Three things we learned from D.C. United's 1-1 draw against Columbus Crew SC

Well, that was a thing that happened. After giving up a goal to Ola Kamara in the second half, D.C. United went up a man thanks to Harrison Afful going studs-up on Marcelo Sarvas. United would take advantage in the 88th minute through Fabian Espindola's blast off a loose ball in the Columbus box. United piled on the pressure in stoppage time, but were unable to grab a second, drawing Columbus Crew SC 1-1.

Here's a quick look at what we learned from this trip to central Ohio.

Lloyd Sam is going to do just fine

The newest member of the Black-and-Red was dangerous all night, combining well with Luciano Acosta and Sean Franklin up the right side. He faded late, but looks likely to add some danger to a DC attack that badly needs it. On that note...

Ben Olsen needs to find some offense

Los Capitalinos generated a respectable 15 shots tonight, 5 of them on target, despite ceding much of the ball to their hosts. This worked exceedingly well through the first half, as United turned their 35% of possession into 5 shots, allowing the Crew to pass the ball around their own half and only turning up the press at opportune moments.

But, the Black-and-Red couldn't find a goal until they were throwing bodies forward against a 10-man side. There were chances, but not many great ones, even after a few moments of very nice, flowing movements. With only 18 goals through 19 games, Ben Olsen has to find a way to score goals, whether it's through acquiring a new target man, getting more attacking nous in the midfield, or something else.

This game is the strongest proof that hoarding the ball doesn't equal dominance

I mentioned that United had a decent enough number of shots in the first half, but that's really a product of comparing the number with the Crew's first half totals: 2 shots, 0 on goal. Without sitting deep, United still managed to stymie the Columbus attack. There was some help from "dumb 60-yard throughballs" and "horribly overhit crosses," but it was still a good, pragmatic performance through 45 minutes.

In the second half, both teams found more room and put up more, and better shots, and the possession game was much closer to even.

***

That's it from me. ChestRockwell will be up a little later with a fuller recap, but for now, take to the comments to let us know what stuck out to you about this 1-1 draw.