Match Report (W11) - New York City FC 0 - 2 D.C. United

Written by Denis Gomez

Louis Munteanu brace helped secure the Black-and-Red second away win in this campaign. He registers 3 goals so far this season.

Queens, NY — D.C. United traveled to Queens, New York, to face New York City FC looking to build momentum after a comeback home win 3-2 over Orlando City SC. The hosts entered the match following a 1-0 loss to CF Montréal but carried confidence from a 3-1 U.S. Open Cup victory over rivals New York Red Bulls.

From the opening whistle, D.C. United showed discipline and structure, aiming to extend their unbeaten streak to four matches, which they delivered with a determined 2-0 road victory.

The breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Romanian forward Louis Munteanu found himself in the right place at the right time. The striker finished a close-range opportunity with a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner, giving the Black-and-Red a deserved lead.

New York City FC responded with attempts from Nicolás Fernández, who tested goalkeeper Sean Johnson multiple times. In the 38th minute, Fernández unleashed a left-footed effort from outside the box that Johnson tipped away brilliantly into the top-left corner. Fernández remained a threat in the second half, but Johnson continued to stand tall, including another save in the 58th minute to preserve the lead.

The defining moment arrived in the 73rd minute when Keaton Parks, who had just entered the match, conceded a penalty after a foul inside the area. Two minutes later, Munteanu stepped up and calmly converted from the spot, sending his right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner to secure his brace and double D.C.’s advantage.

Late in stoppage time, NYCFC pushed for a consolation goal, but Johnson denied Kai Trewin’s header with a sharp save to the top-right corner, sealing the clean sheet and all three points for the visitors.

With the result, D.C. United improves its road record against NYCFC to 3-8-2 in regular-season play and captures its second away win of the 2026 campaign.

After the match, head coach René Weiler emphasized the team’s collective effort:

“It’s the togetherness , how the team helped each other, how they defended our own goal. It’s a team target.”

On Munteanu’s performance:

“He did a good job, he is better than when he arrived. Strikers live off goals and assists. He scored last game and scored two this game. It gives him the confidence and the boost and it's important for him. I’m happy for him.”

On the team’s balance offensively and defensively:

“Perfect balance. We scored two goals and had a clean sheet. We can't copy and paste these performances. It was the right balance in this game.”

D.C. United now turns its attention to a road clash against Nashville SC on Saturday, May 9th. Meanwhile, NYCFC will host Columbus Crew on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Three Points

1. Unbeaten Run Continues: The Black-and-Red extend their winning streak to two games and unbeaten run to four, continuing their climb in form.

2. Munteanu’s Momentum: Louis Munteanu scored twice (29’, 75’ PK), marking his second consecutive game with a goal. He recorded three shots on target from five total attempts in 78 minutes.

3. Johnson’s Wall: Goalkeeper Sean Johnson recorded his fourth clean sheet of the 2026 season, making four saves.

Starting XIs

New York City FC (4-3-3):

Matt Freese; Nico Cavallo, Thiago Martins, Strahinja Tanasijevic (Keaton Parks 63'), Raul Gustavo (Jonathan Shore 81'), Kai Trewin, Maxi Moralez, Aiden O'Neill (Andres Perea 36'), Nicolas Fernandez, Malachi Jones (Hannes Wolf 63'), Agustin Ojeda (Seymour Reid 81')

Unused Substitutes: Maximo Carrizo, Tomas Romero, Arnau Farnos

Head Coach: Pascal Jansen

D.C. United:

Sean Johnson; Lucas Bartlett, Silvan Hefti, Keisuke Kurokawa, Kye Rowles; Matti Peltola, Brandon Servania, Joao Peglow (Conner Antley 89'), Jared Stroud (Aaron Herrera 60'); Louis Munteanu (Jacob Murrell 78'), Jackson Hopkins (Nikola Markovic 60')

Unused Substitutes: Jordan Farr, Alex Bono, Caden Clark, Gavin Turner, Hosei Kijima

Head Coach: René Weiler

Scoring Summary

New York City FC:

None

D.C. United:

Munteanu (29’)

Munteanu (75’) (PK)

Booking Summary

New York City FC:

Fernández (80’)

D.C. United:

Kurokawa (26’)

Hefti (45’+3’)

Peglow (70’)

Murrell (90’+3’)

Goalkeeper Johnson made 4 crucial saves and earned his 4th clean sheet this season. D.C. United is on a 4-game unbeaten streak and 2-game winning streak.