D.C. United are off to a great start in 2019 after they pummeled Real Salt Lake 5-0 on Saturday night. Two red cards for the visitors helped ensure United's second victory in three games, but D.C. was once again stingy on defense, and then got a hat trick out of their main man Wayne Rooney. United remain the only team in the league to have not conceded a goal yet this year, and they have seven points from three games for the first time in a decade.

Red cards to Jefferson Savarino just before halftime and Marcelo Silva with about 25 minutes left in the game make it tough to decipher too much from the second half. By the time Silva was sent to the showers, United were already up 3-0, and the last two goals were goals that can be directly linked to United having two more players on the field than their opposition.

Going up a man doesn't always guarantee a result, as evident in United's 2018 opener against Orlando City — when D.C. was up a goal when Orlando got reduced to 10 men. However, Orlando scored a late, late equalizer, as United dropped two points up a man.

That wasn't going to be the case on Saturday night. And instead of conceding a silly goal, United tacked on a couple more of their own to turn a win into a rout. But before the red cards, there was plenty to glean from United's performance. Here's what stuck out to us:

Knowing Your Opponent

Ahead of every game, teams in around the world study game tape of their upcoming opponent. Coaches try to drill information into the heads of players, hoping that when the moment arises during the game they'll remember key bits of information that might change the outcome of the game. One of those pieces of information is which way an opposition player might favor, based on whether a player is right-footed or left-footed.

On Saturday night, it seems like Leonardo Jara remembered that the opposition left back, Aaron Herrera, is right footed. Herrera, a homegrown player that was signed by RSL ahead of the 2018 season, took over at left back midway through the season last year, and has started ever since. He's been mostly good, and the fact that he is a right-footed left back hasn't been too much of a hindrance.

But it was clear that Jara knew what to expect from Herrera. For example, in the seventh minute, Herrera got into a position near United's box, looking to get a cross in. Jara didn't allow Herrera to cut back to his favored right foot, knowing that Herrera was looking to cross the ball in that way. Instead, Jara forced Herrera to continue up the field with his left foot, which resulted in Jara tackling the ball away.

That moment wasn't a game-changer, but Jara's tackle on Herrera in the 41st minute was. A pass to Herrera on the wing was quickly closed down by United's Argentine right back. Jara overplayed towards the middle of the field, knowing that the right-footed Herrera was likely going to take the ball inside, as opposed to outside, where the ball would have been on his left foot. And guess what? Jara was right.

Jara wins the ball, and he then quickly played in for Wayne Rooney to convert for a 2-0 lead. RSL fell apart from there, but that goal might have ended the game as a contest anyway. Understanding what to expect from your opponent in certain situations, and being able to act upon it, goes a long way to making plays that determine outcomes of games.

The Possession Battle

Before the RSL game, defender Steven Birnbaum told FloFC that he was hoping that United would have more of the possession after losing that battle the first two weeks. Against Atlanta, the possession favored the visitors 56-44, and New York City FC dominated the ball in the 0-0 draw, winning the possession battle 66-34. 

On Saturday night, United out-possessed RSL 57-43. But that's not all that surprising, given that the visitors ended the game with just nine men on the field. It's tough to not have more of the ball when you are playing up a man for an entire half, and up two men for the last 25 minutes of a game that you are already winning 3-0.

However, in the first half, RSL won the possession battle. Not by a dramatic margin, but probably also not up to Birnbaum's hopes. RSL is a good team, but not who United should let have a majority of the ball at Audi Field. Since Rooney's arrival, the Black-and-Red have been better in possession, but sometimes possession of the ball isn't even necessary for D.C. to succeed.

Case in point: Up 1-0, United got a touch on the ball at 38:07 in the first half with RSL then quickly claiming possession. The visitors then spent the next two minutes passing the ball around, trying to probe into the attacking third to create a chance. The visitors completed 40 passes in a row before United got a touch on the ball at 40:15. 

Crucially, though, United fell back into a tight defensive posture when RSL crossed the halfway line, not allowing RSL to get a cross or shot off. So the visitors worked the ball back to Nick Rimando on two occasions, hoping to draw United out. It didn't work.

Instead, when United finally got a touch on the ball once again, it was Jara taking possession from Herrera, and playing Rooney in on goal. In a two minute spell, RSL completed 40 passes, and United just one. But it was United who scored, and not RSL. 

Of course, there are still times where United will want to have more possession to limit opponents' chances. If United can continue to excel at pressing, though, and create goals that way, then they won't need to win the possession battle week in and week out to be successful this year.

A Good Game Plan? Have Junior Moreno

D.C. United brought in Venezuelan international Junior Moreno before the 2018 season without much fanfare. The defensive midfielder wasn't an easily recognizable player, having spent his entire career playing in Venezuela. And there were struggles early on for Moreno, who took some time to adapt to MLS while also having to deal with a couple of injuries that limited his playing time in the first half of the 2018 season.

But when he came back into the squad last summer and lined up alongside Russell Canouse, Moreno quickly filled in nicely for the Black-and-Red. Canouse's return got more attention in midfield, and there were also the storylines of Rooney, Luciano Acosta, and Bill Hamid dominating the headlines as United raced up the table. But Moreno was consistently performing as well, and he was an integral part of United becoming difficult to score upon late in the season.

This year, though, Moreno has found another gear, and he's showing that he can belong in the conversation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. He had two assists on Saturday night, and while those came after the first and second RSL red cards, the Venezuelan was still at the top of his game for the entire 90 minutes. Just take a look:

Júnior Moreno in #DCvRSL:

2 assists
3 chances created
89 touches
75/77 (97%) passes
4/5 long balls
2/2 dribbles
6/12 duels won
10 recoveries
4 tackles
2 interceptions
1 clearance

Underrated player.#MLS #Vinotinto #DCU ?? pic.twitter.com/YnfhPJyxUf

— Joga Bonito USA (@Jasoninho10) March 17, 2019

After the game, Ben Olsen said he was happy for Moreno, given that he thinks that the midfielder is a bit too unheralded around the league. Olsen and his staff — and Moreno's teammates, too — definitely notice what he can bring to the team. Now, maybe others around MLS might take notice as well.