In game 2 of a 3 game home stretch that D.C.United had hoped to claim maximum points from, a loss the week before to the Montreal Impact meant that that plan was ruined. But at least they were entertaining the Philadelphia Union, a team they’d already beaten at RFK a month earlier, and a team that hadn’t won all season... until the previous weekend.
The game started with the Union getting two yellow cards in the first 9 minutes, the first of which was when their captain, Fabinho, scythed down Luciano Acosta
United pushed forward a few times, but the Union players were there at mostly ever step of the way to snuff out the attacks...
...leaving them free to go up the other end and pepper Bill Hamid’s goal.
Lamar Neagle and former United player Chris Pontius had a running battle down the wing...
...which Pontius typically got the better end of.
United’s Steve Birnbaum returned to action and threw himself into the action preventing the opening goal.
...which didn’t prevent the Union from pushing forward.
United had some attacks through Acosta...
...Taylor Kemp...
...and Lloyd Sam...
...but barely anything reached Patrick Mullins, who had a very frustrating day in front of the goal.
Meanwhile, Ilsinho and his Union pals continued to break down the other end to try and break the deadlock.
United did manage a few corners, but nothing that Andre Blake couldn’t handle...
...and when the ball did finally fall to Mullins, his shot went wide of the post.
Then, in the 39th minute, Pontius fed Haris Medunjanin who made no mistake in opening up the scoring.
The Union then came very close to scoring again before the end of the half, but the ball just slipped wide.
United pressed forward to attempt to get the equalizer before the end of the first half...
...even pushing Birnbaum forward, although his header wasn’t on target, meaning that the half ended 1-0 to the Union.
In the second half, United started out with some purpose...
...but the Union weren’t sitting back...
...and continued their assault on Hamid’s goal.
Then, in the 55th minute Acosta was tackled, a tackle which the referee deemed to be fair. Acosta appealed for a moment, then got up, and rushed into a bad tackle, which resulted in an immediate red card.
From then on, the Union pressed their man advantage, mopping up everything, with only Lamar Neagle managing to get off a shot on goal.
The Union pressed forward...
...and were rewarded in the 64th minute with their second goal, courtesy of Oguchi Onyewu.
United sporadically pushed forward from that point...
...but never really threatened Blake’s goal...
...with Sebastien Le Toux entering in the 73rd minute to try and make a difference.
...but the only goals that were scored from then on were by the Union, with Fabrice-Jean Picault and Fabian Herbers adding goals in the 78th and 88th minutes to take the score to 4-0.
Leaving United ruing another failed opportunity to get 3 points at home, and the Union celebrating their second consecutive win.
