Wayne Rooney was not the only notable absence from D.C. United’s lineup Sunday for the 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy. Luciano Acosta was left out of the starting lineup and did not enter in the second half.
The only other time he had not played this season was for a two-game, red-card suspension. Twice this year he came off the bench — for tactical reasons at Toronto and because of illness at Dallas.
“Coach’s decision,” Ben Olsen said Sunday. “It’s not about sending messages. It’s just about putting a team on there that I think can win the game.