Sporting Kansas City meets Eastern Conference leader D.C. United on Friday night at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The nationally televised match will kick off at 7 p.m. on NBCSN.
Sporting Kansas City is tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with the New England Revolution heading into Friday’s match.
The trip to the nation’s capital comes after a three-game home stand which included two victories in the CONCACAF Champions League. Most recently, Sporting KC fell to the Revolution 3-2 despite a pair of goals from Paulo Nagamura and Dom Dwyer in a two-minute span.
D.C. United is undefeated in its last four matches across all competition, most recently defeating the Philadelphia Union 1-0 last weekend at RFK Stadium.
Luis Silva’s 10th-minute strike helped to secure D.C.’s 15th victory in 2014 after finishing last year with just three wins and 16 points. Silva has 11 goals since the beginning of June, third most in MLS.
Dom Dwyer is second in MLS with 20 goals scored this season, breaking the club’s previous single-season record. Dwyer has scored in five straight appearances across all competition, tying Preki (1996) the longest such scoring streak in club history.
With a goal on Friday, Dwyer would be the first Sporting KC player ever to score in six straight competitive matches.
D.C. United has an MLS-best eight clean sheets at home and a 10-2-3 record at RFK Stadium this season. Its 10 home wins are tied for second most in MLS and their 11 home goals allowed are fewest in MLS, however D.C. United will be facing a Sporting KC squad that leads MLS with eight road wins.
D.C. United defeated Sporting KC in the previous two matches this season, a 1-0 result on May 31 and a 3-0 victory in August. With a win or a tie on Friday, D.C. United would become the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot in 2014.
– Story from Sporting KC