Two late goals secure all three points for D.C. United at home against Orlando

D.C. United was entering Saturday night's match against Orlando City SC with a little bit of confidence after their 4-4 draw earlier in the week in their visit to the New York Red Bulls match.

Despite having another solid start to this match, D.C. would eventually go down thanks to Orlando taking the lead in the middle of the second half, but United found a way and bounced back late in the match, scoring two late goals and getting an exciting 3-2 victory in front of 14, 040 fans that gathered at Audi Field in Washington, DC.

"Building the confidence, for this, it's important that you have some good results, that you win sometimes. It was a little bit lucky at the end, but well deserved, because everybody was pushing forward." D.C. United head coach René Weiler said, "I felt it, that the guys wanted to get a good result."

D.C. United secured a late win against Orlando City Saturday night at home. Photo Credit: D.C. United

The Game

D.C. United took the lead in the 10th minute. After a series of passes, the ball found its way to Matti Peltola in midfield. Peltola played the ball to Silvan Hefti, who played out to the wing to Aaron Herrera. The Guatemalan International, who returned the ball to Peltola, gave the ball to Brendan Servania. Servania would leave the ball to Keisuke Kurokawa, who would give the ball to Jackson Hopkins outside the box. Hopkins would try his luck from distance, placing a left-footed shot past Maxime Crepeau to give D.C. the lead.

"I think after the Open Cup game, he kind of talked to me a little bit, and just reminded me how I usually play," said Hopkins. "That's what I've been doing the last few games, and it's worked out for myself and also the team."

Weiler had a lot of good things to say about Hopkins performances in the last two games:

"The last game in New York and today, I saw the Hopkins I had when I came in: more determined, now more decisive," said Weiler. "I'm glad to see him back in the best performances...hopefully he will keep it going."

D.C. United would have several chances to double their lead via Louis Munteanu, who would get his first MLS start in place of Tai Baribo, who missed this game due to injury. Still, both times Crepeau was able to deny Munteanu.

"We wouldn't risk anything," said Weiler about Baribo's injury. "He felt some pain, but when you score three goals in a game, then you want to play the next game. At the end, it was his decision. He told me yesterday he doesn't feel well to play this game, and then it was our decision to leave him out."

Crepeau was put to the test once again in the 37th minute after he tipped away a Kurokawa free kick over the bar and for a D.C. corner.

Orlando would tie the game in the 56th minute after a ball from midfield would find its way to Iván Angulo, who got away from the mark of Jarod Stroud with a cheeky dribble and fainted past Hefti, sending a cross inside the box to Griffin Dorsey, who headed the ball towards goal. Sean Johnson was able to stop Dorsey's chance, but the ball was laid out to 18-year-old Justin Ellis, who put the ensuing rebound into the roof of the net to score his first MLS goal.

Orlando would take the lead in the 67th minute. After a series of short passes in their own backline, the ball would fall to Adrián Marin, playing a long ball behind United's backline to Tyrese Spicer. The Trinidad and Tobago international received the ball on the edge of the box, instead of dribbling the ball into a much more favorable shooting angle or crossing it, Spicer decided to shoot the ball from an awkward angle with a vicious volley. The ball traveled past Johnson, kissing the inside of the right post and into the back of the net to give the Central Florida outfit the lead at that moment.

"Our mentality, we've been working on it all season long, trying to bounce back, especially after last season," said D.C. rookie defender Nikola Markovic. "You can see that we're fighting the whole game. We got some tough draws, but I think [this win] just demonstrates the work we've been putting in, and our mentality, how it has improved."

Orlando almost sealed the game off with an Ellis counter, galloping towards the D.C. box, and getting a well cornered shot, the Johnson was able to get a hand to and send the play out for a corner kick.

Munteanu thought he would have the tying goal in the 79th minute, catching the ball on a volley from a Stroud cross, but his shot would just go wide of the goal.

Munteanu would be able to get his first goal as a member of The Black-and-Red in the 84th minute. The Romanian international took a shot from 25 yards out, the ball would deflect off Orlando midfielder Luis Otavio, and the ball would go under Crepeau and into the back of the net, as D.C.'s record transfer got his scoring account up and running.

"For young players in general, it's not so easy when you play in a foreign country," said Weiler, recalling his remarks on the 23-year-old forward from early in the season. "Here in the States, [it's] very physical, the game. [Munteanu] is not the only player who came in with some troubles at the beginning," said Weiler. "He was two times out with an injury, and he didn't train the last 10 days with the team, but he played a good game. I'm happy for him because I saw his effort, the commitment. He was fighting, and he took a step forward over the last few months."

D.C. would find the game winner in the 90th minute. On a corner kick, Kurokawa sent a long cross that went past everybody to find Jacob Murrell inside the box. Murrell sent his header towards the inside of the six-yard box to Kye Rowles, who got his head to the ball and placed the ball in the back of the net to the delirium of the supporters behind the goal and for all the fans in attendance.

"It would have been pretty tough not to come away with anything, especially at home," Rowles said. "Five games in two weeks is demanding on all the boys, but we didn't give up, and we showed that fighting spirit. I think we've done that all week, [playing] midweek, and then we've built on that and managed to get three points tonight."

With this result, D.C. United are currently sitting in 10th place of the Eastern Conference, tied with four other clubs (NYCFC, Columbus, Cincinnati, and New York Red Bulls) with 12 points. Orlando City is tied with Atlanta United in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 7 points.

"It's an amazing feeling," concluded Markovic. "We're going for more of it."

D.C. United will now travel back up Interstate 95 to New York City, as they will take on one of the four teams they are tied with in points, New York City FC (NYCFC). The game will be played in Citi Field in Flushing-Medows, Queens, NY. The game will take place on Sunday, May 3rd, with kickoff scheduled for 3 pm.