In an entertaining match at the Audi Field stadium in Washington, DC United defeated Sporting Kansas 2-1 to earn their first victory in this year’s MLS.
Former Belgium and Liverpool striker Christian Benteke, currently captain of DC United, opened the score with a spot kick and Hosei Kijima in the 60th and 68th minutes, respectively.
Sporting Kansas’s Erik Thommy scored the opener in the 53rd minute from an inswinger, perfectly placing the ball beyond DC United goalkeeper Joonhong Kim.
The win was refreshing news for DC United, which has already drawn its first two games and is unbeaten so far.
DC United coach Troy Lesesne, in a post-match interview, believes this win is a win and a huge momentum for his side ahead of their long season.
Every single time that we play here, we feel a huge responsibility to get a result at home but not just for the actual night itself,” Coach Troy Lesesne said. “It’s really more about starting to deliver more for our fan base and changing the momentum.”

The game looked balanced in the first half, with Sporting Kansas dictating the game with more possession and few chances created, but they were not clinical enough in front of the goal.

Hosei Kijima’s footwork was a delight to watch for DC United, and David Schnegg’s surging run on the left flank was amazing. DC United will look to make it double wins in a row at Audi Field when they host CF Montreal next Saturday. It is a must-win game because winning all your home games will be key to our success this season.

Below are the results of other games played yesterday: