In its last regular season match before the postseason run begins, D.C. United visits the Montreal Impact on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 4pm (watch on dcunited.com/live). With the number one seed already clinched, the result at Montreal can have implications down the playoff road, if the Los Angeles Galaxy loses on Saturday to Seattle Sounders FC. Read the full Playoff Scenarios now.
“I think we pay a little bit of attention to [the Western Conference], but we’re not really thinking about it,” D.C. United defender Steven Birnbaum said. “We are just taking it one game at a time, but this would obviously help us.”
- Related: #Birnbaum4ROY
Coming off a home win over the Chicago Fire last weekend, the Black-and-Red has momentum in terms of results heading into Playoffs, but would like to improve upon its play from the 2-1 victory.
“I think we didn’t have our best performance against Chicago, but we got the win which is crucial to get some momentum going into Playoffs,” said Birnbaum. “The guys are excited and we’re amped up going into the game.”
Gearing up for a game against a team with nothing to lose is always tricky. Add that it’s Marco DiVaio’s last match with the Impact, and the pressure mounts more.
“He’s a great player,” Birnbaum praised. “He’s going to want to play his best game as his last game. We have to be sound defenders, and do what we’ve been doing the whole season and defend the box as best we can.”
- Related: #GetOnBoard
Staying defensively sound is one goal for the game, but the squad’s number one objective is to improve from game to game.
“We need to come out with a little more energy than we did against Chicago,” he said. “That’s our main goal going into the game and to have the bite we’ve had the whole season. If we do that, we feel like we can get a good result there.”
Tune in on on Saturday to dcunited.com/live (restrictions apply) at 4 p.m., remember the stream is in French. Don’t miss your chance to support the Black-and-Red in its home Eastern Conference Semifinals match on Nov 8 at 2:30 pm. Buy your Playoffs tickets here.
