D.C. United's own, Paul Arriola, Frédéric Brillant, Bill Hamid (bench) and Head Coach Ben Olsen have been named to MLS' Week One, Team of The Week.
Arriola had an impressive 90-minute shift during Sunday's home opener against the reigning MLS Champs, Atlanta United. His offensive prowess allowed him to make attacking runs down the right wing all night. He broke the deadlock in stoppage time (45'+1'), just before the halftime whistle. Wayne Rooney whipped in a corner kick and Luciano Acosta brought the ball down and it found its way to the feet of a wide open Arriola who then buried the ball into the back of the net.
Brillant's defensive intellect was on display all night for the Black-and-Red aswell. The Frenchman completed 28 out of 33 passes in less than ideal conditions as it was a rainy and windy night at Audi Field. He also pitched in four tackles and seven clearances as D.C. United cruised to victory over The Five Stripes.
Hamid earned Man of The Match honors after his two save shutout performance in the season opener. He was called upon in the 69th minute of the match to make a difficult save on a powerful shot from Atlanta's, Eric Remedi. Hamid earned his first shutout of the year and his 55th career shutout, all as a member of the Black-and-Red.
Head Coach Ben Olsen has again beaten Josef Martinez and The Five Stripes. D.C. United holds an impressive 5-2 record against Atlanta United since they came into the league in 2017. To Olsen's credit, his D.C. United was the only team in week one who managed to shutout their opponent. Against a team like Atlanta who was shutout five times all of last season en route to them winning the MLS Cup, Olsen's tactical approach to the game paid dividends as United sailed to victory, earning all three points in their season opener.
D.C. United returns to action this Sunday as they take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3 PM ET.
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Frédéric Brillant
