A Chris Rolfe brace was all D.C. United needed on Sunday, the pair of goals good enough to wash away an early Charlie Davies strike and lead United to a victory over the visiting New England Revolution.
The win over second-place New England puts United back in the driver’s seat in the race for the Supporters’ Shield, and also extends their Eastern Conference lead over the Revs to seven points.
Both teams were stretched thin, the two sides having played mid-week U.S. Open Cup matches; on Sunday, game-time temperatures in the low 90’s only added to the challenge.
Davies—the former United forward who tallied 11 goals for D.C. in 2011—wasted little time getting on the board. In the 10th minute, Revolution midfielder Scott Caldwell collected a pass around the midfield stripe, easily finding an open Teal Bunbury about 35 yards from goal. Bunbury quickly fed Lee Nguyen on the flank, who sent a low cross in from the outside of the area to Davies at the top of the six-yard box. Davies did well to redirect the ball towards goal with his first touch, eluding an outstretched Bill Hamid and netting his seventh goal of the year.
In the 23rd, the Revs nearly doubled their lead on a similar combination between Bunbury and Nguyen, the latter of whom would eventually find Chris Tierney at the far edge of the area; Tierney had a good look at the goal, but Hamid had wisely come out to close down his angle and parried the effort away. About 30 seconds later, United forward Fabian Espindola made his own run down near the sideline, bending a cross in towards Nick Deleon at the spot. Deleon could not connect.
Both sides looked a little leggy during the opening 45 minutes, but New England seemed less prone to wilting in the summer sun and controlled play for long stretches of the opening half. They’d start the second stanza, as well, with a bang—Nguyen struck a venomous, 20-yard attempt just two minutes into the half, which skimmed just over the crossbar.
D.C. worked themselves back into the match early in the second half and nearly equalized in the 56th minute. Espindola collected a pass in the far corner and took advantage of a New England back line that seemed to be looking for an offside call. He quickly fired the ball across the box — finding forward Chris Rolfe about seven yards from goal — but Rolfe’s effort was deflected away by Tierney near the goal line.
Rolfe would get his goal just ten or so minutes later. Deleon collected the ball into the near corner and layed it off to Espindola at the near edge of the box. Espindola moved towards the endline before serving the ball across the box to Rolfe, who smashed it home for the equalizer. The Argentine also very nearly played a part in what would’ve been United’s second goal just a few minutes later, but his inch-perfect free kick just barely eluded the head and feet of United midfielder Perry Kitchen and center back Steve Birnbaum at the six.
Rolfe’s second goal was a touch easier. In the 80th minute, second-half substitute Steve Neumann’s clumsy challenge on United midfielder Miguel Aguilar just inside the area handed D.C. a penalty kick, and Rolfe’s struck the ensuing PK low and to New England ‘keeper Bobby Shuttleworth’s right for the game-winner.
D.C. won’t have much time to celebrate their victory—they’ll embark on their longest road trip of the year this week, facing the Chicago Fire on Wednesday before traveling north of the border for a match-up with Toronto FC on Saturday evening.
