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1 week ago
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D.C. United caput manager Troy Lesesne is hoping that Christian Benteke’s instrumentality from wounded volition assistance his squad successful the attacking areas up of facing the Colorado Rapids.
Benteke, past season’s apical scorer successful the MLS, and chap attacker Joao Peglow missed D.C.’s 3-0 decision to Philadelphia Union with wounded arsenic United struggled successful the last third.
Lesesne’s broadside managed an expected goals (xG) full of conscionable 0.75 from their 9 shots, compared to the Union’s 1.22 from their 12 efforts astatine Luis Barraza’s goal.
Benteke is expected to instrumentality for D.C. this weekend, though Lesesne added that helium would besides similar to spot improvements from his squad astatine some ends of the pitch.
“We evidently miss Christian, and we miss Peglow,” Lesesne said. “That said, successful the archetypal half, we were truly successful control, and we created a fig of large opportunities and chances, and we didn’t springiness overmuch away.
“I’m ne'er going to begrudge idiosyncratic to effort to spell and people a extremity successful that situation, and Jacob is much than susceptible of doing that, but those are the large moments, right? We didn’t capitalise connected ours, and they capitalised connected theirs, and this is what we person to correct.
“Many, galore phases, we’re connected apical of the game. We conscionable person to tighten up and punish the different squad whenever we person our chances. And past we person to excavation things retired a small spot much to forestall the goals we are giving away.”
Next up: Back location astatine @AudiField for Military Appreciation Night
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— D.C. United (@dcunited) April 28, 2025
Colorado, meanwhile, are looking to physique connected their 1-1 gully with the Seattle Sounders past clip out, a effect that leaves them 5th successful the Western Conference aft 10 games.
Rapids caput manager Chris Armas acknowledged the trouble his broadside look astatine Audi Field, but the 52-year-old has a bully grounds against this weekend’s opponents.
He has won 3 of his 7 games against D.C. successful each competitions (D2 L2), lone managing much victories against the San Jose Earthquakes and Atlanta United (both four) crossed his coaching career.
“We are looking astatine gathering our squad and the types of performances that look similar america and putting ourselves successful spots to triumph games,” Armas said. “We cognize astatine D.C. United, I person coached successful that venue before. It is simply a pugnacious stadium to spell to.
“The squad is hard to play against and that is the archetypal happening to understand. They person not got each the results, but they person been successful each azygous crippled this year, adjacent the 1 past week against Philadelphia – they were the protagonists successful galore ways.
“It volition beryllium a pugnacious game, but what I americium looking guardant to astir is to spot however our squad responds to a antithetic benignant of challenge. A roadworthy challenge, a combative team, a squad successful D.C. United that are hopeless for points. It’s different trial for america to amusement wherever we are. I can’t wait.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
D.C. United – Kye Rowles
D.C. United won 32 aerial duels against the Union connected Saturday, taking their league-high mean to 18.8 aerial duels won per lucifer this season, with Rowles a immense portion of that.
He won a team-high 7 successful the aerial against them, portion lone chap defender Lucas Bartlett (11) and Dominique Badji (nine) competed successful much successful the contention than Rowles (eight).
D.C. person won 55.5 percent of their aerial duels successful 2025, the 3rd highest successful MLS down San Diego FC and Toronto FC.
Colorado Rapids – Djordje Mihailovic
Including scoring the Rapids’ lone extremity connected a nonstop free-kick connected Saturday, Mihailovic has been straight progressive successful six of Colorado’s past 8 goals (five goals, 1 assist).
The onslaught was the archetypal nonstop free-kick extremity scored by an American successful MLS this season.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
D.C. United has mislaid lone 1 of their past 11 meetings with Colorado, dating backmost to May 2011 (W5 D5), though that lone decision came successful the Rapids’ past sojourn to Audi Field, a 2-1 Colorado triumph successful 2020.
But they person won lone 2 of their past 17 regular-season location matches (D7 L8) dating backmost to the commencement of May 2024. D.C. person besides managed lone 1 cleanable expanse astatine Audi Field successful that time, a scoreless gully with the league’s lowest-scoring squad this season, CF Montreal, successful March.
Colorado, meanwhile, person mislaid lone 2 of their archetypal 10 matches of a play (W4 D4) for the 5th clip successful nine past and archetypal since 2016. The Rapids’ lone distant nonaccomplishment this word came against the league-leading Vancouver Whitecaps.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
D.C. United – 37.1%
Draw – 26.3%
Colorado Rapids – 36.5%
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