WASHINGTON, D.C. – It seemed an innocuous sequence in the 70th minute of a game that the Philadelphia Union led by two goals.



D.C. United’s Wayne Rooney, starved of the ball and desperate to make an impact, dropped 75 yards from goal. He boomed a cross-field pass to right winger Paul Arriola, who appeared to be open, with Union left back Ray Gaddis pinched in to keep the back four compact. Arriola looked up to pick out an option … until in zoomed Fafà Picault, to cut down the space and tackle the ball off Arriola for a goal kick.



Picault, the forward who provided the second goal in the Union’s 2-0 road win on Wednesday, shows that hustle often. Whether or not it’s any easier, on a night where the mercury hit the low 90s and humidity topped out at roughly 128 percent, to make that tracking run, Picault’s isn’t sure. But it certainly feels better to make that effort when everyone on the Union is clicking so...