D.C. United Show Progress Under René Weiler in 1-1 Draw
It wasn’t the way René Weiler would have hoped to celebrate his 52nd birthday, but ultimately D.C. United came away from Saturday’s match with a 1-1 draw against Orlando City, continuing their rich vein of form under the Swiss manager and proving yet again why there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Black and Red.
A Turnaround Under Weiler
When Weiler presided over his first game at the helm on Aug. 16, D.C. were coming off a disastrous run of form that had seen them lose nine of their last 10 competitive fixtures and were virtually eliminated from postseason contention. They kicked off his tenure with a pair of 1-1 draws against Montréal and Inter Miami before heading into the September international break with a 2-1 win over New York City — their first win in three months. After prevailing 3-1 in a friendly against Mexican powerhouse América, D.C. hosted Orlando, who entered the match in fifth place in the Eastern Conference, eighth overall in the Supporters’ Shield standings, and joint first for most goals scored in the league.
“In the end, we are sporting professionals and we want to succeed,” Weiler told R.Org. “It doesn’t matter if we reach the playoffs or not, we have to try to win every game and perform well… that’s the only thing I’m asking for.”
Hopkins Delivers the Breakthrough
Despite missing starting center forward Luis Muriel due to suspension, Orlando came out raring to go and nearly took the lead from the opening kickoff. D.C. goalkeeper Luis Barraza was on red alert early on and made four saves in the first seven minutes as the hosts struggled to extinguish Orlando’s feverish attacking play. After soaking up the early pressure, the match became more even and opened up for D.C., who started to make headway in possession rather than aimlessly booting the ball up for Christian Benteke to chase. Eventually, they found their reward in the 33rd minute when Conner Antley charged toward the touchline and teed up Jackson Hopkins with a cutback. Hopkins made no mistake, twisting and turning before smashing home his third goal in four matches.
“With René coming in, everybody is being looked at,” Antley told R.Org. “Everybody is being watched because he’s got a lot of decisions to make in the offseason. Every training session and game is different now, it’s a little bit of a trial. Everybody is trying to put their best foot forward these last few games, so I don’t think it’s necessarily the relaxation of being eliminated from the playoffs [that’s helping us], but the eagerness to show our new coach that, ‘I’m here, I’m ready to go next year, and I want to build on the foundation that you’re putting down here.’”
Suddenly, a previously anemic D.C. fan base was invigorated; they roared in approval, tossed their plastic cups into the sky and delivered a newly caffeinated support as strobe lights and fireworks glistened in the nation’s capital. But Orlando did not go quietly and continued to mount pressure after halftime. They got their answer in the 53rd minute when Marco Pašalić forced a save from Barraza, who deflected it into the path of Alex Freeman. As Freeman lined up for a point-blank header, D.C. defender Lukas MacNaughton stuck his leg out in a last-ditch clearance attempt. He didn’t succeed in blocking the shot but did succeed in getting sent off.
“I think resilience has never been a question for us,” Hopkins told R.Org. “You’ve seen how we’ve bounced back from this season so far… everyone is competing in the game, everyone wants to win, so it’s easy for us to stay focused. Sometimes, when you get a red card, it almost gives you an extra cushion and a second wind to keep pushing.”
Barraza Stands Tall in Net
Despite being down a man for 45 minutes, D.C. battled valiantly and held firm amid wave after wave of attack. Orlando pushed hard, racking up 26 shots to D.C.’s six, but they were unable to find a way past Barraza, who delivered a Man of the Match performance with nine saves and allowed the hosts to see out the result.
“At this point, we’re playing spoiler,” Barraza told R.Org. “We’re going to play teams that are trying to get into the best playoff spot possible, and we have a duty and a responsibility to carry this out until the end of the season in the best way possible. We have to look at these last four games as a precursor to next year.”
D.C. will travel to Inter Miami next weekend and then take on the top-ranked team in the league, Philadelphia Union, and the hottest team in the league, Charlotte FC, before closing out their 2025 season with a trip to Atlanta United.