The Black-and-Red hosts the New England Revolution tonight at the Maryland SoccerPlex at 7 p.m. ET. D.C. United is 28-23-8 all-time against the Revs, most recently tying New England 0-0 on its home turf.
In Open Cup play, the Revolution has defeated USL PRO club Rochester Rhinos 5-1 and most recently surpassed the New York Red Bulls 4-2. 21-year-old midfielder Kelyn Rowe has definitely shown up for Open Cup matches, netting five goals in three tournament games. Rowe found the back of the net twice against New York in the Fourth Round, striking both from outside the box.
In MLS regular season play, the Revs played last on June 15, losing to Vancouver Whitecaps FC 4-3. Goals came from the boots of Juan Aguedlo, Kelyn Rowe and Dimitry Imbongo. But, the trio of goals wasn’t enough to keep Vancouver down.
D.C. United has also seen success in the Open Cup this year—beating the Philadelphia Union 3-0 in the Fourth Round. Captain Dwayne De Rosario completed a hat trick, leading his team in to the quarterfinal round.
United is coming into this Open Cup game having just defeated San Jose at RFK on Saturday. DCU snapped its winless streak at 13, topping the Earthquakes 1-0, courtesy of a Chris Pontius penalty kick. With momentum shifting United’s way the team heads into tonight’s match with high hopes.
If the Black-and-Red wins tonight, the squad will either head south to Orlando to face the Orlando City SC, or take off for Chicago and battling the Fire. But, the team is taking each game as it comes.
“It’s important for us to not feel too good about our win,” said Head Coach Ben Olsen, “and now push for what, right now, is the most important game of our season and what’s going to be a very busy few weeks in which we’re going to need every player to do their part.”
