Montreal Impact vs. DC United | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

MONTRÉAL IMPACT vs D.C. UNITED
STADE SAPUTO, Montréal, Qué.
September 26, 2015 (WEEK 30, MLS Game #299)
5 p.m. ET (TSN 2 / RDS; CSN-MA)

A huge match in the Eastern Conference playoff reckoning takes place when the Montréal Impact meet D.C. United at Stade Saputo on Saturday evening. The Impact extended their undefeated run to a club-record five games at midweek, now four points clear at the red line following their 2-1 win against the Chicago Fire at Stade Saputo. United are still in position to clinch a playoff berth, sitting in fourth place in the East, three points off the lead, despite having their winless run in league play stretched to five games in a 2-1 home loss to Columbus Crew SC last weekend at RFK Stadium.

Johan Venegas scored his first goal for the Impact in their 3-0 win against New England on Saturday evening. The United match will be the last of a three-game homestand for the Impact; they head off on a four-game road swing following.
D.C. United saw their league winless streak extended to five games with a fourth loss in that time, falling 2-1 to Columbus Crew SC on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. Chris Rolfe added to his career-high, reaching the 10-goal mark in league play.
The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and United have won the first two, both by 1-0 scorelines. Jairo Arrieta scored the game’s lone goal to lead United to victory in the opening weekend of the league campaign, March 7 at RFK Stadium; Chris Rolfe scored the only goal in United’s Aug. 8 win at Stade Saputo.
United owns the only two victories by the road team in the series history, having won two of the last three meetings at Stade Saputo. They have come away with points on each of their last three visits to Montréal. United have won three of the five meetings lifetime at RFK Stadium, with two draws.

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REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Corey Rockwell; AR2 (opposite): Peter Balciunas; 4th: Edvin Jurisevic
MLS Career: 191 games; FC/gm: 23.4; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 37; pens: 55

SUSPENDED: MTL: Andres Romero (caution accumulation; through Sept. 27); Laurent Ciman (through Sept. 27) …DC: Perry Kitchen (caution accumulation; through Sept. 27)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: MTL: Marco Donadel, Laurent Ciman … DC: Davy Arnaud, Conor Doyle, Taylor Kemp, Steven Birnbaum
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: MTL: Calum Mallace, Dominic Oduro, Nigel Reo-Coker, Bakary Soumare … DC: Bobby Boswell, Sean Franklin
DISABLED LIST: MTL: Cameron Porter, Kenny Cooper (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (10 meetings): Impact 2 wins, 11 goals … United 5 wins, 16 goals … Ties 3
AT MONTRÉAL (5 meetings): Impact 2 wins, 8 goals … United 2 wins, 7 goals … Ties 1

2015 (MLS)
3/7: DC 1, MTL 0 (Arrieta 59)
8/8: MTL 0, DC 1 (Rolfe 13)

The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and United have won the first two, both by 1-0 scorelines. Jairo Arrieta scored the game’s lone goal to lead United to victory in the opening weekend of the league campaign, March 7 at RFK Stadium; Chris Rolfe scored the only goal in United’s Aug. 8 win at Stade Saputo.
United owns the only two victories by the road team in the series history, having won two of the last three meetings at Stade Saputo. They have come away with points on each of their last three visits to Montréal. United have won three of the five meetings lifetime at RFK Stadium, with two draws.
Coaches record: Ben Olsen vs. MTL: P10 W5 L2 D3 … Mauro Biello vs. DC: first game