On a sweltering night in the nation’s capital that delayed kickoff by an hour, D.C. United grabbed an important three points by defeating the reigning MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers. The victory moves D.C. above the New England Revolution into playoff position.
“It’s probably one of the hardest games I’ve played in my time over here, probably the conditions were the worst I can remember,” said United midfielder Lloyd Sam of playing in the heat. “I think it affected both teams but once you get your nose in front, it probably affects the other team a lot more when they’re chasing the game.”
United made yet another fast start as they took the lead inside 20 minutes for the third straight game. Steve Birnbaum picked up where he left off at the end of last weekend’s match against Philadelphia, scoring his second goal of the season in the seventh minute. Bill Hamid came to the rescue shortly thereafter, making a brilliant save against Timbers forward Jack McInerney, who had snuck in behind the United defense.
Just after Hamid’s heroics, the Black-and-Red doubled their advantage on a cheeky finish by Luciano Acosta. The diminutive Argentine brought down Patrick Mullins’ excellent chipped pass between two defenders before cutting inside and firing past Portland goalkeeper Jake Gleeson to put United up 2-0, a scoreline which held to the final whistle.
“I think it was an all-around good effort. They guys put in a lot of mileage and a lot of work,” said United assistant coach Chad Ashton, who was filling in as head coach for the suspended Ben Olsen. “Portland's attacking pieces on the other side are real, so to put up a shutout against them is a big statement. Just a credit to the entire team for putting in a pretty complete effort..”
After showing improvement but only managing draws in their last two matches, United put all the pieces together against the Timbers. The team maintained their relentless energy from start to finish despite the heat, and chemistry that had been budding finally blossomed into effective connections all over the field.
In addition to scoring multiple goals, the United defense was able to lock down one of the league’s most prolific offenses, allowing just three shots on goal. Center backs Birnbaum and Bobby Boswell repelled ball after ball into the box, and the few times Portland did break through, Hamid was there to make the stop. Up front, Patrick Mullins, Luciano Acosta, and Lloyd Sam were dangerous throughout, exploiting seams in the Timbers’ defense and creating numerous chances.
“To know that we’re capable of doing that, and to do it against the reigning champs, it’s a big deal,” said Ashton on the importance of the result. “I think we felt like we were moving forward, and this feels like another step forward, and hopefully we can just build on that.”
The Black-and-Red head into next week’s clash against the New York Red Bulls with momentum stemming from a positive result. In playoff position for the time being, they will look to close out the four-game homestand with a win over their archrivals.
