PHILADELPHIA UNION vs. D.C. UNITED
TALEN ENERGY STADIUM • Chester, Philadelphia
July 9, 2016 • Week 18 • MLS Game #176
7 pm ET (MLS LIVE, NewsChannel 8, The Comcast Network)
Two teams sitting in playoff positions in the Eastern Conference meet for the second time this season when Philadelphia Union play host to D.C. United on Saturday evening at Talen Energy Stadium. Union now sit in second place in the East, coming off consecutive losses for the first time this season, after their 1-0 defeat at the Houston Dynamo last weekend. United are now undefeated in their last three league games, starting their road swing with a 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake last Friday. Union claimed a 1-0 win when the teams met in Chester in May.
- Union have suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season, as the Houston Dynamo scored from a free kick with almost the final kick of the game deep in stoppage time for a 1-0 victory Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium.
- D.C. United made it three games in a row without defeat with a second draw in that time, Jared Jeffrey scoring in an MLS game for the first time since 2013 with a late, late header in a 1-1 draw at Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening.
- The teams are meeting for the second time this season. Richie Marquez scored the game’s lone goal in second-half stoppage time for a Union victory May 20 at Talen Energy Stadium.
- 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 two meetings in Chester, both by 1-0 scorelines. The teams had met four of the last five years in the U.S. Open Cup before this season, each winning twice.
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REFEREE: Sorin Stoica. AR1 (bench): Claudiu Badea; AR2 (opposite): Logan Brown; 4th: Jose Carlos Rivero MLS Career: 50 games; FC/gm: 29.1; Y/gm: 4.1; R: 21; pens: 22
SUSPENDED: PHI: Joshua Yaro (through July 10)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: PHI: Tranquillo Barnetta … DC: Steve Birnbaum, Marcelo Sarvas
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: PHI: Raymon Gaddis … DC: Luciano Acosta, Sean Franklin, Nick DeLeon, Jared Jeffrey DISABLED LIST: DC: Andrew Dykstra, Chris Korb
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (16 meetings): Union 6 wins, 20 goals … United 7 wins, 21 goals … Ties 3
AT UNION (8 meetings): Union 5 wins, 10 goals … United 3 wins, 7 goals … Ties 0
FUTURE MATCH: 8/6: D.C. United vs. Philadelphia Union, 7 p.m. ET
