and Erpen was marking the 16-year-old on the play. "I know I had some mistakes," Erpen said. "I made some passes that I never did before. Now I need more focus because if we lose the one game against New England, we are out. All the defenders have to concentrate and do the right thing -- no mistakes." Said United coach Peter Nowak: "Defensively he still made a couple of mistakes but for the most part he was solid. The passing stuff, seeing things, and even if you are in trouble, just clear it, an easy clearance. He cannot do it in this case so that must be better. That is for sure." ... There was also concern on the attacking end as United did not maintain possession well, allowing the Red Bulls to keep them pinned in for long stretches. "It's not because we aren't sharp on the ball. It's because New York was throwing numbers forward and playing high pressure," Nowak said. "Even when we had a chance to play the ball forward, we didn't look for our options; we didn't create enough options. Christian [Gomez] was a little too high as a second forward, so we had to adjust the situation in the second half. We played at times with four forwards: it was just too much." ... In the end, it was another moment of brilliance from Christian Gomez, a leading candidate for MLS MVP honors. "We're walking a thin line. But you look past this game and other guys are going to step up I think," said goalkeeper Troy Perkins. "You look through the whole season and, yeah [Gomez] has done a lot for us, but there are a lot of guys on the field that have done a lot too. But we do rely a little too much on him I think."
REVOLUTION UPDATE: The Revolution were missing arguably their two most influential players, yet still survived the second leg of their conference semifinal against Chicago last weekend. One -- midfielder Shalrie Joseph -- will certainly again be available, after he was suspended for the Revolution victory. Still slowed by a hand injury that cost him the final five games of the regular season, he is expected to play against D.C. "Clearly, he hasn't played games and obviously he is not going to be at his sharpest," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol to The Boston Globe. "But, at the same time, he brings so much to the table that, without that wee bit of sharpness, I'll take Shalrie Joseph." ... However, midfielder Clint Dempsey is still listed as doubtful for the contest, and the likelihood of his unavailability grows daily. ... The absences forced some returns that turned out well. Forward Pat Noonan -- who underwent sports hernia just at the start of October, again came off the bench to score a dramatic goal, and played 75 minutes as the match went into extra time. "He used his head, he didn't go gallavanting around for 30 minutes and then he was completely done," said Nicol. "He knew he wasn't going to be able to chase people and close down as quickly so he was smart and saved his energy for when he needed it. He used his brain." Nicol said he doubted Noonan will be 90-minutes fit for this weekend, but the possibility still remains he could be put in the starting lineup. "We'll see how the week goes and see how my fitness is. If it's getting better and I feel like I am good enough to go and Stevie decides that he thinks I am as well then I'm sure that is how we will go. If not, I will be ready as a sub," Noonan said. ... Another key returnee was midfielder Daniel Hernandez, who made his first start since May 6 and had played just 46 minutes since. "I am definitely not 100 percent, yet," Hernandez said to the Globe. "I wanted to bring leadership and enforce a little bit defensively, control the ball and control the tempo a little bit. I feel valuable and I've shown my versatility."
