The old RFK Stadium was the stage of happy moments last year for the Impact: the Bleu-blanc-noir earned its first-ever win near the White House, eliminating D.C. United from the MLS Cup Playoffs in the process and going through to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. But things have changed for the Red and Black since the Impact conquered the American capital.
“We embarrassed them a bit last year, we got up 4-0 on them and it finished 4-2,” said Evan Bush. “We ended their season on their home field. They were playing very well at the time; they were the hottest team in the league at that point. This time around, both teams are different. We are both trying to find our identities. We have a slow start, they have a slow start, so from that standpoint, we can’t really look back at what happened last year and expect things to be the same. We need to approach the game with the mindset that we want the same result, but we can’t think we will win 4-0.”
“I know for sure that any team that knocks me out of the playoffs, I’ll have a chip on my shoulder against them for a little while,” followed Chris Duvall. “I’m sure they are going to be ready for it. We saw them in preseason; we know it will be a physical game. They are going to be tough.
United are on a decent run at the moment, having won three of their past five games, including last weekend’s match up in Atlanta against another United, which was their first away victory in 2017.
“They are definitely a durable team,” Duvall continued. “Last week in Atlanta, in a tough environment against a very good team, they conceded a lot of possession and they still got three goals and a comfortable win. I think this is an amazing and a very mature result.”
With last year’s hero, Matteo Mancosu, who scored a brace and added an assist, out with a thigh injury, the Impact will have to look elsewhere for someone to spearhead the attack, but the Italian is not the only one missing out at the moment.
“We have injuries throughout the whole team. It’s unfortunate, but we have guys who have earned the chance to get on the field,” continued Bush. “Let’s hope they can take advantage of it. We see in training what the guys can do, and everyone on this team is capable of doing special things at different moments. We hope we can have 11 guys doing special things all at once.”
