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Read what you will into the recent history between the Union and D.C. United, the 13 goals in two monumental paddlings in 2022 or the two dour, scoreless affairs stalemated in 2023.
Saturday’s trip to the District was decidedly of a piece with the former.
Mikael Uhre put the Union up within five minutes off a disastrous error from the hosts, and the Union were three goals to the good by halftime in running away to a 3-1 win.
D.C., which under Wayne Rooney insists on playing out of the back, showed the peril of that tactic when the Union pressed them into trouble early. Julian Carranza, returning after a hamstring strain, squared a ball that Uhre buried in the fifth.
Carranza earned the penalty kick that Daniel Gazdag buried in the 35th, the Argentine running into the box and getting clattered over by D.C. goalie Tyler Miller. Gazdag stepped to the spot to convert the PK, his 36th career MLS goal to tie CJ Sapong for second in Union history.
In between, Jack McGlynn made the most of his start, mirroring Jose Martinez’s end-to-end run with one of his own. It meant when the ball filtered centrally to him, McGlynn was there to bury it into the back of the net in the 13th.
The Union could’ve had many more goals. Alex Bono, subbed on at halftime, stood tall to deny Jesus Bueno in the 59th. Carranza fired wide on the hour, though the offside flag was up in a marginal decision. Chris Donovan made a mess of a 2-v-1 with Gazdag in the second half for what had to be a fourth.
Andre Blake conjured a moment of utter brilliance in the 49th. Though he didn’t have much to do, he somehow pushed away a header from Christian Benteke as he was falling behind the goal line, keeping it from crossing the line by mere millimeters.
Jose Fajardo had the ball in the back of the net in the 84th, but the Union had pushed its offside line up just in the nick of time. There was no stopping the rocket from Ted Ku-Dipietro in the 88th, though, a laser aimed at the top corner.
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