In his second start (in four days, no less) and fourth total appearance for his new club, Jamaican forward Deshorn Brown started sprinting towards goal from the halfway line. To his left, Argentine midfielder Luciano Acosta dribbled at his opposing defender, a familiar sight for United fans, players and staff alike. But the Black-and-Red's newest acquisition, in the midst of a full sprint, pointed to where he wanted the ball-- behind the back line and off Acosta's foot. The five-three midfielder played the ball into Brown, who took one touch with the outside of his left foot and fired past a sliding Atiba Harris and in between goalkeeper Jesse Gonzalez's legs.
GOAL: Recent signee Deshorn Brown scores his first goal for D.C. United off of a clever Luciano Acosta ball.#DCUpic.twitter.com/JrfaZecwvS
— D.C. United (@dcunited) July 5, 2017
The goal was Brown's first for his new club and first in Major League Soccer since Oct. 5, 2014, against Seattle while playing for the Colorado Rapids. And while the end result is what Brown has been brought in for, the build-up play has head coach Ben Olsen excited. “He’s going to constantly push [opponents'] back lines. His willingness to run in behind is a little bit different than what we’ve had, and his pace and size help out."
It's that willingness and offensive aggression, exemplified by Brown's assertiveness both on and off the ball, that will be key for the offense to fire on all cylinders so far this season. But with a long way to go in Major League Soccer, the Jamaican knows the most important thing is positivity.
“[We have to] just stay positive. That’s the key aspect in this," he said. "No matter how tough it is, you’ve got to stick together as a team, stay positive and things will start to change.”
As more and more teammates now return to the pitch from injury and regain chemistry, the time is now to make a run as the second half begins.
"I’ve got two pretty good teams of 11 out there. It’s nice to see," Olsen said. "It’s a crucial time for us to build and compete.”
