Saturday's matchup between D.C. United and Los Angeles FC was supposed to be a showdown between two of the hottest teams in MLS. Instead, it quickly dissolved into a one-sided affair, as the visitors raced out to a three-goal half time lead, en route to a 4-0 win. Wayne Rooney picked up a red card in the second half, but by that point, the result already seemed secured.

It was a shocking performance for United, who lost a game for the first time since late August. They had gone 15 games without a defeat, winning three of their first four games in 2019 while conceding one goal. But LAFC was just too good, with Diego Rossi scoring a hat trick, and Carlos pulling the strings to the tune of one goal and two assists.

The Black-and-Red get a chance to move past the result on Tuesday, when they host the Montreal Impact at Audi Field, sans Rooney. But before they do, we break down what went wrong at Buzzard Point on Saturday afternoon.

Turnovers In Midfield, Lost In Transition

LAFC can beat teams in a couple of different ways, but on Saturday, United were bested by the counter attack in the first half. When United had the ball, LA sat deep, which led to a frustrated DCU side on the attacking end. Every time they turned the ball over, LAFC was ready to pounce, and Vela and Rossi made a couple of those attacks count.

However, the visitors were aided by a couple of bad turnovers from United. On the first goal, Russell Canouse and Frederic Brillant each left a pass from Leo Jara for each other. That didn't work out when Adama Diomande took advantage and played out wide to Vela. 

On the third goal, Paul Arriola won possession for United in his own half but had a pass intended for Canouse intercepted by Mark-Anthony Kaye. A quick pass into the box for Rossi turned into the third goal for the visitors, and by the 32nd minute the game was all but decided. 

Those turnovers themselves were bad enough, but the inability for United to then recover in transition compounded the issue. After the game, Ben Olsen said about his team's defending in transition, "I'm concerned about our decision making, and how much space we give opponents. Today we didn't do a good job in transition, understanding where they dangerous space was."

Montreal is going to try to do the same thing on Tuesday night, albeit without their star, Ignacio Piatti. But a repeat performance from United in transition will spell trouble nonetheless. 

Rooney's Red Makes A Bad Day Worse

When a player gets sent off, they are usually gone from the locker room by the time media arrives after the game. Media aren't allowed in the locker room until at least 15 minutes after the final whistle, but with Ben Olsen talking first in the press conference room, reporters at Audi Field typically don't get to the home locker room until at least 30 minutes later. That gives a player who was sent off early a chance to get out without too much fuss.

So credit to Wayne Rooney, who had not even showered when he addressed the media after the game, taking questions about his sending off, and what plagued United in their worst ever loss at Audi Field. Rooney said he lunged in on Rossi in the second half in an attempt to win the ball, but that the red card was the correct decision in the end from referee Robert Sibiga.

"I think it was a red card. I have no arguments with it," said Rooney. "I caught him. I was expecting [a red card] when the referee gave me the yellow. It was the right call."

Sometimes a player will argue their case, even after a game, about a call a referee will make. Rooney didn't take that path, though, taking responsibility for the tackle that made United's terrible game even worse. Because the bigger ramification of Rooney's red card is that now he'll miss Tuesday's game against Montreal. With a quick turnaround to visit the Colorado Rapids on Saturday, that home game against the Impact now has a bit more meaning.

But United will be without their leader. Quincy Amarikwa got some time on Saturday in his team debut, but he'll likely have to lead the line as a starter on Tuesday. The veteran MLS striker was bound to get more minutes and maybe even a start during the Black-and-Red's upcoming busy schedule. Now that timeline has been accelerated. 

Getting Past The Result

What made Saturday's loss stand out was that United had shown no previous indication that they were capable of a performance like this. Through four games this season, the Black-and-Red had played well in all facets of the game, leading them to 10 points, with just one goal conceded. Their opponents hadn't been the best this year, but the first three were all teams that made the playoffs last year.

A performance like this might have been expected from the 2017 version of United, or maybe even the team from last year, before July. But since Rooney's arrival, United had been excellent, reeling off a 15-game unbeaten streak that came crashing down to Earth on Saturday.

It's important to remember though, that this was just one result. There were a lot of unhappy campers in the United locker room after the game, but everyone also mentioned the opportunity to quickly rebound against the Impact. There's no need for soul-searching, a big blowup over the result. The performance was far from good enough, but if United can prove that it was a one-off fluke, they will help restore a bunch of the faith they and the fans had in the team from the first couple of weeks of the season.