Move over, Jason Kreis. In the forty-eighth minute of the twentieth game in the twelfth season of Major League Soccer, D.C. United's Jaime Moreno became the league's all-time leading scorer with a deftly taken penalty kick. Moreno's 109th career goal put the cap on a solid 3-1 victory over Red Bull New York.

On an uncharacteristically brisk August evening at RFK Stadium, United surprised the Red Bulls and never looked back. The 18,748 in attendance were barely in their seats when United struck. Though neither team was able to develop an offensive rhythm throughout the night, D.C. was able to capitalize on the few minutes of chaos among New York's back line and punish them with a pair of goals.

The first blow came in the sixth minute when Troy Perkins distributed a perfect drop kick to Fred, who was left with considerable space as he ran toward the box. Though his shot was blocked by goalie Ronald Waterreus, Ben Olsen pounced on the rebound to deliver his fifth goal of the season.

Just two minutes later, Olsen again caught New York off guard when he executed a sliding challenge to rob Chris Leitch deep in Red Bull territory. The ball landed at the feet of Moreno, who passed back to the charging Olsen. The midfielder crossed the ball across the box nicely, and the disoriented Red Bull defense allowed an unmarked Christian Gomez to head the ball into the back of the net with ease.

Photos by Kyle Gustafson.

It appeared that the two goals would stand up. Though both teams attacked with vigor from end to end, neither was able to possess the ball for extended periods of time throughout the game, and the number of total chances for both teams could be counted on one hand. Nevertheless, at least a bit of drama was added to the encounter when New York tallied a goal off of a penalty kick.

While being pressured by Juan Pablo Angel, left back Marc Burch turned the ball over to the Colombian striker. When Perkins tripped onrushing midfielder Dane Richards, referee Ricardo Salazar signaled for a penalty kick, which Angel buried with authority.

When neither side was able to score in the remaining 24 minutes of the half, the Red Bulls looked to bring in reinforcements. At the midway point, dominant 17-year-old striker Jozy Altidore entered the game for the visitors, but it was the home side that found the net once again. Luciano Emilio found space jutting through the Red Bull defense and was brought down in the box by defender Hunter Freemen. It was then that Moreno stepped up and converted his 16th straight penalty kick in the last three seasons.

Though New York had a few opportunities to score in the second half, they could not put a second goal on the board. Clint Mathis' precise through ball freed Mike Magee on goal, but his shot sailed wide of the target. Shortly thereafter, Mathis again surprised United's defense with a hastily taken free kick, but Perkins was up to the challenge and punched the attempt away.

United's victory earned them the Atlantic Cup for the fifth year in the last six. It also put them in tremendous position in league standings. With 36 points and two games in hand, eastern conference leader New England (39 points) is well within reach. More importantly, D.C. now leads MLS in points per game, at 1.8. With four straight wins in league play, the question remains: is this merely a team on a hot streak, or one of the truly dominant squads of the MLS? The Black-and-Red will try to make it a perfect August in Toronto this Saturday.

Briefly Noted: Bobby Boswell sat out for the second straight game due to performance-related issues... Luciano Emilio limped off the field in the 69th minute with a strained hamstring. His status for Saturday's game is uncertain... The Juan Sebastian Veron rumors just won't die. The Daily Mail reports that the midfielder is considering a "spectacular" offer from United, but has not yet decided if he will join the team for the 2008 season.