COLUMBUS, Ohio ā When their backs are to the wall, D.C. United are at their best.
D.C. United found their eighth goal in the final 15 minutes of matches this season in a 1-1 draw on the road with 10-man Columbus Crew SC on Saturday, pulling level at MAPFRE Stadium via an 89th-minute Fabian Espindola strike.
After the match, head coach Ben Olsen credited his teamās dangerous bench options for the clubās ability to earn points late.
āWeāre a deeper team, so a lot of that sometimes comes down to what type of guns you have on the bench,ā Olsen said. āWho can come in and change the game? We seem to have some guys who have been able to make impacts, and thatās a very healthy thing when you can look on your bench and have weapons.ā
D.C. benefited from a disputed red card given to Harrison Afful in the 74th minute, following a challenge on Marcelo Sarvas. Olsen admitted that it gave his team an opening, though United were already pushing for an equalizer.
āWeāre down, so of course we have to go anyway,ā he said. āSo now you get your wide backs that much higher and we made a few adjustments ... and then you bring [Espindola] and [Alhaji Kamara] on who can help you score goals and we found a way to get one.ā
Olsen said the disputed play and an altercation between Nick DeLeon and Wil Trapp moments earlier are products of the tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference.
āThe East is very tight,ā Olsen said. āItās going to start heating up from here. Itās natural stuff. Whether it was a red or not, I donāt know.ā
Olsen said the draw showed D.C. United have āgot some character in the squad,ā and called the performance āour best game in a while.ā
And despite not panicking about the teamās nine-point road record, Olsen admitted that some of the late draws need to turn into victories.
āOur away record overall isnāt that bad, when things shake out,ā he said. āSo weāve got another one next weekend to try to continue hanging in there in some of these tough environments. But weāve got to find ways to get wins, too. That means we have to convert chances.ā