D.C. United looked ready to settle for a draw on Saturday, until Chris Pontius’ 82nd-minute goal propelled the black and red to an all-important road win at New England. The victory kept D.C. United’s four-game unbeaten streak alive and gave the team sole possession of third place in the Eastern Conference.
It was exactly the type of game that DCU would have lost last year—gritty, sloppy and rife with defensive errors. Playing without Emiliano Dudar—who suffered a hamstring injury in training on Thursday—D.C. United’s back line looked lost at times. They didn’t waste any time in giving up a goal, as Saer Sene found a relatively unmarked Jose Moreno in the fifth minute, giving the home side an early 1-0 lead.
On this day, however, United would emerge victorious. “I think they hung in there on a day where it wasn’t a great day, just wasn’t sharp in any aspect in the game,” Coach Ben Olsen said after the game. “But we hung in there and found a way to win and that’s what we’re looking for….I’m seeing some signs of this team figuring out ways to be winners.”
D.C. United looked threatening on the attack throughout the first half, and would strike pay dirt in the 19th minute. Maicon Santos headed home the equalizer off of a spectacular attempt by Dwayne De Rosario, who used a bicycle kick to put the ball in the six yard box. Just three minutes later, DCU would almost take the lead. Nick DeLeon’s corner kick would find Robbie Russell, but his header was cleared off the goal line by Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen.
D.C. United had few chances in the second half, but the revolution had even fewer. Dejan Jakovic was forced out due to injury, thinning DCU’s defensive unit even more. Olsen used his remaining two subs to spark the attack, bringing on Josh Wolff for an ineffective Hamdi Salihi, and using Chris Pontius up top in place of Maicon Santos. Pontius had an almost immediate effect on the game, and his pace proved to be too much for the revs. His game-winning goal, coming just 8 minutes from time, was classic Pontius — eerily reminiscent of his first career strike.
“That’s my move,” Pontius said after the match. “I mean, I got to switch it up sometimes but it was open on that play.”
I took a few things from the game. On the defensive side of the ball, Brandon McDonald didn’t look good. His role this year has been that of an enforcer, throwing his weight around and pressing while Dudar anchors the back line and shows composure on the ball. Without Dudar, McDonald looked lost. He lost his mark on the goal and didn’t organize well. I’d almost rather give Korb a look, but we’ll see what happens.
Nick DeLeon has to be the hands down favorite for rookie of the year. I watched the FC Dallas match at field level and was impressed at his pace and hustle, even late into the second half. His service on corners and on runs in has been better than what we’ve seen from Najar this year. Olsen’s going to find it hard to start Andy or Chris Pontius on the wings—at this point I’d even be open to seeing Pontius paired up top with Santos.
Another game for Salihi with no goals. And while he helped with possession, he didn’t look threatening at all. Striking a ball from 30 yards out with no pace just won’t cut it. The question is out there—is Hamdi Salihi a striker in a slump who just needs a goal to boost his confidence? Or will he just be ineffective during his stay in MLS? Here’s hoping he doesn’t end up next to Marcello Gallardo in DCU’s “hall of international disasters.”
D.C. United welcomes the expansion Montreal Impact on Wednesday, followed by a Sunday evening encounter with New York at RFK. It should be interesting to see how Olsen spreads his players out over the next two games. He has options like Andy Najar and Branko Boskovic on the bench—not to mention a fully recovered Bill Hamid.
Team Notes: The team wore black armbands in memory of midfielder Marcelo Saragosa’s father, who died earlier in the week. Saragosa has missed the past three matches to be with his family … Dudar is doubtful for the match on Wednesday with the aforementioned hamstring injury … Third-string goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra has been loaned to the Charleston Battery for three matches—he played 90 minutes this weekend and will return to D.C. next Wednesday.
