A dramatic goal from Luciano Emilio deep into stoppage time gave D.C. United a last-gasp 1-1 draw with CD Guadalajara in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions' Cup semifinal Thursday evening at RFK Stadium.
The visitors took a vital lead on the road midway through the second half when Omar Bravo's header was unfortunately deflected past United goalkeeper Troy Perkins. And after struggling to break down the Chivas defense for the entire evening, just when it seemed all was lost, Emilio's snap header from a Christian Gomez free kick right on the edge of the penalty area gave the Black-and-Red the equalizer and a breath of life heading into the April 3 return match at Estadio Jalisco.
A steady rain had begun falling before kickoff and showed little sign of abating as the match wore on, soaking fans and giving the ball an extra skip on RFK's already fast-playing surface. The slippery conditions also complicated matters for Perkins, who was ceding goal kick duties to his defenders due to a sore right quadriceps muscle.
Featuring three holding midfielders, Tom Soehn's side was again playing without a true right winger, though Clyde Simms floated out to the flank rather than Ben Olsen as the veteran stayed in the center of the park.
Despite a dearth of clear scoring chances over the opening quarter of the match, Chivas were enjoying far more possession than most visitors to RFK, with Mexican international Adolfo Bautista dropping deep into midfield to receive passes and hold possession for his teammates. At the other end, the 11-time Mexican champions seemed content to shadow D.C.'s strikers and hack down Jaime Moreno and Emilio whenever they created danger in the Chivas half.
In the 25th minute, an intricate passing move by the visitors led to a high, hard shot from Bravo that drew a leaping parry by Perkins, and the Guadalajara striker got in behind Bryan Namoff just seconds later only to be flummoxed by the ball's hop with the goal gaping in front of him.
The passionate rivalry between the CONCACAF nations was clearly felt at the club level as well, with heavy tackles flying in while both sets of fans looked to drown out the other's cheers. Canadian referee Silviu Petrescu elected to cool things off with a series of bookings, with Hector Reynoso earning particular ire for a cynical slash on Olsen.
Half an hour in, United's quick switch from right to left gave Josh Gros a decent look at goal, but his curling shot from distance lacked the power to trouble Luis Michel and the Chivas netminder gobbled up the effort cleanly.
Emilio worked hard to jink past two defenders and unleash a shot from the top of the 18-yard box in the 42nd minute, but his strike was far too soft and Michel had another simple save to make.
The first half ended in a scoreless stalemate that was borne out by statistical parity, as neither side could seize the advantage in a cagey opening period.
Chivas were unable to clear their lines in the 48th minute and Moreno nearly took advantage as he latched onto the loose ball after his through pass was blocked at the top of the penalty area, clipping a low shot towards the near post that Michel got down quickly to smother.
But the visitors were probing United's back line with more direct through balls and Bravo nearly connected with one 10 minutes after the break as Facundo Erpen struggled to keep pace. But Perkins was up to the task again, coming off his line quickly to claim the ball at the striker's feet.
Soehn decided to inject more pace into his side by substituting left winger Stephen deRoux for Carroll and pulling Simms back into the center as Gros swapped flanks.
Sergio Santana was finding more opportunities to swing in crosses from the left and his service hit paydirt in the 63rd minute after D.C. had surrendered possession on its right flank. Santana's probing pass to the far post was well met by Bravo's header, but it still took a substantial slice of luck to beat Perkins as the ball deflected off a backtracking Namoff and slipped into the net for a 1-0 Chivas lead.
United responded immediately. First Olsen opened up the Chivas midfield with a gritty run before slotting a canny ball into the box that was just barely cut out by Edgar Eduardo Mejia. Then, Moreno skipped a tricky shot off the wet turf that Michel had to deflect wide of the far post, surrendering a corner.
But the confidence and experience of the visitors began to tell as time ticked away, with United losing their defensive shape on several occasions while the quality of their passing suffered as the pressure grew.
Gomez tested Michel with a teasing free kick into the goal box 10 minutes from time, but despite Boswell's lurking presence, the Chivas netminder dealt with the service calmly.
Olsen was covering acres of ground as he labored to haul his side back into the tie, but he should have done better after winning a loose ball in the Chivas box in the 84th minute as his attempted volley screwed well wide and high of the target.
Bravo's significant contribution was warmly applauded by the Chivas supporters as he was replaced by Patrico Gabriel Araujo in the dying moments, but just when the Rayados thought they had the game on ice, three of United's leading lights popped up to rescue their side's Champions; Cup hopes in injury time.
First, Olsen made a dogged cross-field run to meet Erpen's long pass down the right sideline, holding off Ramon Morales before the Chivas captain shoved him to the turf on the endline at the corner of the penalty box. Gomez took advantage of the dangerously-placed set piece to deliver a pinpoint cross into the goalmouth that Emilio converted with a downward, snapped header into the back of the net.
Both sides tried to break the deadlock in the time remaining with a series of hopeful balls into the box, with United coming closest on another Gomez free kick. But the match ended in a 1-1 draw that Chivas will happily take home for the return leg in Guadalajara, though United have less of a hill to climb.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
