D.C. United left Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening with mixed feelings, after a late New England equalizer deprived the Eastern Conference leaders a victory that they looked to be headed for after Jaime Moreno's 44th-minute goal.
"We were fighting hard and put in a lot of work so to come away with a tie is not terrible," said Brian Carroll after the game. "But we had the chance to close out the game for the second time in a row."
Carroll was referring to last week's game in Los Angeles against the Galaxy, which D.C. also looked to have under control before Cobi Jones' late leveler ensured the home side took a share of the points. The failure to close out successive games is an irritation, he admits, but not a great cause for concern.
As for the reasons why only two points have been garnered where six seemed there for the taking, the United midfielder suggested that his side needs to put teams away by taking more of the chances it creates.
"We were in a position to win but we were on the road and got a point. You can't really practice or put your finger or point fingers on why we didn't finish the chances. We just need to keep the ball and take them when they come," said Carroll.
United boss Peter Nowak agreed, saying his team certainly created enough chances to win, but the failure to convert cost them two points.
"We had more chances than last game against L.A. The second half was much better than the first. It was a matter of time when we were going to score our second goal," he said. "[The Revolution] couldn't beat us in a soccer situation. They got a free kick as a present."
Nowak was also aggrieved at the situation that led to the Revolution equalizer. A free kick was given just outside the United penalty area, and it bounced off a couple of legs before Andy Dorman hooked it into the D.C. goal.
"The [Revolution] were given the free kick for nothing, for people diving all around the box, just to have an advantage in the free kick," Nowak said. "The [United] players were not focused to clear the ball. Anything can happen in this kind of situation. I don't blame my players. I think there is someone else to blame."
But before the late goal, D.C. was indebted to goalkeeper Troy Perkins on several occasions. He frustrated New England throughout the evening, with two saves he made with his feet on either side of halftime, to first deny Taylor Twellman and then Steve Ralston, particularly impressive.
"Troy kept us in the game in the first half with some great saves. He was our MVP today," said Nowak.
Perkins has been an ever-present in the United first team since replacing the then injured Nick Rimando at the start of the season. However, despite Rimando now being fit, the 24-year-old Perkins has maintained his hold on the starting job. With two quality men available to play between the posts, Nowak knows he has to try to keep them both happy.
"Knowing that Nick is fit means that Troy has great competition," he said. "Nick will get a chance with the stretch of games we have coming up."
Rimando may get his chance on Wednesday when D.C. is next in action, against the Chicago Fire at RFK Stadium. That game is followed by successive home-and-home encounters with the Kansas City Wizards to complete a run of four consecutive games with Eastern Conference rivals.
Currently, D.C. is sitting relatively pretty at the top of the standings but will want to ensure it tightens up its defense in the closing minutes of future games if it to maintain its healthy lead.
Andrew Hush is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
