On a rain-soaked night, D.C. United conceded early and could not recover as they fell to Atlantic Cup rivals the New York Red Bulls 1-0 Wednesday night at Audi Field.
Bradley Wright-Phillips, struck two minutes into the match while the Black-and-Red were shut out for the first time since March.
The Red Bulls jumped into the lead when Wright-Phillips ran down a long through-pass at the 18-yard box, before firing his 100th-career goal past the outstretched arms of United goalkeeper David Ousted.
It had appeared as if United found the equalizer in the 23rd minute when a deflected ball ended up at the feet of Zoltán Stieber who sent a pass into the box for Paul Arriola. Celebration ensued on the pitch and in the stands, as Arriola fired the ball in. The celebration, however, was short lived as video review ruled that Arriola was narrowly offsides.
Upon returning to the field for the closing half, the Black-and-Red battled in search of an equalizer.
Looking for a spark off the bench, United head coach Ben Olsen inserted Wayne Rooney at striker in the 57th minute of the contest.
Shortly after Rooney’s entrance, Wright-Phillips broke free on the counterattack. The 33-year-old forward’s shot from just inside the box was saved by Ousted’s lunging effort to keep the United deficit at one.
The 66th minute saw a moment of frustration for D.C. fans as Rooney appeared to be taken down in the box while attempting to bring down a long pass. Instead of a penalty kick opportunity for the famed Englishman, play ensued as fans voiced their displeasure.
Two of United’s best chances to come away with a 1-1 draw came in the late stages of the game. An 87th-minute chance from Yamil Asad was saved by Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles. Two minutes later, Arriola obtained possession in the box and directed a pass to Rooney. The famed goalscorer saw his chance get deflected up and over the goal for a corner kick.
After losing for the first time in their new home, the Black-and-Red will look to regain their momentum in front of their passionate home fans on Saturday against the Colorado Rapids at 8 PM ET.
