Nobody saw a 0-0 coming. Jon said so on the record, repeatedly, and he’d like everyone to know he’s aware of it. But DC United and LAFC played out a scoreless draw in a sold-out Audi Field, and the way it happened says more about this roster than the scoreline does.
DC United vs LAFC: One Shot on Goal
Hold that number in your head. Ninety minutes against one of the most dangerous attacking teams in Major League Soccer, and LAFC managed a single shot on target — one that came off a deflection. Neither Jon nor Ted would have predicted that before kickoff, and honestly, neither would you.
The reason it happened has a name, and it’s Kimito Nono. He drew the assignment on Son Heung-min and he simply never let him breathe. It worked so completely that LAFC eventually gave up on the matchup entirely and shifted Son into more central areas to find him some space. Ted called it the strongest individual performance of the night and it isn’t close.
Keisuke Kurokawa deserves a share of the credit on the other side, turning in a genuinely improved shift after a rough recent run and even having a goal chalked off for offside. Between the two of them, DC took LAFC’s two most dangerous attackers out of the game and forced everyone else to try to solve the problem. Nobody could.
The Attack Still Can’t Finish the Job
The defensive story is the good news. The other half is the one this show has been telling for months.
Jackson Hopkins had the best chance of the match and put it directly at the goalkeeper — 0.28 xG on the shot, 0.64 expected goals on target once it was struck. Translated: hit the target anywhere but the middle and that’s a goal. Louis Munteanu cracked one from distance that deserved better placement. And that was more or less the evening.
Tai Baribo’s absence was enormous. DC generated crosses and progressed the ball into good areas all night, but without a genuine number nine to attack the box, the deliveries had nowhere to land. Munteanu can play the role, but it isn’t his best position, and the difference showed.
Nathan Ordaz Gets His First Start
A Patreon question from Jacob Schultz asked what the guys made of Ordaz over nearly ninety minutes against his former club — and whether they’d start him again.
The eye test and the numbers disagreed, which made for a good argument. Neither host could point to a moment where he took the game over. But the underlying data was quietly excellent: four chances created, one of them a big chance, a 7.1 match rating, and the second-highest rating of any DC attacker behind João Peglow. Jon’s verdict was yes, he’d start him again over Hopkins.
Elsewhere, Andre Dozzell continues to look like a center back despite nobody predicting he could be one, and Matti Peltola turned in another strong performance that raises real questions about the lineup once Kye Rowles is available again.
Getting Thin on Dudes
That was Jon’s phrase and it’s the honest summary of DC’s roster situation heading into deadline day.
Gabe Segal’s season is over through injury without him ever making a DC United appearance. Silvan Hefti was suspended. Sean Nealis appears to be firmly in the doghouse with genuine confusion about his contract status for next season. Nikola Markovic — the number one draft pick — got a two-minute cameo, and the expectation around the club is that he won’t be considered ready to start anywhere on the field until next year at the earliest.
And then there’s Caden Clark. His move to New York was reported as done before it very publicly wasn’t. DC are still exploring options, but the guys are skeptical anyone’s paying real money here.
Ted walked through why offloading him matters even at a total financial loss: the roster slot math. Between U22 slots, international slots and the supplemental list, DC’s flexibility to actually sign the players they want is tangled up in contracts they no longer need.
Every MLS Team Is Coming Back to the US Open Cup
The biggest news of the episode broke the same day. All MLS clubs are returning to the US Open Cup, entering at the round of 64, with the final moving to December.
Jon compared the vibe of recent years to a relationship both parties had quietly given up on. Now it’s a proper tournament again — a March Madness-style bracket, doubled prize money, and a genuine trophy at the end of the calendar. As a lifelong Richmond Kickers supporter, Jon has some specific hopes for how that bracket goes.
Also In This Episode
- Folarin Balogun’s Everton move collapses and he stays at Monaco
- Jon becomes a season ticket holder roughly one week after telling everyone not to
- What DC’s new membership perks actually get you, and what the season ticket base looks like
- Christian Benteke’s situation in Dubai, and why the Baribo decision looks better every week
- A Bluesky question about how hard it is to sit on transfer rumors you can’t report
- Should the Sprint Season be a youth development showcase? Jon says yes. Ted very much says no.
Want the FC Cincinnati Preview?
The full match preview is on the Patreon show — along with a lot more that didn’t make the free episode.
$5 — Luciano Emilos gets you the extended audio every week. $10 — Da Gawd Jamie Morenos gets you the full video.