D.C. United played to a 0-0 draw against Los Angeles FC at Audi Field on Saturday, Aug. 29. The result in front of a sold-out crowd earned the Black-and-Red an important point and moved them to 5-7-10 on the season.
D.C. United pushed early. Louis Munteanu delivered a cross for João Peglow, whose header forced goalkeeper Hugo Lloris into a save inside the opening 25 seconds. Keisuke Kurokawa had a goal ruled out for offside in the 16th minute. Nathan Ordaz, making his first start for the club, created the next chance with a cross from the right wing that found Jackson Hopkins in the 49th minute, drawing another save out of Lloris. The Los Angeles FC goalkeeper made his third and final stop in the 63rd minute, diving to turn aside Munteanu's driven shot toward the bottom-left corner.
Los Angeles FC's front three of Heung-Min Son, Denis Bouanga and Jeremy Ebobisse carried much of the visitors' threat, but D.C. United's defense stayed organized throughout. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson kept the scoreline level with a crucial save on Bouanga in the 36th minute, and a flurry of Los Angeles FC corner kicks around the hour mark was well defended, with Andre Dozzell and Matti Peltola combining to block Son's shot on an open goal. The Black-and-Red finished with 18 tackles and seven clearances, and Kimito Nono was named Heineken Man of the Match for his defensive performance on the wing. Despite being outshot 17-15, D.C. United registered three shots on target and limited Los Angeles FC to one in the club's fifth shutout of the season.
Head Coach René Weiler made his first substitution in the 77th minute, with Hosei Kijima replacing Jackson Hopkins. Jared Stroud replaced Brandon Servania in the 86th minute, and Nikola Markovic entered for Ordaz in the second minute of stoppage time. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Los Angeles FC won a free kick on the left wing, but Ryan Hollingshead's attempt at a winner sailed wide.
D.C. United remain in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, level on 25 points with Orlando City SC and Toronto FC. The Black-and-Red head back on the road Saturday, Sept. 5 to face FC Cincinnati. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET.
D.C. United Lineup: Sean Johnson, Kimito Nono, Lucas Bartlett, Matti Peltola, Keisuke Kurokawa, João Peglow, Louis Munteanu, Andre Dozzell, Brandon Servania (Jared Stroud 86'), Jackson Hopkins (Hosei Kijima 77'), Nathan Ordaz (Nikola Markovic 90'+2')
Unused Substitutes: Oscar Avilez, Kamil Castillo, Gavin Turner, Sean Nealis, Alex Bono
Head Coach: René Weiler
Los Angeles FC Lineup: Hugo Lloris, Ryan Porteous, Yevhen Cheberko, Ryan Hollingshead, Aaron Long, Eddie Segura (Jude Terry 77'), Mark Delgado, Mathieu Choinière, Heung-Min Son, Jeremy Ebobisse (Tyler Boyd 81'), Denis Bouanga
Unused Substitutes: Ryan Raposo, Cabral Carter, Christian Diaz, Kenneth Nielsen, Charlie Kosakoff, Tommy Mihalic, Nikosi Tafari
Head Coach: Marc Dos Santos
