D.C. United and FC Dallas put on a riveting show for a lively crowd at muggy RFK Stadium on Saturday night, but with points at a premium in this year's playoff race, both sides have little to show for the entertaining 2-2 display that featured classy goals from Kenny Cooper, Jaime Moreno, Santino Quaranta and Andre Rocha.
D.C. boss Tom Soehn continues to struggle with a rash of injuries to key players and his first XI reflected that reality as Thabiso Khumalo, whose loan signing was officially completed just a day prior, got the nod at striker alongside Jaime Moreno and youngster Quavas Kirk earned his first start of the season at right wing.
FC Dallas midfielder Andre Rocha looked sharp in the game's opening moments and got a fleeting look at goal from 19 yards out when D.C. defender Gonzalo Martinez whiffed on a clearance attempt less than five minutes in. But Devon McTavish stepped in quickly to contest his shot and the Brazilian crashed to the turf clutching his ankle after the contact, requiring treatment from the FCD medical staff.
Jeff Cunningham broke loose down the left flank a few minutes later and had options to shoot or square to Cooper, only for his hesitation to be punished as Marc Burch moved over to block his shot.
But it was Cooper who stamped his mark on the match first, notching the opening goal in the ninth minute with a clever bit of play that was aided by some slipshod United defending.
First McTavish let a through ball right down the middle of the pitch slip past him, leaving Bryan Namoff one-on-one with Cooper at the top of the box - then D.C.'s right back was fooled by a quick turn from the big Hoops striker, who showed his class and composure with a left-footed finish into the upper corner of Crayton's net.
The hosts, keyed by their captain Moreno, would craft a response, pushing Dallas back onto their heels with long stretches of probing possession and the Bolivian nearly set up Santino Quaranta with a lovely angled chip to the far post in the 18th minute. The ball's bounce sat up a bit too high for Quaranta, however, and his shot flew high over Dario Sala's crossbar.
The Hoops came very close to doubling their advantage on their next real foray forward, however. Cunningham latched onto a deep pass into the United box and turned on McTavish, finding space to uncork a quick, short-range shot that was adeptly denied by Louis Crayton's reaction save.
United soon threatened again as Quaranta hammered a thunderous shot towards the top corner from nearly 20 yards out, only for the blast to high and wide by a matter of inches.
Twenty-six minutes in, the Black-and-Red got the equalizer they'd been hunting for as debutee Khumalo connected with his new strike partner on a short cross from the right side. The South African, on loan from the USL-2 Pittsburgh Riverhounds, slipped between two defenders and put a well-placed service right on Moreno's head - and the veteran did not miss, calmly nodding past Sala for a 1-1 scoreline.
Dallas coach Schellas Hyndman was surely displeased with United's rampancy down the Hoops' right flank and tried to address matters with an early substitution, replacing right back Adrian Serioux with local product Michael Dello-Russo.
Cooper was handed a golden opportunity to double his tally as the half wound down, beating the United offsides trap to surge into Crayton's box. But Gonzalo Martinez showed remarkable recovery speed to get back and hurry his shot, and Cooper's effort rifled well wide of the target. Then Bruno Guarda's long-range drive forced another sharp save out of Crayton as the home side weathered the late flurry to enter the halftime break on level terms.
Soehn brought Fred on in place of Kirk to start the second half, and the Brazilian, recently on the mend from hamstring troubles, promptly missed a great chance to put D.C. ahead less than a minute in as Ivan Guerrero raced down the left wing and curled in a teasing cross that needed only the simplest of touches at the back post. But Fred mishit his attempt and Dallas were able to clear the looming danger.
Hyndman pulled off Cooper in the 56th minute to add Dominic Oduro to the mix up top. But the Ghanaian speedster could only watch as the Black-and-Red tested his goalkeeper soon thereafter, as first Martinez, then Guerrero stung Sala's hands with rasping shots on target.
A brief skirmish erupted in the 62nd minute when Rocha crashed into Crayton in pursuit of Cunningham's short pass in the D.C. box, trying to dislodge the ball from the Liberian goalkeeper's hands. After a few shoves and angry words, the Brazilian was booked by referee Baldomero Toledo.
The RFK faithful were given further reason to cheer when another of their injured heroes, Luciano Emilio, made a substitute appearance, entering in place of Khumalo in the 68th minute - and the home side's outlook only got brighter when Guerrero and Quaranta combined for a well-taken goal less than a minute later
Chasing after a Moreno pass that had taken a deflection off an FCD player on its way towards the endline, Guerrero could easily have eased off and taken a corner kick. But the diminutive Honduran kept sprinting and looped a cross to the far post, where Quaranta ghosted in to crack a half-volley past Sala and spark mayhem among the D.C. supporters' groups as their team grabbed their first lead of the game.
Replays suggested that the ball might have trickled over the line before Guerrero got his touch, but the goal was a just reward for Quaranta, lately a crucial performer for United who has now matched his career high with five goals on the season.
Despite the swing in momentum, the Hoops were showing no signs of surrender as Guarda brought another strong reaction save out of Crayton and Marcelo Saragosa flicked a set piece delivery over the bar from close range.
Second-half sub Eric Avila was repeatedly exploiting space down the left flank and one of his many runs to the endline finally bore fruit in the 79th minute. A diving Crayton could not cut out Avila's low cutback and though the ball skipped through the goalmouth untouched, Rocha was perfectly positioned on the far edge of the box, stroking a shot into the unguarded net to restore the deadlock and momentarily quiet the crowd.
The match continued to pulse with life as Emilio snapped a header just wide of Sala's net, then came close to burying Quaranta's booming free kick to the far post. Later, Clyde Simms whipped a vicious dipping shot just high of the top corner in injury time.
But United were unable to pull the match back into their grasp and Toledo's final whistle handed the visitors a road point that would normally be a welcome prize from a trip to RFK. On this occasion, however, both point-hungry sides will surely feel dissatisfied not to have gotten more return on their evening's hard work.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
