DC United @ Austin FC: Preview, time, and how to watch
DC United is back on the field this afternoon as they travel to the Lone Star State to take on Austin FC in their first road match of the season. DC United is coming off a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Union in their season opener last weekend, and they look to keep it going against an Austin FC team that drew Minnesota United 2-2 last weekend.
In press availability this week, head coach René Weiler praised the defense last weekend and said he wants the team playing for each other to get the clean sheet. “Yeah, everybody has to be involved,” Weiler said. “It starts with the forward players because we have to help to defend our goal. Usually a player has maybe five minutes per game with the ball in his feet, so then he has to run the other 85 minutes to bring back the ball and not be in danger defensively.”
That kind of team defense with everyone tracking back to the ball was what helped against the Union and Weiler hopes that defense travels to Texas. For Austin, former DC United defender Brendan Hines-Ike scored last week in a 2-2 draw, and they’re looking to get their first home win of the season. The key will be winning the 50-50 balls and out-hustling Austin FC to create chances. “We have to win the duels,” Weiler remarked. “We have to be very focused, we have to defend very well. And when we have the chance to play a counter attack, then we have to be precise.”
DC United hopes that precision can give them three points a Sunday afternoon showdown to bring back home.
DC United @ Austin FC
Location: Q2 Stadium, Austin
Kickoff time: 2:30pm ET
Available streaming: Apple TV
fingers crossed for a good game today
Kijima and Stroud start on the wings. Hopkins and Pirani sitting. Munteanu on the bench again. Murrell makes the bench. Still no sign of Herrera. Did I miss injury news?
Not exactly a potent lineup. Playing for a point? Or planning a 2nd half assault?
Herrera was listed as out on the injury report with a lower leg injury
Are we sure that’s all it is?
It’s pretty opaque, but my “he’s busting out of this joint” senses are going off.
I’d like him to stay and fit the system, but we’ll see.
I’m only gonna be able to catch the 1st half of the game as I have to be somewhere at 4:15 and assuming traffic is good that means I need to be on the road at 3:30.
Sorta strange to see Stroud in, and I sorta wonder if it really will be Peglow up top and Kijima on the wing- could be the opposite, or they could maybe swap?
But I’m assuming the Stroud inclusion is maybe about the knock and general battering Hopkins took repeatedly in the opener.
Louis not starting again does nothing to make me less skeptical about his scouting process, but maybe he busts out off the bench. It would have to be something that was completely absent from his opening performance, but I’d rather he be a contributor than a correct evaluation on my part.
Hines-Ike reminds us where he’s playing now by taking out Baribo pretty effectively.
Hines-Ike introduces him self to Baribo right there.
Yeah, pretty standard action from a team enforcer to hit an offensive star early enough that a yellow is unlikely, and try to shave at least a few percentage points off their effectiveness for a bit
And it looks like Baribo is marking Hines-Ike on corners, likely will be the opposite on the other end.
Gonna be a battle.
Good reaction save from Johnson to keep us level on an Austin corner
I don’t know that Barraza makes that save
Well, let’s hope we do better on set pieces going forward, cuz those were two desperate plays.
Also, I’m gonna be ripping my hair out about Johnson’s tendency to not make the gloves stick that has been part of his lore since the Olympic qualifying disaster all those years ago.
Well, it is Peglow up top, but that does deprive of us of that much penetration on the left wing.
Kijima is a player I’m glad is still around, but he’s more about interplay than powering through on the wing
And Stroud goes in the book. We seem to be on the defensive early.
And Stroud is in the book.
I imagine he was definitely going to be a planned sub, anyway, but hope he pulls out of that shit till that happens…
Johnson absolutely wasn’t gonna get there for that corner backpedal and leap, we got away with that one
I knew we had Kurokawa and Kijima on the roster, but it never occurred to me that Kijima and his longtime experience with America and his fluent bilingual skills would possibly help his new teammate.
Austin beating us up physically so far, and seem content to bully us into corners and then win headers with terrifying consistency from them.
Weiler might have to find a way to change this sooner than halftime.
Apparently we can’t hold onto the ball today.
We’re just not able to push Austin off us to hold shape today, let alone push into their end as much.
Think it’s not helping that there’s such a drop off of quality on the wings, but it’s gotta get better, or it will absolutely give
Can we sub Stroud yet?
I was thinking something similar.
Pretty sure Weiler just wants his legs and work rate out there to stall till he can get Hopkins on, but yeah, it’s not great.
He remains on the path of regression. Sad….
Small sample size, but it seems like this is a different Peltola this year.
This is pretty much the player we saw in the early days that made me shut up about spending resources on a DM. He’s gotten through the growing pains now, is older and savvier, and he’s actually playing the role he is suited for.
But yeah, only player looking like this isn’t panic stations.
I forgot Arnaud was at Austin.
The Ben Olsen coaching tree stretches far and wide
No stoppage
Well, the good news is, we survived to half, and Austin will be frustrated they couldn’t control of the scoreboard with the amount of intensity and effort they put in. It’s unlikely they can keep that up for the entirety of the second half, so that’s the good news.
Bad news is United haven’t been in this game outside of scrappy and emergency defending pretty much at all. We’ll have a chance to regroup and subs will come in, inevitably. But woof, let’s do better, please.
Dear lord, .2 xG to Austin’s 1.27.
That’s about right, but yikes.
Hopkins and Pirani are on, Kijima and Stroud come off.
Which makes me wonder if Louis even features, cuz they’re not gonna sub a sub, and he’s not at all a like for like with Baribo…
Bring him in for Peglow, and either put him out wide or move Pirani there
I mean, maybe? At this point, I don’t know if it’s worth taking of Peglow to plug him in at LM unless he’s more effective at that role.
Pirani on the wing in a 4-4-2 wouldn’t be a great use, either.
We’ll see
Well, you called it. Peglow off, Louis on.
He played some winger at Cluj, so it’s possible for him to play there at least. Though it’s hard to tell exactly where he’s playing yet since everyone on the field just looks like glowing ethereal beings
We haven’t produced anything yet, but we’re definitely into Austin’s half more and the energy tide has turned significantly.
Probably need to be locked in for a turnover now, but I’m glad they’re not under siege so far.
Kurokawa with a forward run into space so blazing, it blinded the camera for the broadcast.
JK, get a grip, camera crew
I am having a hell of time keeping track of the ball as it crossed from shadow to the sunlight.
Definitely a downside to playing midday in stadiums that didn’t/couldn’t take sun angles into account with bowl design
Just hire the Goodyear blimp to cast a shadow over the pitch
Well, those who were a little Christian Ramirez thirsty when he was available get a potential monkey’s paw experience…
Austin player dealing with a head wound, but those cuts bleed way more than they should in any circumstance. Seems fine.
NGL, I basically can’t see shit on this broadcast anymore. The sun and shadow situation is crazy.
Well, Austin is gonna push for those three points. Their home opener yielded a frustrating 2-2 tie, and starting the season with two points from two home games is not a great enticement for fans to get jazzed about the season.
Well, goddamit, it’s scrambled in, so they will probably get the win.
Gotta say, Johnson did another dismal job reading the far flight off the ball. Him being out of the play cost us badly.
Also, Ramirez with the goal, so commentariat here will feel some offseason irritation.
Seems we maybe just went from a corner kick to a free kick from a Baribo foul on Hines-Ike, which doesn’t happen a ton
Well, normally I’d say “hope we see an equalizer,” but, at this point, I’m going to limit my hope to it happening without me being able to register the action on screen.
This broadcast is terrible
Bartlett made a backpass so bad that even the forward pressuring couldn’t grasp where the ball was fast enough to capitalize fully
Well, that was a disappointing performance with a terrible broadcast.
But hey, at least next game is a home game- oh, crap, it’s the Miami debacle in Baltimore.
Yeah, this stinks.
If your goal is to convince folks not to watch MLS, that game was a great way to do so. I think Austin FC might have only managed one shot from open play and yet DC still managed to one-up them in terms of ineffective football.
Zero clue what to make out of this team yet. Really strong performance in the opening week. Hopefully they can get back to that and get the new players more integrated.
But at least the presentation was as awful as well