It wasn’t pretty and it took all of 120 minutes, but D.C. United left Richmond last night with a 2-1 victory over the third division Kickers. The match, played in front of some 5,000 fans at Richmond City Stadium, was United’s first in this year’s U.S. Open Cup.

For D.C. United, the events that transpired in the last week confirmed two unalienable truths. Contrary to United’s play during their prolonged slump, they are, in fact, a very good team. And despite a run of good form in U.S. Open Cup play, there’s something about the 92-year-old competition that gives D.C. fits. Last Sunday, United snapped its miserable 5 game winless streak with a 2-1 win over Chivas USA. The win gave United…

Mired in a 4-game winless slump and experiencing an offensive drought, DC United headed into last night’s match against Red Bull New York with a degree of uncertainty. Would United’s forwards be able to capitalize on the scoring chances that had slipped by them in past games? Could the team regain its competitive edge? Was it time for another early exit from U.S. Open Cup play? United provided an emphatic answer to these questions,…

After the final whistle of Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rapids, DC United walked off the field frustrated. Settling for a 1-1 tie, United failed to get a win for the fourth game in a row in league play. Amidst unequivocally their worst stretch of the season, the Black-and-Red have seemed punchless, lethargic, and disjointed. In these dark days, pessimism tends to take root. Looking ahead to Wednesday’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal against Red…

Although the team is techincally on their All-Star break, DC United will take on the Columbus Crew tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Germantown, MD as part of the U.S. Open Cup. After losing to Real Salt Lake over the weekend, United will look to get back to their winning ways in a tournament they haven’t won since 1996. There’s a good chance Santino Quaranta will be back in the United line up after taking…

DC United let one get away last night, losing to FC Dallas 4-1 on penalties in US Open Cup play at the soccer complex in Germantown, Maryland. United had hoped to advance to the Open Cup semifinals for the third time in five years, and appeared to be in control, up 1-0 in the final minute as Freddy Adu sliced deep into the Dallas defense and laid a pass off to an open Brian Carroll…