Apr 13, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; D.C. United defender Lucas Bartlett (3) reacts after a play against Orlando City during the second half at Audi Field. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Pajewski-USA TODAY Sports
The Good: In by far the most frustrating and disappointing match there is still some good take away. Benteke finds the scoresheet off a nice header, and Pirani gets a goal as well that should see him return to the starting lineup next week. He needed that extra boost of confidence and looked a bit more lively up top. Aaron Herrera continues to be the best signing of 2024. He nearly nabs the tying goal and was one of the few defensive players that had stand out moments. He nabs a key block on an Orlando chance and just generally had a ton of good moments.
I also want to talk about the improvement in the team once Matti Peltola came into the game. I really want to get into Troy’s head to know why Matti deserved to be on the bench these past two games. Once he entered in the second half it was night and day. He has such a better understanding of space and immediately flipped the field back to DC. His ability to start winning the ball in the midfield and allowed DC to start effectively pressing Orlando again. It was what lead to the Pirani goal and it appeared to help DC see through the match with a victory.
Conner Antley also again to shows what a smart shrewd pick up he was by Mackay. He has stepped in and moved into the locked in starter. He had some of the same impressive defensive plays Herrera had and also shows to be effective pushing forward as well. Now let’s get to the not so good.
The Not So Good: Let’s start with the first half, because it was by far the worst half for DC this season. It started well with an early Benteke goal and then went down hill from there. It was clear that both Jackson Hopkins and Kristen Fletcher were the weak links that Orlando tried to hammer. They zeroed in on both of them and were very effective at making them miserable for the first half. There were some really awful give aways and passes that led to big moments for Orlando. If you are going to be a pressing side, winning the midfield is critical to keeping a short a field. DC didn’t do that and suffered in the first half.
The last 20 minutes were a case of losing individual moments. DC held the lead and control and then a sequence that saw Orlando get a corner kick turned into the tying goal. Then DC pressed to regain the lead and then McGuire stayed onside to get a breakaway against Bono for the match winnner. We never got a good look on the stream, but it has to be said that Christopher McVey and Lucas Bartlett have to do better there. Someone needs to make sure McGuire can’t just waltz into DC United’s end remaining onside. McVey and Bartlett were left exposed in certain moments and were not as effective as they have been in previous games.
I will also spotlight Matuez Klich as a disappointing aspect of this game. He was hung out to dry with inexperience in midfield around him, but overall I don’t think he had an effective game even in the second half. It wasn’t that he was poor, he just wasn’t playing a DP level. He also picked up a yellow which means he will miss next week against New York.
Player Spotlight: I gave Matti his props in the first part of this, but today Aaron Herrera remains the stand out. He is the man of the match tonight. He helped keep DC United alive in the first and second half with several key defensive plays. His goal line save from a track back will be the stand out from tonight. He also put out a ton of fires when Orlando got dangerous opportunities. He also nearly rescued a point with an incredibly struck shot that was well saved by Gallese.
Looking ahead: Well this makes things a bit more complicated. I maintain that 7 points should be the goal which means DC United need to find a way to earn a win on the road against New York. New York managed to pull off a win against New England so they are starting to maybe gain some momentum. DC will have to do it without the services of Klich, which adds to the challenge to pick up points. Also, the we will have to see what Ted’s status is as he was out due to injury. If he is out then this could be a rough stretch upcoming for DC United.
Final thoughts:
Overall, this was incredibly frustrating game and to see DC lose the way they did at home adds to the frustration. They are now dropping points from losing positions and it is becoming a troubling trend they need to figure out how to rectify. Overall the depth with this team will remain an issue. Orlando was able to bring McGuire and Loderio off the bench and DC had far fewer options. As long as they have two weighted contracts of Rodriguez and Jeahze this could be a storyline that follows them this season. This is first truly bad result of 2024, and I hope they can bounce back from it.