Saturday night was a must-win for D.C. United. They were playing at home against the Chicago Fire, sitting just above the red line. They were able to deliver, trouncing the Fire 6-2 at RFK Stadium.
Patrick Mullins was the hero, scoring three goals, adding to his two goals that he scored in his first six games with United. Luciano Acosta had a goal and three assists, while Patrick Nyarko had a goal and two assists of his own.
The game was level in the 34th minute when Chicago's Khaly Thiam fouled Nyarko at midfield. Unhappy with the call, Thiam threw the ball at Nyarko's head while he was lying on the ground and received a straight red card for his actions.
From there on, United dominated and extended their unbeaten streak to six games.
Box Score
- Full box score
- Stats
- Watch highlights
- 25' - DC - Luciano Acosta (Marcelo Sarvas, Patrick Nyarko)
- 31' - CHI - Michael de Leeuw
- 40' - DC - Patrick Mullins (Patrick Nyarko)
- 45+1' - DC - Patrick Mullins (Luciano Acosta)
- 45+2' - CHI - Razvan Cocis (Michael de Leeuw)
- 51' - DC - Patrick Nyarko (Steve Birnbaum, Lloyd Sam)
- 74' - DC - Patrick Mullins (Sean Franklin, Luciano Acosta)
- 89' - DC - Nick DeLeon (Luciano Acosta)
Three Things
- GOALFEST: Coming into the match D.C. United and the Fire were tied for the second fewest goals in MLS. That changed on Saturday night as they combined for eight goals. United were certainly helped out by Thiam’s red card but the finishing will ve vital if they are to make a run for the red line.
- MULLINS EMERGENCE: Patrick Mullins was an afterthought for New York City FC this season, having played just 230 minutes before being traded on July 20. For United, he has been a revelation, scoring five goals in five starts. His hat trick is United’s first since June 2014.
- BACKLINE STRUGGLES: Their team were shown a red card early on, but it was not a pretty night for the Fire’s backline. Their communication did not seem to be there as there were many gaps in the defense and they did not put much pressure on the ball.
Next Up
