including two against the New York Red Bulls -- as United knocked off New York 4-2 at RFK Stadium. United moved into a tie for fourth place in the East with the Chicago Fire, who were defeated at home 1-0 by Chivas USA on Saturday evening.
Houston Dynamo also continued their hot run, winning for the third time in a week on Sunday, defeating the Columbus Crew 2-1 on the road, after knocking off the Colorado Rapids 2-1 at midweek. But FC Dallas remained atop the Western Conference, extending the Los Angeles Galaxy's long winless run with a 3-1 victory Saturday at Pizza Hut Park.
At RFK Stadium, D.C. United had seen their three-game winning run come to an end, but still kept a clean sheet for the first time on the campaign, with a scoreless draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy the week before. The Red Bulls were in the last match of a three-game, eight-day road swing, having come back to defeat Toronto FC at midweek.
The teams traded goals three minutes apart in the early going. Josh Gros flighted in a cross from the left flank and Olsen slipped in at the back post before diving to head home to give United a 15th-minute lead. But Dema Kovalenko latched onto the ball some 25 yards straight out from goal and hammered a shot that was deflected by Bryan Namoff to pull the Red Bulls level.
Four minutes after the break, Luciano Emilio put United ahead. Fellow Brazilian Fred put Emilio in behind the drawn-up New York back line, and he raced into the area before slotting home the go-ahead goal.
United went a man down in the 60th minute when center back Bobby Boswell was sent off for a second bookable offense, but Olsen took over the match. First, in the 72nd minute, he came haring up the right side to get onto the end of a flowing move that started on the United left, cutting back around a defender in the area before bouncing a shot past Red Bulls 'keeper Ronald Waterreus.
Then in the 84th minute, he took a pass well out from goal and struck a wicked blast that sailed into the upper right corner for his first professional hat trick. It came on the heels of back-to-back hat tricks by Kansas City's Eddie Johnson on May 26 and June 2.
Juan Pablo Angel finished off the scoring with a cool finish from close range from a cross that was flicked on by Jozy Altidore. For Angel, it was his seventh goal in the last five games, and his five-game goal-scoring streak is two away from the MLS record.
At Toyota Park, both teams were coming off victories that ended long winless runs. The Fire had defeated Columbus at home to conclude a five-game streak without a victory, while Chivas USA defeated FC Dallas to end a four-game winless skein.
While Chivas USA had most of the better of the play, both defenses had held firm with little real danger until the 79th minute.
Ante Razov carried up the left and tried to find Maykel Galindo in the area, with Fire defender Dasan Robinson on his back. The ball took a deflection and Robinson slipped to the turf, and Paulo Nagamura came in from behind to corral the ball and drive a low shot inside the far post for his first goal since joining Chivas a month ago.
At Crew Stadium, Dynamo were coming off back-to-back wins for the first time all season, after their MLS Primetime Thursday home win against Colorado, while the Crew were winless in their last five games, with just a single victory on the season.
All the goals came in an eight-minute span midway through the first half -- and not without a touch of irony. Houston took the lead in the 22nd minute on a goal from Joseph Ngwenya -- against the club that dealt him away a few weeks earlier. Brad Davis flighted in a corner from the left, and Ngwenya glancing header from the near post bounced off the inside of the back stick and into the goal for his third goal in as many games.
But three minutes later Columbus pulled level through Alejandro Moreno -- who was dealt to the Crew straight up in the deal for Ngwenya. The goal was also nearly identical: Guillermo Barros Schelotto whipped in a cross from the right side of the area and Moreno rose up to head home for his goal of the season.
The match was decided four minutes later through a cruel twist. Kelly Gray raced up the right flank and pulled back a rolling cross to the top of the six. Chad Marshall was racing toward his own goal ahead of a Houston attacker and deflected the ball inside the left post and into his own goal.
At Pizza Hut Park, FC Dallas were coming off back-to-back losses following a three-game winning run, while the Galaxy were winless in four games after their only victory on the campaign.
The Hoops opened the scoring midway through the first half when Abe Thompson saved a ball from going out by hooking it back off the endline, and Juan Toja raced to gather it inside the area. He knocked it forward -- and then from nearly an impossible angle beyond the right-hand post, somehow slipped through a defender's legs and inside the far side netting (24).
But the Galaxy equalized four minutes before the break with a wonderful goal. A 12-pass sequence from their own half concluded with Cobi Jones in the left side of the area, and his angled shot beat FCD 'keeper Dario Sala. But Chris Gbandi had tracked back to clear the shot off the line -- but only as far as Robbie Findley, who knocked home the rebound from close range.
FC Dallas regained the lead in the 54th minute. Galaxy defender Ty Harden tripped up Dominic Oduro in the area, and Abe Thompson converted from the spot for his second goal of the season.
Drew Moor then finished off the match for FCD in the 73rd minute when he got onto the end of a Dax McCarty free kick sent in from the right and dove to head home from inside the goal area for his second career goal as a professional.
The game ended on a sour note when Galaxy center back Tyrone Marshall was sent off after a tackle on FCD striker Kenny Cooper. The incident left Cooper with a fractured right tibia; he is expected to miss as much as a couple of months.
In midweek games, on Thursday at Robertson Stadium, the rematch of last year's Western Conference Championship got off to a blazing start, the teams trading goals over the first 12 minutes.
Dynamo opened the scoring just three minutes into the game, when Brian Mullan took a knockdown and sent Joseph Ngwenya clean through on goal. Ngwenya raced into the penalty area unmolested before slotting the ball under Bouna Coundoul.
But in the 12th minute, Eddie Robinson was adjudged to have pulled down Conor Casey as they grappled for the ball in the area, and Jose Cancela sent Zach Wells the wrong way in converting from the spot for his first goal of the season.
Dynamo hit for the game-winner in the 63rd minute. Just seconds after coming on as a substitute, Stuart Holden took a pass from Kelly Gray in the right side of the area and lashed a rising shot past the outstretched hands of Coundoul and into the upper far corner.
On Wednesday at BMO Field, Toronto FC had won three of their last four in their new Exhibition Place home, and it was the Canadian outfit that grabbed the lead midway through the first half. Andy Welsh intercepted the ball on the left and skipped down the wing, before cutting back a low pass from the byeline inside the penalty area. Jeff Cunningham slipped in to bang it home for his first goal since arriving in Toronto after a trade with Real Salt Lake.
But Juan Pablo Angel scored twice within three minutes to send the Red Bulls to victory. The first goal was pure class. Winning a disputed free kick some 25 yards out from the left post, Angel bent his free kick to the left side of wall and inside the near stick, leaving TFC 'keeper Srdjan Djekanovic rooted to his line (69).
Then Dave van den Bergh did good work on the right flank to turn the corner and drive in a bouncing cross that took a deflection off a defender, and Angel ghosted in at the back post to side-foot it home for his second goal in three minutes.
