A night that began promisingly ended in defeat for D.C. United, who were unable to hang onto a lead in a 2-1 U.S. Open Cup loss to NYCFC. Wayne Rooney put United ahead in the 32nd minute, but goals from Alexandru Mitrita and Ismael Tajouri-Shradi before halftime gave New York City FC a lead they would rarely look like relinquishing.
United nearly got off to an ideal start. Inside the first minute of the game, a simple flick-on from Ulises Segura gave Luciano Acosta the ball in a promising spot, and his backheel completely unlocked the NYCFC defense.