DC United’s return to Audi Field wasn’t the homecoming they were hoping for as they lost 4-0 to FC Dallas before a near-capacity crowd of 19,215 on Saturday night. Logan Farrington, Patrickson Delgado, Osaze Urhoghide, and Petar Musa were the goalscorers for Dallas.

It was the first time DC United stepped out before the home fans at Audi Field since the season opener on February 21st, and the crowd showed a lot of energy to start the match. However, what transpired was a performance that no one was happy about.

“It’s difficult to find the right words,” an upset René Weiler said after the match. “I think we have to speak about the last 15-20 minutes. Some players, they quit, they gave up. I felt it when I started my job last season, but it was much better now the first five games. But yeah, a little bit back to the old time. Unbelievable.”

After a start to the season that saw DC United fight for some results, Saturday night’s result felt like a setback for the squad. “It’s the culture, we have to change the culture and it’s not so easy to change the culture,” Weiler said. “It was really good the first five games, but today was really bad. And so it means that we didn’t change the culture yet. How we want to change takes a little bit more time. But at the end, the players, they have to perform in the best possible way. They have to fight until the end, doesn’t matter the result.”

There wasn’t a ton of action in the first 15 minutes for either squad as there were few opportunities to set up scoring chances. DC United’s first chance came in the sixth minute. On the break, João Peglow found Tai Baribo on the cross, who beat the defender to the ball and got a free header towards goal. The shot was stopped by Dallas goalkeeper Michael Collodi.

That shot on goal was the only shot of the match until the 16th minute, but Dallas made theirs count. With not much going on, FC Dallas midfielder Ramiro was able to chip a long pass over the back line to a streaking Logan Farrington, who controlled the pass, took a dribble to the left and was able to slot it past Sean Johnson for the opening goal.

DC United increased the intensity after the goal in an effort to get the equalizer. Their initial chances off crosses into the box weren’t connecting. A 23rd minute cross into the box by Silvan Hefti found the head of Lucas Bartlett, but the header rolled well wide of the goal. Keisuke Kurokawa on the break had free space to send a cross into the box in the 29th minute, but once again, it didn’t connect.

In the 41st minute, there was another chance for the Black-and-Red off a set piece. Kurokawa once again had the cross, and once again it was Bartlett on the header. This time, Collodi has to make a save on it over the bar for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner, the ball bounced outside the box on the right side to Brandon Servania, who launched a shot through traffic. Despite it curving, the shot was right at Collodi, who was able to make the save.

Disaster struck for DC United just a few seconds into first half stoppage time. Lucas Bartlett had a foul called on him for a tackle on Ramiro, earning a yellow card and giving FC Dallas a free kick just outside the box. Patrickson Delgado lined up the free kick and set it perfectly into the left side of the goal past an outstretched Sean Johnson to make it 2-0 to FC Dallas as they went to halftime.

The second half started out with DC United once again trying to get something going, but not able to connection that final pass to get a good shot. Trying to inject some energy after an injury to Sean Nealis, head coach René Weiler brought on Aaron Herrera and Louis Munteanu. DC United was aggressive on the attack to try and get back into the match, but they weren’t able to get good shots on goal.

In the 73rd minute, FC Dallas almost had a third. Off a set piece, the ball worked is way around to Kaick, who sent an arching pass to Joaquín Valiente, who volleyed a rocket that just missed over the bar.

In the 78th minute, Dallas did get their third goal. Off a corner kick, Valiente was able to retrieve a blocked ball from Kaick and send a cross back into the box. It caught the head of Osaze Urhoghide, who was able to knock it past Sean Johnson into the net. That deflated the crowd and started sending people to the exits.

There was a late flurry in the 88th minute as DC United had several chances to put shots on frame. However, they were all blocked, thwarting the effort.

As the second half entered stoppage time, FC Dallas got one more on the counter. Petar Musa was able to get the ball and get a pass to Santiago Moreno. Moreno’s shot was blocked by Lucas Bartlett, but Musa was right there to pounce on the rebound and finish it to make it 4-0 to Dallas.

A minute later, it was almost 5 for Dallas as Moreno got the ball again and fired a shot through traffic from the top of the penalty area. Johnson had to make a quick outstretched save to keep the ball out of the net. They kept knocking at the door, with yet another Moreno shot a minute later needing to be blocked by Lucas Bartlett to keep Dallas from adding a fifth. DC United couldn’t mount any last effort, and the whistle sounded to end the match as a loud chorus of boos emerged from the fans left in the stadium. Around the locker room, the word was culture and the team admitted that they had a long way to go to change it.

“Obviously, it’s a cultural thing we talked about a little bit as a group,” Lucas Bartlett said after the match. “You just try to display everything you can to show that there’s no fight. There’s no loss of fight in yourself first, and then you try to ask it of everybody else around you. I don’t think it was everybody, you know, to lose 4-0 at home is…It’s embarrassing personally, and it’s something that we’re trying to move away from.”

DC United has a string of matches coming up, six in 21 days including the US Open Cup match on April 15th. They will hope to put this behind them as they travel next weekend to take on the New England Revolution to try and get back on track.