It was a familiar pattern for D.C. United as another match with a first-half goal led to a lost lead in the second half as United drew 1-1 with the New England Revolution on Wednesday night at Gillette Stadium.
United scored midway through the first half through Josh Gros before Clint Dempsey's emphatic finish 11 minutes after the break ensured the teams shared the spoils.
After the first stanza, United head coach Peter Nowak would have expected three points as D.C. bossed the game, holding the ball and looking dominant in the opening 45 minutes. But the Revolution goal early in the second half helped the home team raise its level and United looked on their heels for parts of the second half before a late surge kept the point safe.
Nowak named his first-choice 11 for the match with Bobby Boswell, Gros and Christian Gomez returning from suspension in place of Stephen deRoux, Brandon Prideaux and Rod Dyachenko. Revolution boss Steve Nicol was forced into one substitution as Pat Noonan was ruled out with a hip flexor injury. Jeff Larentowicz was brought on to bolster the defensive midfield with Dempsey shifting to forward.
Nowak's side set the tempo for most of the opening stanza, possessing the ball and dictating the flow of the contest.
Revolution defender Michael Parkhurst was called into action deflecting a shot on goal wide with only three minutes gone after Gomez played a quick free kick to Gros to catch the Revolution defense napping.
D.C.'s Ben Olsen forced a goal line clearance in the 12th minute after a corner kick was not cleared from the area. The goal-bound effort was diverted away by Joe Franchino.
United should have scored on 21 minutes after Gomez played Gros through again with a curling ball over the top of the Revolution defensive line. Gros dribbled around Revs 'keeper Matt Reis but his low effort was cleared off the line by Parkhurst.
The visitors finally broke through four minutes later as Gros made the final touch to shoot into an open net, but it was a well-worked team move that earned the opening goal. Gomez's cross-field ball found Freddy Adu, who spun and fired a low shot that forced a diving save from Reis only for the rebound to fall on Gros's foot in the six-yard box.
New England attempted to claw back into the contest and went close on 28 minutes from a Franchino free kick that forced an acrobatic save from the previously-dormant Troy Perkins.
After the interval, New England scored an equalizer against the run of play in the 56th minute. Facundo Erpen's mis-hit clearance popped straight up into the air in the center of the penalty area. Franchino rose up to head the ball to Taylor Twellman. The striker then headed a cross through the six-yard box where Dempsey smashed home a volley to level the proceedings.
Confidence seemed high for the home team as New England carved out a gilt-edged chance four minutes later. Twellman should have scored as his header from five yards hit the side netting after Dempsey tapped around Perkins and pulled the ball back for the striker.
Dyachenko's cross nearly caught Reis out at the far post as the match entered stoppage time but the ball fluttered just wide of the post. That was it for the chances as both sides seemed relatively content to play out time and take home the point.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
