D.C. United will look for a boost to their playoff hopes when they visit the second-place New England Revolution on Saturday night in both teams’ final game before a month-long break for the Leagues Cup.
The Black-and-Red enter the weekend in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, with a four-point cushion over 10th-place Montreal in terms of qualifying for the East’s nine-team playoff field.
And manager Wayne Rooney’s side is in contention in part based on their away form. D.C.’s four away victories are tied for the most in the Eastern Conference and the third most in the league.
But there’s still room for improvement as D.C. (8-9-6, 30 points) faces its final 11 matches.
While Christian Benteke leads the team with eight goals and has made the MLS All-Star team, he hasn’t scored in his last five starts. And Rooney’s group does not have a single streak of more than three unbeaten matches this season. A win or draw Saturday would give D.C. its third such three-match stretch.
“I think now we are in the final sprint, race, I would say (it) that way,” Benteke said this week. “It’s important for us that we get as many points as we can because obviously, we want to play in the playoffs.”
New England (11-4-7, 40 points) finds itself in a more comfortable playoff position despite a prolonged stretch of mediocre or worse defensive play.
The Revolution have conceded 19 goals in their last 11 matches, a stretch extending back to May 13. And they were fortunate not to concede more in Wednesday night’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United, in which goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic made 10 saves.
New England has gotten some regulars back from a wave of injuries but still has a handful of players out, including influential defender Henry Kessler, who is still recovering from an April procedure on his hamstring.
“Djordje kept us in the game in the second half,” Revolution coach Bruce Arena said of his goalkeeper. “Our mission tonight was to get three points. We got it. We’re hanging in there. We’re a little thin right now with injuries and other things, and we’ve got to get through this game on Saturday and get reorganized.”
–Field Level Media
