D.C. United manager Tom Soehn wants to forget about last Saturday’s debacle at previously winless Real Salt Lake. After an opening spell that might have given Soehn flashbacks, an under-strength United helped him do that with a strong final sixty minutes and a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rapids at RFK Stadium.

There were plenty of important moments – newcomers Fred and Luciano Emilio's fluid passing movies with playmaker Christian Gomez, Jamaican forward Nicholas Addlery's breakthrough – but after falling behind early, Soehn and United will surely insist the most important thing was simply the result, starting a new unbeaten streak.

Playing without Ben Olsen, Bobby Boswell, Jaime Moreno (all away on national team duty), and Bryan Namoff (injury), some kind of drop off would’ve been understandable. The makeshift backline of Clyde Simms, Devon McTavish, Josh Gros, and Facundo Erpen gave up an early goal – a fine looped, flicked header from Jacob Peterson off a Terry Cooke cross – but after Simms and McTavish swapped places things looked much more solid. In fact, McTavish might have played his best game yet, cutting out crosses, organizing, and providing some solidity to Erpen’s occasionally erratic play.

Photos by Kyle Gustafson

Troy Perkins (again superb) had a couple quality saves to keep the game within reach, and when United did equalize, it was a piece of generosity from Colorado. A nice buildup gave Simms space on the right. His serve into the area looked harmless, but the Rapids’ Greg Vanney (soon to don the Red and Black) slipped and then inexplicably swiped at the ball with his hand. Penalty to D.C., and Gomez coolly slid it low into the corner for the equalizer.

It stayed this way through the end of the half, with D.C. dominating possession but still handing the best opportunities to Colorado.

But, as Soehn noted in the post-game, it was very much a tale of two halves. After the break, D.C. seized the initiative. Where Rapids central midfielder Pablo Mastroeni had snuffed out passing lanes and kept Gomez corralled in the first half, fatigue got the better of him and Gomez found space to roam. Up top, Emilio’s hard work and possession was complimented nicely by Adderley. Already brimming with confidence and bringing a bruising presence to the lineup, he marked the occasion by putting D.C. in the lead for good.

Just as Mastroeni was subbed off for Keel, D.C. forced a corner. Fred’s in-swinger found Addlery working inside his man, and the big man’s simple but effective header left Colorado keeper Coundoul with no chance.

Save some defensive lapses – one requiring a brave smother at the back post from Perkins – United were now in control. With Colorado’s midfield general out of the game, Gomez was dictating everything at the offensive end, and both Fred and Justin Moose were moving into increasingly dangerous positions. D.C.’s front four were buzzing, and it seemed only an act of nature could keep United from a third goal.

Luckily, such an act only managed to postpone it. Lightning around RFK caused a thirty minute delay, but when play restarted, the team closed the game with a blistering final 15 minutes that saw them grab two goals and threaten even more.

First, a nice diagonal ball found Addlery posting up 25 yards from goal. His quick turn/flick caught Fred making a sharp run into the box. The Brazilian burst towards goal, sliding his shot under the advancing Coundoul for 3-1.

At that point, the fourth was academic. Gomez led the D.C. counter-attack, laying off a wonderfully weighted pass for Emilio to slide a precise left footed shot into the far corner of the net. For Emilio, it was a goal his tireless work and overall contribution richly deserved, and it further emphasized the growing understanding between he and Gomez.

For United, it sealed a victory that avenged an earlier loss to Colorado and revealed a few positive signs of depth. McTavish was solid after his switch to center back and Addlerey’s power and size added a new dimension to the attack (and to what has to be the smallest team in the league). Perhaps best of all, it wiped those nasty memories from the Salt Lake loss out of their heads.