Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United | MLS Match Preview

MLSsoccer staff

PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. D.C. UNITED
TALEN ENERGY STADIUM, Chester, Pa.
MAY 20, 2016 (WEEK 12, MLS GAME #113)
7 pm ET (UniMas, MLS LIVE)
Heineken Rivalry Week kicks off on Viernes de Fútbol with a clash of I-95 rivals, as D.C. United make the short trip north to face Philadelphia Union at Talen Energy Stadium. The teams are separated by just two points in the tight Eastern Conference. Union return home off a third consecutive draw, now undefeated in their last four matches, following a 1-1 result at the Montreal Impact last weekend. United hit the road after bouncing back with a win in another rivalry match, defeating the New York Red Bulls 2-0 last Friday at RFK Stadium.
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Union recorded a third consecutive draw as C.J. Sapong scored his fifth goal of the season, netting the equalizer in a 1-1 result at the Montréal Impact on Saturday afternoon.
United snapped a two-game winless skid as Alvaro Saborío scored his fourth goal over the last six games, and Patrick Nyarko scored for the second time in the last three, in a 2-0 win against the New York Red Bulls last Friday at RFK Stadium.
United won the final two league meetings between the teams last season, both coming at RFK Stadium, a 2-1 win on May 30 and a 3-2 victory July 26. United have won the last three home regular season meetings between the teams; Union’s last victory in Washington came April 21, 2013.
Union won the only meeting between the teams last year in Chester, 1-0 on May 10, snapping a three-game winless streak overall in league play in the series.
The teams also met in the U.S. Open Cup last year, with a 10-man Union scoring a pair of second-half goals for a 2-1 win in a fifth-round match in Chester. The teams have met four of the last five years in the Open Cup, each winning twice.

REFEREE: Jaime Herrera. AR1 (bench): Adam Garner; AR2 (opposite): Claudio Badea; 4th: Juan Guzman
MLS Career: 1 game; FC/gm: 28.0; Y/gm: 2.0; R: 1; pens: 0

SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DC: Sean Franklin
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Luciano Acosta, Steve Birnbaum, Marcelo Sarvas
DISABLED LIST: DC: Bill Hamid
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none

HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (15 meetings): Union 5 wins, 19 goals -- United 7 wins, 21 goals -- Ties 3
AT UNION (7 meetings): Union 4 wins, 9 goals -- United 3 wins, 7 goals -- Ties 0
RETURN MATCHES: 7/9: Philadelphia Union vs. D.C. United, 7 p.m. ET; 8/6: D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m. ET

LAST YEAR (MLS):
5/17: PHI 1, DC 0 (Pfeffer 93+)
5/30: DC 2, PHI 1 (Pontius 46+; Rolfe 85 - Le Toux 5)
7/26: DC 3, PHI 2 (Saborio 37; DeLeon 66; Espindola 79 - Sapong 1; Le Toux 4)