A dramatic 86th-minute goal from Christian Gomez saved D.C. United from having to survive extra time, giving the MLS Supporters' Shield winners a 1-1 draw against the New York Red Bulls on Sunday evening at RFK Stadium and a 2-1 victory on aggregate in their Eastern Conference Semifinal Series.
United saw their one-goal lead from the first leg evaporate in the 70th minute through a deserved goal from Jozy Altidore, just days away from celebrating his 17th birthday. But once again, as he has done nearly the entire season, Gomez arrived to poke a cross past Jon Conway and send United into the Eastern Conference Championship against the New England Revolution next Sunday.
From the outset, the visitors pressed the game, and Red Bulls forward John Wolyniec nearly gave the home side an early scare when he stooped low to get his head on a third-minute free kick into the United box, but the bouncing effort spun wide of the far post.
Minutes later Seth Stammler's crunching challenge gave United veteran Ben Olsen a hint of what the central midfield battle would be like on the night, earning an early word from referee Tim Weyland.
Though last week's 1-0 first-leg result in favor of D.C. put more pressure on New York, both sides clearly felt some nerves and an eighth-minute miscue from Josh Gros almost led to disaster for his team. The winger failed to communicate with right back Bryan Namoff and sent a backwards header into empty space behind the defender, allowing Wolyniec to race into the box for a clear look at goal -- but the Red Bulls striker wasted the chance, slapping his shot high and wide of Troy Perkins' near post.
United looked surprisingly tentative at the outset, creating few chances and showing an alarming shakiness at the back that muted the enthusiasm of RFK's "Blackout" crowd.
But on D.C.'s first meaningful jaunt into their attacking third -- more than 20 minutes into the match -- the visitors faltered similarly, with nearly catastrophic consequences. Conway fumbled away Olsen's looping cross with Gomez lurking nearby, allowing the Argentinean to loft an inviting ball towards Jaime Moreno on the opposite post that required a safety-first header by Todd Dunivant.
Yet United betrayed themselves with more dangerous hesitance in their own box five minutes later, forcing some desperate defending as Markus Schopp got behind Freddy Adu to head a far post cross back in front of goal, setting off a wild scramble that saw Bobby Boswell make a vital sliding block of Altidore's shot from 10 yards out.
The Black-and-Red finally began to haul themselves into form in the waning moments of the first half, moving forward with greater speed and precision to probe the spaces between the Red Bulls back four.
Olsen's through ball nearly sprung Moreno, only to be denied by a last-ditch sliding tackle by Stammler, then Adu whipped a far-post cross past Red Bulls defender Marvell Wynne that D.C. striker Alecko Eskandarian couldn't quite reach. But the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 as the halftime whistle blew.
After New York earned a corner in the 50th minute, Brian Carroll's headed clearance fell invitingly for Dema Kovalenko at the top of the D.C. penalty box. But the former United standout blasted his shot high over the crossbar to earn a sarcastic cheer from the fans who once idolized him.
New York created its best chance of the evening just past the hour mark, as Altidore found himself perfectly placed to transform the series with a timely goal, only to be denied by the woodwork.
When Adu stepped forward to intercept a wayward Red Bulls pass just in front of his defense, he looked primed to spring a United counterattack, but he promptly gave back possession in the dangerous spot and Wynne was able to reach the endline and cut a low cross back across the box. The ball rolled to Altidore at the top of the goal area -- and his snap shot beat Perkins, but was inches off target and dinked off the base of the post.
But Adu responded at the other end, helping give his team their best chance yet to break the deadlock. United's young starlet unleashed a wicked low blast from distance that Conway could only parry into the path of Moreno, and the D.C. captain centered for Eskandarian, who hit a right-footed shot that caromed off the crossbar.
United had given away a dangerous number of free kicks deep in their own end, and they finally paid the price in the 70th minute as Amado Guevara set up Altidore for the header that brought their team level on aggregate.
The Red Bulls' swirling movement on the set piece created confusion in the United box that enabled Altidore to slip away from Facundo Erpen, then rise to snap a well-placed finish past the sprawling Perkins and into the side netting to give New York the lead in the game and level the tie in total goals.
But just when it seemed that all momentum had switched to the visitors, Gomez popped up in the New York box to deliver the priceless equalizer that his side was craving as the clock ticked down towards extra time.
Given the number of times that the graceful playmaker has rescued United this season, it was entirely fitting that he be the man on the spot after the Red Bulls failed to clear a D.C. corner in the 86th minute. Gomez usually takes corners for his team but for some reason he left this one to second-half sub Matias Donnet, whose service was headed back out to Gros, standing 25 yards out in the right channel.
The winger sent an inswinging cross to the back post that was headed for Boswell, but the tall center back dived out of the way to allow it to carry on to Gomez, and the Argentinean stunned Conway with a toepoke that snuck under his right arm, just inside the near post and into the net to restore United's one-goal aggregate advantage and send RFK into ecstasy.
The old stadium trembled as its 21,455 fans finally burst into full voice and New York's final, desperate high balls into the box were of no use as the home side killed off the remaining minutes to assure themselves of a berth in the conference final against New England.
Charles Boehm is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
