Mired in a 4-game winless slump and experiencing an offensive drought, DC United headed into last night’s match against Red Bull New York with a degree of uncertainty. Would United’s forwards be able to capitalize on the scoring chances that had slipped by them in past games? Could the team regain its competitive edge? Was it time for another early exit from U.S. Open Cup play?

United provided an emphatic answer to these questions, dispatching New York 3-1 and earning the right to play Chicago in the Cup semifinals. Behind a starting lineup featuring 5 players accustomed to the bench, DC capitalized on a first half goal by Josh Gros and Jamil Walker’s second half brace to assure former coach Bruce Arena an unpleasant homecoming.

Several of the absences in the starting 11 were expected. Freddy Adu and Christain Gomez were recovering from minor injuries, while veteran Nick Rimando resumed his role as Open Cup goalkeeper. Ben Olsen and Jaime Moreno, on the other hand, were given a mid-season reprieve. To fill these spots, Coach Peter Nowak enthusiastically went to his deep bench, rewarding team members that had performed well in practice. Nowak specifically pointed to the contributions of Jamil Walker, Domenic Mediate, and 78th minute sub DJ Stokes, noting, “It’s good to give them the time, and I think everyone enjoyed them playing.”

All photos by Kyle Gustafson. For more photos, click here.