D.C. United fired on all cylinders early on as they charged their way to a 3-1 win against the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday night at Avaya Stadium. The win was United’s first on the road this season.
Luciano Acosta recorded two assists while the Black & Red got goals from Zoltán Stieber, Darren Mattocks, and Yamil Asad in the commanding victory.
United got things started early when Acosta sent a ball forward to a rushing Stieber, who slipped behind the San Jose defense and fired his second goal of the season past Earthquakes goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell to make it 1-0 at the 15th minute.
With United on the front foot after the opening goal, Acosta factored in again when he intercepted a San Jose pass and threaded the ball to Mattocks, who fired it into the low left corner to make it 2-0 for the visitors at the 20th minute.
While San Jose was reeling, United went for the knockout blow when Paul Arriola won a challenge against Jackson Yueill and took the ball away. Arriola then sent the ball to a rushing Asad who aimed and fired it past Tarbell to give the Black & Red a commanding 3-0 lead at the 37th minute.
The Earthquakes would fight back, though, when Danny Hoeson collected his own rebound off of United goalkeeper David Ousted and slipped it into the net to make it 3-1, giving San Jose hope at the 43rd minute.
It would be all the Earthquakes would manage, though, as Ousted and the United defense shut the door to complete the victory and earn their first three points on the road this season.
The west coast road trip will continue next weekend when the Black & Red will take on the MLS newcomer Los Angeles Football Club on Saturday, May 26th at 10 PM at the Banc of California Stadium.
