D.C. United's co-leading scorer Darren Mattocks may have missed Saturday's match at NYCFC due to international duty, but the forward continued his scoring streak, recording a brace for Jamaica in the Reggae Boyz's 4-0 rout of the Cayman Islands on Sunday night.
Mattocks earned the starting nod against the Cayman Islands after remaining an unused substitute in Jamaica's September 7 match against Ecaudor, in which they fell 2-0. The United forward made the most of his start and immediately put the Reggae Boyz up 1-0 in the 2nd minute. Mattocks patiently waited at the top of the box as Jamaica worked their way up the flank, then made a run to the six-yard box to receive a well-placed cross, calmly heading home the ball for the early lead.
The Portmore native struck again in the 57th minute off another close-range header. Similar to the first goal, Mattocks found his way into the six-yard box to meet a cross from the right side, using his athleticism to out-jump his defenders and flick a second header past the Cayman Islands' goalkeeper.
The Philadelphia Union's Cory Burke also recorded a brace to complete the 4-0 rout.
Mattocks has scored nine goal for the Black-and-Red this season, and is currently tied with Yamil Asad for United's 2018 Golden Boot. The forward has a knack for finding the back of the net in clutch moments in particular—he scored in the final moments of United's matches in Carson, California, against the LA Galaxy, and in LA against LAFC, to secure last-gasp draws for the Black-and-Red.
Mattocks now returns to the District ahead of United's important seven-match homestand, in which the Black-and-Red hope to continue their scrappy fight up the Eastern Conference standings toward the final playoff spot.
