D.C. United have won the Atlantic Cup. Hip, hip hooray! Now comes the hard part of the season. Although Sunday’s come from behind draw against the New York Red Bulls was certainly exciting, it is just a means to an end. For a side that is still on the outside looking in at the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs Friday’s road match against the Chicago Fire (8pm EST UniMas) is just as important.
“Yeah, it’s huge, we don’t want to lose to anyone,” said United forward Lamar Neagle after Sunday’s match. Neagle scored the first of two United’s late goal to give the side their first regular season result at Red Bull Arena since 2011. “We don’t want to lose momentum most of all, we want to keep going on and into every game as undefeated, but every point at this point of the season is crucial. Hopefully we can get some wins, especially when it comes to these next few games.”
The hope, at least from United’s perspective, is that the momentum will carry over. Even with Sunday’s draw United (7-9-12, 33 points) are still one point behind Orlando City SC (7-8-13, 34 points) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. One other thing to keep in mind is that United are technically in eighth place as they are tied with the New England Revolution in points (8-12-9, 33 points). The Revolution hold the advantage over D.C. because of their superior win total (eight to seven).
History does seem to be on their side. United have not lost to the Fire in their past seven head-to-head matches and haven’t lost at Toyota Park since 2013. In their first match Bridgeview this season the Fire took the lead thanks to a first half goal from Jonathan Campbell. But former Fire midfielder Patrick Nyarko played the spoiler late giving United the draw.
In their most recent match, a 6-2 drubbing by United, the Fire were undone by the play of midfielder Luciano Acosta and forward Patrick Mullins. The two were able to work in passes into space for one another exposing gaps in the Fire defense. Of course Acosta and Mullins were helped out by Khaly Thiam but even in the early parts of the match the two were showing some promise.
What will be interesting to see is how United cope with Michael de Leeuw. De Leeuw, who signed with the club midseason from FC Groningen, has proven to be an invaluable resource on the attack for Fire coach Veljko Paunovic. Against United, de Leeuw pressed Bobby Boswell and Steve Birnbaum hitting a rocket of a goal from distance to put the short-handed Fire level before half. The Dutchman has scored in each of Chicago’s last three matches and will play a huge role in setting up their attack on Friday.
How United chooses to handle de Leeuw will go a long way to determining if they are successful on Friday night. If they choose to go with a 4-4-2 look for Rob Vincent to make the start. The drawback is, as evidenced by Sunday’s match against the Red Bulls, is that it leaves them a bit more open towards runs down the left and right flank. Fire midfielder Matt Polster has shown this season that he can be a difference-maker with his speed on the outside. With Sean Franklin likely out due to a knee injury the Fire may have a chance to get three points out of this match.
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Just one news and notes piece today: The Richmond Kickers (11-5-12, 44 points) everyone’s favorite D.C. United affiliate club, lost for the first time since July on Saturday night. Their 2-0 loss to Louisville City FC snapped their ten game unbeaten run and kept them in seventh place in the USL Eastern Conference standings. Goals for Louisville were scored by Cameron Lancaster and Magnus Rasmussen. United goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra played the full 90 minutes.
The Kickers will continue their quest to climb up the USL Eastern Conference standings playoff ladder tonight when they host the Charlotte Independence (7pm, YouTube).
Beer of the Week: Evolution Brewing Co.’s Lot #3 (Salisbury, MD)
