D.C. United vs. NYCFC: Preview, time, and how to watch
It’s all or nothing tonight for D.C. United against NYCFC. It will take a convincing result at Audi Field to keep the Black-and-Red’s playoff hopes alive.
Just one point separates NYCFC and D.C. United as they sit in 10th and 11th place in the Eastern Conference, respectively. Tonight will simply come down to who is more hungry for a playoff spot – and officiating, of course. One call has the potential to make all the difference.
D.C. United will need every ounce of grit and determination to produce a result, then results on their side to slide into a playoff spot. D.C. will have to shake off the last disappointing result in Austin and remain tenacious on the attack to capitalize on an NYCFC team that has been struggling to find the back of the net.
Ultimately, for the Black-and-Red, it will largely come down to reckoning with themselves.
It all comes down to this. pic.twitter.com/U2YDaVq38i
— D.C. United (@dcunited) October 6, 2023
Let us know in the comments who you think will take all three points tonight and what you’re thinking about D.C. United’s playoff hopes!
Key Player: Christian Benteke
Benteke has reliably been D.C.’s danger man for this final stretch of the season, and we don’t expect tonight to be any different. We’re just hoping that another hat trick or similar effort won’t go to waste!
Watch Out For: Santi Rodríguez
We’ll echo Matthew Mangam in our earlier interview with Hudson River Blue, Rodríguez has been in good form and could certainly give D.C.’s defense trouble tonight.
Challenges: The Black-and-Red really need to overcome themselves. The squad has talent, that’s undeniable, but the devil is in the details. Clinical finishing and avoiding defensive mistakes will be essential to pulling off a win tonight.
Previously: The Black-and-Red last met NYCFC at Yankee Stadium in March, where they lost 3-2.
D.C. United Availability:
Out: Martin Rodriguez (knee), Mohanad Jeahze (ankle), Tyler Miller (shoulder)
NYCFC Availability:
Out: Maxi Moralez (lower body)
Location: Audi Field, Washington, DC
Kickoff time: 7:30 pm ET
Referee: Fotis Bazakos
Available streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Who’s ready for some… we’ll, there’s a game.
I’m concerned.
About the game? Or enthusiasm levels?
Maybe you should be concerned more often 😉
There is indeed a game. Almost certainly the last one. Part of me is glad this team won’t be playing more games. We need a break from them. I’m curious about how everyone thinks this season went, but I’ll save that for after the game.
Looks like Hurtado is starting up top, and Akinmboni is getting a chance in the back. Fine with the latter getting exposure to the league as he develops, but talk about “the season’s over” for lineup choices.
Oh, Benteke is ill… good thing we’re not really playing for anything.
How are we feeling about Benteke’s absence? I hope he has a speedy recovery. Wish he were on the pitch tonight.
For me, it helps potentially provide good mental distance from the outcome, which I was already pretty aloof about. I’m a bit more resigned to Hopkins not getting a shot in these circumstances. Was rooting for his development, which looked all but certain last season.
Pajoy levels of offside displayed by Hurtado there.
Yeah, been lively, but that was a rough one to watch. I’m not sure he was ever onside at any point during that offensive possession 🙂
Gonna be lucky if this game goes w/o serious incident or injury. No interest from MLS referees to call obvious fouls.
I’ll tell ya one thing I won’t miss during the offseason. These god awful refs. Goodness gracious this guy is already having a rough night.
It’s painful to think we have one more win than NYCFC, but 4 fewer draws while we’ve played one more game. It draws attention especially to this final stretch of the season.
Rooney goes away from the 4-4-2 diamond about three games too late. I get the temptation to play Pirani and KDP both central but at this stage of their development they’re both more effective out wide and Durkin is much better when he can play more centrally.
Well, that offside disallowal was bull crap. Let’s see if they deny Durkin’s “blue moon golazo”
They must be looking at a different image. Fuck all of it.
Like, I don’t actually believe the image revealed to VAR that anyone was actually offside, I think they just wanted to BELIEVE
I think if it was called onside by the linesman then it would have stood. With the onfield call being offside then VAR needs clear and obvious proof that he was mistaken in order to overturn it.
Not happy about it, but DC could have won any of their last six matches and then it wouldn’t matter as much.
I mean, it doesn’t, most other teams in the hunt for 8th and 9th have an extra game, and we aren’t even in the picture currently. I honestly have a massive problem with the idea of “clear and obvious,” they have a better vantage and time to consider the play, if they can’t see an offside, they should overrule
I agree. From my vantage point that was about as clear and obvious as it could be. Close =/= unclear.
That’s right up there with the disallowed Liverpool goal last weekend. Ridiculous. You can’t tell me who was offsides on that “call”
Yep, I don’t care about the game, and this ref slapped “injustice” on the table and was like, “NOW do you care?!
MLS referees wrapping themselves in glory. Garber better spend some of those Messi bucks on automated offside. Not even a matter of playoffs, with MTLs goal Hernan Losada gets the joy of eliminating this DC side. An automated offside should be something MLS invested in long ago, along with goal line technology to check possible goals.
You didn’t even need automated offsides there. There wasn’t any DC players close to being off. I don’t even know how the AR called it.
Don’t you see, they couldn’t prove it was clear and obvious because all the NY players were in the way… 🤦♂️
Does that NY player want a cookie for being able to knock over Canouse? Good lord
Too bad, he gets a goal for DC as a reward off the ensuing play.
1-0 DC
I refuse to believe that was a goal until this game goes into halftime.
GET IN KLICH!
My interest level before the game started: Meh.
My interest level after going up a goal on this ref and these City douches:
Durkin gets his golazo, after all.
2-0
Durkin gets another! But this one counts!!
Wow, I already thought these NY players were whiny douchebags, no need to prove my theory there
I love when broadcasters point out NYC’s awful away record and incredible home record but never say out loud why that might be.
How dare you mock their pool table of a field!
All jokes aside I am so happy they are getting their own stadium for purely selfish reasons.
What? Seven minutes?
One for each of this ref’s dominant sins
Klich is the master of getting those yellows that help the team not even slightly
(Having held this observation in for most of the game so as not to jinx it before the whistle):
BonoHasHadAHellofAGameIHopeWeKeepHim
He made 10 league appearances and kept five clean sheets and one scoreless half that doesn’t officially count as a clean sheet (gave up 11 goals in the other four, but who’s counting?). He’s already tied for 7th in clean sheets in DC United history. Tyler Miller has six, and is 6th place on that list. We can safely say that DC improved their goalkeeping this year.
Clean sheet, multi-goal win. I’d say “I knew they had it in them,” but I wouldn’t be telling the truth.
The team has never allowed a goal in a game that Hayden Sargis plays in.
Well, maybe we should spare ourselves the “16 things that need to happen for DC to make the playoffs” talk, skip decision day, and wake up to whatever disappointment/highly unlikely miracle occurs.
It’ll make it short article. DC is officially eliminated based on the scores tonight and the schedule for Decision Day. NYCFC or Chicago will knock us down to 10th.
I just looked at the standings on MLS’ website.
We’ve moved above the playoff line! And we also have an (e) right next to the team name. I guess some of the teams mathematically below us must play each other, guaranteeing that a team now 10th place or lower will pass us.
In other Eastern Conference news, Lionel Messi subbed into Miami’s home game against Cincinnati in the 2nd half. But Miami lost 0-1 and have also earned an (e) next to their team name in the standings.
Wow. Will be interesting in a morbid intellectual way to see how close we came.
We’re eliminated. DC’s only hope was for Montreal to lose twice and win against NYCFC. With Montreal winning, Chicago or NYCFC will pass DC win a win or a tie and they’re playing each other on the 21st so that guaranteed to happen.
The team just announced that Rooney will no longer be coaching the team
Not opening my mind to that subject till there’s more reporting and clarity
It’s pretty official. He’s likely to he announced as the next coach of Birmingham City.
https://twitter.com/dcunited/status/1710837240132157502?s=20
Do not doubt it’s true, just leaving it be mentally for now.
Rooney himself told everyone post-game he’s leaving. Goff is reporting it as well.
Now they can announce Kasper is leaving as well.
I’m fine with this move. Kudos to Rooney for coming back. He improved the team, but there was still a lot of improvement to go, and his record of talent identification was kind of spotty. He deserves to be with his family, and United deserves to get a talented GM with a plan, and a good coach that will execute that plan (and I will hope that’s not Carl Robinson).
Of course, they’ve deserved these things for a long time now, and Jason Levien’s record of talent identification is kind of spotty.
Pete Shuttleworth is also leaving, which isn’t that big of a surprise. I’m not sure if Luke Jenkinson will stay too, but I would suspect he’s probably out the door.
Who gets to coach the game against that Ghanaian team next week?
I kind of hope Fred Brillant.