The 2018 regular season ended over the weekend, and D.C. United capped off a campaign to remember. It has been a year of highs and lows, with the team going from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to a postseason berth in the final weeks of the season. With new players joining the Black-and-Red, the opening of long-awaited Audi Field, and a major shift in the mentality of the squad, 2018 has been one of United's most memorable regular seasons ever. Before the Black-and-Red start their playoff run, recap the turnaround of the regular season.
March
D.C. United kicked off their season on March 3 at Orlando City Stadium with a 1-1 draw against the Lions. Yamil Asad opened up scoring for the Black-and-Red with a 32nd-minute goal—his first goal for United and United's first goal of the season—but Orlando City came back with a stoppage-time equalizer to earn the draw.
United played four more matches that month, including three on the road and a faux home match at the Maryland SoccerPlex. The Black-and-Red failed to pick up their first win of the year in the season's first month, going 0-3-2 overall in March, and struggling to score goals while keeping opponents from getting plenty of shots on target. Looking to bolster their depth, United added leading USL goalscorer Dane Kelly and Deportivo Saprissa defender Joseph Mora.
April only featured two matches for D.C. United, one on the road and another pseudo-home game as the team awaited the completion of Audi Field. The Black-and-Red earned their first win and first clean sheet of the year on April 14 over the Columbus Crew at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium thanks to a Ulises Segura goal. United then headed to Philadelphia where Zoltán Stieber and Darren Mattocks got on the scoreboard, but the squad fell to the Union 3-2.
D.C. United went 1-1-1 in May with their first road win of the year over the San Jose Earthquakes, a draw at LAFC, and a 3-2 loss at Real Salt Lake. Goalscoring for the Black-and-Red continued to develop in May, with the offense producing six goals in three games. Darren Mattocks' production rate picked up up top, and Luciano Acosta started to rack up the assists with his improving play in the midfield. While there were positive signs for the team's potential, United had only earned two wins in their first 10 games played, and now faced setbacks with Nick DeLeon and Ulises Segura suffering injuries that would keep them sidelined for the coming weeks.
In June, the Black-and-Red started their U.S. Open Cup journey in addition to continuing their MLS regular season. They played five games in total: three in MLS competition and two for the U.S. Open Cup. United won their first Open Cup match against the USL's North Carolina FC in a 4-3 shootout at the Maryland SoccerPlex, but lost their second game against Orlando City in penalties.
In MLS action, United continued to struggle to pick up points, recording two losses and a draw. The attack consistently scored, notching seven goals in three matches, but the back line struggled to find a rhythm. With two wins in 13 MLS games, United were at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but at the end of the month the club made the first move that would help turn their season around.
On June 28, United announced that sensational forward Wayne Rooney would be joining the club from Everton. The English icon gave Black-and-Red fans a reason for optimism, but it'd still be a few weeks before Rooney was eligible to make his debut for United.
The Black-and-Red began to turn their season around in July with the help of Audi Field's opening, Wayne Rooney's debut, and Luciano Acosta's resurgence. United picked up seven points from a 2-2-1 record on the month and started building home-field advantage at their new fortress.
On July 14, the team came out fiery for the Audi Field inaugural match, earning a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps thanks to a Paul Arriola brace and a Yamil Asad goal. The game also marked the MLS debut of Rooney, who assisted on Yamil Asad’s goal in the 80th minute after subbing on in the second half. Rooney would go on to score his first MLS goal on July 28 in United's win over the Colorado Rapids.
July also saw the return of defensive midfielder Russell Canouse, who missed the first half of the season with injury, and immediately bolstered the Black-and-Red's back line in his return. The pieces seemed to be starting to come together for United, as the offense become more multi-dimensional and a slew of home games awaited.
The Black-and-Red picked up the pace in August with three wins in six matches. The game against Orlando City on August 12 provided United one of the best moments of the season—as Orlando looked to create a counterattack in the final moments of stoppage time, Wayne Rooney chased down the Lions attacker, tackled the ball away, dribbled forward, and sent a long cross to Luciano Acosta. Acosta headed the ball into the back of the net, scoring the game-winning goal just before the final whistle in what was a must-win to keep United's playoff hopes alive.
The unbelievable play felt like a true turning point to the season, and helped push United to three consecutive wins. Back-to-back-to-back home victories over Orlando, the Portland Timbers, and the New England Revolution gave the Black-and-Red another nine points in their race toward the playoff line.
August also marked the return of Homegrown goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who had left during the offseason to play in Denmark. Hamid quickly returned to the starting ranks and gave United added fortification on the defensive side of the ball. The Virginia native earned his first clean sheet of 2018 on August 19 against the Revs. The Black-and-Red didn't know it then, but August 29's loss against the Union would be United's last defeat of the regular season.
United began their crucial seven-match homestand in September, following a road trip to New York City on September 8. The team went 3-0-2 overall and picked up another 11 points in the standings with wins over Minnesota United, Atlanta United, and the Montreal Impact, and draws against New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls.
With their improvement since July, the Black-and-Red had lifted themselves up from the bottom of the Eastern Conference, but the postseason was still in question. Luciano Acosta played his best soccer of the year in September, tallying four goals and six assists and jumping ahead as one of MLS' assist leaders. Wayne Rooney also increased his production with four goals and four assists, inserting his name into the MLS MVP conversation.
After the dominant 5-0 win over Montreal, Black-and-Red players and supporters alike believed the playoffs could be in their future, but team knew the job was far from over with five key matches still on the docket for October.
In October, United finally completed their midseason turnaround with four wins and a draw in five games, officially punching their postseason ticket with a win against New York City FC on October 21.
October was Wayne Rooney’s best month yet for the team—the forward scored five goals, including three game-winning goals, in United's playoff push. Along with their win over NYCFC, the Black-and-Red picked up three points over the Chicago Fire, FC Dallas, and Toronto FC, and drew their final match of the regular season at Toyota Park against Chicago. The draw allowed United to lock up the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and clinch home-field advantage for their Knockout Round match.
After a tough start to 2018, United turned their season around in July and completed an epic comeback to earn a spot in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs. Now, the real work, and the real fun, begins. Their postseason journey starts on Thursday, Nov. 1 with a Knockout Round match against the Columbus Crew at 8 PM ET at Audi Field. Tickets can be purchased here.
