On Thursday night, DC United will travel to PPL Park to face off against the Philadelphia Union, two teams that are jousting for a playoff spot in the very close playoff race in the Eastern Conference. This has almost the same feel as the Wild Card race did this year in baseball. Everything seems to be pointing in the direction of a fantastic last day of matches that could end up deciding the fate of six clubs, and the Black and Red hope to be one of those that make it in.
But to do that, they must go through the Union, who have had a stellar second year under coach Peter Novak. Their home performance is also top notch as they have won six of their nine wins in PPL and have only lost once. Sebastian Le Toux has found his way in the second half of the season. The forward has eight goals and eight assists which means he is both good at finishing and creating chances. A forward like that is always someone to revere and to fear, so the DC defense will need to keep a close track on him. What helps United out though is the fact that Carlos Ruiz, the main scoring threat earlier this season, and who also scored against DC earlier this season, was sold to Veracruz in Mexico earlier this season. Many say that Ruiz’s absence has allowed for Le Toux to get back into the scoring machine that he can be.
The Union’s opponent is one that nobody should take for granted. DC United has been the spoiler for many parties this season including that week when they snapped Real Salt Lake’s five match winning streak in half with a dominating 4-1 performance. But the inconsistent play of DC has also plagued them, with performances such as draws with Chivas and Toronto, and crushing losses to Houston and New York. They have yet to win two matches in a row since 2009, but United coach Ben Olsen summed it up right in an interview after the RSL when he said it has to end at some point. Maybe this is the point he was talking about, considering DC has played very well on the road this year, and is still the only team in the Eastern Conference with a non-losing record away from home.
Dwayne De Rosario is coming off a fantastic performance that made him the first DC player to ever record two hat-tricks in a season and put him in first place for the Golden Boot award and he did it in record time to boot. Another DC player that may not be getting a lot of attention right now is Stephen King, who has been a solid midfielder for DC this season. According to the club’s website (where there is a nice article written about him), DC is undefeated this season when King is a starter. I find that very impressive for the fourth year MLS player. DC will need his play-breaking abilities again against the Union offense that can be dangerous, as well as his offensive skills against a defense that has been one of the best in the MLS this season.
Lastly, with a a few international dates coming up for the United States and Canada, fans will want to keep an eye on players such as De Rosario and Bill Hamid who may find themselves representing their countries once again.
(image courtesy of Ned Dishman/Getty Images)
