D.C. United hits the road for the fourth time this season to face Atlantic Cup rivals, the New York Red Bulls. It’s the 91st regular season meeting between the rivals with D.C. United maintains a lead in the series at 37-35-18.
The Black-and-Red are aiming to bounce back after a narrow 1-0 home loss to FC Cincinnati last weekend and a rough patch spanning weeks. Despite dropping points to Cincinnati, head coach Troy Lesesne was encouraged following a tactical shift in response to the heavy defeat in San Jose earlier this month.
Against Cincinnati, Lesesne added Lukas MacNaughton as a third center back, which offered stability to the backline while allowing Aaron Herrera and David Schnegg to push forward with confidence. The result was an improved defensive shape that limited one of the league’s top teams to a single goal.
Goalkeeper Luis Barraza also saw his first start of the season. Barraza made an immediate impact with five saves in an impressive debut.
Lesesne reflected on the performance against Cincinnati as something to build on for tonight’s Red Bulls match-up. He acknowledged, “We’re going to need another response—not only a performance, but a result.”
The Red Bulls enter tonight’s game with a 3-2-3 record after a scoreless draw with Orlando City. Offensively, they’ve been bolstered by star signings Emil Forsberg and Maxim Choupo-Moting, who bring elite experience to the attack.
New York thrives in transition. Lesesne acknowledged the threat they pose on the counterattack and emphasized the need for discipline in 50/50 moments, saying, “We have to control the territory in the match…and not allow them to break out.”
Hear everything head coach Troy Lesesne had to say in the pre-game press conference here.
Let us know your thoughts about tonight’s match in the comments below and be sure to join us live here during the game to chat with your fellow supporters.
Key Player: Christian Benteke
Star striker Christian Benteke will look to get back on the board after a scoreless match against Cincinnati. Benteke will be looking to players like Peglow and Pirani to open up space and create scoring opportunities.
Watch Out For: Cameron Harper
Cameron Harper will be available to take on the Black-and-Red and is the danger-man who denied the Black-and-Red last June by finding an equalizer in the 78’. Harper has recorded a goal in three straight matches against D.C. United and further contributed to five goals.
Challenges: D.C. United needs to pull out of a losing streak and start bagging points to move up the Eastern Conference table out of basement territory.
Previously: When D.C. United and New York Red Bulls met last June, they played to a 2-2 draw at Red Bull Arena.
New York Red Bulls Availability:
Out: Daniel Edelman (hamstring), Roald Mitchell (knee), Marcelo Morales (thigh), Lewis Morgan (knee)
Questionable: Kyle Duncan (knee), Julian Hall (leg), Mohammed Sofo (illness)
D.C. United Availability:
Out: Jackson Hopkins (ankle)
Questionable: None
Location: Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, NJ
Kickoff time: 7:30 pm ET
Referee: Sergii Boiko
Available streaming: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
Thanks, Sarah. Extraordinary difference between DC United’s injury list (one) and Washington Spirit’s injury list (12, including Trinity Rodman who has flown to London to see a back specialist). This will certainly be a good test for Mackay constructed roster.
I hope DCU has better luck than Old Glory….OGDC scored first but then Miami has since responded with 28 straight…28-7 in the 28′. Also unfortunate news in that points leader Jason Robertson is done for the season due to injury.
Old Glory down 31-14 at half. They scored a try right on half time and converted it.
Old Glory has rallied and at the 2nd half hydration break in the 62′ it’s Miami Sharks 31 Old Glory DC 28!
Old Glory falls 38-35 to Miami. They get 2 standings points. The first one is the bonus point for scoring 4 or more tries in a game. The second one for losing by 7 or fewer points. Old Glory remains 3rd in the east. Discipline cost us the game giving Miami chances to kick for points and handling errors and allowing steals deep in Miami’s half.
I’m starting to talk myself up in my head that DC needs to make a cash trade with Miami for Julian Gressel, to the point that I’m going to be upset about it if it doesn’t happen by Wednesday.
Do they even have room under the cap for Gressel?
If they left the money they got from Akinmboni and/or Ku-DiPietro unconverted into GAM, then it probably shouldn’t be a problem.
What a performance, what a way to get it done. It took guts, fight, and inner fire to achieve such a result against a hated rival, and I’m so glad that the Spirit’s triumph is the only DC area sports match today.
What’s that? I have to watch DC United away in NJ? Far fewer injuries than the Spirit, you say? So, no real excuses for another collapse? Oh. Great. DC does great with those.
(Shudders)
I see us losing 2-0.
On the plus side, we get to hear commentary that favors… oh, right, it’s never us
Happy birthday, Dave Johnson!
I forgot Forsberg and Choupo-Moting play for Redbulls. Ha, they think it’s street legal to have two DPs.
Oh, right
How many sets of brothers have represented the opposite sides of the Atlantic Cup rivalry? I can only think of two off the bat: the Strouds and the Rooneys.
Peglow sent flying by Valencia, who does a great CONCACAF performance of being the victim
Herrera forces a save with a huge deflection on his shot.
Stroud overhits for Peglow killing the counter…it gets recycled and Benteke’s header is low, but Coronel gets down and saves it…
If only it was to opposite, with Peglow feeding Stroud for a sumptuous fin- just kidding, Stroud would have fucked that up, too
Wait Lesne got a yellow? When’d that happen?
He’s just too tactically advanced. If he gets a second, he can get to the bus early and get a good seat!
Benteke is down off the ball no bueño
Which would be pretty high on the Richter scale of something we don’t need right now
Perazza saves it
Hey ref can you let Benteke back in the game?
Maybe Lesesne shouldn’t have
Good save off a Choupo-Moting header by Barraza
Oh shit Beneteke is coming out….
Benteke needs out.
We have every pessimism in this squad’s ability to perform in his absence
We just got super lucky.
It’s impressive how little we accomplish even when Lady Luck is smiling
Redbulls seemed to forget that Stroud existed, he gets a clanger off the post
Peglow! It’s 1-0 to the good guys.
Peglow!!!
That’s some pretty wretched goalkeeping, in hindsight, but great headed flick to set himself up for that
NY has to make an injury sub for Sean Nealis.
PEGLOW!!! HE GETS ON HIS BIKE AND MAKES IT 2-0!!!
Peglow suddenly Michael Jordaning it up in Benteke’s absence. Incredible bicycle!
2-0
Did not remotely see that coming.
I don’t think anyone did.
VAR! That looked offside.
We need better tech, it exists. Goal stands
That would require the league and owners to spend money…
That poses an intriguing question. No way the league would pay an army of camera persons, but what about automated cameras? How much would that cost, and is it even feasible to install in MLS stadiums (they’e not going to want to take out seats to make that happen — and room beyond the sidelines at places like Audi Field is almost non-existent).
Drones
Choupo-Moting had to be offside off the Forsberg header
Bullshit there’s an offside there
Lloyd Sam tries to urge the play by play commentator who talk about DC United’s history, and this douche is like: Etcheverry was good, amirite?
Nobody’s paid attention since
Especially ironic since we at least won another MLS cup after that era, and Redbulls have never, but, history
The only research he seems to have done on DCU is limited to Lloyd Sam’s number of games played in the black and red.
I also just think Apple is all in on Redbulls lore. But maybe I’m being too harsh. Back to Klejstan and BWP in the studio
Also, I think he talked about Ramos for United, when I think he meant fucking Moreno
Murrell for Stroud and Enow for Kijima
Holy fucking shit, we have a one goal lead, and Lesesne malpractices, I mean, subs Kijima for Enow…
Herrera picks up a yellow.
Dodson for Peglow and Peltola for Servania
Well, this looks closer to a midblock, so I guess Lesesne knows what it is
Barraza does well again on a ground scramble
We get lucky on Forsberg’s late run.
Wait isn’t that Hack’s 2nd yellow?
He’s related to the ref. He’s also a Hack.
That’s pretty funny.
Wait that is Hack’s 2nd yellow where’s the red? How the fuck is he still on the pitch? The league site has him for 2 yellows
I was thinking the same thing, but I’m guessing what happened was his first yellow was actually the one to Herrera
ESPN only has him down for 1 yellow.
Barraza down for treatment. We really didn’t need another delay, we need this to tick away without the ref’s “discretion”
Shit, we did it.
Sore tomorrow, will be everyone.
Hope Benteke comes back soon, but Peglow was incandescent.
This is Coach Lesense’s best coaching game so far and he has had a few good ones.
The game plan was to give the ball to a team that prefers to press. But also, have a little pressing in the middle third to keep them honest. Also, have some teeth on the counterattack.
With that roster. And he pulled it off. My hat off.
A lot of this game was him recognizing that the guys he has aren’t good at his system. So Coach Lesense has started to try to figure out what they are good at. They were good at being very, very tough for the opponent to get from the middle third to the final third. So roll with that. Plus, the Red Bulls don’t know how to get from the middle third to the final third if they haven’t caused a turnover in the middle third and need to possess it and create slots when the opponent is facing them rather than on their heels after a turnover.
Regardless of the outcome of this season, give Coach Lesense a third season. This was masterful. They were overmatched everywhere except on the left flank and some quality from Kijima. He played attacking center mid way better than the other guy and that’s not his natural position. He figured out how to get the best out of an undermatched roster in a difficult place to play. The players certainly did their part too.
I also thought that Lesesne made some excellent adjustments in his game plan. DC United never looked hapless on defense. And Peglow had two fantastic goals. Combined with incredible Spirit a great weekend for my teams.
This seemed like Schnegg’s best game to me, far and away. Probably also Rowles’s best. And it was really heartening to see somebody – ANYBODY – take it upon themselves to say “Fuck it, I’m going to be the man now with Benteke out.” Hopefully this gives Peglow a bit more confidence to make himself a secondary scoring option for the team.
Noting here that Pirani didn’t get off the bench, and Barajas didn’t even make the bench for a second game in a row.
Huh…San Jose is currently losing to Kansas City 3-1 in the 30’…..its the reverse of what they did to us.
As for on to Philadelphia, I hope to see more of tonight where they play a little bit of pressing in the middle third and in the attacking third off turnovers but get back into a low block if that initial engagement is broken. Philadelphia is being turned into Red Bull junior by the former St. Louis coach. They started hot but like most pure pressing teams in the mid 2020’s, they are getting figured out. Plus, Philadelphia is shipping attacking threats like Gazdag off because he fit Coach Curtin’s system.
I’ve become a Philadelphia fan as my #2 team since I moved and can’t get to Audi Field anymore but can get to PPL Park in 20 minutes. I’ve been to a couple of home games and am whelmed by the new coaching scheme. I don’t like the risk (remember I’m typing from the perspective of a Union fan except when playing against DCU so I want the Union to do well except against DCU) where the Union push the defensive center mids and outside backs so far forward that they are reliant on the lone center back making one-on-one plays and winning footraces to prevent breakaways.
I previously thought that the game next week was going to be 3-0 Union win because of the talent mismatches. I now think the Union will win but it’ll be close as the Union are now playing the same one-dimensional style as the Red Bulls because their GM is from the Bundesliga where everybody presses all the time so he thinks it’s the ideal form of soccer or something. The Union had a heck of a lot of problems against at 10 man St. Louis team because they could press and counter before but had no ideas what to do with possession.
The only question is where will the scoring come from if Benteke is injured? #7 scored off a breakaway he created (because he knew that the Red Bull center back was coached to overcommit so all he had to do was tap is past the overcommit. The best way to do it as a center back is to step up but not fully commit so that you make them think they closed down the space so they don’t try to turn but also have your weight split so you can step back to pick up any loose flicks. But a center back gets benched if they use common sense with a high press coaching scheme.). Can Kijima shoot from the top of the box? The Union can’t deal with passes back to the top of the box if there is a second delayed runner there because they were too overcommitted pressing the ball and option 1.
This isn’t relevant to the DCU-NYRB match but there wasn’t any place else to post it. I think we’ve all complained about how Klich is still mostly on our books, takes up a DP spot. It turns out he’s not playing a lot with Atlanta. He’s started 2 matches.
He came in at Philadelphia on Saturday to replace an injured starter.