D.C. United will look to reverse their recent form, and potentially create a logjam atop the Eastern Conference, on Sunday night when they host the Philadelphia Union at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. It's the first league meeting between the two I-95 rivals after the Black-and-Red snatched a dramatic win in a U.S. Open Cup tilt back in June. 

Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM ET, and the game will be shown nationally on FS1.

After last week's drab 0-0 draw at the Chicago Fire, United have won just two of their last 12 league games, dating back to the middle of May. Despite those results, D.C. enter the game in third place in the conference, and they'll have a chance to draw level with the Union and Atlanta United (39 points) with a win.

Just 10 games remain on the season, and with a tight battle underway for the playoffs, United are aware of just how important Sunday night's clash will be.

"These are games that are must-wins for us. That's how we see it. Everyone sees how tight the Eastern Conference is. What a big game," winger Paul Arriola told FloFC earlier this week. "This one being against Philadelphia, who is on top, it's extremely important to get a win. We've been up and down with our results for a while now, so this is a must-win for us."

Against Philly, United will be without the services of Russell Canouse, who is set to miss the next three to six weeks. In the draw against Chicago, Canouse was injured by CJ Sapong and suffered a collapsed lung. The midfielder had to remain behind while receiving treatment at a local hospital, but made the trip back to D.C. a couple of days later, with United grateful for his long-term health.

Chris Durkin is the likeliest candidate to fill Canouse's role. The 19-year-old has 12 appearances and six starts in the league this year, having previously filled in when Canouse picked up an injury back in April. Joseph Mora should also return to the starting lineup against the Union, having been a substitute against the Fire.

D.C. United announced this week that Mora, a Costa Rican international, had acquired a green card, meaning that he will no longer occupy an international spot on United's roster. With the recent departure of Zoltan Stieber, that leaves the club with two available international spots.

Opposite of United is a Union side that has spent much of the summer in first place in the Eastern Conference, though was passed up by Atlanta on the wins tiebreaker on Saturday afternoon. Jim Curtin's side has impressed Ben Olsen with their ability to get points week in and week out, despite a couple of recent poor performances.

"Hopefully we can get some points against a very good Union team. Other than LAFC, I think Philly has been the most consistent team in the league," Olsen said this week. "Not a lot of weaknesses, good set pieces, beat you with passing. And then they have some special, dynamic attacking players."

One of those attacking players is Marco Fabian, who was the splashy offseason signing for the Union. The Mexican midfielder has scored four goals in his debut season in MLS but has missed games through suspension and injury.

Fellow winter signing Kacper Przybylko leads the club with nine league goals this season. Jamiro Monteiro is one of several players for the Union with four goals to his name, but the midfielder is questionable to play on Sunday night, along with forwards Fafa Picault and Sergio Santos. 

Predicted D.C. United Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bill Hamid, Joseph Mora, Steven Birnbaum, Frederic Brillant, Leonardo Jara, Junior Moreno, Chris Durkin, Lucas Rodriguez, Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, Wayne Rooney