DC United vs. Chicago Fire | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

D.C. UNITED vs. CHICAGO FIRE
RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
October 18, 2015 (WEEK 33, MLS Game #327)
2 p.m. ET (MLS Live)

D.C. United and the Chicago Fire meet for a third time this season in a crucial match in the Eastern Conference when the clubs face off Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium. United have secured their berth in the 2015 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and are now trying to lock down homefield advantage throughout the postseason, following their 2-1 home win vs. New York City FC in their last league contest. The Fire have seen their playoff hopes extinguished and are now trying to put an end to their season-long road winless run, snapping a five-game losing streak in their last game, a 3-1 win against the New England Revolution at Toyota Park.

DOWNLOAD FULL GAME GUIDE (PDF)

REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Peter Manikowski; AR2 (opposite): Jason White; 4th: Armando Villarreal

MLS Career: 43 games; FC/gm: 29.2; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 20; pens: 20

SUSPENDED: none

WARNINGS:

SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DC: Davy Arnaud, Taylor Kemp, Bobby Boswell, Sean Franklin … CHI: Eric Gehrig, Kennedy Igboananike, Jeff Larentowicz

SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHI: David Accam, Chris Ritter, Adailton, Patrick Nyarko, Matt Polster

DISABLED LIST: none

INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD

ALL-TIME (51 meetings): United 20 wins, 74 goals … Fire 18 wins, 76 goals … Ties 13

AT RFK STADIUM (26 meetings): United 13 wins, 44 goals … Fire 8 wins, 36 goals … Ties 5

2015 (MLS)

6/3: DC 3, CHI 1 (Arrieta 61, 69; Doyle 75 – Accam 28)

6/24: CHI 0, DC 1 (Doyle 73)

The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and United have won the first two. Jairo Arrieta scored a pair of goals and Conor Doyle added a third in a second-half burst as United exploded for a 3-1 win June 3 at RFK Stadium; Doyle scored the game’s only goal in a United victory June 24 at Toyota Park.
United have now won three consecutive games in the series, after going six matchups without a victory. Before the win in the last match, United had last won at Toyota Park on Aug. 29, 2009.
Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. CHI: P13 W4 L4 D5 … Brian Bliss vs. DC: first game

LAST MEETING (MLS)

The game's only goal came in the 73rd minute. A free kick was swung into the box from the left, and eventually fell to the feet of Bobby Boswell. His shot was blocked by a sliding Eric Gehrig, but some 25 yards out from goal, Conor Doyle connected beautifully with a stinging right-foot drive that ripped past Sean Johnson in the Fire goal.
United goalkeeper Bill Hamid was called upon to make just one save in keeping the clean sheet.
CHICAGO FIRE (4-4-1-1): Sean Johnson - Eric Gehrig, Jeff Larentowicz, Adailton, Greg Cochrane - Harry Shipp, Razvan Cocis, Chris Ritter (Mike Magee 74), Joevin Jones (Jason Johnson 46) - Guly do Prado - Kennedy Igboananike.
D.C. UNITED (4-4-1-1): Bill Hamid - Steve Birnbaum, Bobby Boswell, Kofi Opare, Luke Mishu - Miguel Aguilar, Luis Silva (Fabian Espindola 70), Marcus Halsti, Conor Doyle (Perry Kitchen 79) - Facundo Coria (Nick DeLeon 63) - Jairo Arrieta.