Philadelphia Union concludes August with a rivalry showdown at D.C. United. Kick off from the nation's capital set for 8 p.m. ET with pregame coverage begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on PHL17. Union Pre-Kick Live presented by UNIBET will be hosted by Dave Leno and Union legend Sebastien Le Toux while JP Dellacamera and Danny Higginbotham call the action. Fans will also be able to view the match on PhiladelphiaUnion.com or can click here to listen to the FOX The Gambler broadcast which is available via 102.5 FM, 104.5 HD2, the iHeart App and 1480 AM.
The Boys in Blue enter the weekend sitting just two points out of second place after a scrappy 1-1 draw against CF Montreal last weekend at Subaru Park. Despite controlling the majority of the first half, the Union went to the break down by a goal after a first-half stoppage time goal. Jim Curtin turned to his bench late in the match to turn the tide and it paid off with homegrown Quinn Sullivan scoring his second golazo of his rookie campaign to extend the Union's home unbeaten streak to nine matches.
Saturday night marks the third time in the regular season that the two rivals have squared off with the Union grabbing a 1-0 road win in May and a 2-1 home win in July. Sergio Santos provided the spark for the Union in the home win, picking up a goal and adding the game-winning assist on the rain-packed night. On the 83rd minute winner, Santos galloped onto a throughball from Leon Flach, cut past his man but had to toe-poke the ball free. It rolled across the box to Kacper Przybylko, who hustled to join the play, and he slotted it inside the near post.
The victory saw the Union push their unbeaten streak against their I-95 rival to 10 straight games (W9 D1) dating back to the beginning of the 2017 season. The streak is the longest unbeaten run for Philadelphia against any opponent in its MLS history. Meanwhile for D.C. United the streak is tied for an opponent's longest unbeaten run in their club history, matching the Red Bulls (2016-2019) and LA Galaxy (2008-2014).
D.C. United comes into the match sitting just above the playoff line courtesy of the goal difference tiebreaker against Atlanta United FC. After running up a five-match unbeaten streak from July to early August, things have cooled off for with the squad dropping each of their last three contests. Defense has been an issue during their recent stretch with opposing offenses netting 10 goals including five along from Nashville SC. Last weekend, DC went toe to toe with the Eastern Conference leading New England Revolution but fell by a 3-2 margin. Forward Ola Kamara has been a handful for opposing defenses in 2021, leading the squad with 11 goals in 15 matches.
