D.C. UNITED vs. PHILADELPHIA UNION
RFK STADIUM | Washington, D.C.
August 6, 2016 | Week 22 | MLS Game #221
7 pm ET (MLS LIVE, NewsChannel 8, The Comcast Network)
A critical match in the Eastern Conference is set when D.C. United continue their homestand by playing host to Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening at RFK Stadium. United started their long stretch on East Capitol Street with a 1-1 draw with the Montréal Impact last weekend, leaving them three points below the red line in the conference. Union are in a tie for fourth place in the East, but coming off back-to-back defeats after their 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake at Talen Energy Stadium last Sunday.
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- Patrick Mullins scored his first goal for D.C. United since his arrival from New York City FC, but still saw his new club’s winless run extended to five matches with a 1-1 draw at the Montréal Impact on Sunday evening.
- Roland Alberg netted his seventh goal of the season – all over the last eight games – but Union suffered a second consecutive defeat in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Sunday evening at Talen Energy Stadium.
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Union have won both. Richie Marquez scored the game’s lone goal in second-half stoppage time for a Union victory May 20 at Talen Energy Stadium; Ilsinho scored a pair of goals, the second a second penalty kick conversion in the match, as Union took a 3-0 victory July 9 in Chester.
- United won the final two league meetings between the teams last season, both wins coming at RFK Stadium, a 2-1 win on May 30 and a 3-2 victory July 26. United have won the last three regular season meetings between the teams in Washington; Union’s last victory on East Capitol Street came April 21, 2013.
- Union have won the last three meetings in Chester, without conceding a goal. The teams had met four of the last five years in the U.S. Open Cup before this season, each winning twice.
REFEREE: Jair Marrufo. AR1 (bench): Andrew Bigelow; AR2 (opposite): Jose da Silva; 4th: Jaime Herrera
MLS Career: 204 games; FC/gm: 23.3; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 38; pens: 57
SUSPENDED: DC: Marcelo Sarvas (yellow card accumulation; through Aug. 7)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: DC: Steve Birnbaum, Jared Jeffrey, … PHI: Raymon Gaddis
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: DC: Luciano Acosta, Patrick Mullins … PHI: Brian Carroll
DISABLED LIST: DC: Chris Korb, Alhaji Kamara, Charlie Horton
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (17 meetings): United 7 wins, 21 goals … Union 7 wins, 23 goals … Ties 3
AT RFK STADIUM (8 meetings): United 4 wins, 14 goals … Union 1 win, 10 goals … Ties 3
2016 (MLS)
5/20: PHI 1, DC 0 (Marquez 91+)
7/9: PHI 3, DC 0 (Alberg 20; Ilsinho 37, 47)
- The teams are meeting for the third time this season, and Union have won both. Richie Marquez scored the game’s lone goal in second-half stoppage time for a Union victory May 20 at Talen Energy Stadium; Ilsinho scored a pair of goals, the second a second penalty kick conversion in the match, as Union took a 3-0 victory July 9 in Chester.
- United won the final two league meetings between the teams last season, both wins coming at RFK Stadium, a 2-1 win on May 30 and a 3-2 victory July 26. United have won the last three regular season meetings between the teams in Washington; Union’s last victory on East Capitol Street came April 21, 2013.
- Union have won the last three meetings in Chester, without conceding a goal. The teams had met four of the last five years in the U.S. Open Cup before this season, each winning twice.
- Coaches record: Jim Curtin vs. DC: P6 W3 L3 D0 … Ben Olsen vs. PHI: P16 W7 L6 D3
LAST MEETING (MLS)
- Union went ahead after winning two first-half penalty kicks, both on surging runs into the box, first by Chris Pontius and later by Ilsinho. Roland Alberg finished the first spot kick in the 20th minute to give Union the lead, then Ilsinho calmly tucked home the spot kick he'd won himself in the 37th minute.
- Union made it 3-0 just two minutes after intermission when Ilsinho hit for a second, blasting home a C.J. Sapong knockdown from a free kick from the heart of the area.
- United finished the game a man down after center back Kofi Opare was sent off with a second yellow card after a rugged challenge on Pontius.
- PHILADELPHIA UNION (4-2-3-1): Andre Blake - Keegan Rosenberry, Ken Tribbett, Richard Marquez, Fabinho - Tranquillo Barnetta, Brian Carroll - Ilsinho (Sebastien Le Toux 68), Roland Alberg (Warren Creavalle 71), Chris Pontius - C.J. Sapong (Fabian Herbers 79).
- D.C. UNITED (4-1-4-1): Bill Hamid - Sean Franklin, Kofi Opare (ejected 65), Steve Birnbaum, Taylor Kemp - Marcelo Sarvas - Lamar Neagle (Bobby Boswell 68), Jared Jeffrey, Nick DeLeon (Luciano Acosta 64), Fabian Espindola - Alhaji Kamara (Alvaro Saborio 57).
