D.C. United fell further behind the power curve in the race for Major League Soccer's final playoff spots on Saturday night, producing a lukewarm display with their season on the line. Powered by goals from Alecko Eskandarian, Sasha Victorine and debutant Dejair, Chivas USA entered RFK Stadium and seized their first-ever win there in a 3-0 stroll.
The result leaves United on the brink of missing the postseason for the first time in five years, and coach Tom Soehn will find little encouragement from the nights events as midfield mainstays Fred and Marcelo Gallardo both limped off injured in the second half after failing to jumpstart the sputtering D.C. attack.
Missing Jaime Moreno and Luciano Emilio, the veteran marksmen who have accounted for 21 of their 41 goals this season, United arrayed themselves in a 4-5-1 shape intended to win the midfield battle and make the most of long-injured playmaker Gallardo, tonight wearing the captain's armband in just his second start since June 29.
Their visitors from California kept to their standard 4-4-2 shape, countering with Jesse Marsch and Sasha Victorine patrolling the center of the park, flanked by Atiba Harris and U.S. international Sacha Kljestan with Alecko Eskandarian and Brazilian newcomer Dejair up front.
Eskandarian, leading the Chivas line in his return to the stadium where he spent four seasons at the outset of his pro career, tested Louis Crayton with a low long-range drive in the fifth minute, but the Liberian netminder gloved his shot comfortably.
Early on, Gallardo tried to inspire his side with several direct, slashing dribbles at the heart of the Red-and-White defense, each time going to ground under pressure but each time referee Kevin Stott showed no sympathy, waving play on to the crowds displeasure.
Eskandarian won a free kick in a threatening spot just outside the United box, but Dejair could not beat Crayton with his bending blast around the wall as the veteran 'keeper dropped to his left to save cleanly.
Thirteen minutes in, Gallardo's nimble feet enabled him to elude a double-team along the left touchline and lift a dangerous cross to Fred at the far post, but the Brazilian's center for Quaranta missed the target and was calmly cut out by Claudio Suarez in the goal area.
Injury to Emilio and suspension for Moreno had robbed D.C. of both starting strikers on this occasion. But Boyzzz Khumalo was working hard to fill their shoes up top and he brought the RFK faithful to their feet with a nifty bit of trickery to slash between Harris and Shavar Thomas, earning a promising free kick that Gallardo nearly converted into the match's first goal.
From a tight angle, the Argentinean maestro launched a hard half-cross/half-shot right at Dan Kennedy's goal and with a crowd of colliding bodies in the danger area, the effort nearly deflected in at the back post.
Just when the game seemed to have settled into a pacey rhythm, Crayton made a catastrophic error to stun United and hand Chivas USA an easy opener in the 35th minute.
The veteran goalkeeper is known for being comfortable with the ball at his feet, but this time he was far too casual with a back pass from Gonzalo Martinez and his first touch popped right into the path of the pressuring Dejair, who managed to dodge Crayton's desperate slide tackle and drop the ball back to Eskandarian. The diminutive striker gleefully stroked a 25-yard finish into the unguarded net for a 1-0 lead that immediately deflated the home faithful.
Then barely two minutes into the second stanza, Kljestan nearly doubled the Chivas advantage with a forceful run down the left channel, riding Clyde Simms challenge before clipping a low left-footer towards the far side of goal that beat Crayton, but skipped wide of the post.
D.C. boss Tom Soehn surely wasnt enjoying what he saw and made a quick substitution, pulling off the ineffective Fred to add Devon McTavish to the United midfield. He entered the match just in time to see Gallardo deliver a deep set piece cross right to Bryan Namoff's head at the far post, but the veteran defender looped his bid over the target from close range. Fred's removal was soon explained as a result of a hamstring strain, a recurrence of an injury that plagued him throughout late summer.
Gallardo picked out Gonzalo Peralta on another free kick into the box a few minutes later, but his downward header was easy pickings for Kennedy and the Red-and-White soon punished their profligacy, with Eskandarian again at the center of the action.
The play capped a probing string of possession that saw Chivas crisply knock the ball from their right touchline to the left, where Kljestan spotted Eskandarians flared run and laid a pass into space behind the United defense. The striker uncorked an angled shot that Crayton could only parry, giving the late-arriving Victorine an easy finish from point-blank range to send D.C. deeper into the hole at 2-0.
Forced to chase the game more desperately, Soehn brought on an additional attacker in the shape of Francis Doe, replacing Joe Vide. The stocky Liberian soon got onto the end of three glorious chances in quick succession sending a diving header right into Kennedy's arms, then flashing another such chance just wide of the left post before bursting clear behind the Chivas back line to collect Quarantas canny one-touch and advance on Kennedy.
But Doe tried to pick his spot a bit too early and a bit too close to Kennedy's body allowing the Chivas netminder to drop down quickly and glove the shot with minimal fuss as the crowd groaned.
Chivas was full of poise and purpose now, absorbing pressure and winning the crucial midfield battles with hard work and gritty physical play. The situation soon grew worse for United as Eskandarian broke loose down the left and skipped a low pass towards the far post that Peralta missed, allowing Dejair an easy sliding finish for his first-ever MLS goal.
The home fans were fully aware of their team's urgent need for a win on this night and a gloom began to descend on the venerable old stadium as the magnitude of the task sank in. That mood only deepened when Gallardo fell awkwardly and writhed in pain after tangling with Victorine in midfield, prompting Soehn to replace the designated player with Marc Burch in D.C.'s final substitution of the game.
Quaranta did his best to rally his team, stinging Kennedy's palms with a rocket headed for the upper corner and later cutting inside onto his left foot and cuffing a daisy-cutter just wide of the woodwork. Then he made a well-timed run down the right and looked to have set up Doe with a low cross, only for Kennedy and his defense to somehow keep the ball out of the goal amid a crowd of clashing bodies inside the six-yard box.
But there was no consolation for the home side as Stott blew his final whistle with the score at 3-0, moving Chivas one step closer to a playoff berth and pushing United further towards the brink.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
