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D.C. United and Union set to resume budding rivalry

CruzDeRosario (Getty)

By THOMAS FLOYD

For all the attention Cascadia has rightfully received for bringing a new level of intensity to MLS rivalries, the fresh I-95 feud between D.C. United and the Philadelphia Union has offered up its fair share of heated affairs as well.

Over the past year, the clubs’ first teams have met five times. In June, the Union eliminated United from the U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 overtime win that saw D.C.’s Brandon McDonald and Philadelphia’s Carlos Valdes tossed. Two months later, United’s Branko Boskovic and Emiliano Dudar and the Union’s Sheanon Williams were ejected in the dying moments of a frantic 1-1 draw at RFK Stadium.

And in February, during a preseason clash in Orlando, Fla., Union goalkeeper Zac MacMath and United midfielder-forward Dwayne De Rosario received red cards, with the D.C. captain taking a two-game suspension for headbutting former teammate Danny Cruz.

“They’re right down the road, and I think proximity always plays into this stuff,” United coach Ben Olsen said. “It does seem to get pretty chippy.”

United for Sunday’s match program have put together an illustration documenting the numbers behind the rivalry’s brief but intense history. Here’s a look at the slick infographic:

UnitedUnionGraphic

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Where does the United-Union feud stand among MLS rivalries? Do you expect another physical match Sunday? And who do you see coming out on top?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. yeah, i’m not feeling this ‘rivalry’. it definitely seems manufactured, at least from a fan’s viewpoint. maybe the players feel differently, but that’s a pretty vague, unemotional response from benny.

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