WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Year after year for more than a decade, D.C. United teams have been built for aggressive, attacking soccer. This season's squad is no different, ranking third in Major League Soccer with 39 goals scored in 24 matches.
With twenty minutes left in Saturday night's see-saw clash with FC Dallas, United found themselves in possession of a 2-1 lead thanks to Santino Quarantas volley and a first-half header from Jaime Moreno. As RFK Stadium quaked with the joyful noise of 19,890 fans, a precious three points was in sight.
All D.C. had to do was close up shop and see out the games final stages.
But as the old adage goes, a tiger can't change its stripes, and on this occasion, the Black-and-Red just couldn't resist the urge to maintain the breakneck pace set by Dallas and their speedy second-half substitutes. Both sides stayed true to the match's end-to-end tempo, and ten minutes after Quaranta's strike Hoops' midfielder Andre Rocha equalized on a counterattack, providing an entertaining spectacle for Fox Soccer Channel's television audience but leaving United tired and fuming.
"I felt like the longer it went on, the more we ended up having to do, because it got so stretched out there, both ways almost like a basketball game, going back and forth at some points in the game," said D.C. holding midfielder Clyde Simms, who covered as much ground as anyone on the field over 90 minutes. "It's unfortunate to put as much work as we did in the game and give up a goal late to lose two points. We're very disappointed about that."
But in a match featuring 10 saves and a whopping 32 shots all told, the final result could have swung either way. The United back line struggled to contain Dallas' attacking tandem of Kenny Cooper and Jeff Cunningham, and later had to contend with the fresh legs of Dominic Oduro and Eric Avila as the Hoops chased the game.
"Those guys are quick," said Marc Burch, tasked with a center back role on Saturday. "They've got some fast guys up top and they did well when they came in, created some scoring opportunities. But I think we should've come away with a win there, no matter what."
D.C. netminder Louis Crayton was busy all evening and his team might have left empty-handed were it not for critical saves on shots from Jeff Cunningham and Bruno Guarda, among others. Yet Crayton's share of his postgame comments inevitably centered on Rocha's finish, which found him out of position after he was unable to cut out Avila's centering pass at the near post.
"I would term it as pure luck, because I came out of the goal knowing the fact that [Avila] was going to play the ball exactly where the ball went," said a rueful Crayton. "Unfortunately my hand could not get to it, and it went out to [Rocha] and he placed it in a very good corner."
Quaranta had even more reason to be irate. Contributing an MVP-worthy performance in the playmaking role left vacant by Marcelo Gallardo scratched from the gameday roster due to a case of the flu and a sore ankle, the Baltimore native thought his goal had snatched a vital victory for his playoff-chasing side and he pulled no punches in his post-match assessment.
"We have to start learning our lesson," he said. "If not, we're not going to be playing in late October and November. If that's what it takes, then that's what it takes, because it's just not good enough. Again, it's ten minutes to go and you have to do what you have to do to get a result at this point in the season, and we didn't do that. And it's upsetting. We have to start holding ourselves accountable, all eleven of us."
United now have less than three days to prepare for their CONCACAF Champions League opener against Costa Rican powerhouse Deportivo Saprissa on Tuesday night, and the Black-and-Red recognize that holding serve at their RFK home will be central to any hopes of qualification out of a stacked Group A.
"We don't have a long time to prepare," said Crayton. "But I think everyone is aware what is ahead of us. I think we are preparing mentally, physically, morally to go into this game after tonight's match as professionals, to be able to come out with a win to advance to the next stage of the Champions League."
