D.C. United-Santos Laguna match relocated after Audi Field deemed unplayable
D.C. United topped Atlanta in a shootout, 6-5 after a 3-3 draw, to open its Leagues Cup campaign with a win Friday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Jared Stroud scored twice for a D.C. team that bolted to a 3-1 first-half lead before settling for the draw through 90 minutes. Per the Leagues Cup’s group-stage format, United earned two points for the shootout win while Atlanta walked away with one for the loss.
Christian Benteke also found the net for United. Daniel Ríos scored twice for Atlanta — including the 81st-minute equalizer from the penalty spot — while sandwiching his tallies around a Saba Lobzhanidze strike.
Alex Bono denied Bartosz Slisz to clinch the shootout win after Gabriel Pirani had put United ahead. Bono also stopped a Slisz penalty kick in the 65th minute to preserve United’s lead at the time.
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Earlier on Friday, D.C. United’s Leagues Cup match against Mexican club Santos Laguna on Wednesday was relocated to Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., after the Audi Field playing surface was deemed unplayable.
The pitch has been less than pristine since the United Football League’s D.C. Defenders concluded their season June 2. But concerns around the surface’s viability escalated after a July 12 rugby match between the United States and Scotland left it visibly rough and patchy for two high-profile games: the send-off match for the U.S. women’s Olympic soccer team July 16 and D.C. United’s friendly against Scottish power Celtic on July 20.
MLS and Liga MX announced the decision Friday night after the Leagues Cup organizing committee assessed the field. United, which was hit with an undisclosed fine, plans to offer refunds or credits to ticket holders and provide buses for fans who want to travel to Chester.
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The field will endure more wear and tear this weekend when the Buzzard Point venue will host the Megan Thee Stallion-headlined Broccoli City Festival. United plans to install a new grass pitch Wednesday, 3½ weeks before its MLS schedule resumes with a home match against FC Dallas.
D.C. avoided similar issues last year by replacing the pitch soon after the Defenders’ season concluded. But a person with knowledge of the club’s thinking, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters, said the team decided not to swap out the field during an early June layoff because the Lionel Messi-led Argentine national team wanted it available for training ahead of its June 14 friendly against Guatemala at FedEx Field. By the time Argentina ultimately decided not to train at Audi Field, United had committed to replacing the pitch later in the summer.
United also looked into swapping home dates with Atlanta in the Leagues Cup group stage, the person said, so that United would have faced Santos Laguna on Aug. 4 on the new field. But a switch wasn’t possible because English power Chelsea is facing Mexico’s Club América on Wednesday at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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