Featured image courtesy of D.C. United, Hannah Wagner.

D.C. United lost 3-2 to FC Cincinnati in front of a home crowd of 16,716 at Buzzard Point. While the match wasn’t without its high points for the Black-and-Red, ultimately, the scoreline left supporters wanting.

The Black-and-Red were eager to find three points at home after a nine-match winless streak. With eight players unavailable and head coach Troy Lesesne suspended for the midweek bout against Cincinnati, D.C. had a challenge ahead of them before the whistle even blew.

Pat Noonan’s crew have been on a tear with six away wins and came to the District ready to add to their tally. The Orange and Blue wasted no time getting to work at Audi Field, snapping in their first goal in the 10′.

Cincy’s Kevin Kelsy charged D.C.’s Tyler Miller as he attempted a goal kick from the center of the box. A momentary fumble on Miller’s part allowed Kelsy the momentary advantage to breeze by and net his shot

The Black-and-Red wouldn’t go long without answering Cincy. In the 24′, Ted Ku-DiPietro found Martín Rodríguez with a cross in front of the goal. Rodríguez easily slotted the ball past Roman Celentano to find the back of the net to the soundtrack of a roaring crowd.

The Orange and Blue clapped back before halftime to find the lead again. In the 39′, Pavel Bucha slid into a kick well within the box to slot his shot past a diving Tyler Miller. Cincy would head to the locker room in high spirits, looking for their seventh road win in a row.

Bucha made it a brace in the 63′, extending Cincinnati’s lead. Bucha fired his shot from the top of the box, connecting with the back right of the net, much to the Black-and-Red’s chagrin.

Entering the match in the 46′ for Christopher McVey, Gabriel Pirani found his way to the back of Cincy’s net in the 69′. Weaving his way through the Orange and Blue’s defense, Pirani salvaged a set piece situation gone wrong to close in on the visitor’s lead.

While assistant coaches Zach Prince and Alex Martinez did all they could from the touchline, ultimately, the Black-and-Red couldn’t overcome their visitors, giving Cincy their seventh road win in a row.

Troy Lesesne remained resolute. He said, “We’re going to keep building, we’re going to stay resilient through this, and we’re going to keep fighting.”

D.C. United will have a quick turnaround and hit the road to take on Orlando City SC on Saturday, July 6.

Watch the highlights from D.C. United vs. FC Cincinnati

Box Score

MLS Regular Season – Week 24

D.C. United: 2 Rodríguez 24′, Pirani 69′

FC Cincinnati: 3 Kelsy 10′, Bucha (39′ and 63′)

Lineups

D.C. United: Tyler Miller, Lucas Bartlett, Matti Peltola, Pedro Santos, Aaron Herrera, Christopher McVey (Gabriel Pirani 46′), Jared Stroud (Matai Akinmboni 78′), Martín Rodríguez, Ted Ku-DiPietro, Mateusz Klich, Jacob Murrell

FC Cincinnati: Roman Celentano, Miles Robinson, Kipp Keller (Bret Halsey 78′), Luca Orellano (Yamil Asad 60′), Ian Murphy (Alvas Powell 72′), DeAndre Yedlin, Obinna Nwobodo, Lucho Acosta, Pavel Bucha, Kevin Kelsy (Sergio Santos 60′), Gerardo Valenzuela (Yuya Kubo 60′)

Misconduct Summary

D.C. United: Santos 14′

FC Cincinnati: Kelsy 51′, Kubo 82′