Bayern Munich beat D.C. as expected. Beat United easily. In each half, Bayern scored a couple of goals and then another late — goals from Sadio Mane, Marcel Sabitzer and Serge Gnabry in the first half, followed by Matthijs de Ligt, Joshua Zirky and Thomas Müller. Second Half Down 5-0 in the second half, D.C. finally managed to score two goals, the first in the 54th and the second in the 83rd. Match awards are always tough in friendlies — especially when Bayern play a different team in each half — but we’ll take it! Here are our match awards:
Jersey swap: Theodore Ku-DiPietro
The twenty-year-old American scored the second of DC United’s two goals. Ku-DiPietro normally plays for D.C.’s second team — Louden United of the USL Championship — but was one of several called up for this match. His goal was a save from Ulreich who was again in danger, though the American youngster had to try to beat the defender and Ulreich to put the ball back into the net. He will probably never forget this. BFW Jersey Swap As a great honor, I hope he can swap jerseys with someone from Bayern!
Dread Bomber: Kingsley Coman
We didn’t know if Koeman would still be in Bavarian red at this point, but he showed glimpses of what he can still do for Bayern. Coming off the bench early in the second half, Koeman had a great target on long balls over the top. His speed allowed him to get behind defences, his footwork helped him take the ball inside defenders and his passing put his teammates in dangerous positions. Unfortunately, neither of them scored for Bayern, but Koeman assisted on Zerkej’s 52nd goal, which made it 5-0 at the time.
Fußballgott: Joshua Kimmich
Although Gabriel Vidovic and Sabitzer both played well in the first half (later also scoring Bayern’s second goal), something seemed off in the midfield. Kimmich came on and did what Bayern fans are used to seeing from him – consistency in midfield. When Kimmich took the field, everything seemed to flow well. To be completely honest, I don’t have any statistics to back it up with observations. The game seemed to have more normalcy in the second half and I think that has a lot to do with Kimmich.
Der Kaiser: Alphonso Davies
Back on the MLS-field, Alphonso Davies showed the progress the North American has made in less than three years since leaving the league. In addition to the speed he’s always possessed, Davis appears to have bulked up in the offseason. As we have become accustomed to, Davies uses his speed to run past defenders and either beat them to the ball or make a timely challenge to take the ball away. His distribution and ability to get up and down the wing made him a thorn in DC’s side when he was on the field. I think we could see Davis’ best season yet.
Man of the Match: Sadio Mane
One of Bayern’s newcomers showed fans why Bayern’s front office and coaching staff wanted Mane. From the start, Mane showed his speed and attacking ability. He wasted no time getting his name on Bayern’s scoresheet, stepping up and burying the penalty kick in the fifth minute. For the rest of the half, Mane kept DC on their toes, trying to set up both teammates and when he would go for a goal himself. He put the ball into the back of the net twice more before halftime, but both times it was called offside. For the first time, he knew he was off but still put the ball through the keeper’s legs. Had VAR been used in the match, the second try would have counted, as it was a very close call and a very good shot on goal. If these 45 minutes are any sign of what’s to come, Bayern fans are in for a treat this season.
