D.C. United used two goals to power through to their fourth consecutive home victory with a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution Sunday night in front of a sellout crowd of 20,198 at Audi Field.
Luciano Acosta struck in the 13th minute while goalkeeper Bill Hamid recorded his 50th career MLS shutout to extend United’s unbeaten streak to five.
The Black-and-Red struck first 13 minutes into the contest when Paul Arriola eluded his defender along the goal line before sending a pass across the box that found a waiting Acosta, who fired a clean finish with his left foot.
Acosta’s goal was his fourth tally in the last five games, and he has sparked the United attack with a goal or assist in every match during United’s unbeaten streak.
Following the opening goal, the Black-and-Red threatened to double their first-half advantage with multiple quality looks on goal.
Hamid was rarely tested in the first half, as D.C.’s possession numbers combined with the clearing efforts from the defense in front of the Black-and-Red’s net helped to limit any quality chances on goal in the opening 45 minutes.
In the 55th minute, Revs midfielder Scott Caldwell sent a long ball into the box for Diego Fagundez. After Fagundez collected the pass, his shot on goal caromed off the right, preserving United’s shutout bid.
In the 73rd minute, Caldwell was shown his second yellow leading to a subsequent red card that left the Revolution reduced to 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Zoltán Stieber provided the exclamation point for the Black-and-Red when he corralled a pass from Júnior Moreno that left him alone in front of goal. With only Revs goalkeeper Matt Turner left to beat, Stieber fired a shot into the back-of-the-net to secure the victory and ignite the Black-and-Red faithful.
The shutout was the 50th in MLS for United’s homegrown goalkeeper Hamid, who was active catching corners and defending passes to take away any chances around the net. Hamid’s milestone shutout was his first since blanking New England on August 26, 2017, and marked the club’s first clean sheet since April 14 against the Columbus Crew at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
By earning nine points during the three-game homestand, United’s playoff hopes continue to grow as they currently sit six points away from a playoff berth. Now, the Black-and-Red get a week to recover before heading up the road to New Jersey for a meeting against their hated Atlantic Cup rival, the New York Red Bulls, on Sunday Aug. 26th at 7 PM ET on FS1.
