D.C. United welcomes MLS champions LA Galaxy for their only encounter of the season (4:00 p.m. ET / UniMas, Comcast SportsNet). After dropping its last two games, the Black-and-Red will look to regain its form against a strong Galaxy side that’s battling for the top spot in the Western Conference. With a record of 13-10-4, LA comes into the match as one of the League’s hottest teams and will hope to improve upon its all-time mark of 9-8-3 at RFK Stadium.
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Despite falling to Colorado 1-0 last Saturday, the Galaxy has put together an impressive string of results in recent weeks. Over its last ten games, LA has gone 6-3-1, including routs of San Jose and Real Salt Lake, and the squad’s attacking strength has been a big reason for its climb to third in the Western Conference. Forwards Robbie Keane and Landon Donovan have combined for 20 goals and 14 assists on the season—a large portion of the Galaxy’s vaunted offense, which is fourth-most prolific in the League. Keane, Donovan and fellow internationals Omar Gonzalez and Jaime Penedo will return to the side after missing the game against the Rapids—however, it remains to be seen just how much the stars will feature against United after playing midweek national team matches.
Like LA, the Black-and-Red dropped its last match 1-0 against Chivas USA as Erick “Cubo” Torres grabbed the game’s lone goal. Even with a majority of the possession and several decent chances, D.C. couldn’t find an equalizer and suffered another frustrating defeat. Still, United has improved its form over the past month, and the offensive trio of Dwayne De Rosario, Luis Silva and Conor Doyle seems to be clicking into gear. Midfielder Nick DeLeon also notched his first League goal of the season against the Red Bulls two weeks ago, and he’ll look to score against the Galaxy for a second straight year.
With just three League games remaining before Oct. 1’s U.S. Open Cup final, United head coach Ben Olsen is focusing on good performances down the stretch. After last week’s loss, Olsen reiterated the team’s resolve.
“We’ll pick ourselves up. It’s a tough loss but we’ll move forward. We got another game next weekend. We’ll be fine. We’ll recover. We’ll get some guys back from national team duty and injuries.”
DCU’s Canadian national team members—De Rosario, Dejan Jakovic and Kyle Porter—have all returned from Spain, while veteran midfielder Lewis Neal will continue his comeback after going 90 minutes against Chivas USA.
United’s current outfit will also have to share part of today’s spotlight with a club legend. During halftime, D.C. United will formally induct Jaime Moreno into the Hall of Tradition, a fitting honor for one of MLS’s all-time greats.
Celebrate Moreno’s storied career while supporting the Black-and-Red. Buy your tickets here.
