow card for Zelarayan
What would have happened if Taxi had converted the goal before the VAR review? Would they wipe the goal away AND give the penalty?
As an aside, I’m pretty over the VAR in it’s current incarnation. Should be for obvious mistakes and not these ticky tack judgment calls in zoomed-in slow motion. Yes there was contact but that was one of the softest penalties I’ve seen.
Yes. The goal would not have stood and the penalty would have been given. Anything that occurred after the penalty incident would have technically not happened.
Yes, because the attacking play was started by a foul. Makes me remember the missed red that led to a Columbus goal a few years ago where Lucho was almost annihilated by a Cbus defender and he jumped over to avoid the collision.
Absolutely. If you start VAR-ing _that_ into a penalty, there would need to be like 9 penalties awarded every game. Ridiculous standard to set.
Um, that’s a PK for Fountas. The ball was on the inside of his foot, the defender kicked through his foot to clear the ball. Translation, foul
Very frustrating game. If Taxi is in form, he has a brace from Crew breakdowns, and probably a hat trick for the kick through of his foot for a PK. Meanwhile, an absolutely not PK.
To be honest, though, this tactical setup and lineup does not deserve to be rewarded. We’ll likely sub in some offensive youngsters and play better, but please, skip me with the “we’re playing well” comments
Well that’s game I think…
Well, here comes a likely spanking. No pressure or marking on Ramirez, 2-0
Looks like we switched to a 5-3-2. Eh, maybe it works.
Definitely using space and width better, no break throughs
Well the Cbus goalie did a good job of denying us.
Got a lot of thoughts about how we’ve played and Rooney’s thinking, will wait for the recap.