On a night when Jaime Moreno become the all-time Major League Soccer goal king, D.C. United made a major statement in the Eastern Conference, defeating the New York Red Bulls 3-1 on Wednesday evening at RFK Stadium and claiming the Atlantic Cup for another year.
United had a two-goal lead before the game was eight minutes old, as Ben Olsen and Christian Gomez sent United on their way. Juan Pablo Angel converted a penalty midway through the first half, but then three minutes into the second, Moreno put the crowning touch on the match with the 109th goal of his league career, giving his sole possession of the top of the league's all-time list.
Finding space on the left flank, Dave van den Bergh swung a dangerous-looking low cross into the United goalmouth some six minutes in, drawing Troy Perkins off his line to bobble, then collect the ball in traffic. But action switched to the other end almost immediately when
The last time the teams met in the nation's capital, D.C. United exploded for four goals -- two after going a man down and three coming from Ben Olsen. After just six minutes, it looked like they picked up right where they left off.
Red Bulls right back Hunter Freeman misjudged a Perkins clearance, allowing Fred to race in behind the defense and slap a low shot that Waterreus blocked, but could not hold. The prone Red Bulls netminder was left helpless as Olsen arrived to the loose ball first and poked it home for a 1-0 lead as the Black-and-Red faithful erupted with noise.
It took less than two minutes for things to get even worse for the visitors, as a canny play by Moreno set up Olsen for an endline cross just inside the Bulls box. Racing to block the service, Chris Leitch got a slight touch that only deflected the ball right into the path of Christian Gomez as the Argentinian arrived at the far post. United's playmaker finished the chance with a straightforward header as the home fans gleefully celebrated another tally against the old enemy.
With sole possession of second place in the East on the line, both teams were showing plenty of ambition and aggression, creating an entertaining contest that flowed from end to end.
Veteran Red Bulls midfielder Clint Mathis showed a brief glimpse of his class when he flashed a low left-footer across the face of goal after latching on to Joe Vide's pass in the 14th minute. Shortly thereafter, MLS scoring leader Luciano Emilio responded with a sharp touch to turn Carlos Mendes and lash a hard blast on target that stung Waterreus' hands.
Marc Burch has been a revelation for United with a series of strong outings at the left back spot this season, but it was his youthful mistake that allowed New York to climb back into the match in the 21st minute.
With Angel and Dane Richards pressuring, the former University of Maryland forward dallied too long on the ball and was punished when he slipped on the soft RFK turf and gave away possession. He tugged Angel down with him, though referee Ricardo Salazar signaled advantage as Richards dribbled into the box.
But when the advancing Perkins clipped the speedy Jamaican, Salazar blew his whistle and pointed empatically towards the penalty spot. Angel stepped up and buried the spot kick to Perkins' left, cutting the deficit in half and halting the home team's momentum.
Just shy of the half-hour mark, Gomez hit an outstanding through ball to release Olsen into acres of space behind the Red Bulls' high back line. But with a clear path to goal, the United veteran wasn't quite selfish enough, as his attempt to center for Emilio allowed the backtracking Jeff Parke to lump the ball into touch.
The action continued to bubble as both teams got forward in search of the match's fourth goal, which seemed likely to be an influential tally. Burch nearly atoned for his earlier error on a crafty give-and-go with Gomez that sent him clear in the Bulls box, but with Waterreus coming out at speed he waited too long to pull the trigger and Mendes recovered to block the path to goal.
At the break, New York coach Bruce Arena called on young striker Jozy Altidore to enter in place of van den Bergh -- who had sustained a mild concussion in the first half -- as the Red Bulls switched to a 4-3-3 in search of added menace up front.
The scoring resumed almost immediately after the restart -- but it was the United that seized the advantage, as Emilio got a step on Freeman and induce the young U.S. international to trip the Brazilian a few steps inside the New York penalty area.
Salazar pointed to the spot again, and the crowd buzzed with anticipation, recognizing the importance of the occasion -- Moreno has long been United's penalty kick specialist and the Bolivian needed just one more goal to claim Major League Soccer's all-time career league goalscoring mark.
D.C.'s captain did not disappoint, slotting his effort past Waterreus and into the left inside netting to give his team a 3-1 lead and elevate himself past current Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis into sole possession of the league's most rarified honor.
The goal also gave Moreno's teammates an important cushion that allowed them to sit deep and pack numbers into defense, clogging up the Red Bulls' passing lanes while keeping alert for opportunities to counterattack.
Angel earned a free kick in a dangerous spot on the hour mark after his shrewd bit of dribbling goaded McTavish to commit an unwise foul just outside the D.C. box. But Perkins match the Colombian on the ensuing set piece, shuffling to his left to glove Angel's bending drive to the upper corner.
Emilio pulled up lame some nine minutes later, walking over to confer with coach Tom Soehn as he clutched at his hamstring. So Soehn pulled his top scorer off and inserted holding midfielder Brian Carroll to fortify the center of the park.
Mike Magee, a second-half sub for John Wolyniec, was given a great chance to cut his team's deficit in the 76th minute when Mathis fed him a quick, defense-splitting pass at the top of the United box. But after a sharp turn, Magee could not find the target as his left-footer nicked off the outside of Perkins' right-hand post.
New York's last, best chance to close the gap came in injury time when Mathis caught Perkins off guard on a free kick, slapping an early shot on goal as the D.C. netminder organized his defense -- but Perkins scrambled backwards to palm the effort away and preserve the scoreline.
The match ended that way as Salazar blew the final whistle and Moreno lifted the Atlantic Cup trophy -- United's to keep for another year, a fifth in the six years of its existence -- in front of the D.C. supporters' groups, who chanted the Bolivian legend's name until long after he and his teammates had disappeared into the locker room.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
