DC United’s offensive struggles continued as they fought to a 0-0 draw against Atlanta United on Saturday night at Audi Field. The Black-and-Red now have three straight matches whre they have failed to score.

The team thought that the reintroduction of captain Christian Benteke back into the starting lineup would help. Benteke, who returned to the field last week against Nashville after a six week layoff due to injury, knew that he was working back up to full fitness, but his presence was a boost to the team.

While Atlanta United was able to control possession for most of the match, it was DC United that created the majority of the chances. It began in the 7th minute, when Connor Antley took a shot that hit the left side of the crossbar from right side of the box. It was unlucky for Antley and the team, as a goal there would likely have changed the trajectory of the match. Despite a couple of chances in the first half, DC was not able to convert on them. Defensively, they were able to keep Atlanta from creating any chances, and the teams went to the half knotted at 0-0.

In the second half, Atlanta had their first and only real dangerous scoring opportunity. Aleksey Miranchuk was able to lay it up to Latte Lath, whose shot from inside the box went well high. DC had a couple of very close chances in the second half. In the 64th minute, DC got a turnover and Matti Peltola went on the long break with the ball. With Christian Benteke to his right, Peltola passes to João Peglow on his left, who took the shot. However, the shot was blocked out of bounds for a corner.

The final major chance came in the second minute of second half stoppage time. Hosei Kijima, who entered the match as a substitute in the 59th minute, made a defender look silly deep on the right edge of the box with some great dribbling and was able to get the ball in to Jackson Hopkins, who also was a sub in this match. Hopkins’ shot went well wide of the net, and the referee blew the whistle for full time a few moments later.

After the match, DC United head coach Troy Lesesne said that while he was “absolutely not satisfied” at the match result, there were some takeaways and he thought that his team had the better chances. “I think we had a few chances, but again we need to create more,” Lesesne said. “I think about the one that Connor [Antley] hits off the bar in the first half, you hope that falls and it doesn’t. Jackson [Hopkins] had one late, as did [João] Pegow in attacking transition. They got blocked. Those were probably the three biggest chances for us. And then we got the ball in some good positions and you were kind of waiting for that last moment, that last action to take place to be able to get something really dangerous on goal and we just kind of let let ourselves down in the final execution. But we’re going to keep at it. I think we can build off a clean sheet.”

“Yeah, I think it’s everything that we do…when we get [scoring chances], we have to be more composed,” Christian Benteke said after the match. “And when you don’t have chances, as we’ve been going through lately, as soon as you get there, you get a bit nervous, you want to rush. But the more time we we spend in the [opposing] box, the more are we’re gonna be more comfortable and then logically, we have more chances and then I’m sure we’re gonna score this.”

Still, for a team that has not won at home in league play since May 3rd, another draw feels like another missed opportunity to make up some ground in the Eastern Conference standings. With this result, DC United remain in 12th place with 19 points from 21 matches, 9 points under the playoff line. The pressure to win at home continues to build.

It feels like [at home] you need to make home a fortress and really take three points as many times as you can and make teams scared to come here,” Kye Rowles said after the match. “We’re just not quite getting getting the job done and but with more performances like tonight, it’ll happen. It’ll come.”

DC United has a quick turnaround as they head to Tennessee on Wednesday to face Nashville SC – who beat DC United 1-0 at Audi Field last weekend – in the U.S. Open Cup quarterfinals.