Union and D.C. United slog to scoreless tie at Subaru Park

It was never going to be a blowout like the Union inflicted twice on D.C. United last year, 7-0 at Subaru Park and 6-0 in Washington. But the Union would have liked a win on Wednesday in Chester anyway, and they didn’t get it. The two teams played a scoreless draw, marking the first time the Union (5-4-3, 18 points) failed to beat D.C. (4-5-4, 16 points) at home since 2014.

Though Mikael Uhre and José Andrés Martínez were recovered enough from their recent injuries to make the bench, they weren’t in starting shape. And with Jack McGlynn and Quinn Sullivan gone to the under-20 World Cup, Union manager Jim Curtin was short on attacking options.

So he improvised, using neither his usual 4-4-2 nor the 3-5-2 he rolled out in Colorado. This time, the formation was a 4-3-2-1, nicknamed the “Christmas Tree” for resembling that shape. Behind a traditional back four of Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes and Nathan Harriel (from left to right), the line of three midfielders was Matt Real, Leon Flach and Alejandro Bedoya, and Dániel Gazdag and Joaquín Torres lined up in front of them. Julián Carranza was the lone forward.

It worked right away: in the third minute, Wagner sprung Carranza free down the left flank, and he centered for Torres to finish easily. But the play had worked a little too well, because Carranza was clearly offside when Wagner passed. So the goal didn’t count.

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D.C. was the better team for most of the rest of the half. At intermission, the visitors had five shots to the Union’s four, and had forced Andre Blake to make three significant saves.

After a yellow-card-earning foul by D.C.’s Derrick Williams earned the Union a free kick at midfield, Elliott spotted keeper Tyler Miller far off his goal line — one of many times Miller strayed afield in the game — and tried to chip him. The attempt had all the distance, but sailed just wide.

Unfortunately, viewers at home didn’t see the play live because the broadcast was still showing a replay of the foul. But as a replay of Elliott’s try showed a moment later, he didn’t miss by much.

Curtin sent Uhre and Martínez in as subs in the 58th minute, earlier than he usually makes moves. They replaced Torres and Real, respectively, and returned the Union to their traditional 4-4-2 diamond.

Starting Torres was a noble experiment, and it ate up minutes that needed eating. But he didn’t play all that well: two shots, one chance created, and 8-of-14 passing.

Martínez announced his return a few seconds after entering with another long chip attempt. It went over the crossbar by a good margin. Uhre, meanwhile, got to work pressing D.C.’s back line and pulling it out of shape.

That helped create space for Carranza to fire a shot from 30 yards in the 61st that Miller dove to palm away.

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Christian Benteke, United’s star striker who used to play for clubs including Liverpool and Belgium’s national team, had the best chance yet of anyone to score when he thumped a header off the crossbar in the 69th minute. Lancaster native Russell Canouse whiffed on the rebound from just off the goal line, allowing the Union to clear the ball and escape.

Andrés Perea replaced Bedoya and Olivier Mbaizo replaced Harriel in the 72nd minute as Curtin looked to plug in pieces to get a winning goal. There was improvement, including a shot just off the mark by Perea in second-half stoppage time that went just wide.

Though the Union tallied 16 shots in the game, just two were officially on target. D.C. registered 12 shots, four on target.

» READ MORE: The Union’s three Designated Players all got raises this year