Celtic kicked off their tour of the United States in fine fashion on Saturday night, thrashing DC United 4-0 at Audi Field in Washington.
Star player and captain for the evening Matt O’Riley set the example with a coolly taken double in the first half to have the Bhoys comfortable at the interval.
Many substitutions followed as is typical of a pre-season friendly. Mikey Johnston slotted home from the bench after fine work from James Forrest before the winger himself combined with Hyunjun Yang to score a fourth.
Celtic were dominant throughout and fully deserved their victory. In truth, the scoreline could have been even better for the Bhoys with several golden chances missed including a Johnston penalty.
Manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the work of his players and lauded their performance in a post-match interview.
Brendan Rodgers has his say on Celtic vs DC United
He said [Celtic TV]: “I was really pleased with the performance in terms of this stage of the season. I think I mentioned before the game that one of our key targets in the game was defensive intensity.
“I always think that when you have that defensive attitude in the game then it helps the offensive attitude which is fast and dynamic. I thought we pressed the game so well. All the guys from the first whistle were really there in contention and making the last step to win the ball.
“That sped up our offensive play. Some of our football on a really difficult surface was exceptional. In the moments we had to defend we did that. Our physicality was really good at this stage and where we are at. We had some young players coming in and they did really well.”
Rodgers impressed with Celtic overcoming a difficult pitch
Celtic had to battle a dry, bobbly pitch – which is never what you want in pre-season – and Rodgers was impressed with the way his side showed their quality through that.
He continued: “I said to the players that this was a game for them to show technically how good they are. It was like Kilmarnock when we won the title on the astroturf pitch. We have no excuses.
“We are here to increase our physicality and improve tactically but technically get your first touch sorted. The first touch is the characteristic of the top player.
“Tonight you would not have thought because of the way they coped with the ball and the technique which allowed us to play forward. It was really, really impressive.”
The Bhoys now face stiffer challenges over the next week with Manchester City and Chelsea waiting in North Carolina and Indiana.
It’s clear from last night’s performance that the players are treating this tour as a hard work exercise and not a holiday. Fans are eager to see what they can do when testing themselves against Premier League opposition.
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