MONTEGO Bay United’s chances of advancing past the first round of the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League suffered a massive blow on Tuesday night after they went down to a 0-3 loss to US Major League Soccer campaigners DC United at the Robert F Kennedy Stadium in Washington, DC.

Miguel Aguilar gave the home team a first-half lead, and while Montego Bay United battled all the way, two late goals from centre half Kofi Opare and substitute Conor Doyle sentenced them to yet another loss.

With back-to-back wins DC United, who played a mostly reserve team on Tuesday, are now on top of Group H with six points, followed by Panama’s Arabe Unido on three points, and Montego Bay United yet to score, having conceded six goals after losing to Arabe Unido by the same margin on August 5.

Montego Bay United will now play back-to-back home games as they try to salvage something positive from their first foray into the continental club competition.

It was a frustrating night for the Red Stripe Premier League runners-up as they were competitive for long periods, but after playing just one competitive game since the end of the Red Stripe Premier League in June, their lack of stamina let them down.

Dino Williams had a handful of good scoring chances, including the first of the game, but could not get past DC United’s goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra.

The visitors managed 12 shots all game, but just two on target.

American Timothy Hankerson, who took over the Montego Bay United team about three weeks ago, made two changes to the starting team that lost to Arabe Unido, bringing in midfielders Keniel Kirlew and Donovan Carey for Ramon Sibbley and Owayne Gordon.

After a slow start, Montego Bay United showed they were not there just to honour the fixture when Williams got two chances in a three-minute span, forcing a block by Dykstra in the 13th minute, then flashing a shot across the front of the DC United goal in the 15th minute.

The home team, one of the top MLS franchises, eventually got organised and forced MBU back into their own defensive area, drawing a good save from goalkeeper Jacomeno Barrett in the 25th minute, then hitting the crossbar twice. A fingertip save by Barrett in the 29th minute kept them off the scoresheet.

It was only a matter of time before DC United took the lead, however, and in the 37th minute Aguilar, who had scored the winner in their 1-0 win over the Panama team last week, dribbled his way through the Montego Bay United defence and shot under the diving Barrett and into the goal.

Montego Bay United had two good chances late in the half, but Williams’ shot was parried by Dykstra, while Allan Ottey shot powerfully wide.

There were two good saves early in the second half by Barrett, the better one being in the 54th minute when he was well placed to block a blast from close range from Facundo Coria.

Despite that the visitors continued to grow in confidence and Ottey flashed a header straight to Dykstra in the 59th minute before Williams again gave the goalkeeper some work to do.

Coria should have done better in the 64th minute, as with Barrett alone to beat, he hit the volley wide of the far-right post when he could have picked his spot to shoot at.

Poor marking in the 18-yard-box led to the second goal in the 70th minute as Opare was left unmarked and poked in a cross from the left side after the Montego Bay United defence failed to clear a corner.

There was no giving up, however, and Williams showed his speed in the 80th minute when he exploded past the DC United right back, but shot into the side netting.

Barrett again made two good saves in the 84th minute from Collin Martin and Jairo Arrietta three minutes later, using his foot to block the ball on the latter.

There was no stopping Doyle, who replaced Chris Pontius in the 52nd minute, as he powered a shot past Barrett in the 90th minute to secure all three points.