Houston Dynamo went behind on a pair of first-half goals and clawed their way back to cut the lead, but couldn't capitalize on a number of opportunities and lost a frustrating fifth game of the year by just a single goal, falling 2-1 to D.C. United on Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
Christian Gomez and Ben Olsen staked United to a lead in the first half, and while Dwayne De Rosario hit the back of the net for Dynamo in the second half, it wasn't enough to keep the defending MLS Cup champion from dropping a third game in a row.
It didn't take United long to jump into the lead through a free kick in the third minute from Gomez. After Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark fouled Gomez 25 yards from the Dynamo goal, Gomez stepped up to the dead ball and struck a curling right-footed shot into the top left hand side of the net past diving Dynamo 'keeper Pat Onstad for his third tally of the season.
Dynamo almost equalized moments later, though, when a cross from the left flank from Brad Davis - who was dangerous throughout the first half - was redirected just wide right of the net by forward Brian Ching's diving header.
United had a clear chance on net thanks to some tricky passing between United's Brazilians, Fred and Luciano Emilio. Fred received Emilio's pass and flicked the ball back to the forward behind the Dynamo defense into the box, but an open Emilio was unable to get a clear strike on the ball and Onstad easily secured the shot.
Davis almost found Ching again in the 13th minute, but his cross from the right side was headed directly into United 'keeper Troy Perkins' hands, thwarting another dangerous Dynamo opportunity.
Davis continued his assault on the United goal a few minutes later. This time though, he took matters into his own hands and ripped a 25-yard shot that Perkins could only parry over the crossbar.
The United fans felt as if they had been robbed of a penalty kick opportunity in the 23rd minute after rookie forward Guy-Roland Kpene was released into the area by an Emilio flick-on and was shouldered off the ball by Houston defender Eddie Robinson, allowing Onstad to collect the ball. But referee Jair Marrufo would not be swayed by the claim.
But it wouldn't matter a few minutes later when United captain Ben Olsen hit to give United a commanding 2-0 lead. Gomez once again served as the catalyst when he stole the ball in the Dynamo midfield, took a few touches toward the box and then deftly slid the ball off to the left for an open Olsen. His sweeping right-footed strike found the right-hand side netting past a diving Onstad for his first goal of the year.
Kpene nearly extended United's lead and opened his MLS account after receiving a ball from Gomez and beating Robinson into the left hand side of the box, but the Ivory Coast native dragged his shot just wide right after Onstad did well to cut down the rookie's angle.
Some nifty footwork from Brian Mullan on the right side earned Dynamo a corner as the half came to a close, but the ensuing corner was met yet again by a Ching header that failed to find the net.
Dynamo opened the second half with two clear chances in front of the net to equalize but failed once again to find the back of the net. Ching latched onto another quality cross from Mullan with a clear header just yards in front of Perkins but knocked it over the net.
Just moments later, D.C. United defender Facundo Erpen's bicycle kick clearance attempt got United into trouble as he inadvertently kicked Ching in the face. Marrufo awarded Dynamo an indirect free kick just inches outside the top of the penalty area, but De Rosario's attempt on net sailed over the crossbar.
De Rosario, who had been having a quiet game to that point after being blanketed across the field by the United midfielders, let out some of his frustration and earned a yellow for arguing a foul by Dynamo defender Richard Mulrooney in the 65th minute.
Dynamo went through a full range of emotions in successive moments 20 minutes from time. Coach Dominic Kinnear substituted rookie Corey Ashe for striker Joseph Ngwenya, earning the youngster his second career MLS appearance. The move paid immediate dividends as his cross from the end line found Ching open yet again, but Josh Gros' hand blocked the cross just before it reached Ching and Marrufo immediately awarded a penalty kick.
De Rosario stepped up and hit a low hard shot to the left, but Perkins palmed the effort onto the post.
However, just seconds later a cross from Mulrooney from the left was punched out to the center of the box to Dynamo defender Craig Waibel, who had come on for Ryan Cochrane at halftime. Waibel wisely laid the ball off to De Rosario and he faked a shot, sending two United defenders whizzing by him, before rocketing a shot into the back of the net past a scrambling Perkins for his third goal of the year.
The goal energized Dynamo, and Stuart Holden, a late substitute for Brian Davis, almost equalized in the 83rd minute. He received a pass in the center of the park from De Rosario and knuckled a shot from 20 yards out that Perkins struggled to keep in front of him as the ball bounced off his chest, but Dynamo failed to collect the rebound.
Despite the late pressure from Dynamo, they failed to find an equalizer and United came away with their third consecutive 2-1 victory, leaving the Orange heading back to Houston with a fifth loss in six games.
Jordan Brown is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
