D.C. United has a chance to move into a tie for first in the Eastern Conference, but they’ll have to beat the Philadelphia Union tonight to make it count. These two teams needed the entire 120 minutes and stoppage time to separate them the last time they met, and have had broadly similar seasons all year long. As such, both teams have been drifting along of late rather than taking control of the East, so a win tonight could jump-start the victor’s overall form and confidence as summer approaches its end.
When these two teams last met, Acosta’s influence on the game was minor for about an hour before he started to pick things up.