D.C. UNITED vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
RFK Stadium | Washington, D.C.
Sunday, August 21 | Week #24 | MLS Game #248
3 pm ET (ESPN in the US | MLS LIVE in Canada)
The Atlantic Cup rivalry is renewed yet again for a pair of MLS Original clubs aiming to lock down playoff positions when D.C. United face the New York Red Bulls for a second time this season Sunday afternoon at RFK Stadium before an ESPN audience. United still sit right on the red line in a tie for sixth place in the East, putting an end to a six-game winless run last weekend in a 2-0 home win against the Portland Timbers on East Capitol Street. The Red Bulls are in third place in the conference, their overall league undefeated streak now at six matches after their 3-1 win against the Montréal Impact last Saturday at Red Bull Arena.
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- United put an end to a six-game winless slide, moving back into a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference and the final playoff position, following their 2-0 win against the Portland Timbers on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium.
- Bradley Wright-Phillips scored a pair of goals – his league-leading fifth multiple-goal game of the season – and is now second in the MLS Golden Boot standings with 14 goals for the season, as the Red Bulls extended their current undefeated run to seven games in league play following their 3-1 win against the Montréal Impact on Saturday evening at Red Bull Arena.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Alvaro Saborío and Patrick Nyarko each scored a goal and assisted on the other’s goal in a 2-0 United win May 13 at RFK Stadium, snapping a four-game winless streak in the series.
- United have a four-game undefeated streak in the series alive at RFK Stadium, with three wins in that span. The Red Bulls have a six-game undefeated streak going in regular season matches at Red Bull Arena, with four consecutive wins, including 2-0 victories in both meetings in Harrison last year, on March 22 and Aug. 30.
REFEREE: Ismail Elfath. AR1 (bench): Frank Anderson; AR2 (opposite): Kermit Quisenberry; 4th: Mark Geiger MLS Career: 76 games; FC/gm: 24.8; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 18; pens: 19
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DC: Jared Jeffrey … NYR: Connor Lade, Ronald Zubar, Felipe Martins, Mike Grella, Alex Muyl
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Luciano Acosta, Steve Birnbaum, Patrick Mullins, Sean Franklin … NYR: Kemar Lawrence
DISABLED LIST: DC: Chris Korb, Alhaji Kamara, Charlie Horton … NYR: Gideon Baah (season-ending injury)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (69 meetings): United 34 wins (1 shootout), 124 goals … Red Bulls 25 wins (1 shootout), 99 goals … Ties 10
AT RFK STADIUM (36 meetings): United 21 wins (1 shootout), 74 goals … Red Bulls 10 wins (1 shootout), 53 goals … Ties 5
FUTURE MATCH: 9/11: New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United, 1 p.m. ET (ESPN1)
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Alvaro Saborío and Patrick Nyarko each scored a goal and assisted on the other’s goal in a 2-0 United win May 13 at RFK Stadium, snapping a four-game winless streak in the series.
- United have a four-game undefeated streak in the series alive at RFK Stadium, with three wins in that span. The Red Bulls have a six-game undefeated streak going in regular season matches at Red Bull Arena, with four consecutive wins, including 2-0 victories in both meetings in Harrison last year, on March 22 and Aug. 30.
- The teams play for the Atlantic Cup, awarded to the winner of the season series by supporters groups from both clubs. They’ve met 85 times in all competitions over the years; New York has won 30 and United have won 43, including a 7-4-2 record in the postseason.
- Coaches record: Jesse Marsch vs. DC: P7 W3 L2 D2 … Ben Olsen vs. NYC: P15 W5 L7 D3
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/13: DC 2, NYR 0 (Saborio 20; Nyarko 43)
- The hosts opened the scoring 20 minutes in, as Patrick Nyarko set up Marcelo Sarvas with a perfect through ball into the box, and Sarvas then sent a low cross through the box to Alvaro Saborio, who tapped it into an open net.
- The lead was doubled two minutes before halftime as Nyarko added a goal, poking home Lamar Neagle's cross from the right flank from close range.
- D.C. UNITED (4-4-2): Travis Worra - Sean Franklin, Steve Birnbaum, Bobby Boswell, Taylor Kemp - Patrick Nyarko, Nick DeLeon, Marcelo Sarvas, Lamar Neagle (Jared Jeffrey 63) - Luciano Acosta (Julian Buscher 74), Alvaro Saborio (Fabian Espindola 89).
- NEW YORK RED BULLS (4-4-2): Luis Robles - Sal Zizzo, Chris Duvall, Aurelien Collin, Kemar Lawrence (Connor Lade 44) - Sacha Kljestan, Felipe Martins (Alex Muyl 71), Dax McCarty, Mike Grella - Gonzalo Veron (Lloyd Sam 57), Bradley Wright-Phillips.
