Conor Casey strikes twice as D.C. United falls 2-0

Playing a very young lineup on the road, D.C. United generated few chances, and lost track of Conor Casey on two separate occasions, and the big forward made United pay dearly both times. There were flashes of good play for the Black and Red, but too many mistakes and failure to capitalize on good positions meant that a 2-0 lead was impossible to overcome.

Statistics don't tell every story, but some of the numbers from this game do it justice. Philadelphia shot 22 times to United's 8, and 9 Union shots were on target to United's 5, all despite Philadelphia only amassing 50.6% possession to United's 49.4%. The Union began the game by shooting mostly high and/or wide, until the 35th minute, when Union defender Sheanon Williams crossed in from the right, Ethan White watched Sebastien Le Toux flick it on to the feet of Casey, and Casey, who had wrestled free of Conor Shanosky, took one touch and rolled the ball past Hamid. Casey would finish United off in the 75th minute, when he found himself unmarked, 8 yards from goal at the far post, to volley Fabinho's cross from the left through Hamid and into the net.

Hamid, who definitely could have stopped Casey's second goal, was unquestionably United's man of the match. He was credited with 7 saves, foiling a number of threatening Union attacks, and assuring that the 2-0 scoreline was not much worse. Another bright spot was the competitive debut for Michael Seaton, who played 14 minutes in the second half. He did not have opportunities to show his attacking skill like he did against Chivas de Guadalajara, but hopefully this means we'll see much more of him the rest of the season.

Tonight's result was one you might expect with a young lineup on the road against what is now the 3rd place team in the Eastern Conference. The team looks better going forward than they did a month ago, and there are signs that the current youth movement will bring better results than came in the first half of the season. That isn't terribly difficult of course, but we've got to have something to look forward to.