DC United 4, Colorado Rapids 2 | MLS Match Recap

WASHINGTON – It’s good to be home.

After dropping road matches to Real Salt Lake and the Houston Dynamo, D.C. United made a victorious return home on Sunday evening, riding a Luis Silva brace to a 4-2 blowout of the Colorado Rapids in front of 12,814 fans at RFK Stadium.

Silva’s goals were his sixth and seventh of the season, a career high, and hist first came just 13 minutes in. Left back Taylor Kemp – filling in for an injured Chris Korb – dispossessed Colorado midfielder Nick LaBrocca 30 yards from goal and played a lovely through ball with the outside of his right foot to a streaking Silva. Silva cut back before chipping his effort over the outstretched arms of Colorado goalkeeper Clint Irwin.

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Rapids defender Drew Moor – who marked Silva on the goal – would leave the match shortly thereafter with a right knee sprain.

Colorado entered the match needing points to climb into playoff position in a congested Western Conference and applied pressure through the opening 45 minutes. Deshorn Brown’s eighth-minute attempt from 15 yards out and a Dillon Serna’s effort 20 minutes later were both handled easily by United keeper Bill Hamid, who also proved up to the task moments from the whistle when midfielder Vincente Sanchez turned a cross goalward from close range in second-half stoppage time.

Serna didn't miss in the 52rd minute, though. Colorado midfielder Jared Watts headed a Hamid clearance towards Serna, who struck an absolutely spectacular volley up and over the Hamid without hesitation from 30 yards out.

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United took a crack at answering with a trifecta of opportunities just minutes later. Nick DeLeon’s delicate through ball found Silva seven yards from goal, but his attempt missed by inches, and Sean Franklin’s follow-up effort was driven directly at Irwin. Two minutes later, United forward Fabian Espindola nearly got on the board, his chipped effort eluding Irwin but finding the woodwork.

D.C.'s pressure paid off in the 66th minute when Franklin collected a loose ball just outside the area, finding Silva just outside the six. The former TFC man made no mistake with his finish, slotting the ball into the side netting at the far post.

Kemp got his second assist of the night on United’s third goal. The University of Maryland product embarked on a 40-yard run on the near sideline, eventually playing a driven cross to Chris Rolfe, who hammered a low attempt home in the 81st minute. Just minutes from the death, Espindola got United’s fourth, smashing one home from 17 yards out.

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Colorado pulled a goal back in stoppage time when Brown headed home a Dillon Powers cross at the goal line, but it was too little, too late.

United will now set their sights on Wednesday evening’s CONCACAF Champions League opener against Jamaican side Waterhouse FC. Colorado will take on the Galaxy at home later that same evening.

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