They got the goal few thought they'd score here, but after a dominating performance -- their best of the season -- the New York Red Bulls left RFK Stadium empty-handed, thanks once again to Christian Gomez.
The Argentinian midfielder scored his second goal of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Series, four minutes from full time to send D.C. United into the conference championship with a 1-1 draw Sunday evening and a 2-1 victory on aggregate.
Three minutes after Gomez had hit the crossbar, the Red Bulls leveled the series. Amado Guevara's free kick from the right flank found Jozy Altidore, who snuck inside the penalty spot and headed the ball past Perkins to the keeper's right. Altidore, who leapt over Facundo Erpen, leveled the series and became the youngest player ever to score in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
But it was Gomez who ended the Red Bulls season, sneaking in at the far post to toepoke a Josh Gros cross inside the near post, sending the 21,455 at RFK into hysterics. On the play, Bobby Boswell dummied at playing the ball, allowing it to find Gomez.
The Red Bulls pressed the issue from the opening kick, but missed four solid chances. Following a Gros turnover. Dema Kovalenko ran into space and fed John Wolyniec on his right. But Wolyniec missed the near post from 13 yards out eight minutes in.
Wolyniec was starting in place of Youri Djorkaeff, who missed his final game with a left Achilles strain.
After an early hard tackle on Ben Olsen, Stammler became the first in referee Tim Weyland's book for crushing Gomez in the 11th minute.
In the 12th minute, neither Wolyniec nor Jozy Altidore pulled the trigger near the top of the box and two minutes later, Amado Guevara sent a floater from the right side of the 18-yard box that Troy Perkins saved.
Markus Schopp got on the end of a Todd Dunivant cross at the far post, but Perkins slapped away his header with his right hand. Altidore was late crashing the net for the rebound.
A Jon Conway blunder nearly provided the dagger for United in the 21st minute. The Red Bulls goalkeeper misjudged Ben Olsen's far post cross, spilling it in front of goal before it was cleared away for a corner kick.
Seth Stammler made a brilliant defensive play in the 35th minute, making a sliding tackle on Jaime Moreno just inside the box. For his effort, Stammler got an inadvertent Moreno cleat to his left knee.
D.C., which appeared shaky defensively in the first half, settled down at the start of the second and strung together a series of passes, keeping possession for the first few minutes. But United survived a scare just past the hour mark when Altidore turned Marvell Wynne's cross off the post to Perkins' right from 11 yards out.
But Altidore didn't miss soon after when he headed home Guevara's service, and the Red Bulls seemed on their way to a first-ever playoff win at RFK Stadium. But Gomez had the final answer.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
