While Zoltán Stieber served Darren Mattocks a beautifully-placed ball to the far post in Saturday's match against the Union, Mattocks' cool ability to finish was equally as impressive. With his defender on his near shoulder and only a few yards of space between Mattocks and Philadelphia's goalkeeper, the forward aggressively continued his run and connected with Stieber's ball, heading it down at the perfect angle so it hit the ground a few feet in front of the keeper and popped up high enough to curve over his head and into the goal.
Mattocks' score against the Union was his second goal in as many friendlies and reaffirmed the Jamaican's ability to find his way into the box and confidently finish scoring opportunities. Against Malmö FF in United's first preseason friendly, Mattocks scored the Black-and-Red's lone goal, using his pace to get behind Malmö's back line and slotting home a half-volley to the far post.
“[Being with D.C.] is good," Mattocks said following United's match against the Union. "I am getting playing time which is what I’ve always wanted. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent D.C."
In his two seasons with the Portland Timbers, Mattocks scored five goals and added five assists, but struggled to earn consistent play time. The forward will continue to have to battle for minutes as he competes with Patrick Mullins, United's co-winner of the 2017 Golden Boot, for a starting spot in 2018. But with two goals in his first two games with the Black-and-Red, it's clear Mattocks is settling in with his new teammates and building promising chemistry with his midfield counterparts.
"I think we’re a really great team with a good bunch of guys," Mattocks said. "We’re just taking it one step at a time and we should be ready to go once the season starts."
As the entire squad continues working to be ready to go for the regular season, Mattocks should continue finding opportunities in front of goal thanks to United's improved midfield corps. With the additions of Yamil Asad, Júnior Moreno, and Ulises Segura, and the quality of Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, and Zoltán Stieber, Mattocks will have an impressive depth of midfielders working to help him create big scoring chances.
"Darren [Mattocks] is a handful for defenders and we’re going to ask for more from him," Ben Olsen said after Saturday's match. "It was a positive that we scored two goals…in contrast to last season our offense got plenty of looks on goal and we finished our opportunities."
While Mattocks' goals came in different ways—a half-volley on a breakaway versus a header on a tightly-marked run—both scores demonstrated the forward's strengths: athleticism, speed, and a knack for calmly finishing his chances. When United return to competition on Wednesday night against the Jacksonville Armada, Mattocks will try to make it three goals in his first three matches with United. And as D.C.'s coaching staff continue to analyze lineup options ahead of their March 3 regular season opener, Mattocks will focus on consistently showing his strengths as he competes for a starting spot.
