Luciano Emilio scored his second goal of the season early in the second half to give D.C. United its first win, 1-0 over the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.
United (1-0-2) had struggled in the second half of their first two games, getting outscored 3-1 in the two ties.
Emilio bucked that trend with his second goal in as many games. He caught up with a ball lobbed into the box by Bryan Namoff, then chipped a shot over goalkeeper Pat Onstad into the top left corner of the goal in the 47th minute.
The win was United's first in two years over the Dynamo (0-2-1), who put all their shots on goal in the second half. United goalkeeper Louis Crayton made four saves in his first shutout of the season.
Brad Davis had Houston's best chance of the match in the 80th minute when he fired a shot high from 25 yards, but Crayton pushed it back with his fingertips.
The match marked the reunion of the Dynamo's two top forwards for the first time this season.
Brian Ching, their leading scorer last season, returned after missing a match due to a U.S. national team commitment. Kei Kamara, who was suspended the first two games for a preseason altercation with officials, came off the bench to start the second half.
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Houston played short-handed on the sideline. Coach Dominic Kinnear is suspended through April 9 for leaving the technical area in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes on March 23.
