DC United welcomed Toronto FC to RFK Stadium on Saturday night in a battle of Eastern Conference basement dwellers. Mired in the depths of the worst season in league history, United has won only three matches out of a possible 25; Toronto FC hasn’t fared any better, sitting only seven points above the black and red.
To the surprise of very few, there was no winner on Saturday night.
The two lowly sides played to a 1-1 draw, relying on goals from Dwayne De Rosario and Bobby Convey to secure the outcome. Both goal-scorers found the back of the net against their former employers. De Rosario spent a pair of tumultuous years at TFC between 2009 and 2011; Convey spent his first four MLS seasons in the District.
“It was ok,” said an exasperated Ben Olsen after the match. “We probably should’ve had a couple more goals and obviously we don’t like the way we gave up their goal. That’s about it. That’s about all I’ve got on the game.”
Olsen met the media some 40 minutes after the match — it typically takes him about 10 to 15 minutes — after emerging from what one can only assume was a very tense locker room. When asked about the delay, Olsen simply stated that he was catching up with an old friend (former DCU teammate and current TFC head coach Ryan Nelsen). United’s players remained equally tight-lipped, with De Rosario describing the meeting as an open forum: “It’s basically the same conversation we have had in the past. That’s in here, that’s among the players, and we’ll keep it that way.”
DeRo’s opening tally came just 10 minutes in. The Canadian international put United on the board with an absolutely spectacular strike from some 30 yards out. United midfielder Perry Kitchen played a looping pass to the former TFC captain at the edge of the 18. De Rosario dribbled away from goal and towards the center of the pitch, then turned and struck a magnificent, curling ball towards goal that found its way past Toronto keeper Joe Bendik. The strike was DeRo’s third of the year, good enough to tie him with Luis Silva
for the team lead.
Asked whether he knew the audacious strike had a chance at finding the back of the net, De Rosario smirked before replying, “Every time I shoot I think it has a chance.”
United found other opportunities in the game’s opening stanza. Twenty seven minutes in, Silva, Jared Jeffrey and Nick Deleon combined on a lovely sequence of passes, though Deleon’s effort at goal rose just over the crossbar. The exchange was one of many between United’s midfielders, who played perhaps their best 45 minutes of soccer all year. United was dominant in possession, sent three times as many shots towards goal as TFC and found ample room to operate against an equally lackluster opponent.
The field did tilt a bit in Toronto’s favor early on in the second half, and Convey would equalize just 15 minutes in, running onto a Reggie Lambe cross and hammering it home from the penalty spot.
Convey’s strike would prove to be one of TFC’s only decent scoring opportunities of the match, as D.C. quickly regained control and pushed hard for the game-winner. Luis Silva nearly pulled United ahead in the 67th minute with a spectacular side-volley, though his attempt found the open arms of Bendik. De Rosario did his best to strike from distance again, but his 30-yard free kick attempt several minutes later would be pushed wide by the TFC keeper.
Toronto’s best chance for a winner came some 10 minutes from full time, but Robert Earnshaw’s attempt from inside the 18 skimmed just inches from the base of the far post. In the end, the second half proved to be a tale of two teams desperately pushing for a win, something that’s eluded both sides all year. It was also a tale, however, of two teams who are pretty bad at finding the back of the net. A draw was only appropriate.
“We needed to get that second goal,” lamented Olsen. “They kept hanging around. It’s a little blow — this is not an easy tie to take.”
