Heading into the 90th minute with a one-goal lead on Real Salt Lake it looked as though D.C. United would be extending their unbeaten streak to 15 games -- until two penalty kicks in stoppage time changed everything.
The league's top team arrived in Salt Lake having suffered only one loss this season, that one coming in Colorado and also involving a penalty kick. It's a trend United head coach Peter Nowak is not terribly impressed with.
"If you're going to beat us, beat us the fair way," said Nowak. "But this, especially with the two PKs, isn't supposed to happen in our league. But maybe this is how our league works."
In a physical battle between the league's top and bottom teams D.C. United scored first in the 36th minute off a strike from Jaime Moreno. Christian Gomez released Josh Gros down the line with a speedy through ball. Gros drew RSL goalkeeper Scott Garlick to him before releasing a centering pass to a wide open Moreno. The United striker tapped his 104th career goal into an open net to give D.C. the lead.
That lead held until the last minute of play when second-half substitute John Wilson took down RSL midfielder Mehdi Ballouchy inside the penalty area and referee Abbey Okulaja pointed to the spot in dramatic fashion. The spot kick was blasted past Troy Perkins by Jeff Cunningham.
Then the unthinkable happened. Four minutes into stoppage time Wilson went in for another tackle inside the box, this time on Chris Klein. As contact was made Klein fell and the referee pointed to spot for the second time on the night. Cunningham stepped up and repeated the same outcome as before to the delight of the Salt Lake crowd.
"I feel that this wasn't supposed to happen to our team -- especially the second PK," said Nowak. "I don't mind losing -- losing when they score good goals and they play better. But that's how it is and we have to deal with the situation."
Besides falling on two late penalty calls, Nowak felt the quality of play from his team deteriorated as the game went on, allowing Salt Lake to get forward.
"We played pretty good in the first half, but in the second half we just had too many negative balls," said Nowak. "We played backwards, backwards, backwards and we couldn't find Christian; we couldn't find our forwards."
He also pointed out that United didn't play their normal style of game.
"In most situations we find good spaces and go forward, in this situation we couldn't do it," Nowak said. "I don't know if it is fitness or mental breaks."
From Moreno's view it was missed chances that led to the loss.
"We didn't really dominate the game, but we had the better chances," said Moreno. "I had two good chances, Jamil [Walker] had another one, that's three more goals and the game would be over. But that's part of the game."
Alecko Eskandarian, who started alongside Moreno in attack, felt United uncharacteristically couldn't put the game away.
"We controlled the game, I thought," said Eskandarian. "We had some really good passing combinations while we were in there and kept possession. But, at the same time we have to learn how to kill games and we've been really good at that all year long. It's just one of those things that happens. You just take and you move on. I guess the streak had to end sometime.
"This is not a setback; it's part of the game -- we were going to lose eventually. It's better that it happens now and we just focus on the second half of the season."
Scott McAllister is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
