NYCFC hopes to build off best performance of season as it hosts D.C. United

Unlike in some of their previous games, New York City Football Club scored the elusive second goal last week and emerged with the victory.

Now NYCFC hopes its best performance of the season can spark a winning streak and another chance at three points Saturday when it hosts D.C. United in Queens, N.Y.

NYCFC (2-4-2, 8 points) is trying to dig out of an early hole it created by losing its first three matches. The third game was March 9 against Portland when it never added a second goal and gave up two in the final 12 minutes.

NYCFC heads into its meeting with the 10th-place United (2-2-4, 10 points) on a modest three-game unbeaten streak (1-0-2). After consecutive 1-1 draws against Inter Miami and Atlanta United, NYCFC earned a 2-0 home win over the New England Revolution.

Agustin Ojeda made his first MLS start and scored in the 57th minute, and Julian Fernandez scored in second-half stoppage time after goalkeeper Matt Freese made some key saves to keep the lead.

"If we do that with the talent we have in this team, we will score goals. I'm confident of that," NYCFC coach Nick Cushing said. "We've set the performance standard offensively and we have to retain that."

D.C. has scored at least two goals four times so far but also given up three goals in two of its losses, including last week's 3-2 setback to Orlando City.

The United saw its three-game unbeaten streak halted due to a collapse in the final minutes. Christian Benteke scored his sixth goal in the fifth minute while Gabriel Pirani scored his first goal of the season in the 66th minute to snap a 1-1 tie. But D.C. allowed the tying goal in the 82nd and the tiebreaking tally in the first minute of the 13-minute stoppage time.

D.C. struggled to cover a corner kick properly for the tying goal and then allowed a breakaway goal. The collapse against Orlando occurred a week after D.C. allowed the tying goal at Columbus despite playing with a man advantage.

"We have to be careful now about making the right adjustments and not making it a trend," United goalkeeper Alex Bono said. "It's still early in the year, and we have plenty of time to make the adjustments that we need and make sure we stop the bleeding with giving up late goals."