D.C. United completed their three-match road trip with an impressive 3-1 win over expansion side Atlanta United at Bobby Dodd Stadium Sunday afternoon. Excellent goalkeeping by Bill Hamid and opportunistic play in the attacking third propelled the Black-and-Red to their first road win of the season.
Atlanta attacked United's back line right from the opening whistle, but huge goaltending by Bill Hamid denied Hector Villalba and the home side. While Atlanta struck first in the 9th minute, United found an equalizer in the 25th minute when Lamar Neagle took advantage of an Atlanta defensive error to force an own goal from Atlanta captain Michael Parkhurst.
With the score level, United started to ramp up the pressure on Atlanta, which paid off in the 37th minute. Luciano Acosta carved through the middle of Atlanta's defense and unleashed a left-footed shot from the top of the box, putting the Black-and-Red up 2-1 going into halftime and giving Acosta his third goal of the season.
United slotted home their third goal of the match in the 56th minute thanks to a strong run by Sébastien Le Toux and an excellent through ball from Acosta, who instantly sprung the counter after an Atlanta turnover near midfield. Le Toux worked his way in behind Atlanta's back line and finished expertly for the 3-1 lead and the Frenchman's second goal in as many games.
As Atlanta desperately tried to get back in the game, United's defense again showed their resiliency and Hamid continued to make big saves to secure three points for the Black-and-Red. United return to RFK to face the Montreal Impact next Saturday, May 6.
