Columbus Crew SC takes on fellow MLS charter member D.C. United on March 18 at 7 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium.
Saturday’s match kicks-off on The CW Columbus, Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, with Neil Sika and Dwight Burgess on the call. Coverage on The CW Columbus begins at 7 p.m. ET. Exclusively on Spectrum Sports and BCSN2, “Crew SC Matchday,” the pre-match show, begins at 6:30 p.m. ET, with “Crew SC Post-Match” immediately following the action. Saturday’s match will air on Spectrum Sports channels 314/1314. While former Insight customers will not have access to those channels, they may watch it on WWHO (Channel 27). Locally, the contest is available via the radio in English on CD102.5 FM and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1 FM. The English radio broadcast also is set to stream live on ColumbusCrewSC.com. The Spanish radio calls are also set to be streamed in Spanish on the LaMega1 App and via Tunein Radio as WVKO- FM.
"We're looking forward to D.C. United this weekend," Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. "For us, it's a tricky challenge, but it's about playing our game with spacing and ball movement and doing our best. I think their top four — how they work — is interesting. I think they pose a lot of problems with their variation and their movement off the ball."
Through the first two weeks of the MLS regular season, both Crew SC and D.C. United share identical records and places in the table with a point a piece.
Creating scoring chances is not a problem for the Black & Gold, however. Crew SC has been successful with more passes, placed more shots on goal, taken more corner kicks, and delivered more crosses than both opponents — the Chicago Fire on March 4 and Houston Dynamo on March 11 — so far this season.
Similar to Columbus, D.C. United is coming into Saturday’s matchup in search of their first win in 2017. Unlike Columbus, D.C. has been unable to find the back of the net at all.
They played to a scoreless draw in their season opener against Sporting Kansas City, and then lost, 4-0, to New York City FC last week.
All-time, D.C. United has 20 wins in 33 regular season matches against Crew SC at RFK Stadium. The Black & Gold have only lost twice in their last 10 matchups against D.C., and have outscored United 93 to 89. Last season the two teams met twice, with the first meeting ending in a scoreless draw at MAPFRE Stadium. United then won 3-0 at home on Sept. 28, 2016.
However, United will be scrambling to defend their fort this time without key playmaker, Luciano Acosta, who is reportedly out with an injury. Both teams will be fighting for their first win of the 2017 MLS regular season this Saturday.
Crew SC next faces D.C. United on March 18 at 7 p.m. ET at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. The Black & Gold return home on March 25 to host the Portland Timbers for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium.
