DC United vs. St. Louis City: Preview, time, and how to watch
DC United returns to the field tonight at Audi Field when they take on St. Louis City. They hope to get back to the winning ways after a midweek loss to the Chicago Fire where it felt like the team ran out of gas.
Head coach René Weiler, speaking to the media after that loss to Chicago, said that with the World Cup break approaching, he won’t be able to fully rotate the squad. “It’s really difficult to rotate…You need good players on the field, quality on the field,” he said. “And…we don’t have a big squad…I can’t tell you [the rotations] now because I have to see what’s going on in the next two days and then we will find the lineup for the next game against San Louis.”
Tai Baribo, who scored the opening goal on Wednesday night for DC United, was subbed off around the hour mark out of “protection” given his recent return from a couple of injuries. Weiler said that Baribo would be available for the match tonight.
Ultimately, the team wants to continue to build up the mentality of playing hard for 90 minutes and not getting sidetracked when things don’t go their way. “We have to win the duels. We have to create gold chances, and we have to try to bring a good result over the final line,” Weiler remarked.
They’re taking on a St. Louis City team that has struggled this season, sitting in 14th place in the Western Conference standings. However, they’ve won two straight entering this match, including a 2-1 win midweek over LAFC. They’re entering with confidence, and it will be on the Black-and-Red to stop their momentum and get three points in front of the home fans.
DC United vs. St. Louis City
Location: Audi Field
Kickoff time: 7:30pm ET
Available streaming: Apple TV
Lineup:
Johnson; Hefti, Bartlett, Rowles, Kurokawa; Hopkins, Peltola, Servania, Peglow; Munteanu, Baribo
Herrera does NOT make the bench. He seems to be exiled now
Herrera doesn’t see the point in sitting on the bench. He got a shot at RM, but was very anxious about contributing, and a lot of it was invading Hefti’s space and busting the defense. With Hefti doing everything Weiler wants at the position, Hopkins fit to take the right wing as Louis has risen to starter, he’s on the bench. Heck, Stroud is getting a bit of pep back, so I don’t even know that he’d be RM depth. Antley exists.
There’s probably stuff going on between him and Weiler, but it does seem like he wants to jetpack out of here with the burners torching the bridge. Given how things fell off from being foundational in the Benteke era, fair enough.
He’s got pride and national team impact to generate, it makes sense to be done. Hefti started a cascade, and he’s able to leave.
Ah, Durkin’s playing against us.
You know, that player that wasn’t foundational in terms of out of possession play, but would Scott McTominay like crazy for chaos goals.
And he’s playing against us now when game state matters a lot to our game plan working.
Cool, cool…
Very, very back and forth so far
Sure as hell hope this doesn’t become a goalkeeper battle, cuz Burki.
Just me, or does our passing tonight have an edge of… chaos? hysteria? desperation?
Certainly not from servania on that one breakaway. But besides that, I think I see what you’re getting at
They’re connecting ok on passes (going by eyeball, not stats), but nearly all of them are connecting with a lunge or a scramble. They’re, like, 6-8 inches off – still getable, but not ideal. It’s like everyone can see the same game plan but they’re reading it from slightly different angles.
Both these teams have frayed composure, I think it’s fair to say. Winning tonight I’d say is pretty important, feels like kind of a nexus point and matchup this season. The players, the coaches I bet feel that morale goes one of two ways tonight before the summer stretch decides things for real.
Not liking this sustained pressure from STL here
Dear lord, how did Peltola clear that at all, let alone so calmly
Elsewhere, David Schnegg just scored a nice goal for Charlotte
As long as it’s not a goal against us, I both wish him well and couldn’t care less.
He had some highlights for us peppered during his tenure, he was just very faulty out of possession, especially in transition
I couldn’t tell you why, but my gut says Clark comes on and does something significant second half. Fuck if I know why I think that
Munteanu’s been hanging out with Peltola – he’s in it for a goal from distance tonight.
Hopkins may have hurt himself on the first play of the half
It was incredibly cynical by the defender on the replay. Didn’t jump, just made a prediction on where Hopkins would land and provided a Bane worthy curve to fall on
Fallou deserves a damn red for that shoulder into Baribo’s face
But, upon review, Baribo is a DC DP, so play on
Durkin scores. That’s been coming
Yep, Durkin chaos goal. Well taken.
Should have been a PK and a red for Fallou, but the league prefers this
Ya know, ref, you wouldn’t have to make up for the non-calls on Baribo by yellow carding for the Louis foul if you called the fouls on Baribo in the first place. Just sayin’.
Stroud comes in for…Peltola? Gonna assume Hopkins gets pushed to a 10
Oh boy, Hefti is on a yellow now
If this ref had just come down on the infractions that had nothing to do with soccer, he wouldn’t have had the soccer related ones go this wild
Kurokawa is capable of being subbed off????
Gah so close for Baribo
We gonna need to find a goalkeeper that doesn’t have such a gap in consistent clutch play from the likes of Burki.
It’s a high bar to meet, but Johnson is not close, IMO.
That Louis headed miss is gonna be hard for DCU to shake, it’s the sort of play that makes you doubt whether it’s your night.
Markovic has gotta understand when you contest an aerial ball to make it difficult, and when it can actually be won, cuz that was not actually winnable just by applying oomph
Well, my Clark prediction seems doomed.
Not being called on for this half given the situation is damning, he’s toast probably.
The subs have been Stroud and 2 defenders. Why exactly did we pay to get Clark if he’s not even going to come in when we need a goal?
PEGLOW!!
Phenomenal strike from Peglow’s long range slot machine paying out
We benefit from the sending off for two yellows
Inntterestinnggg….
Now STL gets a red! There might still be hope!
St Louis innovating ways to have no dignity with that two handed back attack
lol, what madness
LOUIS!!!!! 2-1!!!
Of course we get VARd
Having said that, VAR did get it right.
Well, we didn’t lose
Well, DC home fans feeling like the outcome is shit rather than the team being objectively shit is a good step, regardless, but that second half was a nose bleed inducing frustration fest
I only saw the second half (thanks, hotel wifi, for refusing to run Apple TV for an hour), but that looked like another step forward toward consistency and full-team effort. If Weiler accomplishes nothing other than creating a psychologically cohesive and professional working environment, we’ll still be substantially better off than we were six months ago.
St. Louis was running them off the pitch for the last 30-35 mins in 1st half.
I guess the second half of some improvement. Certainly the last 10-15 minutes. Really hate to see goals waved off for offside. It was totally unnecessary. Check your run make sure you’re on side. He still would’ve made the play. Maybe even scored on the initial header. If you’re outside, the goal is going to count anyway. Just keep your ass onside.
Getting Peglow on the scoresheet and LOUIS getting it in the net again, even if it didn’t count in the end, are both still good. Hopefully that gets Peglow going and keeps louis going. Progress.
Peglow’s goal especially impressive because he was limping for most of the second half