Short-handed D.C. United will try to build off last weekend’s dramatic home win on Sunday when they visit a New York City side hoping to ride momentum from a midweek U.S. Open Cup victory over their crosstown rival.
After a slow start, the attack for D.C. (3-4-3, 12 points) has suddenly erupted with seven goals in its last two matches.
In a 4-4 draw at the New York Red Bulls on April 22, Tai Baribo scored a hat trick for his fourth, fifth and sixth league goals. Then last Saturday, Louis Munteanu scored his first goal for the club in the 84th minute and Kye Rowles had the 90th-minute winner as the Black-and-Red rallied for a 3-2 home win over Orlando.
But Baribo will miss a second straight match with an injury, manager Rene Weiler confirmed this week. And one of the candidates to replace him, Brazilian attacker Gabriel Pirani, has played his way out of consideration, Weiler said.
“He’s playing for himself instead of the team, and I dislike,” Weiler told reporters. “And I can’t see the joy in his face in the identification of our club. So he will not be in the team.”
The victory against Orlando halted a five-match league winless run for D.C. in its first full season under Weiler. Now it visits an NYCFC squad mired in a similar six-match MLS slide, with City’s last league win coming on March 14 at home against Colorado.
But Pascal Jansen’s squad earned a decisive 3-1 win at the Red Bulls in Wednesday’s Open Cup Round of 16 clash, with Raul Gustavo scoring the winner in the 39th minute and Thiago Martins adding insurance in the 57th minute.
Nicolas Fernandez Mercau leads NYCFC (3-4-3, 12 points) with eight league goals, including two in a 4-4 home draw against FC Cincinnati on April 22.
And given their current form, Jansen isn’t about to feel sad that his side will likely have their top scorer while his opponent won’t.
“Obviously a massive piece for them. An important player,” Jansen said of Baribo’s absence. “We’re coming out of a good game against Red Bull, and now the focus is on D.C., and they’re missing one of their key players. That’s tough for them, but good news for us.”
The two sides have split their last four head-to-head matches, including a pair of draws.
–Field Level Media
