E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - After erupting for three goals against FC Dallas last weekend, D.C. United couldn't find the back of the net in a tight, physical affair at Giants Stadium and lost 1-0 to the New York Red Bulls Sunday on John Wolyniec's first-half tally.
The Red Bulls came out with energy in the opening minutes and clearly were trying to impose their will on a United squad missing starters Jaime Moreno, Bryan Namoff and Guy-Roland Kpene (each out with a hamstring strain) and Ben Olsen (yellow card suspension).
The Red Bulls' early pressure appeared to pay dividends in the 17th minute when United defender Greg Vanney tripped teenage star Jozy Altidore in the area on what looked like a surefire penalty kick call. However, referee Abbey Okulaja apparently didn't see it that way and instructed the teams to play on.
Just two minutes after the non-call, the Red Bulls struck first blood. D.C. midfielder Josh Gros picked up a foul (and a caution) 30 yards from the D.C. goal, and on the restart, New York captain Claudio Reyna lofted a free kick towards Altidore at the back post.
Altidore, making his first appearance for the Red Bulls since scoring four goals for the U.S. team at the just-concluded FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada, out-jumped reigning 2006 MLS Defender of Year Bobby Boswell and headed back across the face of goal to running-mate Wolyniec. The crafty veteran beat sophomore D.C. back Devon McTavish to the ball and nodded past Troy Perkins to put New York in front.
United had the better of the play for the rest of the opening half, controlling the majority of possession with the home team content to look for opportunities to counterattack.
Boswell had his team's best chance to collect an equalizer, but his powerful header of a cross from the right side late in the first stanza struck the crossbar after beating New York 'keeper Jon Conway. Boswell nearly put home the rebound in spectacular fashion, but his bicycle kick attempt sailed wide of Conway's left post.
United continued to control the play after the intermission and generated a pair of golden chances to knot the score at 1-1 around the hour mark. First, in the 57th minute, D.C. skipper Christian Gomez played a beautiful defense-splitting thorough-ball to sub Nicholas Addlery, who had entered the match just two minutes earlier. Addlery walked in alone on Conway, but fired his shot straight at the Red Bulls backstop.
Moments later, Gomez had a point-blank scoring opportunity himself. The Red Bulls failed to clear a loose ball in the box and it squirted free to an unmarked Gomez, but the 2006 MLS MVP inexplicably fired over the bar with Conway at his mercy.
New York could have gone two goals up in the 63rd, when Clint Mathis got free on a quick counter. D.C. midfielder Brian Carroll chased Mathis down and clipped him at the top of the box. The Red Bulls appealed for a red card, but luckily for Carroll, Okulaja produced only a yellow. Reyna fired over the top from the ensuring set piece.
D.C. had a final opportunity three minutes from time when Gomez sent a curling free kick over the Red Bull backs and on to the head of Addlery, but the Bronx, N.Y. native couldn't put his effort on frame. Brazilian forward Fred contended that his shirt had been pulled on the play but as they were in the first half, the penalty pleas fell on deaf ears.
The visitors' frustration boiled over in stoppage time when Fred was sent off following a studs-up tackle from behind on New York winger Dane Richards.
With the loss, D.C. falls from third to fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, now three points behind their Sunday hosts.
Doug McIntyre is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
