In their 32nd match of the 2021 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular season, D.C. United won 1-0 against the New York Red Bulls at Audi Field in a crucial match for the Black-and-Red in the playoff hunt. United moved up to seventh place with 44 points in the Eastern Conference with two matches left to play.
D.C. United came out on the front foot and in the ninth minute, Julian Gressel picked out Nigel Robertha down the right flank and his low cross into the box found Kevin Paredes who put it away for the 1-0 lead.
The New York Red Bulls found their way back into the game and got close to finding the equalizer in the 24th minute. Donovan Pines intuitively blocked Patrik Klimala's shot following the rebound from a Bill Hamid save.
In the 32nd minute, the Red Bulls won a free kick outside the box and the resulting effort forced an acrobatic save from Hamid to deny Thomas Edwards. D.C. United headed into the half with the 1-0 lead.
The Black-and-Red started the second half in similar fashion to the first. Within the opening five minutes, the team created three chances on goal, two from Robertha and one from Steven Birnbaum; on the night of his 200th MLS appearance for the club. In the 60th minute, Hamid came up with another outstanding save, this time denying Andrew Gutman, to preserve the 1-0 lead.
The match continued as a back and forth between the teams with the Black-and-Red relying on their counterattack amidst the high press from New York. Man of the Match, Bill Hamid, produced an impressive 90 minute performance and came to the rescue for the Black-and-Red with five saves in the match. D.C. United’s defensive efforts and fortitude were enough to grind out the critical 1-0 win.
D.C. United will remain at home in Audi Field to face off against the Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, October 30 with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Tune into NBCSWA+, TeleXitos, and www.dcunited.com to watch the match.
