When you’ve struggled as much as D.C. United has this season, you’ll take a win anyway you can get it.
A late penalty kick from veteran centerback, Carey Talley capped the 3-2 come from behind victory against Chivas USA on Saturday night.
“Winning breads confidence,” Coach Curt Onalfo said on Wednesday in preparation for the Chivas match. “That’s important, we need that. We needed to get that win [against AC Milan] to get ourselves a little bit over the hump, to feel a little bit better about ourselves.”
Photo by Sarah and Sean Baker
With a level of attacking ferocity rarely seen this season at RFK Stadium, United came very close to a 2nd minute goal when Andy Najar drove down the right side of the box finding Danny Allsopp for the close range shot. Chivas goalkeeper, Zach Thorton managed to knock away the attempt away for corner.
The early momentum quickly turned as Justin Braun flew down the right flank in the 16th minute. With Talley on the striker’s hip and Bill Hamid coming off his line to close the angle, Braun calmly placed the ball underneath the keeper for the near-post goal.
United nearly leveled five minutes later with a powerful free kick from Santino Quaranta, but Thorton blocked the 20-yard strike. D.C. would equalized soon there after. A United corner was cleared out to the feet of Rodney Wallace, the 21-year-old defender then chipped a pass over the Chivas backline that Najar was able to head past Thorton. It was the 17-year-old youth academy product’s first career regular season goal.
Three minutes into the second half the Chivas near post did its best impression of Thorton, denying Allsopp the go-ahead goal, as a deflected clearance almost lead to a United goal. In the 76th minute, a lapse in the Chivas defense allowed Adam Cristman to tap in a Clyde Simms cross, giving United the late 2-1 lead.
Much like Wednesday against AC Milan, the D.C. defense was frantically trying to retain its lead as the opponents turned up the pressure for the late equalizer. This time the United was not so fortunate as Maykel Galindo made his way around Juan Manuel Pena and Wallace for the 80th minute goal, taking the life out of the announced crowd of 13,043. Hamid again came off his line attempting to close the angle, but Galindo slipped his shot through the legs of the goalkeeper, who was noticably upset from the fashion in which he was beaten.
A last minute effort from United saw Simms and Quaranta taken down in the box. The referee whistled Thorton, who took out the feet of Quaranta for the foul and ejected him for denying a goal scoring opportunity. Much to this dismay of the Chivas side, the penalty was awarded. Having just used its last substitute, Chivas defender, Dario Delgado was forced to step in goal and given the difficult task of preserving the tie. Delgado guessed wrong as Talley stepped up to the spot and placed a low-lying shot to the left corner, giving United the 3-2 win in extra time.
Saturday’s win was the second of the season for United, who will next take on Real Salt Lake on Wednesday in a U.S. Open cup match at home. Those two teams will then face off again three days later in Washington for a regular season match.
