For the third match in a row, D.C. United did just enough to win Saturday night, edging Houston Dynamo 2-1 at RFK Stadium. The home side raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first 27 minutes on goals from Christian Gomez and Ben Olsen, but their second-half fade opened the door for a spirited but unrewarded fightback from the defending MLS Cup champions.
"I can guarantee you I didn't say 'let's just sit in and counterattack,'" said D.C. coach Tom Soehn of his team's languid finish. "Sometimes the game dictates that, and a two-goal lead is a dangerous lead coming out of halftime. It gives you the idea that you think you're fine, that you've got cushion."
Enjoying more space and time than in previous games, Gomez produced an animated performance that suggested he is recovering from an early-season malaise. His wicked fourth-minute free kick provided a huge boost for United and their home fans, while presenting struggling Dynamo - who have now scored just five goals in eight matches - with an additional psychological obstacle.
"First half, I thought we came out and really took the game to them," said Soehn. "I talked to them about confidence stretches with teams, and with Houston failing to score, if we could get one early, I thought it'd go a long way."
The smooth Argentinean also set up Olsen for his first goal of the season as the one-time U.S. international, who has shifted from a holding role to a flank position with United's switch to a 4-4-2 formation, cut in from the left to slap what turned out to be the game-winner off Pat Onstad's fingertips.
"Playing out on the flanks, you get a little bit more joy as far as getting around the goal and getting some chances," said Olsen. "Christian made a nice, pretty little ball for me - perfect in stride, all I got to do is put that in the goal, pass it in there. I still didn't hit that great, he got some hand on it, but fortunately it snuck in."
The evening's weather - muggy and humid, with temperatures hovering in the high 80s - offered a preview of the oppressive Washington summer ahead and, combined with the physical play of Houston strikers Brian Ching and Joseph Ngwenya, wore down the D.C. defense. Josh Gros conceded a penalty kick that was well-saved by Troy Perkins, but United failed to clear the danger, allowing Dwayne De Rosario to hammer home his third of the year and ensure a tense finish.
"To be honest, I was tired," said Bobby Boswell. "They were a hard-working team, I give them all the credit in the world. They fought hard - Chingy's a banger and Joe runs all day. We didn't do ourselves a whole lot of favors with the way we kind of spread the back line, but the bottom line is we did pretty well. In the first half we got the two goals that we needed and we were able to hold on at the end there when they threw the whole bank at us."
But with the memory of last month's three-game winless streak fresh in their minds, the Black-and-Red were more than content to take the result as another positive step on their comeback trail.
"We had a couple chances to finish and we did, and they had a couple chances to finish and they didn't," said Gros. "It was a very close game and I'm glad to get out of there with a win."
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
