DC United 3-1 América: Las Águilas fall short in friendly clash | OneFootball

America falls in a friendly against DC United.

André Jardine decided to make several rotations, prioritizing players who usually have few minutes. The starting lineup was: Rodolfo Cota, Kevin Álvarez, Ramón Juárez, Igor Lichnovsky, Ralph Orquín, Jonathan dos Santos, Alan Cervantes, Alexis Gutiérrez, Allan Saint-Maximin, Víctor Dávila, and Henry Martín.

First half:

DC United surprised America at the start of the match with a very aggressive style, pressing in every corner of the field; this caused the Eagles to lose the ball a couple of times when coming out, creating dangerous actions at the goal defended by Rodolfo Cota.

7′ Close for America! – A counterattack by the Eagles was very close to being completed by Allan Saint-Maximin with a shot that hit the post.

21′ Again close for America! – Once more, Allan Saint-Maximin used his speed to get behind the defense, managing to stay alone in front of the goalkeeper, but his shot lacked power to open the score.

27′ The third for America! – Víctor Dávila cut inside the area and was ready to shoot with his left foot, but his shot went just wide of the angle.

It was a first half where the opponent started with a lot of pressure on America’s exit, but as the minutes passed, they slowed down, and the Eagles took advantage of this to create several dangerous plays in DC United's area.

The impressions left by Allan Saint-Maximin continue to be very positive; he is a player capable of generating any number of offensive plays on his own, and not just with speed, he also knows how to pause and choose the best option for the play to advance well.

Second half:

47′ Goal by DC United – Ralph Orquín tried to control a ball inside the area instead of clearing it, but did it poorly and ended up assisting the opponent for 1-0.

53′ GOAL FOR AMERICA – Kevin Álvarez entered the area with speed, a low cross looking for Henry Martín, but the opponent anticipated and scored an own goal.

54′ Goal by DC United – A foul on Jona that the referee didn’t call, the ball was passed to number '30' who got behind Ralph Orquín for 2-1.

71′ Close for America! – Individual play by Allan Saint-Maximin inside the area, getting past three opponents, but his shot went straight to the goalkeeper's hands.

93′ Goal by DC United – In the last minute of the match, the opponent took advantage of a counterattack to seal the game.

Beyond the score, the match left good impressions for America, especially in an area they have struggled with a lot, which is offensive creation.

It’s sad what is happening with Ralph Orquín, during his year on loan to Juárez, the Americanista defender did very well to the point of being considered one of the best full-backs of the tournament, but his return to the team has not been positive; he has made several mistakes and has not managed to contribute offensively as he did in Juárez.

Moreover, this match served to give Allan Saint-Maximin 90 minutes, which he completed without problems and with a positive performance.

America's next match will be on Saturday, September 13, hosting Chivas.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.