Match Preview: D.C. United vs. SC Paderborn 07 | Wednesday, September 30, 2026

Match Preview: D.C. United vs. SC Paderborn 07 | Wednesday, September 30, 2026

D.C. United host Bundesliga side SC Paderborn 07 at Audi Field this Wednesday, September 30 in an international friendly. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Washington, D.C. The match falls during the FIFA international window and is the club's only fixture between its trip to Vancouver Whitecaps FC on September 26 and its visit to Inter Miami CF on October 10.

D.C. United enter Wednesday off a 3-3 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC, a result in which the Black-and-Red twice came from behind in the second half. Midfielder Kimito Nono scored his first two goals in MLS, opening the scoring in the 16th minute and equalizing in the 80th, and defender Lucas Bartlett added his fourth of the season in the 65th. Head Coach René Weiler's side sits at 6-8-12 with 30 points.

SC Paderborn 07 arrive in Washington as a newly promoted Bundesliga club. The North Rhine-Westphalia side earned promotion for the third time in its history last season, beating VfL Wolfsburg in the promotion and relegation play-off on a goal in the 100th minute of the second leg. Ralf Kettemann's side sits 12th in the Bundesliga table and arrives off a 3-1 home win over TSG Hoffenheim on September 20, its first victory since promotion and the end of an opening run of three matches without a goal.

Wednesday's match anchors a week-long stay in the nation's capital for Paderborn, who arrived on September 25 and remain through October 1. The club has paired the trip with community visits and marketing activities around the city, with sporting director Sebastian Lange calling the match a chance to represent the club, the Bundesliga and German soccer in the United States.

By the Numbers:

• Defender Silvan Hefti has a goal and four assists in 23 starts in his first MLS season with D.C. United. He spent 2024/25 with Hamburger SV, who finished second in the 2. Bundesliga ahead of SC Paderborn 07 and earned promotion to the Bundesliga.
• Midfielder Kimito Nono scored his first two MLS goals at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on September 26 and has two goals and two assists in eight starts for D.C. United.
• Four of Captain Lucas Bartlett's six career MLS goals have come in 2026, including one in each of D.C. United's last two matches.
• Midfielder Santiago Castañeda, a 21-year-old American who grew up in Tampa, Florida, scored SC Paderborn 07's first Bundesliga goal in more than six years on September 20 against TSG Hoffenheim.
• Forward Steffen Tigges came off the bench to head in the third goal of that 3-1 win, SC Paderborn 07's first victory since returning to the Bundesliga.
• SC Paderborn 07 won eight consecutive matches last season, the longest winning run in the 2025/26 2. Bundesliga, and earned promotion for the third time in club history.