D.C. United could not have reasonably asked for a better scenario Sunday at Audi Field: a two-man advantage for more than half of the regular season finale, an opponent with MLS’s worst record and the need to score just once to secure a home playoff match.
But with each failed foray, wayward shot and stalling exercise conducted by FC Cincinnati, United’s bright outlook turned darker. And when the last bid sailed into the dusk, leaving 18,732 to bemoan a 0-0 draw, Ben Olsen’s gang had, against all odds, failed.
Instead of hosting Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference’s first round Oct.