D.C. United had a very, very good Saturday. And boy, did they need one.

United entered their match against the Vancouver Whitecaps winless in their last six matches, struggling to shape an identity and in the midst of a sizable fan revolt.

On the field, the club responded emphatically, riding braces from Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio to a 4-0 demolition of Vancouver. Most importantly, perhaps, the play on the field truly matched the scoreline; United were in the driver’s seat from the get-go, bossing the game in a way fans of the club haven’t seen since the middle of last year.

Highlights:

The Good:Fabian Espindola, Alvaro Saborio, Luciano Acosta. Espindola turned in his best performance of the year on Saturday, displaying the sort of unpredictability that has frustrated opposing defenders in MLS for years now. He was all over the place—though he missed a pair of chances in the opening stanza, Espindola made no mistake with his third, and tacked on a late goal to boot. During lulls in possession, the former RSL man dropped deeper, combining well with midfielders Chris Rolfe and Patrick Nyarko and pulling United further forward.

Saborio was outstanding as a second half sub, notching his own pair of goals. Acosta, who entered with 20 minutes to play, very quickly made his case for a starting spot. United’s marquee off-season signing, Acosta has struggled to crack the XI. On Saturday, the former Boca Juniors midfielder seemed to have a chip on his shoulder and put on a passing display. Soon enough, he may force DCU head coach Ben Olsen’s hand for a starting spot.

The Bad: not much. There’s not much to note here. Players who’ve put in poor performances in weeks past seem to have pulled it together. Nick DeLeon appears to be growing into his role as a center mid; his passing vision was sharp on Saturday and he managed to create danger on both flanks as well. D.C.’s backline got their shit together as well. Bobby Boswell and Steve Birnbaum were solid centrally, while Taylor Kemp and in particular Sean Franklin were excellent defensively and did well going forward as well.

The Rest: The unrest between United’s supporters and their front office came to a head on Saturday after a truly hostile week. Charles Boehm and I wrote extensively on the furor during the week, after one of the leaders of the District Ultras was issued a one-year ban. On Saturday, the supporters group responded with a formal protest, leaving their section empty for the first half of the match and hanging their banner upside down:

There were other protests around the league, as well, in solidarity with United’s supporters:

Even supporters of lower division sides—clubs in NASL and USL—hung banners in protest of the ban. It remains to be seen whether the team will revisit the ban in the wake of a sizable public outcry.

Filed Under: DC United, DCU, RFK, soccer, united, Vancouver Whitecaps,