Luciano Acosta scored his second goal of the Major League Soccer season as DC United avenged their worst defeat since 2015 with a 2-1 victory over New York City FC on Saturday.
Lloyd Sam added his first goal of the 2017 campaign for DC United, who were thumped 4-0 by City last month at Yankee Stadium.
Former Spain and Barcelona star David Villa scored late for his third goal of the season for City — his seventh in seven career matches against DC United.
But that wasn’t quite enough against the DC side bent on revenge.
“You always remember that,” Sam said, “4-0 — it’s a bit embarrassing.”
Sam put United ahead in the 53rd minute, seizing upon a moment of indecision between City defenders Maxim Chanot and Frederic Brillant when the ball was played back between them. When Brillant belated tried to take charge, the ball bounced and Sam won the ball, firing home a low goal.
Acosta doubled United’s lead 21 minutes later. Collecting the ball in midfield, he eluded Andrea Pirlo and Tommy McNamara before playing wide to Sam on the left.
Johnson dove to deny Sam’s effort, but Acosta caught the rebound and lashed it inside the left post.
Villa pulled New York within one six minutes from full time when he fired in a McNamara cross.
“We knew that they would be tough, that they would be physical, and that they would put a lot of pressure on us,” City coach Patrick Vieira said. “I think we were willing to be passive, especially in the first half, the way we went into the game. The way we went into the game wasn’t the right way, and at the end, we get punished.”
Elsewhere, Chicago forward Nemanja Nikolic grabbed his second goal of the season and it was all the Fire needed in a 1-0 victory over Columbus Crew.
Chicago scored in the 22nd minute as midfielder Dax McCarty delivered a long pass to the sprinting Nikolic, who slipped a shot from just inside the box past Columbus goalkeeper Zack Steffen.
“He’s great to have him in your back, behind you so he covers a lot and he also understands the game very well,” the Fire’s new German import Bastian Schweinsteiger, said of McCarty. “He knows exactly where to pass the ball, when to turn and when to keep the ball, so you can really see that he’s experienced.”
Schweinsteiger, the former Germany, Bayern Munich and Manchester United midfielder, launched his MLS career with a goal last week in Chicago’s 2-2 draw with Montreal.
On Saturday his free kick from just outside the box looked headed into the upper right corner, but Columbus keeper Zack Steffen knocked it away in the 76th minute.
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