Just about any discussion of D.C. United this summer ends up containing the phrase “games in hand,” and today against New York City FC, United has to start making them count. The Black-and-Red are 6 points out of a playoff spot having played 3 fewer games than the sixth-placed Montreal Impact, but that doesn’t matter if D.C. fails to put wins on the board in those extra matches.
This is a tough one, too, as United is missing nearly 40% of their roster, and they’re traveling to a venue in which NYCFC has lost just twice in the last calendar year.