D.C. United 5, Montreal Impact 0 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

Mike Levitt

D.C. United inched closer to the sixth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot with a resounding and dominating 5-0 against the visiting Montreal Impact on Saturday night at Audi Field.

And everyone got into the action – Wayne Rooney scored twice and added an assist, Paul Arriola scored twice, Luciano Acosta scored once and added three assists, and Yamil Asad added two assists of his own.

Acosta opened the scoring midway through the first half after a slick one-two with Asad and Rooney doubled the lead shortly after the restart. Both of them turned provider at the hour mark as Rooney slid Acosta through with a perfectly weighted no look ball, and Acosta played the ball across goal to a crashing Arriola. Arriola nabbed his second with a nifty chip in the 78th, and Rooney rounded out the scoring moments later when he played into an empty net from 40 yards after failed Evan Bush clearance.

Entering the match five points behind the Impact with two games in hand, both teams needed a result. But with the win, destiny is firmly in D.C.'s confident hands - while Montreal leaves knowing that they need to find wins in their final three games if they have any hope of holding on down the stretch.

Goals

17’ — DC — Luciano Acosta | WATCH
48' – DC – Wayne Rooney | WATCH
61' – DC – Paul Arriola | WATCH
78' – DC – Paul Arriola | WATCH
81' – DC – Wayne Rooney | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: D.C. look like a team poised to take the next step. It's not just that they can taste the playoffs. It's that they can taste a playoff run. The big question is whether tonight was the moment where it all comes together. Sure, D.C. has looked good for a while - they've only lost twice in their last 12 – but the've left points on the table (think back to two weeks ago when three leads vs NYRB slipped away for a disappointing draw). Saturday night was a smooth-passing, quality-finishing, confidence-building clinic. Will this momentum push them into the playoffs? Probably. Will it carry them into December? Only time will tell.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It has to be Rooney's dagger just after the break that made it 2-0. The way he created space for himself to get a shot off was a Manchester United throwback. Or was it the sensational team goal that tore apart the Impact defense making it 3-0 and effectively ending the match? Does it even matter? Both goals epitomize what this D.C. team has become compared to what they were before Rooney's arrival.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Two goals and two assists for Rooney. A spectacular opener and three pinpoint assists for Lucho Acosta. Do we really have to choose just one? Fine, I'll choose Rooney because his first goal took the air out of Montreal's tires when he made it 2-0, and his pass on the third goal, which set Acosta through on goal before the Argentine found Arriola at the back post, was a thing of pure beauty.