Troy Lesesne is only looking up as D.C. United look to continue their playoff push against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, having won three of their last four games in MLS to close on the wild-card spots.
D.C. beat Toronto FC 3-1 last time out, with Dominique Badji and Gabriel Pirani netting late on to decide a game that remained level with 88 minutes played.
Lesesne's team are now 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, three points clear of 14th-placed Chicago and two adrift of Atlanta United in the final wild-card place.
"We're not going to back down," Lesesne said. "We still realise there's a lot to play for in 2024, but while there's an opportunity, we have to make the most of it.
"When it goes 1-1 like that, you have a choice. But for us, it's never a choice. We're going to keep trying to push."
Chicago, meanwhile, saw their own playoff hopes dented by a 4-1 defeat to pacesetters Inter Miami last time out, with Luis Suarez netting twice for the Herons.
Boss Frank Klopas knows the Fire have no time to dwell on that result, saying: "We have to rebound. With the performance, we could have been better against Miami, but I just felt the mistakes we made cost us.
"We let the game get out of hand. It's just about keeping things tight, not giving up more than one goal per game, because we will always get opportunities.
"Now every game, we've talked about the importance of it. Other than Miami every game is against someone fighting for those spots in the playoffs.
"We'll prepare well this week and make the right decisions about who we put out on the field."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chicago Fire – Georgios Koutsias
Koutsias came off the bench to score the Fire's lone goal in their defeat to Miami last Saturday.
Three of Chicago's last seven MLS goals have been scored by substitutes after only one of the club's first 26 regular-season goals in 2024 were netted by substitutes.
D.C. United – Gabriel Pirani
D.C., meanwhile, had three substitutes score in their victory over Toronto last time out, including Pirani.
Pirani has three goals in MLS this season, with only Christian Benteke – the league's leading scorer with 17 – outperforming him for D.C.
MATCH PREDICTION – CHICAGO FIRE WIN
Chicago have failed to win any of their last five matches in all competitions (one draw, four losses), following their 4-1 home defeat to Miami last time out.
They have scored in each of those games, though, and might fancy their chances of a different result against a D.C. team with just three wins in 18 away league games (seven draws, eight losses), a run that dates back to early July 2023.
Chicago are unbeaten in nine straight home matches against D.C. (three wins, six draws), last losing to them on their own turf in June 2015. This is their longest active home unbeaten run against any team in regular-season play.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chicago Fire – 44%
D.C. United – 29.2%
Draw – 26.8%
Nagelsmann impressed after biggest win of Germany tenure
Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann was impressed by his team after they inflicted a heavy 7-0 defeat on Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League.
The thumping win in Freiburg secured top spot for the Germans in Group A3, with Nagelsmann's side now five points clear of second-placed Netherlands with one game to go.
Florian Wirtz and Tim Kleindienst netted two each, while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane were also on target in the victory that was Germany's biggest win since Nagelsmann took charge in September 2023.
The former Bayern Munich manager, who replaced Hansi Flick, failed to take hosts Germany past the quarter-finals in the summer's Euros, but his side now have a chance of securing their first silverware under the 37-year-old.
"We have no injuries from the game and our counter-pressing was extraordinarily good," Nagelsmann said after the game.
"And then to score seven goals against an opponent sitting so deep is something.
"We wanted to win possession and then quickly play the ball forward, be quick in transition and find those runs, something we did not do often enough at the Euros [in June]. We did it well," he said.
Glenmuir outclass STETHS 5-2 to maintain daCosta Cup dominance; McGrath, Garvey Maceo, Ocho Rios also into semis
Glenmuir High continued their dominant march in the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup with an emphatic 5-2 victory over St Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) in their final Group A quarterfinal match on Saturday.
In a display of clinical finishing and cohesive play, Glenmuir, through goals from Orel Miller (12th), Conroy Nicely (32nd), Orane Watson (45th and 67th), and Ricardo Binns (90+1), overwhelmed their opponents at home in Santa Cruz to further solidify their status as title favourites. Justin McPherson (80th) and Shemmar Smith (83rd) got STETHS consolation.
The win saw Glenmuir finish atop the group with maximum nine points, five points ahead of McGrath High, who blanked Frome Technical 4-0 to also book a semi-final berth. They finished ahead of STETHS on goal difference after both ended on four points each.
Glenmuir’s Head coach, Andrew Peart, was again pleased with how his team went about business.
“Every game you play, you try not to concede but we can live with it. We were 4-0 up when we conceded so we can work on those. I thought today was one of the displays that you’re really proud of; at the start we weren’t really in control but we managed to settle and play our game and score some goals so again, I am really proud of them,” Peart said in a post-game interview.
Though a bit slow out the blocks, Glenmuir quickly gathered momentum and broke the deadlock inside 15 minutes when Miller capitalized on a perfectly weighted cross from Tajaun Cummings, rising above defenders to power a header into the net.
STETHS had a chance to respond shortly after but Deandre Barnett’s header struck the upright.
That was all STETHS would get at that point as Glenmuir extended their lead two minutes past the half-hour mark with a goal that showcased their set-piece prowess. A weighted corner kick from O’Neil Headly was cleverly flicked on by Dusting Cohen, allowing Nicely to tap in at the far post.
Watson added his name to the scoresheet just before halftime, when he slotted into an empty net after STETHS’ goalkeeper Johnoi Steadman advanced and failed to get a hand on Okeem Saunders’ perfectly measured cross. caused confusion in the STETHS defense, with misjudging the delivery as Glenmuir went 3-0 up at the interval.
Glenmuir maintained their attacking intensity at the restart, with Watson again proving troublesome.
In the 67th, Saunders once again played provider, delivering a precise pass that Watson controlled expertly before unleashing a powerful drive from the edge of the box. With that, his second goal of the game, Watson took his tally to 31 for the season, a testament to his exceptional form.
Despite trailing by four goals, STETHS showed resilience in the final 10 minutes. McPherson pulled one back in the 80th minute, finishing from close range to bring the home crowd to life.
Just three minutes later, McPherson turned provider, delivering a pinpoint cross that Stewart headed home for his fifth goal of the season.
However, Glenmuir had the final say as Binns found himself unmarked in the penalty area and easily headed home a perfectly floated cross from Cohen to complete the rout. It was Binns’ seventh goal of the season and a fitting end to a commanding performance.
STETHS’ Head coach Omar Wedderburn and his troops will now have to look to the Ben Francis Cup for redemption.
“We weren’t focused enough in the first half and three goals scored from the service. We tried to make some adjustments in the second half but it barely bore fruit but that’s how it is; it is a hard one to digest and we just have to do what we have to do,” he noted.
Saturday’s Results
Glenmuir 5, STETHS 2
McGrath 4, Frome Technical 0
Munro College 3, Central High 1
Ocho Rios 2, Garvey Maceo 0
Germany 7-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina: Nagelsmann's side thump visitors to confirm top spot
Germany posted a commanding 7-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in their penultimate fixture in Freiburg to secure top spot in Group A3 of the Nations League.
Florian Wirtz and Tim Kleindienst scored two goals each while Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Leroy Sane were also on the scoresheet as the Germans posted their fourth win and maintained a five-point lead over the Netherlands in second place.
Julian Nagelsmann's side made a blistering start as Musiala headed home with just 78 seconds on the clock.
Borussia Monchengladbach striker Kleindienst then opened his account for Germany as Robert Andrich's effort deflected off him on its way into the goal in the 23rd minute.
Havertz ensured the hosts went into the interval with a three-goal lead, while Wirtz added two more, including a superb free-kick, before the clock struck the hour mark, effectively ending Bosnia's hopes of a comeback.
Sane joined the party in the 66th minute with Germany's sixth before Kleindienst sealed the victory with his second of the night, a close-range finish, 11 minutes later.
The hosts will wrap up their group stage campaign with a trip to Budapest to face Hungary on Tuesday, while Bosnia, sitting bottom with one point, will host group runners-up Netherlands.
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