Match Report: D.C. United 0 - 3 New England Revolution

Written by Sam Brummit

Photography by Sam Brummit

Nono made his debut in front of the home crowd at Audi Field. This is his second consecutive start since he arrived earlier this month.

Washington, D.C. – D.C. United’s six-game unbeaten streak ended at Audi Field on Saturday night as the Black-and-Red could not find an answer to the Revolutions’ Alhassan Yusuf, who scored three goals. 

The story of the game was not only Yusuf’s hat trick but also the ability of the Revolution’s midfield, led by veteran playmaker Carles Gil, to control the center of the pitch for the majority of the match. The visitors completed 90 percent of their 547 passes while D.C. managed only 354 passes. The Revolution were able to repeatedly progress the ball into their attacking third and work the ball into dangerous areas. 

D.C. started strong and created the best scoring chances during the first 20 minutes of the game. In the sixth minute, Munteanu intercepted a pass just inside New England’s half and found Hopkins near the top of the box only to see his shot blocked. This was followed by a second good look by D.C. when cross from Kurokawa caused the New England goalkeeper, Matt Turner, to trip over a teammate while attempting to punch the ball away. The ball nearly landed on Kimito Nono at the far post but the cross had too much on it for Nono to get a clean touch. 

In the 20th minute, Hefti received a cross from Nono at the edge of the box and his shot was blocked by Peyton Miller. This started a series of good chances by DC. A cross by Munteanu gave Nono a second opportunity at the far post, but again the cross was a touch too strong for Nono to connect on it cleanly and his header went wide of goal.

Despite a number of good chances by the home side, it was New England’s Alhassan Yusuf who converted the first of his five shots in the 23rd minute to open the scoring. The Revolution worked the ball quickly up the left side on a counter attack, then moved the ball out to their new Designated Player, Jack Harrison on the right side. Harrison crossed the ball to Miller at the far post, who headed it back across the goal to Yusuf at the top of the six-yard box. Yusuf headed the ball down and hard into the right corner of the goal.

Late in the first half, D.C. pushed for an equalizer. A series of several one touch passes in the 35th minute found Munteanu in a one-on-one against a charging Turner. Munteanu’s flicked it up and over Turner but could not get the ball to drop enough to land on target. In the 39th minute, D.C. worked the ball around New England’s half of the field until Peltola and Baribo both had looks on goal that were blocked. Munteanu had another one-on-one look from close range but was denied by Turner. 

As D.C.’s chances came up short, Yusuf doubled the Revolution’s lead in the 45th minute. Harison worked the ball around the box before connecting with Yusuf on a long cross. In the 66th minute, D.C. absorbed a great deal of pressure and relied on Johnson to make two acrobatic saves. However, despite a chance to reset at the half and learn from the mistakes defending against crosses, D.C. still did not have an answer for Yusuf and his speed and ability to time runs onto crosses. Harrison found a pocket of space on the right side to send a long cross to the far post and find Yusuf for his third goal and the first hat trick in league play by a Revolution player since 2017. 

Despite the loss, other results across the Eastern Conference over the weekend ended in D.C.’s favor such that the team maintained their hold on the 9th and final playoff spot. 

Post-Match Quotes

René Weiler on what made the difference in the match

“…First, the better team won without any doubt. {They} were very good at the ball. So, {New England} took their chances {and} they had maybe three and they scored those goals. Of course, we have to defend it better, but {they were} very efficient. When you’re two goals down against a team, at home, it is very difficult. It wasn’t the best game from our side…”

“When we don’t play with the starters in our defense, there’s an impact. Maybe we have to read certain situations better than we read {them} today.”

Three Points

1. D.C.’s Revamped Midfield: We have now had several looks at D.C.’s new additions in midfield. Andre Dozzell, the 27-year old who joined on a free transfer from Portsmouth FC last month, made his fifth start for the Black-and-Red in central midfield. Dozzell has played at least 87 in his three appearances for D.C. His on-the-ball skills will be critical to improving possession and ball progression for a team that plays long and against the ball. Kimito Nono, the 24-year old who joined D.C. from the J1 League’s Kashima Antlers three weeks ago, has started the last two games on the right side of D.C.’s four-man midfield. He primarily played as a right back in the J1 League and has shown versatility in both attack, recording an assist against Montreal, and in tracking back to assist in defending D.C.’s right side. 

2. Unbeaten Run Ends: D.C. United’s six-game unbeaten streak ended. The Black-and-Red recorded five draws and one win in MLS games going back to May 16, prior to the World Cup break. The loss puts D.C.’s all time record against New England Revolution in regular season matchups at 37-39-15. 

3. Kimito Nono’s First Appearance at Audi Field: D.C. United’s newest signing, right back/midfielder Kimito Nono, made his debut at Audi Field. The versatile Japanese player Nono had 33 touches and created 0.62 xG on three shots, including a bicycle kick in traffic that went just wide of goal. His three shots against New England created 0.62 xG, however his underwhelming defensive performance suggests he may take some time to adjust to a new team and league.

Starting XIs

D.C. United (4-4-2)

Johnson; Hefti, Bartlett (C), Nealis (Servania 46’), Kurokawa; Nono (Marković 68’), Peltola, Dozzell (Stroud 90’), Hopkins (Ordaz 46’); Baribo, Munteanu (Kijima 68’)

Unused Substitutes: Bono, Avilez

Head Coach: René Weiler

New England Revolution (4-3-3)

Turner; Polster (Baker 84’), Kohler, Fofana, Sands; Gil (C) (Siqueira 89’), Raines, Yusuf; Harrison (Zambrano 84’), Turgeman (Harris 77’), Miller (Yow ‘89)

Unused Substitutes: Parisian, Beason, Fagúndez, Yueill

Head Coach: Marko Mitrović

Scoring Summary

New England Revolution

23' – Alhassan Yusuf

45' – Alhassan Yusuf

66' – Alhassan Yusuf

Booking Summary

D.C. United

26' – Dozzell (Yellow Card)

New England Revolution

13’ - Raines (Yellow Card)

32’ - Polster (Yellow Card)

D.C. United will travel to face Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Charlotte is currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, five points ahead of D.C. United. Only nine points separate the nine teams in the sixth (Charlotte FC) through 14th positions (CF Montreal) in the Eastern Conference, so this will be one of several matches this weekend that will determine which teams remain above and below the playoff line. 

New England Revolution will get an extra day of rest before they host 7th place New York City FC on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Andre Dozzell continues to establish himself in the Black-and-red midfield, recording his fifth consecutive start since his arrival in early July.