In a rout of D.C. United, the Union regained control of the Supporters’ Shield race

WASHINGTON — The Union routed D.C. United 6-0 on Saturday, and with help from other results, officially seized the lead in the Supporters’ Shield race for the league’s best regular-season record.

Around an hour before the game kicked off, Inter Miami was shockingly held to a 1-1 tie at Toronto FC. The result took the Shield out of Lionel Messi’s hands and put it in the Union’s, with those dropped points erasing the Herons’ games-in-hand advantage.

But the Union would still have to win out to take the trophy, and they didn’t look the part in Saturday’s early stages.

The game didn’t start well. D.C. took the game’s first four shots, and Quinn Sullivan injured himself in a sixth-minute challenge for a loose ball with United’s João Peglow. Sullivan tried to keep playing, but went down again on his own in the 10th, and the pain forced him out in the 13th.

» READ MORE: Before Saturday, the Union could only hope for Lionel Messi's Miami to drop points

Cavan Sullivan wasn’t in the lineup or the bench, and Milan Iloski was starting at forward with Tai Baribo suspended for yellow card accumulation. So Union manager Bradley Carnell shifted Iloski back to Sullivan’s spot and sent Mikael Uhre in at forward.

The move paid quick dividends. In the 17th, Uhre broke past D.C.’s defense on the left side of things, hit an inch-perfect curling pass to Damiani, and he thumped it past young D.C. goalkeeper Jordan Farr.

D.C. kept coming at Andre Blake, with Jared Stroud hitting the post in the 26th minute and forcing Blake to tip a shot off his crossbar in the 30th. But the Union absorbed all the pressure, and by the end of the half had blown the game open.

In the 34th, Damiani returned Uhre’s favor with a similar assist to the one he received. Uhre held off a defender to hit a 12-yard shot that took two deflections on the way in. It was officially scored an own goal, but no one in blue cared much as they celebrated in front of the traveling Union fans.

Two minutes later, Vassilev ran past six D.C. players as Iloski turned to shoot from just outside the 18-yard box. All six of them remained uninterested as Farr punched the rebound straight to Vassilev near the 6-yard line, and he shot low with his first touch.

The combination of the Union’s hustle and United’s ineptitude formed as good a symbol as you’ll find of the huge gulf between these two teams. On levels from first-team results to youth development — where the Union excel but D.C. fails miserably in a longtime soccer hotbed — Philadelphia has far outclassed MLS’s original dynasty.

» READ MORE: Bruno Damiani’s goal gave the Union a much-needed win over New England last weekend

Across the field in the supporters’ end, a “Sell the team!” chant arose from so few voices that they were barely heard across the field. Who knows if D.C. principal owner Jason Levien, a former part-owner of the 76ers, was even listening.

Iloski made it four in the 49th with a turn and low hit from 23 yards, set up by Damiani. Vassilev made it five in the 51st, set up by Uhre’s nice touch and pass. Uhre then finally got his official goal in the 62nd.

By then, the only fans making any noise were in the visitors’ sections. They included one fan who clapped rain-soaked shoes, two who showed up in full wedding attire (the team gave them jerseys before the game as a present), and many who made the weather an excuse to go shirtless.

The last time the Union beat D.C. this badly was in 2022, when they won 6-0 at Audi Field and 7-0 at Subaru Park. That year famously ended with the Union going to the MLS Cup final for the first, and still only, time in their history.

Time will tell if this game proves to be an omen.

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