With their sights set on a second consecutive win for the first time in the current MLS season, DC United will host the Chicago Fire this Saturday at Audi Field. Last weekend, they beat FC Cincinnati 2-1 to move up to 12th place in the Eastern Conference, four points behind only the Fire, who overcame Orlando City.
DC United will have five players involved in international duty
After a draw and a win, DC United are feeling very confident at the start of the month after a great performance against the New England Revolution, one of the teams that has seen the biggest increase in performance in recent weeks.
It's worth noting that DC United have failed to win three consecutive games at Audi Field, making it the longest home winless streak in the MLS at the moment. On the other hand, since the start of 2022, DC United are unbeaten against the Chicago Fire in their last five games.
For this weekend's line-up, the following players have been called up by national teams and will miss out: Kye Rowles (Australia), Matti Peltola (Finland), Aaron Herrera (Guatemala), Kristian Fletcher (USA U-20) and Boris Enow (Cameroon). In addition, the injured Garrison Tubbs and Lukas MacNaughton are out due to thigh strains. Jackson Hopkins and Kim Jun-hong have hip pain and Christian Benteke missed last week with an ankle injury.
Chicago Fire seeks to consolidate its season
The Chicago Fire returned to their best form at the end of May with their fifth win in their last six games, overcoming a setback against New York FC. The month of May also cemented an important statistic: the Fire have yet to lose games in MLS 2025 when they go into half-time with a lead.
Under coach Gregg Berhalter, the Fire have won the fewest away games in the regular season, tied with the Philadelphia Union. Another problem is that they have conceded two or more goals in six games this season, but the fact that they have a 100% record away from home against lower-ranked teams is a factor that makes fans optimistic.
Berhalter will be without four international players, with Sergio Oregel Jr. and Christopher Cupps in the USA U-20 and U-17 teams respectively, while Omari Glasgow is in Guyana and Chris Brady is with the USA senior team.