Going in to Saturday's crucial match against the Montreal Impact, focus was on the Black-and-Red's defense. While the attack has consistently shown their ability to go punch-for-punch with opponents, the question surrounded the backline—with just two shutouts as of September 28, would the defense be able to stifle Ignacio Piatti and co.?
With a 5-0 victory and the second clean sheet at Audi Field, the answer was a resounding "yes."
The scoreline may indicate a blowout, but head coach Ben Olsen noted that the match was still very competitive, and Montreal forced United's defense to step up and put together one of their strongest performances of the year. The evenly-matched nature of the game was clearly reflected in the final statistics—Montreal tallied 24 shots, including four shots on target and 13 from inside the box, to United's nine. But goalkeeper Bill Hamid and the rest of the defense elevated their game when it mattered most.
Hamid made five saves on the evening and earned his second clean sheet since rejoining United in the summer transfer window. Defensive midfield duo Russell Canouse and Júnior Moreno stood strong in the middle of the pitch, preventing Montreal from ever truly finding their rhythm. Steven Birnbaum remained dominant in the air, while Frédéric Brillant stepped in for an injured Kofi Opare and logged arguably his best 90 minutes of the season. Joseph Mora and Oniel Fisher were influential up and down the flanks, and newcomer Kevin Ellis looked confident and sharp after subbing on for Fisher. All in all, the back line stepped up, and the strength of their performance was reflected in the final scoreline.
Following the match, Hamid echoed Olsen’s sentiments on the competitiveness of the matchup. But United, unlike the Impact, put away their chances, scoring five goals on just nine shots, and showed how much of an advantage thriving on-field chemistry can provide.
“You can see that it was a very physical match," Hamid said, "both teams really wanted it. They put their best foot forward and so did we. But our sharpness was the key tonight. Everybody came and showed up and fought.”
“I don’t want to jinx it, but we are playing well as a team, as a unit,” Hamid continued. “We have good chemistry, we’re together. The coaching staff, the team, the medical staff, everybody—we’re all together in this, the camaraderie is good, and let’s hope it continues.”
While the Black-and-Red are proud of the key win and their performances on both sides of the ball, they realize it's not the time to get too confident.
“We’ve got Chicago next and we’re only looking one game at a time,” Hamid said. “Chicago won [Saturday], and they actually had a very strong win, so we know they’re going to walk into this stadium with confidence, and we have to do our best to kill off that confidence as quickly and as early as possible.”
The statement win over Montreal was sweet, but with Chicago coming to town this Sunday and United still two points behind the Impact for the sixth-place spot in the East, focus quickly shifts to the next challenge. The Fire upset LAFC 3-1 last weekend, showing D.C. United they will again need to be stingy on defense and efficient on offense to snag a second-consecutive win at home.
Pack Audi Field this Sunday to help the Black-and-Red continue their rise, and see if they can slip into a playoff spot this weekend as the hunt for the postseason continues.
