DC United set out to end their run of four consecutive defeats when they go head to head with Chicago Fire at the Audi Field on Saturday.
On the outside looking in at the playoffs and back at Audi Field for the first time in nearly a month, Wayne Rooney's D.C. United desperately needed points on Saturday night against a Philadelphia Union side that finished third in the Leagues Cup.
However, they were undone before halftime thanks to a calamitous defensive mistakes. Philadelphia’s Mikael Uhre and Jack McGlynn scored inside opening 13 minutes to take the sting out of Audi Field before Daniel Gazdag added the third from the penalty spot shortly before halftime to put the game to bed.
With a 3-1 defeat D.C. wasted the chance to reclaim the ninth and final Eastern Conference playoff slot with eight matches left to go. United’s winless streak in MLS play extended to four matches, and they now sit 10th in Eastern Conference.
As for the visitors, they aren't in the best of form either. The Fire lost their third straight game in MLS as they were defeated 1-0 at home by the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday night.
If there is an upside, it is that the Fire are still in the playoff berth despite three straight defeats. All of their remaining games are crucial, but perhaps none more so than the next one as they take on DC United – the team who is only two points behind them for the final playoff spot.
Here GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
DC United vs Chicago kick-off time
| Date: | September 2, 2023 |
| Kick-off time: | 7:30 pm ET |
| Venue: | Audi Field |
The MLS match between DC United and Chicago Fire will be played at the Audi Field soccer-specific stadium in Washington DC, USA.
It will kick off at 7:30 pm ET on September 2 in the United States (US).
How to watch DC United vs Chicago online - TV channels & live streams
 | Apple TV | Watch here |
The game will be available to watch and stream worldwide on Apple TV, through the MLS Season Pass. Highlights of the game will be uploaded to the official MLS YouTube channel, while the live updates can be followed on GOAL.
Team news & squads
DC United team news
Goalkeeper Tyler Miller sustained a rib injury in last weekend's game against Philadelphia, and will be sidelined for at least 4-6 weeks. Replacing Miller in between the sticks was back-up shot-stopper Alex Bono, who will start this game as well.
Martin Rodriguez will sit out until October with an anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL), while Mohanad Jeahze is out for the season with a calf injury. Nigel Robertha is also sidelined with an adductor issue.
Homegrown Ted Ku-DiPietro came off the bench to score in last weekend's 3-1 defeat against Philadelphia, and the midfielder could be given a rare start here.
DC United predicted XI:Miller; Ruan, Birnbaum, Williams, Hines-Ike; Ku-DiPietro, Durkin, Pirani; Dajome, Benteke, Santos
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Miller, Bono, Zamudio |
| Defenders: | Pines, Hines-Ike, Birnbaum, Williams, Davis, Greene, Samake, Ruan, Najar |
| Midfielders: | Durkin, Palsson, O'Brien, Pirani, Klich, Canouse, Ku-DiPietro, Asad, Santos |
| Forwards: | Benteke, Robertha, Hopkins, Fajardo, Hurtado, Dajome, Fletcher |
Chicago Fire team news
Chicago Fire winger Chris Mueller has not featured since late May due to a long-term hip issue and he is still some way from returning to training.
Forward Victor Bezerra is also out for the visitors with a leg injury, and he will be joined in the treatment room by Javier Casas.
Xherdan Shaqiri started two games in the past week and seemed to have some kind of tightness before coming off last time out, so he will most likely start on the bench. That makes Brian Gutiérrez a frontrunner for the No. 10 role, with Jairo Torres to his right and Fabian Herbers on the left flank, respectively.
Finally, with Kei Kamara having played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday, he's set to be on the bench for Saturday's debut, with Georgios Koutsias likely to lead the line.
Chicago Fire predicted XI:Brady; Dean, Teran, Czichos, Aceves; F. Navarro, Haile-Selassie; Herbers, Gutierrez, Torres; Koutsias
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Gal, Brady |
| Defenders: | Souquet, M. Navarro, Ornsberg, Teran, Dean, Burks, Reynolds |
| Midfielders: | Haile-Selassie, Gutierrez, Herbers, Oregel, A. Rodriguez, Torres, Shaqiri, F. Navarro |
| Forwards: | Kamara, M. Rodriguez, Koutsias |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 2/4/23 | Chicago Fire 0-0 DC United | MLS |
| 19/6/22 | Chicago Fire 1-0 DC United | MLS |
| 13/3/22 | DC United 0-2 Chicago Fire | MLS |
| 16/9/21 | DC United 3-0 Chicago Fire | MLS |
| 22/7/21 | Chicago Fire 2-2 DC United | MLS |