Luciano Emilio scored goals on either side of halftime and D.C. United extended their unbeaten run to seven games, strolling to a 3-1 victory against the Chicago Fire on Saturday night at RFK Stadium.
Emilio continued his resurgence in recent games with his fourth and fifth goals of the season, while Rod Dyachenko scored his first professional goal, as United won for the second successive weekend. Jerson Monteiro scored a consolation goal for the Fire, who were missing a number of starters of their own.
With Jaime Moreno on Bolivian national team duty, United boss Tom Soehn elected to give Dyachenko his first start of the season next to Emilio up top, while Devon McTavish was chosen as Bobby Boswell's replacement in the center of defense.
The Fire were missing Justin Mapp (USA) and Ivan Guerrero (Honduras) to national team duty in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, while also missing regular midfielders Chris Armas and Thiago, forward Chris Rolfe and defender Logan Pause to injuries.
Dyachenko didn't make a tremendous first impression as his first-minute cross from the left side of the Fire penalty box was blocked by Jeff Curtin and his subsequent second effort, intended for Emilio, was overhit. But six minutes in, Chicago netminder Matt Pickens gifted the Russian-born attacker the simplest of goals with a gaffe on the doorstep.
Fred had hit an inswinging cross from the left wing that looked like a straightforward take for Pickens, but as he went down to catch it on the short hop, the ball caromed off his midsection right into the path of Dyachenko, who gleefully blasted into the net from point-blank range.
The fortuitous opener, Dyachenko's first-ever MLS goal, sent the RFK crowd into ecstasy as the rest of the home fans joined the United supporters' clubs in full song and the old stadium's east side stands began bouncing furiously.
Bakary Soumare earned his team a free kick on the edge of United's box, but the set piece quickly turned into a D.C. counterattack as Diego Gutierrez's delivery was cleared to Emilio, who played Olsen racing into space down the right channel. Olsen's sweeping cross floated across the box over two Chicago defenders and Christian Gomez lunged to smack a header that bounded inches wide of Pickens' left-hand post.
Soumare went right at the United back line again in the 19th minute, running onto a through ball after McTavish had ventured a bit too far up into midfield and left space next to Facundo Erpen. With Erpen snapping at his heels, the Malian-born rookie advanced into the box and rolled a low shot past the advancing Troy Perkins, only to watch it carry just wide of the target.
That chance aside, United were having their way with the visitors, dominating possession and making the defensive-minded Fire chase. Their lead was deservedly doubled after 25 minutes when Gomez lofted a tantalizing pass over the top and Emilio beat Chicago's offside trap. With nary a defender in sight, Pickens had little choice but to race off his line to confront the veteran Brazilian. With his first touch, Emilio chipped the ball over the 'keeper's head and wheeled away to celebrate as it bounced into the roof of the net to run the score to 2-0.
Dyachenko should have grabbed his second in the 41st minute, only to be denied by a sharp reaction save from Pickens. After a Josh Gros long ball released Emilio down the left flank, a nifty square pass from the Brazilian allowed the former University of Nevada-Las Vegas standout to take a touch and slap a hard shot from 12 yards out, but Pickens parried his deflected drive and Soumare arrived to clear.
Clearly unimpressed with his team's display in the first 45 minutes, Fire coach Dave Sarachan threw on Willian Oliveira and and Jerson Monteiro in search of some attacking punch. The move would eventually pay off, but not before United resumed their dominance and went three ahead on the strength of yet another measured passing move that had Gomez's fingerprints all over it.
The Argentinean ghosted into the Chicago box to meet McTavish's astute pass down the left channel and slapped a left-footed shot that Pickens could not keep hold of, and the rebounded skidded on to Emilio at the back post. The D.C. striker had an even easier finish than Dyachenko, simply flicking the ball into the empty net with his thigh and racing into the corner to drop into a superhero pose reminiscent of the Fire's soon-to-arrive designated player signing Cuauhtemoc Blanco.
But just when the Black-and-Red seemed assured of an easy stroll in the park, Chicago pulled one back as Monteiro ran onto a through ball played into space along the right channel and surprised Perkins with a quick shot from the edge of the penalty box. United's 'keeper was a step slow to react to the effort, but it was nonetheless supremely well-placed, cutting across Perkins' path and nestling in the far inside netting to cut the margin to 3-1.
Fred should have done better when Dyachenko found his run into the box with a 64th-minute diagonal ball that got him in behind C.J. Brown, but he couldn't pull the trigger quickly enough as the Fire defense collapsed on him, enabling Pickens to snag the loose ball.
Pickens narrowly beat Gomez to a bouncing ball in the Fire box and undercut the Argentinean as he dived low to smother the chance, sending United's playmaker sprawling to the turf. Gomez picked up a knock on the play and gave way to Justin Moose in the 66th minute.
The diminutive midfielder then almost picked up his first career assist with a slide-rule through ball to Olsen, but the veteran waited a touch too long before trying to sneak a low inside the near post, instead finding the outside of the net.
Pickens' goal looked like the business end of a United shooting drill in the 81st minute, as Olsen flew down the right flank and cut inside before laying off to Moose, who cranked a low, knuckling blast that the Fire goalkeeper parried away. Fred immediately smashed the rebound toward goal again, but with Pickens at his mercy his bid skipped wide to the left.
The visitors scarcely troubled United for the rest of the evening and with the final whistle, D.C. extended its unbeaten streak to seven games, while the Black-and-Red's old rivals skidded to a sixth defeat in their last eight matches.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
