COLUMBUS, Ohio — D.C. United almost made it three wins in a row. Instead, they had to settle for a four-game unbeaten streak.
United gave up a 90th minute equalizer on the road on Saturday evening, handing the Columbus Crew a 1-1 draw. Fabian Espíndola opened the scoring in the 31st minute, while Hector Jimenez would pull the Crew level minutes from the death.
After the match, much of the discussion focused not on the result, but on the officiating, namely a blown call in the 71st minute that may have eventually contributed to United’s demise. More on that later.
Though this was a draw that felt a bit like a loss, a point on the road against a very good Columbus side is a positive result for a United side that didn’t win a single road match in 2013.
Highlights:
Man of the Match: Fabian Espíndola. The forward has come alive during United’s recent run of form and he only got better on Saturday evening.
Espíndola spent much of the first half getting heckled by Columbus’ fans, a role the Argentine is all too familiar with. After smashing home United’s only goal of the night — a tough, angled strike from the far side of the box — Espíndola sprinted about 70 yards up the sideline, set up shop directly in front of his hecklers and raised his arms to his ears, the classic “I can’t hear you” gesture.
Though he missed two good looks in the second half — and one of them directly preceded Columbus’ equalizer — Espíndola was more important off the ball than on it. During the scrum that followed Giancarlo Gonzalez’s 71st minute takedown of United forward Eddie Johnson, the Espíndola found once again found himself playing the role of instigator, getting into a shoving match with Bernardo Añor. A clearly flustered Añor would get himself sent off just minutes later, flying in on Perry Kitchen with a rash, retaliatory challenge.
Honorable Mentions: Jeff Parke and Bobby Boswell. United’s pair of center backs continued to impress. After three solid performances, many who doubted the tandem’s ability to keep up with some of the league’s younger talent may be starting to swallow their words.
Meh: Eddie Johnson. Johnson, hired in the off-season to spark United’s lifeless offense, has yet to score a goal. During early season losses to Columbus and Toronto, Johnson barely found himself on the ball at all, suggesting an understandable lack of chemistry with his teammates. But in the four games that’ve followed, Johnson has miffed several clear-cut scoring opportunities.
While Ben Olsen has continued to preach patience — and many of Johnson’s teammates continue to insist that his ability to hold the ball makes up for his current lack of scoring form — most United fans see things a bit differently: six games, no goals.
Moment of the Match: Juan Guzman’s failure to issue a red card in the 71st minute. Giancarlo Gonzalez’s foul on Eddie Johnson met all the criteria for a red card: Johnson was in alone on goal, had control of the ball, was in a dangerous opportunity where he clearly could’ve scored and Gonzalez was the last defender back. Yet somehow, Guzman saw it fit to issue only a yellow card, (perhaps?) feeling that Johnson went down a bit to easily. Who knows.
Major League Soccer provides the media with the ability to request an explanation on a call of that nature; each team has a designated pool reporter who can submit an inquiry after the match. On Saturday evening, the officiating crew declined to answer that question, citing a technicality (a form that the Crew had failed to post in the referee’s locker room, though the team later tried to show the officials a copy of it on a club official’s cell phone) instead of owning up to their error. Shameful.
The Rest: The scoreboard didn’t burn down … Sean Franklin had his eyelid stitched up after the match, one of the most gruesome things I’ve ever witnessed. His teammate, Joe Willis (yes, that Joe Willis) seemed a little too intrigued, at one point turning to me and deadpanning “I’m a huge fan of the Saw movies” … Ben Olsen declined to comment on the officiating controversy, saying “I don’t even feel I have to,” and avoiding a fine in the process … D.C. returns home this weekend, where they’ll take on FC Dallas (Saturday, 7 p.m., RFK Stadium.)
