As C.J. Sapong walked slowly off the field Saturday, the Talen Energy Stadium crowd of 18,463 lauded him with an orchestra of cheers. Sapong crossed his fists and greeted his substitute, Fabian Herbers, with a bump of the forearms. He then shook hands with coach Jim Curtin, who didn't say much to him before Sapong sat on the bench.
With 11 minutes left in the game, Sapong had already done his part.
"C.J. manhandled us," D.C. United coach Ben Olsen said.
In his first MLS start since spraining his right ankle on June 1, Sapong helped create offensive chances and had an assist as the Union (8-6-5, 29 points) cruised to a 3-0 win over D.