Despite going a man down just before halftime, D.C. United got goals from Ben Olsen and Clyde Simms and held on for a tremendous 2-1 victory against Mexico's CD Guadajalara in the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana round-of-16 series Wednesday night at RFK Stadium.
Olsen scored midway through the first half and Simms 10 minutes into the second, a goal that was answered quickly by Sergio Santana. But Simms' goal also came after Marc Burch was sent off just before halftime after being booked twice, yet United staved off the Mexican giant to record a famous victory.
In the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in March, Chivas had gotten the better of the four-time MLS champion, getting a 1-1 draw in Washington before coming back for a 2-1 victory in Guadalajara. Now United will hold the advantage when the two teams meet in the second leg at Estadio Jalisco in one week's time.
Buoyed by a sizeable contingent of expatriate fans, Chivas came out with energy and life almost scored immediately as a Gonzalo Pineda through ball wreaked havoc in the United defense and drew Troy Perkins off his line less than two minutes in. But Chivas hitman Omar Bravo was unable to get a clear look at goal and the ball was lumped clear.
In the 14th minute, another well-weighted through ball set up Alberto Medina at the top of the United 18-yard box but Bryan Namoff intervened to stop the danger with a timely block.
Pushed onto the back foot, the home side seemed unable to maintain any sort of extended possession and Chivas seemed certain to punish them at some point, drawing the best of Perkins as he punched a dangerous cross clear in the 17th minute, then made a sharp reaction save seconds later.
Despite being one of the youngest players in United's first XI, Burch was looking more composed than many of his more experienced teammates. Nineteen minutes in, he delivered an excellent cross that nearly gave D.C. the lead against the run of play, but Luciano Emilio's diving header bounded well wide of the far post.
The Black-and-Red were gradually working themselves up to speed, as Gomez led a quick counterattack that saw Fred just miss Moreno with a square pass 10 yards out from Luis Michel's net -- and just seconds later, their fans were delighted when Olsen popped up to notch yet another clutch goal for his side.
The veteran midfielder has shown increased attacking ambition this year, including a propensity to uncork long-distance shots, and those instincts were rewarded when he latched onto a half-cleared ball and placed a bouncing shot just inside the far post as Michel, partially screened on the play, reacted too late.
The goal was hardly a true reflection of the half's action but that mattered none to the United faithful, as the supporters' club sections burst into a frenzy of flags, chants and cheers.
But the Mexicans responded quickly as Edgar Eduardo Mejia stepped up from his center back position to blast a Chivas free kick just high and wide of the upper right corner just past the half-hour mark, then Ramon Morales created danger with a set piece delivery from the left wing that Perkins spilled on the doorstep, only to be bailed out by a quick clearance from Namoff.
At the other end, Emilio was shaking off his slow start to the match, becoming more of a nuisance to the Chivas back line and finding his shooting range. The Brazilian's hard work created a great chance in the 40th minute as he slipped past the Chivas defense deep inside the box, hitting a low drive that the advancing Michel blocked to deny a goal.
But out of nowhere, in the midst of a Chivas buildup down their right flank, referee Hector Baldaffi changed the course of the match a few minutes before the break.
The Argentinian produced a second yellow card for Burch -- who'd first been cautioned on a challenge that took place just before his team's goal -- for a late foul on Omar Esparza, sentencing D.C. to play a man down for the duration.
Both Simms and Vanney were almost punished for their inability to clear the ball just three minutes into the second stanza, allowing Alberto Medina to test Perkins from close range at the near post -- and on the ensuing corner kick Francisco Rodriguez drilled a 20-yarder just inches over the crossbar.
Chivas had taken a stranglehold on possession and United was dropping quite deep to track runners and keep the ball in front of them. But the man advantage kept showing itself on half-clearances from the D.C. defense that fell invitingly for late-arriving Chivas players at the top of the penalty area -- but Perkins was repeatedly let off the hook by shots that flew high of the target.
But set pieces offer one of the few areas where a 10-man side can strike back, and a gritty bit of play by Gomez -- maintaining possession in a crowd of red-and-white jerseys some 25 yards from the Chivas goal -- earned his team one such precious opportunity in the 55th minute.
The Argentinean playmaker lumped his free kick into the wall, but the rebound skidded out invitingly into a patch of empty space at the top of the penalty area. Clyde Simms was the first to arrive, stroking a low first-time shot that beat Michel -- who was again undone by a crowd of bodies in his sightlines -- to give United a shocking 2-0 lead.
The Mexican giants were stunned by the turn of events and did not take long to respond, as Jonny Magallon played a long ball right into the space vacated by Burch, springing second-half substitute Xavier Baez to race to the endline and cut back a short cross to Santana. The striker made no mistake from seven yards out, slotting his finish past Perkins to halve the deficit and pump life back into the Chivas supporters.
Though the clock was their enemy, Chivas were methodical with their play, switching the ball from side to side as they probed United's packed defense and wore down the shorthanded side.
Having brought on Josh Gros earlier, Soehn threw on Brian Carroll for a cramping Gomez, then used his final sub to get Bobby Boswell into the action as an extra defender.
As time ticked away, it was all hands to the pump for the Black-and-Red as they essentially abandoned any attempts at possession and arrayed themselves in two lines in front of the 11-time Primera Division champions, blocking shots and shaking off tired legs to close down space as best they could.
Six minutes from full time, Perkins rose above the crowd to punch away a deep cross from the right, then saw Olsen block a goalbound effort from Omar Bravo. A minute later, the D.C. netminder was perfectly placed to gobble up Pineda's long-range try, as the home supporters greeted every United save, throw-in and goal kick with cheers of relief.
After four minutes of injury time, Baldaffi finally whistled for the match to come to a close, and United were finally able to breathe a sigh of relief with the victory. They will now take their precious one-goal advantage to Guadalajara for the return match on Tue., Oct. 2, with the winner to face the winner of the tie between Arsenal of Argentina and Goias of Brazil.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
