Match Report (W10) D.C. United 3 - 2 Orlando City SC
- elclasicohonduras
- Apr 27
- 3 min read
Written by Denis Gomez
Photos by Karla Canales
Washington, D.C. — D.C. United returned to Audi Field in search of their first home win since February 21 and delivered a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Orlando City SC.
The Black-and-Red started on the front foot and struck early in the 10th minute. Homegrown midfielder Jackson Hopkins had finnesse shot from outside the box with his left foot, that found the back of the net, assisted by Kurokawa.
D.C. United maintained pressure throughout the first half and it seemed like they dominated the visitors, but Orlando City responded after the break. Justin Ellis equalized in the 57th minute before Tyrese Spicer gave the visitors a 2-1 lead in the 67th minute, assisted by Adrián Marín. The momentum had shifted, and Orlando looked poised to leave the capital with all three points.
However, D.C. United showed grit and determination down the stretch. The breakthrough came in the 84th minute when forward Louis Munteanu scored his first goal for the club, finishing a chance created by Nikola Markovic to level the match at 2-2. Just minutes later, defender Kye Rowles completed the comeback in the 90th minute, rising to the moment with a decisive header tap to put it in the back of the net and complete the comeback, also assisted by Markovic, to seal a 3-2 victory.
D.C. United is now 10-9-3 in all-time regular season series against Orlando City SC.
After the match, head coach René Weiler highlighted the importance of the result:
“Happy for the team because they're building confidence, which is important, by having good results; winning games.”
D.C. United will now look ahead to their next challenge on Sunday, May 3, when they travel to face New York City FC at Citi Field, with kickoff set for 3:00 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Orlando City turns its attention to U.S. Open Cup action against the New England Revolution in Rhode Island.
Three Points
Munteanu Scores His First One: Romanian forward Louis Munteanu scored his first goal for the Black-and-Red, a significant moment following his record transfer fee reportedly worth up to $10 million.
Kurokawa’s Creative Impact: Japanese defender Keisuke Kurokawa registered his first MLS assist, adding seven passes into the final third and five recoveries in a strong all-around performance. Keisuke alongside Sean Johnson are the only 2 players to have played every minute across all 10 matches.
Rowles the Hero: Australian defender Kye Rowles scored his first goal of the season in the 90th minute, finishing with ten defensive contributions in a standout display. He had previously scored in the last pre-season game against St. Louis.
Starting XI
D.C. United (4-4-2):
Sean Johnson; Lucas Bartlett, Silvan Hefti (Nikola Markovic 77’), Keisuke Kurokawa, Kye Rowles; Matti Peltola, Brandon Servania, João Peglow (Conner Antley 90+5’); Aaron Herrera (Jared Stroud 46’); Louis Munteanu, Jackson Hopkins (Jacob Murrell 77’)
Unused substitutes: Alex Bono, Jordan Farr, Hosei Kijima, Gavin Turner, Caden Clark
Head Coach: René Weiler
Orlando City SC (4-4-2):
Maxime Crépeau; Adrián Marín, Robin Jansson, Zakaria Taifi (Griffin Dorsey 46’), Iago Teodoro; Luis Otávio (Wilder Cartagena 88’), Braian Ojeda, Martín Ojeda, Tiago Souza (Tyrese Spicer 61’); Justin Ellis (Tahir Reid-Brown 82’), Iván Angulo
Unused substitutes: Javier Otero, Nolan Miller, Harvey Sarajian, Colin Guske, Bernardo Rhein
Head Coach: Martín Perelman
Scoring Summary
D.C. United:
Hopkins (10’) – Assisted by Kurokawa
Munteanu (84’) – Assisted by Markovic
Rowles (90’) – Assisted by Markovic
Orlando City SC:
Ellis (57’)
Spicer (67’) – Assisted by Marín
Booking Summary
D.C. United:
Bartlett (21’) – yellow
Munteanu (75’) – yellow
Stroud (90+2’) – yellow
Kurokawa (90+4’) – yellow
Orlando City SC:
Teodoro (4’) – yellow
Cartagena (90+8’) – yellow
Comments