D.C. United continued their late-summer push towards the top of the Eastern Conference with an assured 3-1 victory against the New York Red Bulls in front of a festive crowd at RFK Stadium on Wednesday night. The result stretches D.C.'s league winning streak to four games, vaults the Black-and-Red ahead of New York for sole possession of second place, and ensures that the Atlantic Cup trophy will remain in the nation's capital for yet another season.
Early goals from Ben Olsen and Christian Gomez gave United a lead they would not relinquish, and Jaime Moreno's 48th-minute penalty kick capped the evening as the D.C. legend added yet another distinguished chapter to league history with his record-breaking 109th career MLS goal.
"That's the mentality that we should have every game, not only when we play at home but when we're on the road as well," said Gomez. "It's always good when you have that early advantage, to dictate the pace of the game, and we were able to do that tonight."
United's strong start gave their I-95 neighbors a mountain to climb that, despite a 21st-minute spot kick finish by Juan Pablo Angel, proved insurmountable as the Red Bulls clearly felt a hangover from last weekend's 5-4 barnburner win over the LA Galaxy.
"We talked about how New York went through a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the game against LA," explained D.C. coach Tom Soehn. "It was a lot of emotions and a lot of energy, and we felt if we could come out and dictate the terms in the first 15 minutes, then we could establish the game and, for the most part, we did. So give the guys credit -- they executed."
With a resurgent back line that looks more and more comfortable with each passing week, United have now allowed just two goals in their last four matches and it took another composed performance to shut down the Red Bulls' menacing array of attackers.
"They have a couple of pieces that you know are going to be trouble," said Soehn. "Juan Pablo Angel is one of them, and Jozy Altidore is one of them. We just made sure that we kept things tight for them, and I thought our guys did a good job of closing when service came to them and making it tough for them to create chances."
But the night's biggest star was undoubtedly Moreno, the MLS original who has defied both age and injury to sustain his torrid goal-scoring ways over the past 12 years. When his 48th-minute penalty kick conversion pushed him past Real Salt Lake head coach Jason Kreis for the all-time lead in career MLS goals, the moment was duly celebrated by fans and fellow players alike.
But afterward, the soft-spoken Bolivian downplayed his own accomplishment, focusing on his squad's recent run of form and their desire for another MLS Cup triumph in November.
"I always knew the record didn't matter to me. For me, in the back of my head the main thing is the team," said Moreno. "I think everyone knows it's a big achievement, proving I work hard for this. Anything you do is because you work hard at it, and nobody can take it from you. I'm proud, and now I'm just going to keep working, keep scoring, and we'll see what happens."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
