After about a month off from action for each time, DC United and FC Cincinnati returned to action with a tepid goalless draw Friday night at an empty Nippert Stadium.
The Black and Red began the game with a flourish start, putting Cincinnati on their back foot early with much of the possession and scoring opportunities early on. Despite the abundance of possession and scoring chances, the closest United came to scoring was in the eighth minute, as a Donovan Pines header clipped the top of the crossbar.
Following the early flurry, the match settled into a defensive stalemate for much of the first half. United was unable to find opportunities to unlock a defensive minded Cincinnati side, while the Orange and Blue were more than happy to absorb pressure.
Much of the second half mirrored the lethargy of the first, however Cincinnati began to open up play late in the game. In the 83rd minute, Cincinnati was able to force a turnover late and play the ball to the former Brighton and Hove Albion player, Jurgen Locadia, whose late shot beat United’s Bill Hamid but clanged into the post and harmlessly rolled away from play.
With the draw, DC United remain in tenth place in the East, with six points on the season. They will look to hopefully get the attack going against the New England Revolution at Audi Field on Tuesday, August 25th.
Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati are in seventh place, with seven points, and will travel to Chicago on Tuesday to take on the Fire.
On hand to cover the match was Prost Photographer Craig Hunter. You can check out his full gallery of FC Cincinnati photos on SmugMug and give him your thoughts on Twitter.
DC United
