The excuses were there last night for D.C. United. The opponent, Atlanta United, was expected to rotate due to their Concacaf Champions League duties, but opted to field a virtually full-strength team. The game was played in absolutely miserable mid-Atlantic winter weather, with rain falling throughout the match and temperatures hovering just above freezing. A somewhat unconvincing preseason left the feeling that there was work to be done to get back to 2018’s heights.
Instead, the Black-and-Red posted a convincing performance, seeing off the MLS Cup champions 2-0 before 16,942 hearty souls at Audi Field.