Three victories needed to claim playoff berth
D.C. United hasn’t won two matches in a row in more than two years, but it may need victories in its final three games this season for a chance to make the playoffs.
After losing at Vancouver 2-1 on Wednesday, United (9-11-11, 38 points) remains five points out of a postseason berth. That means it needs at least two victories (six points) to catch either New York (9-7-16, 43 points) or Houston (10-9-13, 43 points), its closest reachable opponents in the Eastern Conference. The Red Bulls and Dynamo both have two games remaining, essentially creating the requirement for a third win.
The first match of United’s three-game season-closing homestand comes against Chicago (7-9-16, 37 points), which has an even worse chance of making the playoffs after losing to FC Dallas 2-1 on Wednesday.
The Fire will be without three suspended starters — Pavel Pardo (red card) and Dan Gargan and Cory Gibbs (yellow-card accumulation). D.C. United will welcome back Dwayne De Rosario (14 goals, 12 assists), who missed the Whitecaps game because of international duty with the Canadian national team.
