Down a man and facing relentless pressure from the Crew, the Black-and-Red picked up three important points on Saturday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md.
With Saturday's match being their final "home" fixture before the Audi Field inaugural match on July 14, United were determined to put together a complete performance and pick up their first win of the season. The Black-and-Red fell to the Crew 3-1 just weeks earlier on March 24, but Saturday's contest was different—both teams entered the match at fuller strength and United were in front of local DMV fans for only the second time of 2018.
Like in their prior match against Columbus, United came out fiery and feisty at the opening whistle, pressing the visitors and pinning their back line deep. That fast press immediately paid off. Less than a minute into the game, Paul Arriola forced a turnover on the right wing and passed to Nick DeLeon, who then fed a through ball to Luciano Acosta near the right corner of Columbus' box. Acosta cleverly connected with Arriola on a back-heel pass, Arriola one-timed a short pass over to Ulises Segura at the top of the box, and Segura volleyed a beautiful shot past Zack Steffen in the far corner to put the home side up 1-0 just 43 seconds into the game.
Segura's goal was his first career D.C. United and Major League Soccer score, and was the third-fastest goal in Black-and-Red history. Only Chris Pontius (31 seconds) and Jaime Moreno (40 seconds) have scored quicker goals for D.C.
United kept up the pressure after seizing the lead. The Black-and-Red midfielders showed no signs of hesitation in taking on Columbus' defenders one-on-one, going at the Crew back line with fervor and in turn creating near-scoring chances for Acosta, Arriola, Patrick Mullins, and others.
United entered halftime with the 1-0 lead, but were faced with a potentially game-changing challenge shortly after the break. In the 52nd minute, Arriola tackled a Columbus defender, and was initially given a yellow card for the challenge. Referee Ismail Elfath then decided to use VAR to review the tackle, though, after which he gave Arriola a controversial red card, leaving United down a man for the remaining 40 minutes of the match.
With only 10 men and a 1-0 advantage, the Black-and-Red bunkered down on defense to stifle the Crew's mad dash for an equalizer.
While United's back line and additional defensive substitutions all stepped up to the challenge of stopping the visitors' dangerous attack, Steve Clark stole the show in the second half. The goalkeeper notched five saves against the Crew, including saves against Pedro Santos and Gyasi Zardes headers that were mere inches away from finding the back of the net.
Up a man and desperate for a goal, Columbus out-possessed United 69% to 31% and out-shot the home side 24 to five. The Black-and-Red put in an admirable and determined defensive effort, though, gritting their way through the final 45 to secure a hard-fought three points and their first victory and shutout of the season to the delight of the DMV fans.
Following this weekend's bye week, United return to the road on their road trip to Audi Field, making stops in Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Jose, Toronto, Los Angeles, Seattle, New England, and Los Angeles for a second time before returning to the District for the historic inaugural match at Audi Field. The Black-and-Red open their new state-of-the-art home against the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 14.
Click here for more information on Audi Field's inaugural match and to find out how you can be there.
