NEW YORK — At precisely 7:38 p.m. Saturday, inside a largely deserted Yankee Stadium, D.C. United kicked off a critical match against free-falling New York City FC. The next two hours would go a long way toward determining whether the playoffs were in United’s future.
Instead of rising to the occasion, Coach Hernán Losada’s side played 10-plus minutes of horrific soccer, resulting in a three-goal deficit. It grew worse, and by the end of an abysmal night in the Bronx, United was saddled with a 6-0 defeat, the worst in its 25-year MLS history.