DC United vs. Chicago Fire: Preview, time, and how to watch
DC United returns home to Audi Field tonight for their second match of the season against the Chicago Fire. It’s the first match of a three-game homestand the Black-and-Red has before the league goes on hiatus for the 2026 World Cup.
DC United is riding a 5-match unbeaten streak, but want to redeem themselves after a 2-0 lead last weekend against Nashville SC turned into a 2-2 draw. They will be without Silvan Hefti, who picked up a red card in that match and will serve his one-game suspension tonight, but they hope to get more from Tai Baribo, who returned to the field last weekend from injury.
Meanwhile, Chicago has lost their last 3 matches (including a loss in US Open Cup Round of 16 to St. Louis City), and have won just twice at Audi Field since it opened in July 2018. One of those wins was a 7-1 win last June, but DC United was able to steal a victory from Chicago back in March at Soldier Field. DC United hopes to continue the winning ways tonight and leapfrog Chicago in the Eastern Conference standings.
DC United vs. Chicago Fire
Location: Audi Field
Kickoff time: 7:30pm ET
Available streaming: Apple TV
Sure, Google
The thing is, I think that’s correct. Based on who is in the lineup, this is really the only setup that makes sense given what we usually do
Look at the goalie
Ah, I missed that lol. Not sure that’s his best position
DC Lineup, with a formation guess:
Johnson; Markovic, Bartlett, Rowles, Kurokawa; Hopkins, Peltola, Servania, Peglow; Louis, Baribo
Markovic in as right back presumably, Hopkins seems to move out wide
Observations watching the shooting drill:
Does seem like, with Louis having gained some confidence, our two DPs are in fact our most technical finishers. Munteanu still doesn’t have an elite touch, so goals it is.
Third place, surprisingly, based on what I saw, is Servania with Peltola close behind, at least for these shots.
Hopkins and Peglow hitting bars instead of corners, but they know what their job is
That was a pretty cool play by Louis on the ground to get it to Peltola to release an attack
Another midweek game on a rainy night, another (preliminarily) low turnout. With as many non-weekend games as this season has, average turnout at Audi is gonna suffer.
Well, joke’s on whoever didn’t show for fear of rain, it’s a clear night for kickoff and likely till after the whistle
Watered the pitch for free
Yup, I did the watching the warmup from the pitch thing and was fully prepared to be drenched, but was pleasantly surprised
Ref showing early signs of baditude
Chicago is gonna get us on one of these corners
Baribo was NOT happy with Peltola on the play leading up to that yellow card. I got confused because I thought he was bitching at the ref about a yellow on Chicago, but no, he was yelling at Peltola.
For those of you in the stadium, that stoppage was to check a potential handball in the box, but there was nothing there
Apparently Peltola used to be a hockey player and was a winger in that sport.
They’ve mentioned before that he used to play hockey, but that was way more other info than we’ve ever had
Getting a LOT of Peltola lore on the apple broadcast
Baribo!
Hold up play from LOUIS leads to a Baribo goal! And then baribo bear hugs Louis for the assist
Oh, this Baribo/Munteanu pairing could be fun.
Kurokawa is getting chances to send them in that he doesn’t normally get, but that also means he hasn’t figured out how to take advantage yet.
At least two really good chances to make it deadly.
Hopefully second half, it clicks.
Hopkins and Markovic doing a stalwart job against Bamba, who is the one out there for Chicago who can destabilize this setup.
Let’s close this out.
I don’t know exactly what the lightning rules are these days, but there’s a line of lightning creeping in behind the rain that just hit, so we could get a weather delay.
Usual delay is 30 minutes for a strike within 8 miles, I belive
It seems to be staying north for now, but I have a strike listed in Rock Creek Park, 7 miles away, within the last half hour. Doesn’t seem to be a concern so far.
The ref ignored a big strike
A couple, and then the announcement after the game, that severe weather was moving in and fans should empty the bowl and take shelter in the concourse, after probably ¼ or more of the crowd was already out of the stadium, was the dumb cherry on a poorly handled weather situation.
And Chicago ties it up…dang it…
Might be time to bring on Herrera
…and penalty to Chicago….that is not a penalty….please tell me that is getting overturned on VAR
How is that not being overturned on VAR????
How do they not go to VAR on that?
Over the years, there’s been games where I was so outrageous by a bad decision for multiple bad decisions that I screamed myself horse, yelling at the ref. This game would be one of that handful.
If people watching at home had a better view, feel free to correct me but that was such a clear dive that it probably deserved a yellow card. One of couple of games I’ve been at maybe where I was so gobsmacked by the referee decision that I’m wondering if gambling interest had something to do with the outcome
It was dive, Markovic barely touched him and definitely not enough to take him down.
Johnson saves the penalty then Chicago puts the rebound back somehow….
We just got screwed by the refs.
So in addition to all the other ridiculous things that just happened, may I slam Apple TV for totally botching the camera control on that PK? That was atrocious.
I’ll allow it.
Johnson saves our bacon.
I like markovic, and he’s done largely fine, but he’s really not fast enough to play right back here
2nd game in a row where a ref decision has led directly to DCU losing the game.
Visible lightning and audible thunder in the stadium, but the ref just waves play on?
Also, the way rain just pours through the roof of this stadium wherever someone drilled a hole to connect a sheet of metal or mount a light will never not crack me up.
The roof at Audi is atrocious. The rain seems to slide down the beams becore dropping diwn in the crowd. In some spotsbit’s like a river
The worst of it is definitely the line where they mounted the lights to the roof, which is why I think it’s an issue of not sealing holes, but you can also see some places where there’s like, a square patch in the roof and just a sheet of water coming down around all edges of the square.
Actually, a waterfall would be a better description
And there’s a 3rd for Chicago….
And that’ll do it
Well, it was nice to remember what an unbeaten streak feels like
I couldn’t tell in the stadium, but that donkey touch from (I believe) Rowles on Pk rebound chaos was unacceptable
Second Hefti is back, Markovic and Bartlett please
I think it’s the flub back towards goal from Hopkins that you’re thinking of. Though Rowles’ position on the far side of his mark wasn’t helping matters.
I’m not so sure markovic is an every game starter at this point, based on tonight.
After that great save by Johnson, Chicago shouldn’t have been allowed to play that back in the box. I’m also a little disappointed on the third goal, by rebound Johnson surrendered while trying to stop the shot on that third goal. Johnson should’ve been trying to catch it or knock it down right in front of him.