These days, after all, the previous United coach doesn’t name the photographs right here — that duty belongs to first-year boss Troy Lesesne. As Olsen managed the visiting Dynamo, Lesesne took his place some 20 yards to Olsen’s proper, within the technical space reserved for the visiting coach earlier than D.C. flipped the association this season.
By the point the ultimate whistle mercifully blew, Olsen had a lot extra to applaud. Lesesne, in the meantime, might solely bow his head and tuck his palms in his pockets. After Christian Benteke’s penalty kick gave United (4-9-7) the lead earlier than halftime, Sebastián Ferreira’s second-half hat trick and a late strike from Gabe Segal secured three factors for the Dynamo (7-6-6), extending D.C.’s winless skid to eight (0-6-2).
United’s comeback efforts had been hampered by a rash purple card from Benteke — the Belgian striker answerable for greater than half of the membership’s targets — for confronting referee Tim Ford within the 66th minute.
“This can be a dangerous efficiency from us tonight,” Lesesne stated. “We have now to take duty and accountability, and we’ve been saying that too typically these days. So we have to determine some issues out.”
Olsen was teaching his first match at Audi Subject since he was fired in October 2020, ending his 10-year tenure on the sideline and a 23-year relationship with the membership as a participant or coach.
“I gave this membership the whole lot I had for 20 years,” Olsen stated. “Some recognize it, and clearly some didn’t recognize it. However I really like this group. It gave me lots of alternative, and I believe I gave them just a little bit as effectively.”
After failing to win a playoff sport in his ultimate 5 seasons with United or a trophy in his final six, Olsen did each in his inaugural marketing campaign overseeing the Dynamo, steering the membership to the Western Convention ultimate and a run to the U.S. Open Cup title. United has been a revolving door: Lesesne is the membership’s third full-time coach since Olsen’s exit, and D.C. didn’t subject anybody in opposition to the Dynamo who performed below Olsen.
Lesesne’s squad struck first. Benteke and Jacob Murrell executed a give-and-go in transition earlier than Benteke lured goalkeeper Steve Clark out of place, pivoted towards objective and compelled Houston midfielder Artur to haul him down for a penalty kick. Shaking Clark with a stutter step, Benteke powered his Thirty eighth-minute spot kick down the center for his 14th objective.
The Dynamo leveled with a penalty of its personal within the 51st: Ferreira’s header glanced off the arm of United substitute Matai Akinmboni, the referee pointed to the spot, and Ferreira despatched D.C. goalkeeper Tyler Miller the incorrect method. Houston took the lead three minutes later when the ball ricocheted across the field and Ferreira prodded his rolling bid into the facet netting. The strike stood regardless of United’s pleas for a foul within the buildup after the Dynamo’s Amine Bassi despatched Mateusz Klich tumbling to the turf.
United’s hopes of salvaging a consequence plummeted when Benteke acquired tossed. After drawing a yellow card for recklessly crashing into Houston defender Griffin Dorsey, the league’s second-leading scorer heatedly confronted Ford, who didn’t hesitate to drag a purple card from his again pocket.
Ferreira iced the win within the 86th, gathering a cross from former United winger Brad Smith and depositing a 12-yard shot previous Miller. A second yellow for Akinmboni in stoppage time diminished United to 9 males for the sport’s ultimate demoralizing minutes, throughout which Segal capped the scoring with a tap-in tally.
“The usual is simply not practically adequate throughout,” Miller stated. “Everyone wants to essentially increase their very own degree and dig deep.”
Right here’s what else to find out about United’s loss:
United dropped to 3-5-3 at Audi Subject. On a day that D.C. reached 100 levels for the primary time in practically eight years, 17,993 braved the warmth for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. However a spirited surroundings wasn’t sufficient for United to notch its first house win since April 27 in opposition to Seattle — an 0-3-3 stretch at Buzzard Level.
“It’s actually essential to make D.C. and Audi Subject a troublesome place to return,” stated Miller, who made his second begin of the season after recovering from shoulder surgical procedure. “Frankly, proper now it’s not.”
D.C. meets the New York Purple Bulls subsequent Saturday in Harrison, N.J., earlier than internet hosting FC Cincinnati on July 3. Benteke and Akinmboni will miss the match in opposition to New York whereas serving red-card suspensions.
Martín Rodríguez, a Chilean midfielder who missed the 2023 marketing campaign with a torn ACL, made his first begin since October 2022 as one in all three modifications from the lineup that fell to Atlanta, 1-0, on Wednesday.
Rodríguez’s addition was a part of a tactical shift for United, which got here out in a 4-1-3-2 formation after utilizing a five-man again line in current weeks. He joined Klich, Matti Peltola and Ted Ku-DiPietro in midfield, and Jared Stroud was on the bench after beginning the primary 19 video games.
Midfielder Jackson Hopkins (decrease again) and attacker Kristian Fletcher (ankle) remained sidelined for United, which subbed off Garrison Tubbs in first-half stoppage time after a conflict of heads with teammate Cristian Dájome left the rookie with blood streaming down his face. Lesesne stated Tubbs most likely suffered a concussion.
