Christian Gomez's 77th-minute goal lifted D.C. United to a 1-0 win against the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series on Saturday afternoon at Giants Stadium, firmly planting D.C. in the driver's seat to advance to the conference finals.
To advance, the Red Bulls would have to win on the road, something they've done just once in the 32-game regular season, and win at RFK Stadium, something they've done just twice since 2003. New York would need to win by two goals in a place where D.C. has only lost three times this year to ensure advancement; a one-goal win would send the second game into extra time and a possible penalty shootout. The second leg is next Sunday at 6 p.m. ET (ESPN2).
On a give-and-go with Jaime Moreno, Gomez split New York defender Carlos Mendes and midfielder Amado Guevara and chipped the ball over Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway from 12 yards out, sending the traveling support behind the net into a frenzy.
The Red Bulls nearly tied the game in the first minute of stoppage time when Jeff Parke sent a looping header from a Youri Djorkaeff free kick off the crossbar.
United, which would have been content with a scoreless draw, pushed their numbers behind the ball after the goal and the Red Bulls pushed forward as head coach Bruce Arena brought on John Wolyniec for Mendes in the 82nd minute.
United nearly went in front just two minutes into the game but Conway tapped Facundo Erpen's flicked header over the crossbar for a corner kick. One minute later, Alecko Eskandarian's attempt from the top of the 18-yard box was saved by Conway.
Eskandarian's pressure on Conway in the 16th minute nearly resulted in a gift goal for D.C. when he blocked the keeper's attempted clearance from a back pass. But the ball deflected over the crossbar. Three minutes later, Freddy Adu's lob from the right side of the box landed on the netting on top of the goal.
Parke had the Red Bulls' first opportunity but he didn't get much on his header off a Guevara free kick and United goalkeeper Troy Perkins made the easy save in the 12th minute.
The Red Bulls' best chances came from combination work between Todd Dunivant and Dema Kovalenko on the left side. Kovalenko's quick restart found Dunivant, who crossed to Markus Schopp at the far post. But Schopp's header -- when he was completely unmarked and with the entire goal at his mercy -- went high and wide of the net in the 21st minute.
It was a tight, playoff affair, with few chances for either team over the middle half hour of the game. Eskandarian had another scoring chance in the 64th minute, but he bounced Josh Gros' pass wide to Conway's right.
In the 72nd minute, Kovalenko found Dunivant, who burst into the box but his attempt missed the far post.
Gomez picked up the game's first yellow card, pulling down Schopp in the 73rd minute. But Djorkaeff's free kick was well wide to Perkins' right. Perkins, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, made just three saves to earn the clean sheet in his first career playoff start.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
