Myrto Uzuni, Owen Wolff, Osman Bukari and Robert Taylor scored goals to help Austin FC to a rare offensive splurge while recording a 4-2 victory over D.C. United on Saturday night at Washington, D.C.
Austin FC entered the match with an MLS-low 17 goals but notched a season-best total with the stellar outing.
Austin FC (9-8-6, 33 points) has won back-to-back matches, both coming on the road.
Joao Peglow and Christian Benteke scored goals for struggling D.C. United (4-14-7, 19 points), who lost their four consecutive match and are mired in an eight-match winless stretch (0-7-1). D.C. United have been outscored 20-6 during the span.
All-Star goalkeeper Brad Stuver made four saves for Austin FC. Luis Barraza also had three stops for D.C. United.
D.C. United dug itself a two-goal deficit before striking just three minutes into the second half.
Gabriel Pirani got the ball to Peglow, who sent a right-footed shot into the net to pull D.C. United within 2-1.
Austin pushed its advantage back to two in the 60th minute. Dani Pereira slid the ball to his right to an unmarked Bukari, who sent a right-footed shot into the net.
D.C. United appeared to have answered two minutes later when Pirani knocked a right-footer into the net. But the goal was reviewed and eventually negated due to Benteke being offside.
D.C. United was unable to get any closer and Taylor made it 4-1 in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. Taylor’s blast hit the right goalpost and caromed into the net.
Shortly thereafter, Benteke was pulled down in the box by a grasping Oleksandr Svatok. Benteke stood at the spot in the seventh minute of stoppage time and drilled a right-footer into the left side of the net.
Austin FC held a 16-15 advantage in shots and placed seven on target to D.C. United’s six.
Austin led 2-0 at halftime against a D.C. United side that didn’t even put a single shot on target over the first 45 minutes.
The first goal was set by a long, precise pass from Brendan Hikes-Ike. It gave Uzuni room to operate and he sent a left-footed shot past Barraza in the 22nd minute.
Austin added another tally in the 45th minute as Mikkel Desler sent a short cross to his left to Wolff, who sent a solid cross-ranged header into the net.
–Field Level Media
