Austin looks to continue successful history against D.C. United

Austin FC will look to continue their successful history against D.C. United and break into the win column when the sides square off on Sunday afternoon in Austin, Texas.

The Verde (0-0-1, 1 point) kicked off the 2026 season with a 2-2 draw at home with Minnesota United on Feb. 21. Austin got goals from Brendan Hines-Ike and Myrto Uzuni and an assist from their flash offseason signing Facundo Torres but gave up the tying goal in the 90th minute and settled for spitting the points.

"We just have played one game and I think we see a team already that is more vertical, that is more going forward," Austin coach Nico Estevez said Thursday. "We don't want to lose much time on building if it's clear that we can be vertical, but we also use the building up to create the spaces in between the lines.

"We want to be a team that is fun to watch and a team that goes forward and wants to score goals, and this is the work that we keep doing."

The Verde announced Friday that they have acquired forward Christian Ramirez from MLS waivers. Ramirez played last season with the LA Galaxy and started 10 of 25 games, scoring four goals and adding an assist.

Austin has won each of its three all-time meetings with D.C. United, most recently a 4-2 victory last season in the nation's capital.

D.C. United began their campaign with a 1-0 win at home against the Philadelphia Union, with the game's lone goal scored by Tai Baribo in the 23rd minute. Baribo signed with the Black and Red in the offseason after he played 2025 with the Union, which added insult to injury in the Week 1 victory.

D.C. coach Rene Weiler lauded his new scoring threat after the win.

"As a striker, you have to be decisive and he scored the goal, it was the decisive goal, so he did his job," Weiler said. "It's uncomfortable to play against him, so, it helps us a lot."

Sean Johnson was sharp in his first competitive start in goal for D.C. United, producing three saves to earn a clean sheet, the 113th of his MLS career.

D.C. United finished last in the Eastern Conference in 2025 but are already off to a better start.

"We want to be unpredictable, so we played some diagonal balls and then we played some long balls," Weiler said. "So that is an option to open the field."

--Field Level Media