D.C. United (5-2-3) look to snap a three-game home winless streak Saturday as they return to Audi Field to face Eastern Conference rival Columbus Crew SC (4-1-5) for the second time in 10 days.
The Black-and-Red are coming off their first road loss of 2019 against Minnesota United FC, where the Loons celebrated their first win at Allianz Field. In the first half, Donovan Pines headed a cross from Wayne Rooney into the net, but was taken back after VAR review caught Frederic Brillant fouling Minnesota’s goalkeeper on the play. The Loons went on to finish the match out in the 82nd minute for the only goal of the game.
Crew SC continue their two-match road trip against D.C. after falling 2-0 to the Houston Dynamo last week. Columbus has struggled as of late losing their last four matches dating back to April 6, a 1-0 win over the New England Revolution. In that stretch, the Crew have only managed to score one goal and have been shutout three times. Columbus will be desperate to get back into the win column on Saturday night.
The Black-and-Red and Black-and-Gold recently met last Wednesday at Mapfre Stadium, with Wayne Rooney scoring the lone goal as the DCU won in Columbus for the first time since 2007. The Crew’s goalkeeper Zack Steffen is one of the best in MLS with four shutouts on the year so far. Bill Hamid is tied or the league lead in shutouts with five. Their lead striker Gyasi Zardes is the top scorer on the team with his three goals thus far in 2019.
This match marks the 70th head-to-head regular-season contest between Crew SC and D.C. United. The last regular home season matchup between the two clubs was on April 24, 2018, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, with D.C. winning 1-0 on a goal from Ulises Segura. The two clubs met in the 2018 postseason for the first time at Audi Field, with Columbus ultimately prevailing over United 3-2 in an intense match after extra time expired.
Kick-off is set for 8 PM ET and will be broadcast on FloFC. Tickets are still available for the match - if you would like to purchase a ticket, CLICK HERE.
