DC United was able to do enough to hold off Loudoun United with a 3-2 win in the inaugural DMV Derby at Audi Field on Wednesday night. Oscar Avilez, Nikola Markovic, and Nathan Ordaz had the goals for DC, while Thorleifur Úlfarsson and Lucas Piras got the goals for Loudoun.

It was the first time the teams had played each other in an official match of any kind, and it was a chance for some players to get some much needed reps with the team on a break from league play. Homegrown Players Kamil Castillo and Oscar Avilez got their first minutes for the Black-and-Red when they each were included in René Weiler’s starting lineup.

“You have some guys who play less and games like these are important for guys to showcase their skills,” DC United defender Nikola Markovic said after the match. “I think we did pretty good. Guys are just here to play, here to improve, and here to win. That’s what we did.”

The match started out with both teams looking to get something going, while avoiding some of the harder challenges that would be present in a match that counted. Loudoun struck first in the 10th minute when Thorleifur Ulfarsson got the ball on the break after Sean Nealis attempted to deflect the ball away and calmly slotted the ball past DC United goalkeeper Alex Bono to make it 1-0 to the guys from Loudoun County.

Four minutes later, DC United got the equalizer, after some buildup play led to a cross from Hosei Kijima into the 6 yard box. Oscar Avilez cradled the ball with his chest and was able to put the ball past Loudoun United goalkeeper Ethan Bandre for his first goal in a DC United uniform.

“I think I did well in the first half,” Avilez said with a smile after recalling the goal. “I think I could do more besides the goal, but, yeah, I think I have more in me. I’m really excited and I’m really proud of myself.”

The game started to open up a bit, with guys hoping to get into open space to get downfield. The teams went back and forth trying to find some spacing in the attacking third to get a chance on goal. In the 21st minute, DC United almost had another one as Caden Clark found Jacob Murrell on a through ball at the edge of the box. Murrell’s shot was deflected by Ethan Bandre just over the bar for a corner kick.

Just a minute later, off a long Jared Stroud throw in towards the middle of the box, the ball was deflected on by a Sean Nealis header right on the edge of the 6-yard area to Nathan Ordaz. Ordaz kicked the ball up to himself and headed the ball brilliantly to Nikola Markovic, who headed it home to give DC United the 2-1 lead.

Ordaz joined the scoring party in the 26th minute, just 2 minutes after Markovic’s goal. After some great passing between Kamil Castillo and Hosei Kijima, Kijima did a give and go with Ordaz just inside the box. Instead of shooting, Kijima passed it back to Ordaz, who fired a shot from the left side of the box into the right side of the net to make it 3-1 to the Black-and-Red.

“I think they trust me and I trust them. I think they’ve shown me respect and I’m super grateful for it,” Ordaz said of being able to have so much confidence in connecting with his teammates on the goal and the assist. “I think we’re just meshing well today. You know, some guys that I haven’t played as much with, so we’re just learning each other. And it’s my fourth game I think, so it could only be so good on our fourth game. But, everybody’s learning how I play and I’m learning how everybody plays as well.”

DC continued applying pressure to Loudoun’s defense after that. Jacob Murrell got a chance on the break to make it 4-1, but his shot was deflected out for a corner kick. Loudoun also tried to create some chances through some sensational dribbling, but they weren’t able to put a shot on frame. In the 35th minute, Nathan Ordaz almost had a second goal, with his tricky shot requiring a Bandre outstretched save to keep it out of the net.

In the 37th minute, Loudoun United had a great chance to get a goal back when they caught Alex Bono well off his line to the left of the goal. Christian Torres was able to play it back to Luca Piras, who had a chance to take a shot with a wide open net. He took one dribble too many before he unleashed his shot, and Bono was able to go back and make a miraculous outstretched save on the shot. DC United had a couple more opportunities, but were not able to get anything else as the match went to halftime with DC leading 3-1.

The second half started with Loudoun making a slew of changes and Gavin Turner replacing Jacob Murrell for DC United. The match continued with both teams trying to work on their offense. There wasn’t a lot of offense until the 64th minute, when Loudoun was able to get a shot off that required a Bono save.

Shortly after, DC United rotated some of its players, bringing on Lucas Bartlett, Brandon Servania, and João Peglow. Almost immediately, Loudoun got a goal back in the 65th minute off a free kick set piece that was pushed home by Giovanni D’Agostino to make it 3-2 to DC.

DC United was required to settle in in an effort to keep Loudoun from getting the equalizer. Still, Loudoun was able to keep DC United contained while they tried to push forward. DC was able to get a couple of shots on goal, but substitute Lorenzo Herrera, who subbed on after Ethan Bandre picked up a knock, was able to keep the ball out of the net as the match entered the final 15 minutes of the match.

In the 78th minute, Loudoun got two good chances on goal. The first shot was blocked out of the penalty area, and the ensuing rocket from Elvis Amoh went mere inches above the bar. On the other side, some nifty passing gave Gavin Turner an opportunity. He was tripped but instead of staying down, he got up to immediately fire a shot. However, that shot went well high of the net.

In the 90th minute, Loudoun had one final chance to equalize. However, Lucas Piras’ shot from the left side of the penalty area went just wide. It was the final action of the match, as the referee blew for full time just as the clock crossed 90:00, and DC United held on for the win.

DC United is back on the field next Saturday when they travel north to take on CF Móntreal.