Week 28 was mostly watered down around Major League Soccer, as most clubs took the international break off. Five clubs decided to take the field, all missing portions of their roster to international duty, trading a few missing players for a less-congested schedule in other parts of the season (in theory). It meant, for once, the disembodied heads weren’t the weirdest part of D.C. United’s lineup graphic.
But the Black and Red made the trek north to take on New York City FC with just four substitutes all the same. NYCFC had two shots to gain ground on its Eastern Conference foes at the top of the table, while Sporting Kansas City and the Portland Timbers notched three more points to solidify their standings in the West.