Match Preview - DC United
Game Info
Kickoff: 6:39pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Audi Field - Washington, DC
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has a 2W-0D-0L record against DC United.
The first time these two clubs met will forever have a place in Austin FC lore. Back on April 16, 2022, the Verde and Black went on the road with the chance to end the night in first place in the Western Conference. Watching the highlights you may notice Brendan Hines-Ike piloting the back line for DC United. Things unraveled quickly for ATX, with DC’s Ola Kamara putting two goals past Brad Stuver in the first 40 minutes before being sent off for a second yellow card in the seventh minute of first half stoppage time. Austin wasn’t able to make use of the man advantage until late in the second half, scoring three goals after the 80th minute to bring home all three points. Many fans point to “The Legend of Pollo” as the reason for the furious comeback. I can’t say I disagree!
The following season the two teams met in a mostly meaningless October match at Q2 Stadium. DC United was already eliminated from playoff contention, while Austin FC was holding on by a mathematical thread. A pair of headers from two of the more veteran members of ATX sandwiched a Sebastián Driussi goal in the 3-0 victory for the Verde and Black.
DC United Recent Form
One of the original ten MLS teams in 1996, DC United has a long and storied three decade history as a club. Most of the franchise’s success came in the first decade of play, winning four Supporter’s Shield trophies (1997, 1999, 2006, 2007) and four MLS Cup championships (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004) over the first twelve seasons. DC also has three US Open Cup titles (1996, 2008, 2013), with their third triumph in the country’s oldest tournament being the last trophy won by the club.
If you also include the team’s 1998 CONCACAF Champion’s League and Copa Interamericana wins, DC United is tied with LA Galaxy atop the list of American and Canadian soccer championships with 13 trophies each.
But it’s been a rough road for DC United since that third US Open Cup winning run. The club has three Wooden Spoons since 2010 and haven’t qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs since 2019, last advancing past the first round in 2015.
Last season was a relative improvement, with the club finishing just one spot below the Eastern Conference wild card game on 40 points, scoring 52 goals which was the most for DC since 2021. A whopping 23 of those goals came from Christian Benteke, who won the league’s “golden boot” award for most regular season goals. Problem was, Benteke’s dominance is purely on the offensive side of the ball and DC leaked goals at the back, conceding 70 times, which was the second most in a season over the franchise’s long history just one shy of their 2022 Wooden Spoon total.
There was little reason for fans to have an optimistic viewpoint heading into 2025. DC traded away some of their more promising pieces in midfielder Ted Ku-DiPietro and defender Chris McVey. They also shipped DP midfielder Mateusz Klich to Atlanta United in a bizarre deal that resulted in DC United retaining Klich as a DP on their own roster and paying a majority of his salary while he suited up for ATL.
On Monday (while we were sitting one table away from the man himself at Verde All Day’s “Monday Night Live” All-Star week event), Tom Bogert reported that Atlanta had waived Klich, but that the move did not free DC of their salary cap and roster designation obligations for the player. It’s an absolutely brutal and inexplicable piece of roster mismanagement and as I noted on Thursday’s Episode 242, a similar move by Austin FC in the future would likely cause us to shutter The North End out of rage.
With that in mind, it’s probably not surprising to hear that DC United is one of the worst teams in MLS this season. Coming into this weekend’s match they are 28th in both goals scored and conceded per game. Those numbers are backed up by the underlying metrics that show DC accumulating the seventh most xGA and just second fewest xG to this point of the year. They’re 27th in shots on target per match, big chances created and touches in the opposition’s penalty area. DC will also hack the shit out of you, averaging the third most fouls per match and accumulating the third most yellow cards in MLS.
There are only a few bright spots for this team from a personnel perspective. Benteke is still one of the most goal dangerous attacking players in the league and while he’s dealt with injuries on and off in 2025, the former Premier League stalwart does have seven goals and an assist to his name in just 14 starts. U22 midfielder Gabriel Pirani has been rounding into form of late, at least on an individual level, with four goals and three assists in his 18 starts. TAM midfielder João Peglow, an offseason addition from Polish first division side Radomiak Radom, has two goals and three assists across his 16 appearances.
Speaking of appearances, DC United is led in appearances by Hosei Kijima, who is the only player to appear in all 24 matches in 2025. Kijima, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 MLS SuperDraft by St. Louis City SC, was traded to DC in the offseason. He’s a fascinating player on and off the field, but his constant presence on the pitch is not exactly an indicator of a club’s upside at this point of his young career. To his credit, Kijima does have two goals in 2025, which is tied for third most among the DC ranks. Similar to Austin FC, there aren’t a ton of goals to go around outside of the starting striker.
For Saturday’s match DC will be without Guatemalan left back Aaron Herrera, who is suspended after being shown a second yellow card against Columbus Crew in the waning moments of last Saturday’s match between the two. Herrera is likely the most talented member of United’s back line and will be a significant absence for a team that has already conceded 45 goals in 24 matches.
DC United has just one league win since May 3, a shocking 2-1 road upset of FC Cincinnati on May 31, and they have lost six of their last seven league fixtures. They will be hungry to break their winless streak at home against an Austin FC side that is only team in MLS to have scored fewer goals than DC in 2025.
Austin FC Recent Form
All-Star week was a blast in Austin, but it’s time to get back to work for the Verde and Black. To be fair, the team was in town and training consistently through the break and many of the guys and their families were even able to get out and enjoy the week’s festivities around town.
When we last saw everyone’s favorite team in action they were coming off a 2-1 road victory (and season sweep) over the defending MLS champion LA Galaxy. Vibes were trending upwards as the performance wasn’t just positive in the box score, but the team looked dangerous going forward and got another impressive outing from DP forward Myrto Uzuni.
It’s not just this weekend’s match that’s an opportunity to continue the positive trajectory. Of the 12 games remaining on Austin FC’s regular season schedule, 10 of the opponents are currently below ATX in the Supporter’s Shield standings. The two outlier matches, against Seattle Sounders and LAFC, will both be played at Q2 Stadium.
Another positive going forward for Austin is the secondary transfer window, which opened on Thursday. The Verde and Black announced their newest signing, Serbian center back Mateja Djordjevic, on a U22 Initiative contract through the end of the 2028 season with a team option for 2029. Djordjevic isn’t stateside just yet, but midfielder Nicky Beloko (who was announced in late June) has been here for weeks and should be expected to be active on the bench for this match.
One lineup change that some fans are pointing to as a big reason why Austin FC has generated eight “big chances” over the last two games is the presence of Diego Rubio. Traditionally a forward, Rubio does have the ability to distribute effectively from the central midfield, though in my opinion he brings a defensive liability to the position that could compromise the overall solidity ATX has displayed on that side of the ball in 2025 if he becomes a mainstay of the starting group.
It’s one of the few positions I consider up for debate when attempting to draw up a projected starting XI for Saturday’s match. Removing Rubio and slotting Owen Wolff back into the attacking midfield position would present a decision on the left wing, likely between Robert Taylor (who has yet to receive a start since arriving in a midseason trade three months ago) and Jáder Obrian (who has been the subject of fringe transfer rumors of late). I’d prefer to see what Taylor can do in that role, but I also would agree with anyone suggesting to run out Rubio again with a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” lean.
The other slot we may see a change is in the defensive midfield. Ilie Sanchez got the call against the Galaxy and regained the captain’s armband, but Besard Sabovic has been the more frequently used piece in that spot over the course of the full season.
No matter who starts or closes this match for Austin FC, it’s an opponent that they should (at bare minimum) earn a result against if they truly have aspirations to clinch a playoff berth by season’s end.
Injury Report
ATX:
Brandon Vazquez (Out - Knee)
DC:
Lukas MacNaughton (Questionable - Thigh)
Aaron Herrera (Out - Red Card Suspension)
Kristian Fletcher (Out - Knee)
DC United Players to Watch
Christian Benteke - Despite DC United’s disappointing performances in recent years, the 34-year-old striker who came to MLS with 280 Premier League appearances has been anything but a failure through his tenure in the nation’s capital. He’s scored 45 goals in 84 appearances, topping his career averages in both goals scored and xG per 90 across his more than 7,000 MLS minutes. Benteke also led MLS in aerial duels last season with 444. Second most was 180! Even in his injury shortened season in 2025, Benteke is third in aerial duels. Anytime the ball goes near him, especially in the air, I will be clenching hard.
Gabriel Pirani - The former Brazilian youth international got off to a bit of a slow start to his DC United tenure but has picked up his play (and counting stats) of late. Pirani has seven MLS goal contributions in 2025, good for second on the team and has scored five goals in his last nine matches across all competitions.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
One At A Time - While we have been highlighting the current “easy” stretch of schedule here in The North End for months, fans should hope that the team is taking it one step at a time, especially when it comes to Saturday’s match. MLS will take a bye next weekend during the opening rounds of Leagues Cup before Austin returns to play, hosting Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas for a two-game Copa Tejas home stand in mid-August. I’m certainly looking ahead to our most hated rivals coming to town while hoping the Verde and Black have blinders on this weekend. Saturday’s result will shape both the media narrative and fan sentiments during the impending break in the league schedule and it will be a lot easier for all involved if ATX can take care of business and dispense one of the league’s worst teams. To their credit, Austin FC is 4-1-1 across all competitions since the beginning of June and has scored eight goals in those six games. They’ve only lost twice in league play since May 10. Three points would go a long way for Austin in the Western Conference table, as they currently sit tied for seventh place, with a game or two in hand on seven of the eight teams above them in the standings. Three points is all you can ask for if you’re taking it one game at a time, so I’ll join the team in doing so. Austin to win.
Predictions
ZG - 2-1 Austin FC
E - 2-0 Austin FC
